The Pirates dropped the season opener to the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday 9-0, with Ke’Bryan Hayes going down in the first inning with a reported spasm in his arm. But even though the Bucs are 0-1 there are still 161 games left in season. Our Fan hosts share how they see the 2022 season shaping up.
Colin Dunlap - Fan Morning Show
61-101
I would love to say the Pirates will win more games, but I just don’t see it. I think Hayes will take a step forward and Reynolds will be very good but the pitching staff really worries me. Especially the bullpen outside of Bednar, the closer. On top of that, this team always has an unlucky and uncanny way of sustaining injuries.
Chris Mack - Fan Morning Show
64–98.
A full season of KeBryan Hayes will help the Pirates improve marginally over last year when he fought injury issues all season. A possible deal of All-Star Brian Reynolds at the deadline could pull them back down beyond 100+ losses, but if nothing else we’ll get to enjoy beer league softball–style homers from Daniel Vogelbach and Yoshi Tsutsugo.
Cannonball comin’!
Joe Starkey - Cook & Joe
60-102. The lineup is frighteningly awful to begin with. This team seems worse than last year's. The good news is that we should begin to see some of the young talent begin to roll through. That potentially makes this season more interesting than the past several.
Shelby Cassesse - Fan host
62-100
I don't think it will be much different than what we saw last year, given the team didn't make many meaningful additions in the offseason. The Pirates will simply be outclassed by teams with more talent, more money and more veteran leadership. I'll certainly watch to see if Ke'Bryan Hayes can have a season that helps him grow into that veteran talent and leadership. Will they or won't they with a Bryan Reynolds trade? When will Oneil Cruz get his shot in the big leagues? I suppose time will tell with all of those questions. The bulk of the talent for the PIrates seems to lie in the minor leagues. I'll be keeping an eye on players there to get a better pulse on if patience will really pay off and if the homegrown talent method can really work in a league of blockbuster trades and massive contracts.
Chris Mueller - PM Team host
Oneil Cruz might end the year as the Pirates’ best player, but he won’t be here right away. Mitch Keller is touching triple digits, and while he seems poised for a breakout year, there have been enough false starts in his development that the burden of proof is squarely on his shoulders. Bryan Reynolds should be very good yet again, but it seems almost certain that he'll be traded at the deadline. I want to see how Keller develops, whether or not Ke'Bryan Hayes bounces back from a frustrating 2021, and whether Cole Tucker can find a position and stick, among other things. That adds up to some intrigue, but most of it is focused on the future.
Donny "Football" Chedrick - PM Team Producer/Wing Expert
67-95
Another season of hope springing eternal in Pittsburgh. The Bucs may still be a few years away from another playoff appearance and at least a year away from one that shows a ton of promise, but there are some exciting pieces of this roster to look forward to. Amid rumors, Bryan Reynolds is still on the roster and will continue to take strides as one of the best outfielders in baseball. Ke’Bryan Hayes will be in contention for a Gold Glove as one of the top players on the hot corner in the league. Mitch Keller and Bryse Wilson will appear as bright spots of the starting rotation with Keller, specifically, leading fans to hope in the future. Oneil Cruz will provide a spark upon his call-up and contend for National League Rookie of the Year. It will be a long season that leaves promise.
Josh Rowntree - Fan reporter/host
69-93
If the Pirates can develop some of their young hitters, and don't trade Bryan Reynolds, the lineup can be respectable, to say the least. There's talent, there's a bit more pop than in the last couple of seasons, and there's plenty of youth. The issue is going to be pitching. The Pirates desperately lack quality starting pitching depth at the Major League level right now, and it might be a couple of years before their best pitchers make it to the big leagues. I think the lineup, as long as it stays healthy, keeps them away from the 100 loss mark. And the team will show what I want to see most: improvement under Derek Shelton and Ben Cherington.
Paul Alexander - Fan host
I’m on the record at 64 and 98.
Andrew Limberg - Fan.com writer
67-95
The bad news is it’s going to be another year of pain for Pirates fans at the Major League level, but this was expected. The good news is that their young prospects, which now rank among the best in the MLB will continue to progress. While the playoffs are a pipedream at this point, it will be important the organization continue to show fans a commitment to winning in the future. They have already taken the first steps by locking up Ke’Bryan Hayes to a long-term deal. According to the Post-Gazette’s Jason Mackey, owner Bob Nutting wants to avoid arbitration with All-Star Bryan Reynolds, that would be another good sign of things changing.
One last thing, in my opinion, the Pirates must do as the season goes on, is call up young talent when they are ready.