In my last two articles, I talked about how I thought the Pirates got to this point where they’re staring down a rebuild and where they are now. So what’s next? Where could this team go in the future? My answer is that it’s anyone’s guess. If Ben Cherington’s development team can turn potential into results, the sky is the limit. Let’s take a look.
If you’ve been paying attention to sports media over the last few weeks, everyone and their brother has released a top prospect report. The Pirates generally have 2 guys appearing on all those lists. Ke’Bryan Hayes and Quinn Priester seem to have caught the eye of all the analysts. The attention is definitely warranted. Others appearing on the lists are last year’s first round pick, Nick Gonzales, newly acquired Hudson Head, Brennan Malone, Oneil Cruz, Travis Swaggerty, and Liover Peguero. There are plenty of other guys who could appear on these lists in the near future.
Who can we see this year? I don’t think you’ll see many of these guys this year. We might not see any of them outside of Ke’Bryan Hayes. It is hard to tell where these guys and the rest of the Minor League players are with their development due to the loss of games last year. Here’s a list of guys that I feel like we will or might see:
Blake Cederlind– Cederlind got a taste of the Majors last year. He appeared in 5 games giving up 2 runs while striking out 4 and walking 1. Not a bad first showing. Cederlind has a strong arm and can hit triple-digits. I think he’ll close at some point in the future.
Oniel Cruz– Cruz has the potential to be a superstar. I saw him play for Altoona in 2019. My first reaction was “man, he’s tall.” First Base Coach Jon Nunnally heard me and said, “this one is going to be good.” Cruz then ripped a double to the gap with his long swing. Cruz is listed as a shortstop, but the Pirates have better fielding options in the system both ahead and behind him. Cruz will probably see a move to the outfield at some point. Barring any more repercussions from his accident in the Dominican Republic, I think he could be a late season call-up.
Miguel Yajure– Yajure was part of the return from the Yankees in the Jameson Taillon trade. Yajure appeared in 3 games for the Yanks last season. He threw 7 innings out of the pen, walked 5, and struck out 8. That’s not a great walk total, but he probably wasn’t quite ready for the big leagues yet. I think he’ll start in AAA this year, but will serve as a rotation option at some point this season.
Cody Bolton– Bolton has the potential to be a top to middle of the rotation starter someday. I think we’ll see him make his debut this year. The righty has a nice repertoire of pitches. A high spin rate four-seamer and a sinking two-seamer gives him good options to get guys out. Add in a slider and change-up and you have an even better mix. If those last two pitches continue to develop and he stays healthy, Bolton could be a force in the Majors.
Travis Swaggerty– I think Swaggerty has a slight chance of appearing in the outfield with the Bucs this year. He needs to show consistency at the upper levels of the Minors first. The loss of last year makes him hard to evaluate. Reports out of the Altoona facility last year were positive, so at least there’s that. He could be forced up if the injury bug surfaces in Pittsburgh or if Polanco, Alford, Oliva, and Goodwin can’t do the job. Swaggerty is still well thought of and appeared on a couple top 100 prospects lists. He’s great at getting on base and in the field. His speed plays nicely on both sides. If he can develop his power more, he could be a late season call-up and a chance at being a big piece to the Pirates future success.
Some other guys to watch are RHPs Max Kranick, Wil Crowe, OF Cal Mithell, RH relievers Nick Mears, Yerry De Los Santos, David Bednar, and my ultimate sleeper, John O’Reilly.
There are dozens of guys coming up over the next 2-3 years who I’ll talk about in a different post. Ben Cherington isn’t done bringing guys in either. The roster will be evolving and changing constantly for the next several years, as it should. For a team in the market that Pittsburgh is in and with the budget restraints, this is what they need to do.
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