Pittsburgh Pirates - The Covid-19 Years (2020-2029)
 
   
 

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    Yr   P W L     Yr   P W  L   Yr   P W L           2020  
    2020   5 19 41     2023   4 76 86                       Decade  
    2021   5 61 101     2024   5 76 86                       Click  
    2022   4 62 100     2025   5 71 91                       on Logo  
                                                     
                                                       
                                                             
   
  Titles: Top Pirates Players of the Twenty Twenties  
  None  
    Pitchers:  
  Ballpark: David Bednar (6.38) -  32  
  PNC Park  Mitch  Keller (8.54) -  31  
    Paul Skenes (13.5) -  18  
  Team Name: Bailey Falter (3.2) -  10  
  Pirates Chris Stratton (0.19) -  8  
    Wil Crowe (0.18) -  7  
  Owners:  JT Brubaker (0.49) -   7  
  Robert Nutting Richard Rodriguez (1.92) -   7  
    Johan Oviedo (3.57) -  7  
  General Managers: Luis Ortiz (3.58) -  6  
  Ben Cherington Dennis Santana (4) -  6  
       
  Hall of Famers: Derek Shelton (2020-25) Catchers:  
  Derek Shelton (2020-25) Jacob Stallings (4.01) -   8  
  Don Kelly (2025) Joey Bart (2.6) - 8  
       
  Hall of Famers: First Basemen:  
  None Spencer Horwitz (1.6) -  6  
       
  Rookie of the Year:  Second Basemen:  
  2024 - Paul Skenes Adam Frazier (4.07) -   11  
       
  MVP ShortStop:  
  None Oneil Cruz (5.39) -  32  
    Isiah Kiner-Falefa (2) -  4  
  Cy Young:    
  2025 - Paul Skenes Third Base:  
    Ke'Bryan Hayes (14.48) -   26  
  No Hitters:    
  None Outfield:  
    Bryan Reynolds (16.9) -    57  
  Notable Events: Andrew McCutchen (2.4) - 17  
    Jack Suwinski (1.24) -  15  
  2020 -  Like the movie Awakenings, the Pirates had this tiny window of success Connor Joe (1.3) -  9  
  in '13-'15 amidst a sea of failure. Pittsburgh was a horrific 19-41 in '20 as the Ben Gamel (0.07) -  7  
  failure continued. Colin Moran (0.45) -   5  
       
  □ Robert Nutting has been the owner since '07. There have been four winning    Notable Events:  
  seasons in 14 years. Compared to the previous regime, Nutting is a savior.    
  However, in the real world, it's no bueno.  2024 - I wouldn't be planning on going to the World Series in '24 if I  
    were a Pirate fan. Not anything in October actually.  
  □  Ben Cherington, former Red Sox and Blue Jays GM, was hired on in '20 by The Bucs will go as far as their pitching will carry them this season.  
  the Pirates. Got off to a bad start in '20. Chris Archer deal in '18 sealed previous They have, if all goes well, a potentially solid starting rotation and   
  GM Neal Huntington's fate. Bucs gave up Shane Baz, Austin Meadows and  there are a lot of good young arms in the organization to add solid  
  Tyler Glasnow to the Rays for, essentially, nothing.  bullpen depth behind stud closer David Bedner.  
    The Pirates will not be a good offensive team this year.  
  □  Derek Shelton was hired as manager in '20    
    The Pirates starting rotation has the potential to be much improved this   
  2021-2022 - The Pirates go 61-101 and 62-100. This is very bad.  season. Staff ace Mitch Keller, 28, was 13-9 last season and is one of  
  They don't even bother going thru the motions of changing GM's or managers the better starters in the league. Veteran lefthander Martin Perez, 33,   
  any more. was picked up from World Champions Texas. He was 10-4 last year.  
    Another veteran lefthander, Marco Gonzalez, 31, was picked up from  
  2023 - There are a handful of major league quality players on the roster coming into the  Seattle in the offseason. He was a solid starter for the Mariners until  
  season. The farm system, with great effort, brings one of them up from time to time.  he went down with an injury last season. If fully healthy, he could be a  
  And the team never spends to acquire new talent or keep whatever existing top nice addition to the rotation. The Pirates had the number one overall   
  talent there is. Keller, Bednar, Cruz, Reynolds, Suwinski and Hayes are the pick in last year's draft and grabbed righthander Paul Skenes.  
  existing quality on the team. That's clearly not enough to contend for anything.  Skenes dominated at LSU last year and is starting at AAA. He has the  
    potential to move in at the top of the rotation this year.  
  2023 - Pittsburgh tops seventy wins for the first time since 2018 to 76-86. Twenty two year old righthander Jared Jones, a '20 second round pick  
  They're still not very good and overachieved on their runs totals which would has high nineties heat and may be ready to do some damage.  
  have given them a 71-91 mark. Closer David Bednar won the close ones Unfortunately, Johan Oviedo, 25, who was a respectable 9-13 last   
  for the Pirates which explains their overachieving runs wise. season went down with TJ surgery.  
  There's a lot of youth on the squad so the Bucs should be trending upward. Closer David Bednar, 29, returns. He is a stud and had 39 saves last year.  
    Veteran lefty Aroldis Chapman, 36, was picked up from the World  
  2023 - One thing that shallow-pocketed owner Robert Nutting has finally done is  Champ Rangers in the offseason. He adds some quality bullpen depth.  
  start holding onto some of his homegrown talent. OF Bryan Reynolds and 3B Ke'Bryan There are a number of twenty somethings in the pen who can help turn  
  Hayes on not stars, but they are very good players and Nutting has signed both of the Pirate pen into a real strength this season.  
  them to long term deals. That's a great step forward for an organization that lives     
  from penny to penny. The Pirates offense was below league average, as well, last year.  
    There are two solid above average big leaguers on the roster in   
    3B Ke'Bryan Hayes, 27, and OF Brian Reynolds, 29. A sharp dropoff   
    after them. SS O'Neil Cruz, 25, broke his leg last year after a productive  
    rookie season. He is 6'7" which is probably not a good thing for a shortstop.  
    OF Jack Suwinski, 25, has good power, but K's half the time. No bueno.  
    First overall pick in the '21 draft, C Henry Davis is talented but raw.  
    After that, you are really crossing your fingers that anybody emerges as  
    any good. 2B Ji Hwan Bae, 24; SS Tucupita Marcano, 24; 1B Llover  
    Peguero, 24; and 2B Termarr Johnson, 20, are all young and unproven.  
       
    2025 - The Pirates have been stuck in suck mode the last two seasons   
    going 76-86 in both '23 and '24. Pirate fans can only dream that some day  
    Robert Nutting sells the club.  
       
    2025 Pitching:  
    There are some young talented arms here and if they progress, the Bucs  
    may find themselves above .500 this season. Righty Paul Skenes, 23,  
    was rookie of the year last season going 11-3 1.96. If he stays healthy, he  
     will be a franchise cornerstone. Jared Jones, also only 23, went 6-8 4.14.  
    There would be a lot more hype for Jones if Skenes weren't around.  
    Righty Mitch Keller, 29, is a solid middle of the rotation guy 11-12 4.25.  
    What could put the Bucs over the top would be if Bubba Chander, 22,  
    comes in and does a Paul Skenes impression. He had 148K in 119 IP  
    in AA/AAA last year and has nothing more to prove down there.  
    The rest of the staff is ordinary, at best, but these four can potentially do a  
    lot of damage.  
       
    2025 Hitting:  
    The lineup doesn't scare anybody and got a lot worse with the loss of  
    Bryan de la Cruz, 28, to free agency. DH Lawrence McCutchen, 38,  
    can still hit 20 50 .232. SS/CF Oneil Cruz, 26, Is probably the team's  
    best all around player 21 76 .259. Bryan Reynolds, 30, is the club's  
    best hitter 24 88 .275. It's a shame that 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes, 28, is suffering  
    from severe back problems. It ruined him last year 4 25 .233  
    2B Nick Gonzalez, 26, hit .270 last year.  
    That's it. That's the extent of the talent. Not playoff worthy.