Predicting the Pittsburgh Pirates Bench in 2020

It is official, the Major League Baseball 2020 regular season is set to begin on Thursday, July 23rd, with the Pirates beginning the next day. Now it's time to predict who will be available off the bench for the Pittsburgh Pirates when the season begins in St. Louis.

Ever since MLB teams have been getting back to their summer camps, there has been an excitement in the air about the 2020 season. In a 60-game shortened season anything can happen, and every team at least has a shot at catching lightning in a bottle and going on a run. With off-days coming few and far between this year, a team's bench is going to be more important than ever as they will be called upon to give guys a break more often than in years past. With wins being more important than ever, the bench is going to have to be able to step in and keep the lineup going when the starters are out so the team can stay on track.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have a ton of options available to fill their bench with a list of utility guys and power hitters to go around. With the rosters being set at 30 men to start the season, I am envisioning six spots available on the bench, with one of them being the back-up catcher. We have already set out our predictions for the batting order, starting rotation, and swingman. Here is a reminder of who we have on the Buccos Cove Predicted Opening Day Roster so far:

Batting Order                  Starting Rotation
1. SS Kevin Newman.     1. Joe Musgrove
2. 2B Adam Frazier.        2. Mitch Keller
3. LF Bryan Reynolds.     3. Trevor Williams
4. DH Josh Bell.              4. Derek Holland
5. 3B Colin Moran.          5. Steven Brault
6. RF Gregory Polanco.  6. JT Brubaker
7. 1B Will Craig
8. C Jacob Stallings
9. CF Jarrod Dyson

For the sake of being true to my picks, I am going to keep them the same no matter what is announced to see how close I was on Opening Day. As we start to evaluate the bench options for the Pirates, it becomes a little harder because you don't know the direction the team will take. There are obviously a few locks to make the bench, but the question becomes which young guys will make it and which veterans end up on the list. So, without further ado here is the Buccos Cove prediction of what the 2020 Pittsburgh Pirates bench will look like on Opening Day.

Spot 1: C #14 Luke Maile

Coming into the 2020 season, the Pirates had almost no depth at the catching position other than Jacob Stallings. One of the first moves new General Manager Ben Cherrington made in his new role was signing free-agent catcher Luke Maile. Maine is a five-year MLB veteran and will more than likely serve as the Pirates back-up catcher this season. He isn't much of an offensive guy, hitting just .151 last season for the Toronto Blue Jays with one home run and nine RBI in 44 games played. However, his defense is very good as he posted a .989 fielding percentage last season and committed just four errors while allowing four passed balls all season. Maile also does a nice job handling the running game as he caught 40% of would-be base stealers last season (18 of 30). Maile is going to be a solid back-up option this season and could end up catching anywhere between 20 and 25 games to spell Stallings when needed.

Spot 2: IF/OF #36 Jose Osuna

Over his first four seasons in Major League Baseball, Jose Osuna has had to fight for a spot on the Pirates bench. However, looking to 2020, it looks like he is more than guaranteed a spot especially with the DH being in play. Osuna had his best offensive season last year hitting .264 with 10 home runs and 36 RBI while appearing in 95 games for the team. Osuna was one of the team's best pinch hitters last season, hitting .325 with six of his home runs and 11 of his RBI coming in pinch-hitting situations. He could be used in that role once again in 2020, however, I see him getting some more time in the starting lineup. He would be a good fielding option for Pittsburgh on days when Josh Bell, Colin Moran, or Gregory Polanco are DHing. Osuna brings with him some good versatility as he has experience playing first base, third base, right field, and left field. His speed isn't the greatest, so I don't see him getting much time in left field, but you never know how the season will shake out. I feel Osuna will still be playing a big role in 2020 whether it be as a bat off the bench, a DH, or in the field.

Spot 3: IF/OF #15 JT Riddle

JT Riddle is another off-season signing brought in by Cherrington to help increase the team's defense in 2020. The Pirates were one of the worst defensive teams in all of the MLB last season and their record proved it. Riddle is a guy who is solid defensively no matter where you put him in the field, but his offense could use a little work. Defensively, he can play either middle infield spot as well as all three of the outfield positions. During the 2018 season, he served as the starting shortstop for a time and posted a .983 fielding percentage while playing 691.1 innings of work at the position. Riddle is a guy that isn't going to wow you on offense with his career average sitting at just .189. His best offensive season came in 2018 and he hit just .231 with nine home runs and 36 RBI in 102 games played. Riddle is a solid defender all over the field and will have to play that defensive role well if the Pirates are to be successful in 2020.

Spot 4: #13 IF Ke'Bryan Hayes

After spending the last six years in the Pirates organization, 2020 was supposed to be the year Ke'Bryan Hayes officially takes over at third base. If it was a full season he probably would be the starting third baseman by now, however, in a 60-game season I see him on the bench. Even after dealing with some injuries during the 2019 season, Hayes still managed pretty good numbers hitting .265 with 10 home runs and 53 RBI. Hayes will likely see a lot of time on the field right from the get-go with Colin Moran and Jose Osuna both playing as DH's this season. Hayes's biggest claim to fame is his defense, as he has been named an all-star caliber defender. Last season, he played just under 900 innings at third base and committed just three errors all season. With Moran struggling defensively at the hot corner, Hayes would be a big upgrade for the team giving them a sure-handed defender at third base.

Spot #5: #5 OF Guillermo Heredia

Every good team needs a good fourth outfielder to sure up their defense and Guillermo Heredia brings strong defensive skills to the game. Last season, he played in all three outfield spots last season and had a combined fielding percentage of .972. He has good speed to get to all parts of the outfield and has a decent arm with two outfield assists. However, his offensive game has shown little promise as he hit just .225 last season with five home runs and 20 RBI. He has decent speed but doesn't use it on the base paths very often as he was a perfect two for two in stolen bases. Heredia will be able to back-up all three outfield positions and be a guy who comes in as a defensive replacement in big games.

Spot #6: IF #3 Cole Tucker

For me, the last roster spot was a toss-up between a young infielder and a veteran infielder. After thinking it over, I picked Cole Tucker to win the last spot over Erik Gonzalez. While Gonzalez is more versatile than Tucker is, the Pirates already have two guys who can shift around the field. It would give Tucker a chance to build off his first year in the Big Leagues and get more experience. Tucker appeared in 56 games last season and hit .211 with two home runs and 11 RBI. He started his career with a bang hitting the game-winning home run in his MLB Debut, but he struggled as the season went on. However, he picked it up at the end of 2019, hitting .265 during the month of September. On the defensive side of the ball, he can play both middle infield positions but is more of a natural shortstop. He had a strong fielding percentage at .986 and he committed just two errors all season. He is a fan favorite at the position and his passion can help spark the Pirates, especially in a 60-game spring of a season.

That concludes our predictions for the 2020 Pittsburgh Pirates Opening Day Bench players. The 30-man roster to start the season opened up another spot on the bench, and I believe will allow some room for young guys to make their first opening day roster. I feel the bench is going to be almost like an audition for the future with many young guys, and possibly some taxi squad players, getting a chance their this season. It is going to take more than 30 men to make this season a success, so everyone on the bench is going to have to be all in. Just as a reminder here are the six names that I am saying will start the season on the bench.

1. C Luke Maile
2. IF/OF Jose Osuna
3. IF/OF JT Riddle
4. OF Guillermo Heredia
5. IF Ke'Bryan Hayes
6. IF Cole Tucker

The Pittsburgh Pirates will officially begin their season on July 24th, 2020 when they head on the road to face the St. Louis Cardinals at 8:10 pm. Until then, we will be getting you ready for the 2020 season with all things Pittsburgh Pirates. We will dive into stories surrounding camp, player profiles, and history surrounding the organization all leading up to Opening Day. Be sure to follow us on Facebook at Buccos Cove and find us on Twitter at @Buccos_Cove.

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