MIAMI -- David Bednar let out a chuckle and then surveyed the playing field at loanDepot park Wednesday, where the Pirates were doing their final workout day before Opening Day on Thursday. He wanted to make sure he wasn’t missing anyone.

“Me, Mitch, Reynolds, Key?” he asked, just to confirm.

Bingo. Those are the only four active players on the Pirates’ 2024 Opening Day active roster that were also on their 2022 Opening Day roster: Bednar, Mitch Keller, Bryan Reynolds and Ke'Bryan Hayes.

Perhaps it’s not quite a big four, but they -- and JT Brubaker, who is still recovering from Tommy John surgery -- are the ones who have been the constants, and often the bright spots, in the Pirates’ rebuild.

And as they prepare for 2024, they see light at the end of that tunnel.

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“I don’t know what type of team people thought we would be in 2022,” Keller said. “I know the team this year, we have the expectation of winning and being in the playoffs. … I think we have all the pieces to do that.”

The Pirates aren’t considered a favorite for the National League Central or a playoff spot coming into the year, with FanGraphs projecting them to have a 16.2% chance at the postseason. The division doesn’t have a favorite, though, and the Pirates should look towards teams like the Orioles and Diamondbacks, who went from losing over 100 games in 2021 to becoming two of the best teams in baseball in 2023.

It’s undeniable last year’s team took a major step forward. That 2022 team lost 100 games and didn’t exactly finish the season strong. In 2023, they won 76 games, a 14-win improvement, and played above .500 ball for the final two months of the season, finishing 31-28 over their final 59 games.

When looking back on last year, though, it’s the 20-8 start that sticks out the most. They were the best team in the National League in April, but they couldn’t maintain that success.

“We showed that we’re a team that’s very capable of making the playoffs,” Hayes said. “If you take May and flip some of those close games, we’re right there in the playoffs. I think that opened a lot of people’s eyes in the organization, and with our team, itself. We’re just as good as any of the teams in the playoffs.”

“Last year, we got a little taste of what that’s like and what it can be,” Bednar said. “I think we figured out as a team what it takes to win and what it’s like when we’re playing good baseball. It’s something that’s going to help us and carry us through that year.”

In 2022, the Pirates’ used a franchise-record 68 different players over the course of the season. That was far from desirable, but that type of turnover was an indicator for where the roster was. After all, over 20 players who broke camp with the team two years ago are no longer with the organization.

This year’s team has a blend of veteran players like Andrew McCutchen, Yasmani Grandal and Martín Pérez, but the core remains young.

Henry Davis will presumably make his first Major League start behind the plate in the opener Thursday. Oneil Cruz has returned from his fractured ankle. Jared Jones is set to make his first start Saturday. Those are the types of players the Pirates have been developing and building towards. They can be long-term answers in positions of need.

“When you have stability, you know who’s going to be where,” Hayes said. “Guys get to play with each other more. They know each other more. Everyone knows how to help everyone get better because everyone’s seen each other at their best and seen each other at their worst.”

The 2023 Pirates showed some of their best and worst, too. It was a learning experience, one that could potentially be beneficial for the club moving forward. They certainly think so, at least.

“We’ve been building towards it for a while,” Reynolds said. “The last few years have been rough. Last year, we got a little better, so this year, it’s going to be good.”