Bucs set 2023 Opening Day roster

CINCINNATI -- No more guesses. No more predictions. No more wondering. The Pirates’ 2023 Opening Day roster is here.

The Pirates entered Spring Training with a steady foundation in tow. The question, then, became how they’d fill out the margins. Specifically, backup catcher, two bench spots and the bullpen.

There aren’t any real surprises here, so to say, but the biggest deviation from expectation will be the absence of JT Brubaker, who will begin the season on the injured list with right elbow discomfort.

With the Pirates set to kick off another season, here’s their 2023 Opening Day roster:

Catcher (2): Austin Hedges, Jason Delay
When the Pirates informed Kevin Plawecki that he was not going to make the team, the backup catcher spot was going to come down to the incumbents: Delay and Tyler Heineman. The latter rated better defensively last season, but the former gets the Opening Day nod.

First base/designated hitter (2): Carlos Santana, Ji-Man Choi
The Pirates cycled through many first basemen last season, but between Choi and Santana, as well as utility man Connor Joe, they should have some stability at the position. Santana will be the Opening Day first baseman and likely get a healthy amount of reps there, and the Pirates will be cognizant of maintaining Santana’s health.

Second base (2): Ji Hwan Bae, Rodolfo Castro
In a bit of a surprising move, manager Derek Shelton elected to give Bae the Opening Day start over Castro. This doesn’t necessarily mean Bae is the full-time starter and Castro will come off the bench. Shelton has discussed using a rotation with Castro and Bae based on matchups and performance, and on this particular day, Bae got the nod.

Shortstop (1): Oneil Cruz
In 2022, Cruz showed off the entire breadth of his talents. He hit a baseball 122.4 mph, the hardest-hit ball in the Statcast era. He threw a 97.8 mph infield assist, the hardest-thrown infield assist in the Statcast era. He recorded a sprint speed of 32.2 feet per second (30 feet per second is considered elite). Now, he’ll get to show what he can do in a full season.

Third base (1): Ke'Bryan Hayes
After dealing with a back ailment all of last season, Hayes came into Spring Training having bulked up and put together a phenomenal spring. He hammered the ball (97.3 mph average exit velocity), but his 32.4 percent pull rate during Spring Training is intriguing given his career pull rate of 25.7 percent. Hayes was worth 4.3 bWAR while posting an 87 OPS+ in 2022. If he can be a league-average hitter, if not more, he could catapult himself into the top-10 third basemen discussion.

Outfield (3): Bryan Reynolds, Jack Suwinski, Canaan Smith-Njigba
With Andrew McCutchen to start the season primarily at DH, Joe and Smith-Njigba could see time in right field to begin the season. Smith-Njigba orchestrated a phenomenal spring, hitting .333/.407/.583 with three home runs and was rewarded with an Opening Day start in right field.

Designated hitter (1): Andrew McCutchen
McCutchen was always going to get some days at designated hitter over the course of the season, but he will likely see more time at DH than previously anticipated due to a minor right elbow ailment he sustained during the spring. This, in turn, means that Choi’s playing time will likely take a hit. That could change as McCutchen’s elbow improves, but for now, McCutchen will begin the season as Pittsburgh’s DH.

Bench/utility (1): Connor Joe
Between Bae and Joe, the Pirates have a a pair of defensively versatile players off the bench who can cover almost the entire field. Bae has played second base, shortstop, center field and left field, while Joe has played first base, left field and right field.

Starting pitchers (5): Mitch Keller, Roansy Contreras, Rich Hill, Johan Oviedo, Vince Velasquez
The Pirates’ starting rotation took a late blow when the team announced Brubaker will begin the season on the injured list due to right elbow discomfort. With Brubaker down, Oviedo slides in to round out the rotation.

Relief pitchers (8): David Bednar, Wil Crowe, Chase De Jong, Colin Holderman, Jose Hernandez, Dauri Moreta, Duane Underwood Jr., Rob Zastryzny
The Pirates will be missing two key relievers to start the season as Jarlín García (injury to nerves in upper left arm) and Robert Stephenson (right elbow inflammation) will begin the season on the injured list. Stephenson will hit the 15-day injured list, and García will go on the 60-day.