Off-Season Questions: What Do The Pirates Need To Do To Be Competitive This Year

With all the prospects that the Pirates have acquired this off-season, it is easy to look ahead to the future of this team. However, there is still a season to be played now, and we look at what needs to happen for the Pirates to be competitive this year.

Over the course of the 2020 - 2021 off-season, the Pittsburgh Pirates turned three of their former star players into 14 different prospects as they build for the future. This adds to a group of talented youngsters that already includes names like Quinn Priester, Nick Gonzales, and Liover Peguerro. All of these young guys come together and have Pirates fans dreaming of what the team will be like three or four years from now. However, there are still games to be played now, and many fans are also asking how this year's team will win ball games. While it is true that the Pirates don't have any of the big-name MLB players or even very much experience, they still have some talent on the current roster that may surprise some fans around baseball.

Gone are Josh Bell, Joe Musgrove, and Jameson Taillon, but in their place comes Ke'Bryan Hayes, Bryan Reynolds, and Mitch Keller. While these players haven't seen much time in the Big Leagues their talent is still undeniable from what they have done in the Minor Leagues. Plus a look at the rest of the National League Central doesn't show many major additions, aside from the Cardinals adding Nolan Arenado this off-season. With many of the NL Central teams on the downtrend like the Pirates, divisional play should be more competitive than you think. I am not saying the Pirates will be playoff contenders or anything because they won't be, but I think they have the talent to do better than some think. Today, we look at the Pirate's keys to success this season, as they continue to build their team of the future while still being competitive this season.

Young Players Step Up

One of the biggest factors as to whether or not the Pirates will be competitive in games this season is whether or not their young guys step up. Ke'Bryan Hayes, Mitch Keller, and Bryan Reynolds have all shown spurts of being successful big leaguers, but they haven't done it consistently over a full season. If they prove that they can perform consistently night in and night out, it could go a long way to seeing this year's team have some success. Out of the three, Hayes is the biggest to watch after bursting out of the gate last season with a .376, five home runs, and 11 RBI performance in 24 games. His defense has been consistent in the Minor Leagues, but it is his offense that draws the biggest question marks.

In five Minor League seasons, Hayes is a career .279 hitter and had a batting average over .280 only twice. A career .280 hitter is ok, but to be in that elite category you would like to see it up closer to .300. His power really didn't show either in the Minor Leagues, with only one double-digit home run season. However, he has always been able to consistently hit the gaps with 30+ doubles in each of the last two seasons. He looked comfortable at the plate last year and didn't seem fazed by the bright lights of the Big Leagues. Now that teams have film on him, it will be up to Hayes to make adjustments and be a consistent bat in the upper third of the Pirates lineup.

On the pitching side of things, Mitch Keller is the man to what has he grows and matures as a Big Leaguer. He has had two strange seasons so far, but despite injuries, 2020 was his best yet. He made just five starts but went 1-1 with a 2.91 ERA over 21.2 innings of work last season. His walks were higher than at any other point in his career, but his last two starts of the season were a glimpse of how good he can be. He did not allow a hit in his final two starts of the season and allowed just one earned run. However, he walked 10 batters in 11 innings of work, so if he wants to continue to be successful, he has to be able to consistently find the strike zone.

The final guy who is looking to step up, or bounce back, is outfielder Bryan Reynolds. Reynolds came over in the Andrew McCutchen trade and took the Pirates by storm in 2019. He hit .314 with 16 home runs and 68 RBI during his rookie season, outpacing what McCutchen did in his rookie season. However, 2020 did not treat him nearly as kindly as his average dropped to a dismal .189 with seven home runs and 19 RBI. Throughout Reynold's professional career, he has always had a batting average over the .300 mark. Reynold's will be looking to prove that last year was a fluke, and he can come back and produce the way he did during his rookie year in 2021.

Compete in National League Central Games

During the course of the season, you see every National League team twice, but the most important games are obviously the ones in your division. People around the league are talking about how the NL Central has regressed this off-season, and this may help the Pirates in the here and now. The St. Louis Cardinals are the only team to make a major move, with the trade for Nolan Arenado, but the other four teams have gotten rid of players. The Cubs lost Kyle Schwarber and Kyle Hendricks, the Brewers said goodbye to Mike Moustakas, and the Reds are actively shopping Louis Castillo. With so many teams on the downtrend at the same time, it gives the Pirates some opportunities to grab wins during the season.

I'm not saying that the Pirates will compete for an NL Central title, but I feel they can be competitive in these games even if they lose some. As long as they are in it, they have a chance to grab some wins they might not have otherwise. It starts right from the opening series of the year when they face the Chicago Cubs on April 1st. Four of their first five series come against NL Central opponents, and getting out to even a .500 start in conference play would be a big confidence booster for this team. And, if these young guys get some momentum on their side, we could see a couple of runs of great baseball like we did at the end of last season.

As far as how the Pirates will finish this season, I am sticking with my prediction of 71-91 in a 162 game season. I think the Pirate's young guys are going to perform and this team will surprise some people across the league. They won't be flashy in terms of home runs, but they have enough guys who can find the gaps that there will be run-scoring opportunities. The biggest question mark falls on the pitching staff and how they will do this season. Guys like Keller, Steven Brault, and Chad Kuhl have proven they can turn in quality starts, and those will be key to keeping the team in games. It may not always result in wins, but if we see competitive games all year by the Pirates, that will be a win for the future of the ball club.