By Kyle Hynes
I have to admit it — I’m in a toxic relationship with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Pirates weren’t always my bad boyfriend. When we first got together, they were actually pretty good, and in the early years of our relationship, they wove together three straight playoff appearances.
But these days, every spring, it’s the same old story. “We’ll change,” they say. “That us that you saw last fall — that’s not us. We won’t let you down. We promise.” And then every summer and fall — even though they might exhibit flashes of recovery now and then — they let us down.
And yet.
Once again, I’m sleepwalking into the season with a sense of optimism.
Why shouldn’t we be optimistic? After years of pretending his pockets were sewn shut, owner Bob Nutting has finally decided it’s worth paying players enough to stay in Pittsburgh. Ace starter Mitch Keller, who’s shown flashes of brilliance and ineptitude in more or less equal measure, will be in the first of a five-year deal worth $77 million. Ke’Bryan Hayes, the best defensive third baseman in baseball, is in the second of eight on his contract. David Bednar, arguably the game’s best closer, will be making four and a half million dollars. And the list goes on.
And all of the prospects that we’ve spent forever talking about, the ones who have been working their way through Altoona and Indianapolis for years, the ones the front office always said would make us contenders, if only we were patient… they’re here.
Put together, this means that when the Pirates jog out to play the Marlins on Opening Day, it’ll be a roster that the fanbase and the city of Pittsburgh can be proud of.
Keller will once again anchor the rotation, but this time, he’ll have some help. Martín Pérez and Marco Gonzalez, acquired from Texas and Atlanta over the offseason, will be in the two and three spots. Roansy Contreras, another youngster who’s shown signs of magic, could well crack the rotation too. An aging Aroldis Chapman will be the go-to in the eighth inning, and Bednar has the closing job locked down. A few more pitchers, and another quality starter, would be great — but the Pirates don’t have anything to be embarrassed about in the bullpen this year.
And the lineup itself is surprisingly strong. Starting catcher Endy Rodriguez will miss the season after having his UCL reconstructed, meaning that Henry Davis — the former number one overall pick who’d largely been held to backup duties — will be well-positioned to start. Rowdy Tellez, picked up from Milwaukee, will probably start at first base, with Liover Peguero at second. The other side of the infield, though, will be way stronger, with Oneil Cruz and Ke’Bryan Hayes both primed for monster positions at shortstop and third base, respectively. Connor Joe and Jared Triolo, both more than capable of producing, will likely see relatively frequent action (particularly on the left side of the diamond), rounding out the infield.
And it would be a stretch to call the outfield an embarrassment of riches, but two of the three spots — held by Bryan Reynolds and Jack Suwinski — have the singular ability to make PNC Park vibrate every time they come to the plate. The third spot will likely be swapped among a rotating cast of characters until someone earns it — Ji-hwan Bae, Joe Triolo, Josh Palacios, and maybe even Andrew McCutchen from time to time.
Not bad, eh?
I don’t know if this is the year we make the playoffs, but it’s certainly easy to see this team finishing above .500. With more fully developed prospects, several newly-signed veterans, and no significant departures from the core of last year’s club, the Pirates — coming off a season in which, despite the hooing and haaing coming from yours truly, they finished just five games below .500 — could pick up those extra five or six games.
And once the games — and hopefully the wins — start up again, I’ll be with you on the weekly, sharing my thoughts, complaints, concerns, hopes, and dreams as our city’s collective toxic boyfriend spins us around the block for what almost certainly won’t be the last time.
(Yes, I know that the Pirates are currently 9-13 in spring training. I’m ignoring that fact, because, like every intrepid sportswriter, I use facts when they are convenient and ignore them when they aren’t. This isn’t a fact that I like, so I’m ignoring it.)
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