4 questions facing Pirates for 2022

On the heels of their third consecutive last-place finish in the National League Central, the Pirates are hoping 2022 can be a pivot point for the franchise.

Pittsburgh had to trim a lot of its roster last year to clear the way for younger players to get reps. Notable names like Gregory Polanco, Chad Kuhl, Colin Moran, Jacob Stallings and Steven Brault are all gone.

In some ways, this makes 2022 a potentially exciting season to see the next wave of the Bucs’ future. But that also leaves the club with some question marks. Here are four of the biggest heading into a new season:

1. Who rounds out the starting rotation?
Some of the most recognizable starting options -- Kuhl, Brault and Tyler Anderson -- on the Pirates are no longer with the club. So who takes over?

New acquisition José Quintana will start. Wil Crowe, who led the team in starts last season, will also likely make the rotation. That leaves a group of Major League pitchers like JT Brubaker, Mitch Keller, Dillon Peters, Zach Thompson, Bryse Wilson, Miguel Yajure and Max Kranick to choose from for the three back-end spots, as well as Roansy Contreras, who will likely be recalled at some point this season for a stretch of starts.

Some of these pitchers will likely be converted into multi-inning swingmen by the end of the season, filling a role vacated by Kyle Keller and Cody Ponce. But it seems unlikely the Pirates will search for more help here. My guess: Mitch Keller -- who has hit velocities surpassing 100 mph this offseason -- gets another chance, as well as Wilson and Yajure, if fully healthy. It’s worth noting the Bucs were not constrained by the traditional five-man rotation last season, though.

2. When will Oneil Cruz arrive for the long haul?
Most fans hope the answer is Opening Day. I’m not certain that will be the case. The Pirates treated Cruz's callup in 2021 as more of a reward for tackling the challenges they outlined at the beginning of the season. That’s not to say that MLB Pipeline's No. 52 overall prospect didn’t prove he was ready for the call -- he hit .310 with 38 extra-base hits in 68 games at Double-A and Triple-A combined.

I would expect that Cruz will be given a chance to compete for a starting role in Spring Training, as last year manager Derek Shelton and GM Ben Cherington also called the middle infield an open competition. But the 6-foot-7 phenom played only six games at Triple-A last season. One other consideration: The Pirates kept him exclusively at shortstop in Altoona. Could they use some time at Triple-A to help make him more versatile? It’s been a general emphasis of the current regime.

3. How will Ke’Bryan Hayes respond to 2021?
Hayes did not have the first full season Pittsburgh fans -- or Hayes himself -- had hoped for. The third baseman battled through a left hand/wrist injury and wasn’t able to consistently find the same gap-to-gap power he showed in 2020.

Of course, Hayes did what he does on defense. Producing a highlight seemingly every week when he was healthy, Hayes led third basemen in defensive runs saved despite playing only 96 games and won the Fielding Bible Award at the position. (He did not meet the innings requirement to be considered for the Gold Glove Award.)

But the Pirates need to see his offense tick back up to keep him high in the order and as an everyday contributor. Hayes is confident he’ll be back stronger.

“I’m not worried about it at all,” Hayes said in October about his struggles in 2021. “Coming into next year, I know I’m going to drive the ball if I get my legs and stuff back under me, and once I get this figured out, I’ll be fine.”

4. Who will challenge Kevin Newman’s hold on shortstop?
Cherington said the Pirates gave Newman a challenge on defense ahead of the 2021 season, and he succeeded. This offseason, they’re challenging him to improve his offense. Since hitting .308 in 2019, his first full season, Newman has recorded a .570 OPS (55 OPS+) in 192 games over 2020-21 -- giving him a negative oWAR per Baseball Reference in both seasons.

Maybe the challenge the Pirates have given him will lead to better results in 2022. But if the trend continues, who does the team replace him with in the middle infield? Outside of Newman, Pittsburgh has eight middle infielders on the active roster. Will the Pirates prioritize Cruz over the rest of them? If Cruz is not in Pittsburgh yet, do they trust that Cole Tucker’s September improvements (a .720 OPS with seven extra-base hits in 27 games) will carry over? Other players with MLB reps, like Michael Chavis and Hoy Park, have also been given time in the middle infield.

Or maybe it’s time to give another Triple-A infielder from last year a chance. Tucupita Marcano, the highest-ranked Pirates prospect of that group by MLB Pipeline (No. 9), didn’t build a strong case in a small sample with Indianapolis (.230/.325/.279 in 48 games). However, unranked prospect Diego Castillo posted an .842 OPS with 24 doubles and 19 home runs across Double-A and Triple-A.