With the 2022 regular in the books and the offseason approaching, this is the third installment in a six-part series taking a look at the Pirates' roster and where they need to focus as they prepare for the 2023 season.
When it comes to the middle infield, the Pirates have plenty of young players they can pull from, but who should get those starts moving forward?
PLAYERS ON THE ROSTER
INF/OF Ji Hwan Bae; INF/OF Diego Castillo; INF Rodolfo Castro; SS Oneil Cruz; INF/OF Tucipita Marcano; SS/2B Kevin Newman; INF/OF Hoy Park; SS Liover Peguero
FREE AGENTS
N/A
SEASON STATS
Team Second Base: .259/.304/.427, 18 HR, 66 RBI, 0.6 fWAR
Team Shortstop: .225/.281/.384, 19 HR, 74 RBI, 2.5 fWAR
Notable Individual Performers: Oneil Cruz .233/.294/.450, 17 HR, 54 RBI, 2.3 rWAR; Rodolfo Castro .233/.299/.427, 11 HR, 27 RBI, 1.3 rWAR; Kevin Newman .274/.316/.372, 2 HR, 24 RBI, 1.1 rWAR; Diego Castillo .206/.251/.382, 11 HR, 29 RBI, -0.8 rWAR; Tucupita Marcano .206/.256/.306, 2 HR, 13 RBI, -0.6 rWAR; Cole Tucker .175/.175/.222, 0 HR, 2 RBI, -0.9 rWAR; Josh VanMeter .187/.266/.292, 3 HR, 14 RBI, -1.1 rWAR
SEASON AT A GLANCE
Do you remember who the Pirates' opening day second baseman was? If you guessed Hoy Park, well, congrats.
Park and Kevin Newman were the opening day middle infield starters with Cole Tucker, Michael Chavis, Diego Castillo and Josh VanMeter in reserve. If most of those guys sound like placeholders, they were. Castillo earned a spot on the opening day roster after a big spring training, but besides that, the group consisted of guys trying to bounce back after down years in 2021. Newman did and put together a fine season. The other four didn't. Tucker, Chavis and VanMeter were all designated for assignment midseason and Park is a non-tender candidate after bouncing between the majors and minors all season.
By season's end, Oneil Cruz and Rodolfo Castro had emerged as the primary shortstop and second baseman, though there were bumps along the road to get there. Cruz was optioned to Class AAA Indianapolis to start the season and struggled there over the first month. When he did heat up and get promoted to the majors in June, he was inconsistent and struggled to hit breaking balls, though he did improve as the season went on. Castro was optioned to the minors in early June after not hustling out a pop up. In his first game back in the majors in August, a cell phone fell out of his back pocket while sliding into third base. While it was determined it was a mistake and not a way to try to cheat, he was still suspended by the league for one game.
Castillo and Tucupita Marcano both had their moments but ultimately struggled in the majors in 2021, while Ji Hwan Bae impressed during his September call up. All three could be factors, if not starters, in either the infield or the outfield in 2023, but Cruz and Castro have the upside to be one of the better hitting double-play duos. It's worth noting that after talking about how the Pirates were near the bottom of the league offensively at catcher, third base and first base, they ranked ninth in OPS at second. They were 17th at shortstop.
PROSPECTS ON THE RADAR
The two big prospects on the radar are Nick Gonzales and Liover Peguero, the latter of whom was called up to the majors for a weekend because of a COVID-19 scare. Gonzales missed a good chunk of this season with a foot injury and struggled to make consistent contact, striking out in 28.5% of his plate appearances with Class AA Altoona. Peguero had a below-average .692 OPS and made 31 errors in the field for the Curve. Both obviously have potential and tools that made them highly regarded prospects, but 2022 wasn't a great year in terms of results for either of them. Gonzales has had a solid showing of late in the Arizona Fall League.
The Pirates will have plenty of tough decisions to make with the 40 man roster this winter, but the middle infield looks pretty cut and dry. Gonzales doesn't need to be added this winter. Andres Alvarez had a 20-20 season for the Curve, but he's also 25 and a utilityman at best. Maikol Escotto was one of four players the Pirates got from the Yankees in the Jameson Taillon trade in 2021, but he's only posted middling results in A-ball. He has potential, but no team is going to steal him this winter. Same goes for Juan Jerez.
WHO IS ON THE MARKET
This free agent class is loaded both at second base and shortstop. Trea Turner, Carlos Correa, Xander Bogarts, Dansby Swanson, Jean Segura, Kolten Wong and Adam Frazier are just some of the players who have award season or All-Star game potential.
The Pirates aren't going to be in the mix, nor should they be. They have some young players with upside either in the majors or on the radar, so they'd be better off investing whatever money they will spend this winter elsewhere, like first base, catching and pitching.
If there is a trade market for infielders this winter, I wouldn't be surprised to hear Newman's name come up. He played well enough to be tendered a contract for 2023, but the Pirates have options up the middle. Unless they lean into him being a true utility player, adding positions like the outfield and first base to his defensive repertoire, he might not get enough playing time at just second and shortstop. MLB Trade Rumors projects he will make $2.8 million in his second year of arbitration this winter, which is very affordable, but also perhaps a selling point for a trade. Are you looking for an affordable, good-gloved middle infielder who can hold his own at the plate with an extra year of team control in 2024? That's a fairly appealing player. He wouldn't fetch a top prospect, but a reliever or some wild card minor-leaguers seems reasonable.
WHAT SHOULD THEY DO?
With the exception of a theoretical Newman trade, or perhaps even dangling a middle infielder to try to address another need, this could be the one area of this Pirates roster that is fairly static in terms of personnel. In terms of who plays where, it is wide open, especially if Cruz is moved to the outfield.
The Pirates will need a proper double-play duo, and it very well could be Cruz and Castro. Or Peguero and Gonzales. Or Newman and Bae. Or Castlilo and Marcano. They have options, so there should be plenty of competition here. Ideally, that means they find their middle infield of the future in 2023.
