The Pirates will likely finish the 2021 season with over 100 losses and 2022 may not be much better, but the future Pirates that will be on the field when the team is (hopefully) successful again are beginning to get playing time in the Big Leagues.
Top 10 prospect Roansy Contreras made his MLB debut on Wednesday night pitching three scoreless innings and striking out four.
Fan Pirates insider Jason Mackey of the Post-Gazette tells the Fan Morning Show that while it was only three innings, unlike other prospects who have come up, Contreras continued to pitch the way he does in the Minors.
Contreras had command of his pitches and was touching 97 with his fastball on Wednesday.
Another player, who could possibly see some time with the Pirates with a few games remaining is Oneil Cruz, who is on fire since recently joining Triple-A Indianapolis.
The third-ranked player in the MLB Pipeline, Cruz hit a game-tying home run in the bottom of the 9th inning last night for the Indians, his third in as many games.
In five games with Indy, Cruz has 10 hits in 19 at bats with four home runs, five RBI and is batting .526.
“He’s not far off,” said Mackey.
While Cruz may get to play a game or two at shortstop, Mackey says that Contreras is “a little bit more advantaged and polished than Cruz, you know they both had elbow issues but like Contreras is able to come up here and get outs and they gave him an opportunity to do that.”
“Cruz? I don’t know,” said Mackey, “I still hold out hope they might do it but he’s an incomplete player in the field and they want him to continue to do what he’s doing.”
When the Pirates open up the season in 2022 Mackey says he’d like to see Cruz at short, but thinks it will still be Kevin Newman on Opening Day, with Cruz possibly coming up later in the season.