PREDICTING THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES OPENING DAY ROSTER

Who will be the 25 players that the Pittsburgh Pirates take with them to Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati on March 28th?

The first week of full squad workouts in Bradenton, Florida, will finish up this afternoon for the Pittsburgh Pirates. After this, the team will kickoff their Grapefruit League schedule against old friend Andrew McCutchen and the Philadelphia Phillies tomorrow afternoon at 1:05 PM in Clearwater.

With Grapefruit League games ready to begin Clint Hurdle and his staff will begin to focus on the 25 players they plan to take north with them on March 28th. That raises the question, who are the current front runners to be on the team’s roster for the season opener against the Cincinnati Reds?

As we have discussed extensively this offseason, the Pirates seem likely to carry three catchers to start the season. This is due to Jacob Stallings being out of options, the lack of quality depth other than Stallings, and the injury history of Francisco Cervelli. This would also free up Hurdle to use Elias Diaz more as a pinch hitter.

As for the infield, this is where the battles really begin. While both players are likely to make the team, Erik Gonzalez and Kevin Newman are battling for the starting shortstop position. At third base, both Colin Moran and Jung Ho Kang will crack the Opening Day roster regardless of which of the two starts at the hot corner. Meanwhile, Josh Bell will man first base and Adam Frazier will be at second.

Offseason addition Nick Franklin and prospect Kevin Kramer will also compete for an Opening Day roster spot as a utility infielder. That said, both seem likely to start at Triple-A while having an opportunity to help the MLB team later in the season.

The starting outfield is cut and dry. Corey Dickerson will be in left field, Starling Marte in center, and Lonnie Chisenhall will play right field until Gregory Polanco returns from offseason surgery. Minor league free agent addition Melky Cabrera will compete for a spot as the team’s Opening Day fourth outfielder. He will be competing with super utility man Pablo Reyes who made a great first impression with the Bucs as a September callup last season.

The top four in the starting rotation – Jameson Taillon, Chris Archer, Trevor Williams, and Joe Musgrove – is set in stone. Barring something crazy happening this spring, Jordan Lyles will be the fifth starter. In the bullpen, Felipe Vazquez, Keone Kela, Kyle Crick, and Richard Rodriguez all have roles locked up.

The rest of the bullpen, however, is a competition.

Francisco Liriano looks like a favorite to make the club as a lefty reliever. Nick Kingham and Nick Burdi also have a lack of minor league options working to their advantage. But lefty Steven Brault, and offseason addition Tyler Lyons are intriguing options as well. Especially Lyons who was excellent with the Cardinals in 2017. Brandon Maurer, Dovydas Neverauskas, and Michael Feliz will compete for bullpen spots as well.

OPENING DAY ROSTER PREDICTION AS OF 2/22:

CATCHER (3) – Francisco Cervelli, Elias Diaz, Jacob Stallings

INFIELDERS (6) – Josh Bell, Adam Frazier, Erik Gonzalez, Colin Moran, Jung Ho Kang, Kevin Newman

OUTFIELDERS (4) – Corey Dickerson, Starling Marte, Lonnie Chisenhall, Melky Cabrera

STARTING PITCHERS (5) – Jameson Taillon, Chris Archer, Trevor Williams, Joe Musgrove, Jordan Lyles

RELIEF PITCHERS (7) – Felipe Vazquez, Keone Kela, Kyle Crick, Richard Rodriguez, Francisco Liriano, Nick Kingham, Nick Burdi