What we learned about the Pirates in ‘22

This story was excerpted from Justice delos Santos’ Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The offseason is officially here for the Pirates, and now that the dust has finally settled, the 2022 season can be examined in full.

The Pirates finished 62-100, the club’s second consecutive season of at least 100 losses. But despite the sting of that big round number in the loss column, Pittsburgh’s core group of players became even more refined this season, featuring plenty of foundational pieces on both sides of the ball.

“There are definitely signs of how we're moving in the right direction,” said manager Derek Shelton. “It is frustrating as it can be at times. It's part of the process. But I think our process is starting to really show that it's working.”

Defining moment: Oneil Cruz breaks Statcast record for hardest-hit ball
It felt inevitable. At some point, Cruz was going to hit a baseball harder than anyone in recorded history. In his 54th career game, Cruz did just that, smashing a 122.4 mph line drive off the Clemente Wall. In retrospect, the moment served to represent how Cruz improved in the latter half of his rookie season. From Aug. 24, the day he set the record, to the end of the season, Cruz hit .278/.350/.514 with seven home runs and a 141 wRC+.

What we learned: The kids are here
The youth movement is in full effect in Pittsburgh. The Pirates got younger and younger as the season went on, so much so that it wasn’t uncommon to see four, five, six rookies in the starting lineup on any given day. There were plenty of growing pains, but the multitude of young talent wasn’t shy about offering a glimpse of what could be in store. With Cruz, Roansy Contreras, Jack Suwinski, Rodolfo Castro, Johan Oviedo and Luis Ortiz, among others, there’s no shortage of 25-and-unders who will be worth watching next season.

Best development: Mitch Keller
Coming into this season, no individual Pirate had more to prove than Keller. The right-hander showed flashes in his first three seasons, but his overall body of work was underwhelming. This season, Keller finally put it all together. While April and May were rough, Keller finished the year with a 3.91 ERA and 3.88 FIP across 159 innings with 138 strikeouts -- all of which were career bests. Heading into 2023, Keller stands to head Pittsburgh’s rotation.

Area for improvement: First base
The Pirates didn’t get much offensive production out of their first basemen this season. Across 636 plate appearances, Pittsburgh’s first basemen posted a .601 OPS. Only Pittsburgh’s catchers (.531) posted a lower OPS. In the short term, the Pirates can address first base through free agency. Carlos Santana and Jesús Aguilar can both be free agents this winter. Miguel Sanó could be another option, too, as the Twins are unlikely to pick up his team option.

On the rise: Endy Rodriguez
On June 23, Rodriguez, the Pirates' No. 6 prospect per MLB Pipeline, went hitless in four at-bats for High-A Greensboro. At the end of that day, he had a .766 OPS. Rodriguez then proceeded to go inferno. The rest of the way, Rodriguez posted an unreal 1.176 OPS, earning promotions to Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis in the process. In February, Rodriguez said his goal was to just hit Double-A. Now, the Majors are well within reach.

Team MVP: Bryan Reynolds
Reynolds, the Pirates’ MVP as voted on by the Pittsburgh chapter of the BBWAA, saw his numbers dip compared to last year’s breakout, but even a down year for Reynolds was better than much of the league. Across a team-high 145 games, Reynolds posted a team-high .806 OPS and hit a career-high 27 home runs.