The 2020 Pittsburgh Pirates: What We Learned This Season

With the Pirates 8-6 loss to the Cleveland Indians last night, the 2020 season has officially come to an end. There were some ups and a lot of downs this season, but each moment was a learning opportunity for this young bunch.

Coming into the 2020 season, many Pittsburgh Pirates fans knew it was going to be a rough year. With a lot of young and inexperienced players, the Pirates were going to have to go through a learning curve as their young guys grow and develop. There were several exciting moments, like the Major League debut of Ke'Bryan Hayes, that helped build hope for the future, but ultimately the record would get to them as the Pirates finished a Major League worst 19-21 in the 60-game shortened season. Injuries and ineffectiveness were the biggest hamperings to the Pirates successes they missed key players throughout the season.

As the 2020 off-season approaches, General Manager Ben Cherrington and his staff have a lot of work to do. They have some quality pieces to build around, but if the Pirates are going to be successful, they still have a few pieces to add. The moves that Cherrington makes this off-season will determine the direction the Pirates are planning on taking in the near future. If guys like Joe Musgrove, Trevor Williams, and Adam Frazier are moved, it will signal a rebuilding phase. However, if Cherrington plans to stick with some of Pittsburgh's young core, we might get to winning sooner than people thought. Let's take a look back at what we learned now that the 2020 season is officially wrapped up.

The Young Talent Shows a Bright Future

One of the positives to the 2020 season is the young guys who the Pirates called on from Triple-A all look like promising players. It started with JT Brubaker on July 26th and ended with the debut of Jared Oliva on September 21st. In total, the Pirates saw seven different players make their Major League Debut this season as they put their eye to the future of what this club can be. Of those seven Big League debuts, five made big contributions throughout the shortened season. There were key players both on the offensive and defensive side that Cherrington can build around for the future of this team.

On the offensive side of the ball, the clear leader was third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes. In 85 at-bats this season, Hayes finished hitting .376 with five home runs and 11 RBI. His best run of the season came over this final week of the regular season when he hit .519 with two home runs and three RBI. Hayes showed he has what it takes to hit consistently at the Big League level and that he can be the third baseman of the future. His defense was another strong part of his game, as he made several exciting plays throughout the season. He committed just one error during his Big League stint and provided a big boost to the left side of the Pirates infield. Outfielder Jared Oliva and infielder Will Craig also made their MLB debuts this season with Oliva .188 and Craig going 0-3 in his only game. With Hayes leading the way, the young position players look to have a bright future.

On the Pitching side of things, the big rookie standout was starting pitcher JT Brubaker, who went from long-relief to a full-time starter. Brubaker got roughed up in his final outing of the season giving up five earned runs in five innings, but overall it was a strong season for the young pitcher. He finished the season going 1-3 with a 4.94 ERA in 47.1 innings of work while walking 17 and striking out 48. He turned in a quality start in four of his nine starts this season including a string of back-to-back quality starts at the end of September. Cody Ponce was the other starter to make his MLB debut and in Five appearances, three starts, he went 1-1 with a 3.18 ERA. Both pitchers have a shot at factoring into the Pirates 2021 rotation plans and becoming young star pitchers next season.

Veterans Need to Step Up

If there is one group that disappointed more than anyone else this season, it has to be the veteran leadership. Underperformance by nearly all the team's veteran pieces hurt the Pirates immensely. Guys like Josh Bell, Joe Musgrove, and Trevor Williams all failed to find their groove as the season progressed. This hurt the performance of the team and negated the surprise season that guys like Jacob Stallings and Erik Gonzalez were having. The Pirates ranked in the bottom tier of the league in batting average (28th .221) and ERA (19th, 4.68) which is usually not a recipe for success for any team.

Out of all the veterans to underperform this season, the most disappointing was first baseman/Designated Hitter Josh Bell. After having a career year that saw him hit 37 home runs and drive in 116, he managed to hit just .228 with eight home runs and 22 RBI in 2020. To put it in perspective, Bell was on pace to hit just 21 home runs and drive in just 59 RBI in a full season. He was even worse with runners in scoring position, hitting just .184 with two home runs and 14 RBI in 38 at-bats. Part of the problem was Bell not having consistent opportunities, but the other problem was that Bell just wasn't seeing the ball as well as he has been. He has been behind on several fastballs this season and is looking to recapture some of that 2019 magic this off-season.

In terms of the starting staff, Williams and Musgrove both had their share of low points this season. Williams was by far the worst starter on staff going 2-8 with a 6.51 ERA in 55.1 innings of work while striking out 49. He led all of Major League Baseball in losses and once again could not get back to where he was during the second half of 2018. He did have a good start at the end of the season, where he went 5.2 innings giving up one earned run on three hits, but overall it was a bad year for Williams. His spot in the rotation may be in jeopardy next year, and he will have to pitch lights out in Spring to beat out the competition. Joe Musgrove's struggles might have been partially because of the injury he suffered in early August that made him miss a month of the season. While his numbers look bad, at 1-5 with a 3.86 ERA, he turned it around over his final five starts pitching to a 2.16 ERA and raising his value back up for a possible off-season trade. 

With 2020 officially behind us, the Pirates will be looking to continue to grow as an organization this off-season. Whether that means a total rebuild, or adding to what the organization already has, the Pirates will take the challenge head-on. The Pirates have a lot of work to do before Opening Day 2021 as they look to take what they learned this season and build to the future.