After a 19-41 campaign in 2020, the Pirates entered this year¡¯s Spring Training looking for major improvements. By and large, they¡¯ve seen them.

Pittsburgh entered Thursday¡¯s action with a .773 team OPS and a 4.43 team ERA in Grapefruit League games -- both gains from last season's .641 OPS and 4.68 ERA.

¡°We're ready,¡± manager Derek Shelton said. ¡®We¡¯re ready to move on and start the regular season.¡±

Now, the Bucs will hope the improvements made this offseason and spring -- including on the bases, where they¡¯ve been extremely aggressive during Grapefruit League play -- will translate into results during the regular season. As we look ahead to Opening Day, let¡¯s also look back at some of the big spring story lines that could shape the new season.

Best development: Middle infielders raking
As mentioned above, the Bucs struggled to hit collectively last season. That was true for their primary middle infielders as well.

Adam Frazier: 48-for-209 (.230)
Erik González: 41-for-181 (.224)
Kevin Newman: 35-for-156 (.223)

Eentering Thursday¡¯s action, all three have showed up and slugged to increase their confidence -- and the team¡¯s confidence in them -- heading into Opening Day.

Frazier: 18-for-32 (.563)
Gonz¨¢lez: 12-for-34 (.353)
Newman: 16-for-22 (.727)

With Newman and Gonz¨¢lez batting so well, Cole Tucker was optioned on Wednesday after entering camp in competition for the shortstop position. However, it¡¯s unclear if Gonz¨¢lez -- who made the most starts at shortstop last season -- or Newman -- who was the everyday shortstop in 2019 -- will get most reps there.

It¡¯s a great problem to have.

¡°It¡¯s been good,¡± Newman said. ¡°Anytime you can get some knocks to start the spring off, it¡¯s kind of a good feeling to build some confidence as you¡¯re getting ready to go into the season.¡±

Unfortunate events: Injuries to Steven Brault, Blake Cederlind
The Pirates lost their most likely Opening Day starter option when Brault was ruled out to begin the year with a strain in the latissimus muscle of his left arm. Director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Brault will not throw for a month, then will be reassessed, and he¡¯s likely due out of game action for 10 weeks ¡°at best."

The club also lost another pitcher in Cederlind, who underwent Tommy John surgery on Tuesday. The 25-year-old is seen as a future closing candidate due to his high-velocity arsenal, but he will now be out of action for the season and likely into the 2022 campaign.

Player who opened eyes: David Bednar
Bednar was acquired from the Padres in the Joe Musgrove trade, and the Pittsburgh native is shoving out the gate with his new club. The right-hander, who complements his well-placed fastball with a strong splitter and a curveball, struck out 14 batters through his first eight appearances this spring, and he¡¯s allowed no runs and owns a .077 batting average against.

¡°He¡¯s awesome. I love the new addition in Bednar,¡± reliever Kyle Crick said. ¡°He¡¯s a great dude. Very humble, well-spoken, good dude.¡±

'Wow' moment: Roansy Contreras¡¯ arsenal
Another key piece picked up via trade this offseason, Contreras has drawn eyes in his two outings thus far. Pittsburgh¡¯s No. 20 prospect has fanned five over two innings, including striking out the side in his most recent appearance. Though Contreras has come out of the bullpen in Spring Training, he¡¯s been a starter at every stop in the Minors, so his high-octane heater and sharp curveball could be stretched out at Double-A or Triple-A this season.

¡°That¡¯s exciting,¡± Shelton said after Contreras¡¯ second game. ¡°Like we¡¯ve talked about before, for Pirates fans to see a kid like this come in, a kid we acquired, it was cool.¡±

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