The Pittsburgh Pirates haven’t been very good these past few years.  To be honest, that’s probably putting it lightly.

The Pirates have been rebuilding ever since their last playoff appearance in 2015.  Veterans have passed and gone, and young talent continues to develop in the minors.  However, this rebuild has taken place over a 7-year span.

The Pirates hold the 17th-best lineup (according to ESPN) going into the 2023 season.  Additions include switch hitter Carlos Santana and former MVP Andrew McCutchen.

The pitching is young and promising.  Roansy Contreras had a breakout year last year, Mitch Keller has enormous potential, Rich Hill is a savvy veteran, and David Bednar is one of the best relievers in the National League.

However, how can this team put it all together???

The Pirates have some great talent on this team, especially in the lineup.  The Bucs have the ability to have a strong 1-9, and score between 4-5 runs a game.  The defense will get the job done, and only need to be about average in the field.

The key to this team is the starting pitching.  The players mentioned above need to exceed expectations for this team to be good.  Not only that, the Pirates are more than likely going to need high-end prospect Quinn Priester, and a combination of J.T. Brubaker and Max Kranick to step up as the number 5 starter.

The thing the Pirates have going for them is how weak their division is.

The Reds are not good.  They only won 62 games last year and didn’t improve much.  The Cubs didn’t add during the offseason.  The Cardinals have weak starting pitching.  The Brewers have an amazing pitching rotation, but can they score enough runs??

These questions to the teams in the Central could add intrigue for the Pirates.  By no means am I saying the Pirates will win the division?  However, they may have an outside chance.

My guess is the opening day lineup will look like some combination of

1. Liover Peguero (2B)
2. Bryan Reynolds (CF)
3. Ke’Bryan Hayes (3B)
4. Ji-Man Choi (1st)
5. Carlos Santana (DH)
6. Oneil Cruz (SS)
7. Jack Suwinski (RF)
8. Austin Hedges (C)
9. Andrew McCutchen (LF)

The lineup looks solid.  As long as the lineup is in the better half of the league, the Pirates should be able to win between 70-75 games.

The pitching will determine the rest.  My guess is the opening-day rotation will look like

1. Roansy Contreras
2. Mitch Keller
3. Rich Hill
4. J.T. Brubaker
5. Max Kranick

The Bucs could use another power lefty in the rotation.  However, if the pitching is average, this team could be solid.  The bullpen will feature Duane Underwood and All-Star David Bednar.

The Pirates have some great young talent in the minors that are still a few years away.  However, this team has the ability to shock some people, and don’t be surprised if they exceed expectations.