Column | Pirates fans have a lot to hope for in 2024

For the eighth consecutive season, the Pittsburgh Pirates missed out on the MLB Playoffs despite their hot start. Nonetheless, there’s legitimate postseason hope for Pirates fans to have for the 2024 season.

In the 2022-2023 offseason, the Pirates general manager Ben Cherington made many moves that intrigued Pirates fans. He brought back former Pirate and former MVP outfielder and designated hitter Andrew McCutchen, brought in former Silver Slugger winner first baseman Carlos Santana and brought in veteran starting pitchers Rich Hill and Vince Velasquez. These moves did not make the Pirates postseason contenders, but they showed fans that the team would go out and get some free agents, unlike past offseasons. 

Along with these offseason moves, the Pirates had some talent on their roster already. They returned two former All-Stars in outfielder Bryan Reynolds and closer David Bednar. Alongside these two, they returned players expected to make a big jump in 2023, like third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, shortstop Oneil Cruz, starting pitcher Mitch Keller and outfielder Jack Suwinski.

With all of these additions and players returning, the Pirates had a projected win total of 67.5, according to Caesars Sportsbook

The Pirates began the 2023 season almost as well as they could have, with a 20-8 record and sole possession of first place in the NL Central. The successful start gave Pirates fans hope of seeing the postseason for the first time since 2015.

But this great record came with a major injury for the Pirates. In the ninth game of the season, Cruz fractured his left fibula in a play at the plate with White Sox catcher Seby Zavala, causing the Pirates to lose one of their bright spots for the rest of the 2023 season.

The Pirates managed this major loss well for the first few weeks, with the team staying hot for a few games. But the loss of Cruz showed its teeth as the season progressed.

In the month of May, the Pirates struggled and came back down to earth. The team won only one series in the entire month. These series losses caused the Pirates to lose their control of the NL Central and drop their record all the way down to 28-27 by the end of the month. This downward spiral diminished Pirates fans’ hopes of returning to the postseason in 2023.

The downward spiral didn’t stop in June, as the team went on a horrible 10-game losing streak that brought their record all the way down to 39-42 by the end of the month. The losing in this month basically took all hope of the postseason away from Pirates fans.

With the team struggling, the Pirates’ front office decided to change things up. The team promoted a few top prospects from Triple-A and Double-A, such as the 2021 first overall pick catcher and outfielder Henry Davis, middle infielder Nick Gonzalez and infielder Jared Triolo. 

Bringing these top prospects up didn’t help the Pirates start winning immediately, as they finished July with a record of 47-58. The Pirates opted to sell at the Aug. 1 trade deadline and get rid of players they brought in over the summer, such as Santana, Hill, first baseman Ji-Man Choi and catcher Austin Hedges.

Typically, selling at the deadline isn’t a good thing for fan bases that hoped for the postseason months ago, but it worked out for Pirates fans. The trade deadline moves enabled Pirates fans to see what their future looked like as they brought up more top prospects. 

The Pirates brought up prospects catcher Endy Rodriguez, middle infielder Liover Peguero and starting pitcher Quinn Priester in mid-July before the deadline.

In the month of August, the Pirates debuted many of their top prospects in the majors. They finished August with only one game under .500, giving the Pirates a record of 61-73 to begin the last month of the season.

The last month of the season is where the top prospects especially excited Pirates fans. Throughout the month of September, the Pirates played teams in the playoff hunt, and they did not disappoint.

The Pirates especially excited their fans against their division foes the Reds — whom they had a nine-run comeback win against — and the Cubs, winning two of the three games in both series. In the Pirates’ final month, they finished two games above .500, finishing the season with a record of 76-86. The success the Pirates found in September helped them beat their projected win total of 67.5 by eight games.

With the Pirates’ top prospects playing so well in majors to cap off the season, Pirates fans have tons of hope for the 2024 Pirates season. If Cherington makes the right moves this offseason and Cruz returns to his pre-injury form, then the Pirates should finally make their return to the postseason.