#30
Spring Training is open and it looks like we are having something that much more resembles a full and normal baseball season in 2021! Around this time every year, I love to look ahead and preview what the season will look like for every team. We start at the bottom of my power rankings and work up to my predicted World Series champ.
Our first team is the team that was, by far, the worst team in the short 2020 season. Is it possible after that horrible 2020 campaign, the Pirates have farther to fall before they turn the corner. The answer might be yes.
2020 Predictions
#28 - 5th in NL Central
MIH - Bryan Reynolds
MIP - Chris Archer
PTW - Mitch Keller
FP - Chris Archer will be traded before the end of the season for one mid-level prospect.
2020 Results
#30: 19-41, 5th in NL Central
The Pirates quickly dropped all the way to the bottom of the league in 2020 as so many things went wrong in the shortened season. Bryan Reynolds, the Pirates' breakout star in 2019, had a very disappointing season. Chris Archer opted out of the last season of his deal with the Pirates. Nothing went well for Derek Shelton in his first year as manager.
Additions / Subtractions
The Pirates had not entered a full rebuild until now. This offseason, they traded Josh Bell to the Nationals, Jameson Taillon to the Yankees, and Joe Musgrove to the Padres. They also let Trevor Williams and Chris Archer sign elsewhere. With Archer's departure, we might be looking at one of, if not the, worst trade of the 21st century so far.
Most Important Hitter
Gregory Polanco
As the last holdover from the Pirates' playoff teams, you have to think Gregory Polanco will not be lasting much longer in Pittsburgh. He has a team option after this year, so he could become a free agent after 2021, however he needs to reestablish his value this season as he has never really turned into the star his potential said he could be. If he has a solid year and returns to hitting like he did in 2017 and 2018, he could be worth something on the trade market mid-season. Otherwise, he will just walk away after the season.
Most Important Pitcher
Mitch Keller
With Musgrove, Archer, Williams, and Taillon all moving on, that leaves the young Mitch Keller as the ace of the Pirates' rotation. Keller recovered from a rough debut in 2019 to have a solid season in 2020. Now he is going to be asked to be one of the faces of the franchise moving forward and be a potential star. He has the talent if it all comes together right.
Prospect to Watch
Ke'Bryan Hayes
In 2020, we finally saw the long-awaited debut of 2nd generation baseball phenom Ke'Bryan Hayes (son of Charlie Hayes). In only 24 games, Hayes led the Pirates in WAR for the season. He did maintain his rookie status, so he will enter 2021 as the team's starting 3rd baseman, the 9th best prospect in all of baseball, and the new star at the heart of the Pirates' lineup.
2021 Prediction
5th in NL Central
As bad as 2020 was for Pittsburgh, I think 2021 will be worse. They don't have many veterans left, they don't have a ton top-tier young prospects ready to hit the big leagues right now, and the rest of their division is going to be very competitive. They could be a 110+ loss team this year.
Fearless Prediction
Ke'Bryan Hayes will be an All Star and Rookie of the Year in 2021.
As bad as the Pirates are going to be, young Ke'Bryan Hayes will definitely be a standout and a reason to watch the otherwise irrelevant season they will have. Look for him to be the sole Pirates representative at the Mid-Summer Classic and ride that all the way to a potential Rookie of the Year win when all is said and done.
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