For the second-straight season, the Pirates won 76 games in 2024. However, that was a not a sign Pittsburgh went stagnant in their rebuild. Pittsburgh fans saw several highly-anticipated prospects head to the Steel City and thrive, highlighted by the top pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. Here’s our recap of the Pirates’ 2024 campaign.
The Offense
| Stat | Number | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Runs Scored | 665 | 24th |
| Home Runs | 160 | 25th |
| OPS | .672 | 27th |
| Whiff% | 27.7% | 25th |
| Hard Hit% | 40.1% | 10th |
The Pitching
| Stat | Number | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Starters’ ERA | 3.95 | 15th |
| Relievers’ ERA | 4.49 | 27th |
| Strikeouts | 1,356 | 18th |
| Whiff% | 24.5% | 22nd |
| Chase% | 28.6% | 13th |
The Good
The Pirates found their superstar.
Pittsburgh took Paul Skenes over Dylan Crews and Wyatt Langford in 2023 after a dominant junior season with LSU. While Skenes wasn’t consistently hitting 101 like he did in Baton Rouge, what the 22-year-old did as a rookie was phenomenal. After the Pirates called Skenes up in May, the righty went 11-3 with a ridiculous 1.96 ERA and 170 strikeouts over 133 innings.
The year earned Skenes a top-three finish in the 2024 NL Cy Young Award and put him among the game’s elite. As a matter of fact, the only two pitchers with more strikeouts than Skenes after his promotion were Tarik Skubal and Chris Sale.
While Skenes and his plus-plus stuff earned most the attention, don’t forget about another 2024 rookie, Jared Jones. Jones made the Pirates’ Opening Day roster and pitched incredibly well, as he struck out 132 over 121.2 IP and posted a 30.2% Whiff%, thanks largely to a power fastball and slider.
Between Jones and Skenes, the Pirates have a 1-2 punch to build around. Pittsburgh also received good contributions from Bailey Falter, who pitched well in the first half before a 5.02 ERA in the second.
Offensively, the Pirates saw three hitters hit 20+ home runs: Oneil Cruz, Andrew McCutchen, and Bryan Reynolds.
Reynolds continues to do what he’s done for most of his MLB career: be a productive bat who can drive in runs. McCutchen, meanwhile, continues to tap into the fountain of youth, as he posted a .328 OBP despite a .232 AVG, affecting the game in multiple facets.
Cruz stayed healthy and had a good season, one where he cracked the 20-20 marker for the first time. He also continued to post cartoonish-like exit velocities with his bat, and he ranked in the 97th percentile in Barrel% (15.7%).
However, the Pirates made one major change with Cruz, one that’s been coming for years. Pittsburgh moved Cruz to center field, coinciding with their summer pickup of Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the Blue Jays.
Cruz has great speed for a 6’7” man — and in general. But, that size isn’t exactly a plus for him at short, a position that prioritizes flexibility and manueverability and doesn’t usually feature many athletes above 6’2”. The move to center should be less taxing on Cruz from a long-term perspective.
The Bad
The Pirates saw several success stories emerge from 2024, aside from the ones mentioned in the last section. However, there were some negatives from last season, chiefly among those a tough season from David Bednar and continued struggles from Henry Davis.
I’ll start with Davis, the first overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. The idea with Davis was that when he was selected, he could rise fast as a polished bat. Three years later, and that strategy hasn’t worked.
Pittsburgh first gave Davis a look at the MLB level in 2023. It wasn’t a smash hit, as he hit just .213/.302/.351 with seven home runs. During the 2023-24 offseason, Davis worked with Driveline to tweak his swing, from a twitchy, unorthodox swing to a more fluid one. It didn’t work whatsoever despite a good spring, to the point where the Pirates reportedly wanted him to go back to his old mechanics — and use a lighter bat — during last season.
Davis hit only .144/.242/.212 last season and struggled significantly with covering fastballs. His average against the heat dipped to .123, over 100 points lower than 2023.
However, it’s not like Davis was the only hitter to have a rough campaign, offensively. Only four Pirates hitters had an OPS+ of 100 or more and play at least 75 games for the team.
Jack Suwinski hit .182/.264/.324 and was sent down to Triple-A in the summer. Jared Triolo won a Gold Glove but hit .216/.296/.315 over 125 games. Ke’Bryan Hayes (.233/.283/.290) had the least-productive season offensively in his MLB career.
Pittsburgh also didn’t receive great contributions from Michael A. Taylor, who played 133 games and hit .193/.253/.290 with five home runs. He hit for significantly less power in 2024 and amidst the shuffling of the Pirates’ outfield, was cut late in September along with Rowdy Tellez.
Tellez’s DFA was more notable, particularly because it came after he accrued 421 plate appearances, four shy of 425. Had Tellez hit 425, he would have been due a $200,000 bonus.
Now, on to Bednar. Bednar was a dominant reliever for the Pirates from 2021-23, including in 2023 when he nailed down 39 saves. This past season, it was clearly visible Bednar was dealing with command troubles, often pulling fastballs too far to the glove side in what was a nightmarish campaign. Bednar walked batters 10.7% of the time in 2024, saw his ERA balloon to 5.77, and his Whiff% on the fastball went down despite an uptick in velocity.
Bednar’s struggles opened the door for Aroldis Chapman, signed in free agency last winter, to take over as closer late in the year.
Early Projected Lineup for 2025
- C: Endy Rodriguez/Joey Bart
- 1B: Connor Joe
- 2B: Nick Gonzales
- 3B: Ke’Bryan Hayes
- SS: Isiah Kiner-Falefa
- OF: Bryan Reynolds (LF), Oneil Cruz (CF), Bryan De La Cruz (RF)
- DH: Jack Suwinski
- SP: Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Jared Jones, Bailey Falter, Luis L. Ortiz
- RP: David Bednar, Colin Holderman, Carmen Mlodzinski, Dennis Santana, Joey Wentz, (FA Addition(s))
Assuming Andrew McCutchen re-signs with the Pirates this winter, he would likely take Suwinski’s spot in this hypothetical lineup. Aside from that, Pittsburgh’s lineup is mostly set for 2025.
The Pirates have pitching depth, both currently in Pittburgh, as well as in the farm. Pittsburgh’s farm system includes high-prized pitching arms like Bubba Chandler, Braxton Ashcraft, Thomas Harrington, and Anthony Solometo. Plus, Johan Oviedo, who missed all of 2024 from Tommy John surgery recovery, could be an option in 2025 at some point.
Their bullpen, though, is a different story. Pittsburgh must get better contributions from David Bednar in 2025. Bednar didn’t factor into the save equation late in 2024 but could again in 2025. Although, someone like Colin Holderman could be an option.