02/13/24 – By Ethan Smith – @mvp_EtHaN on X
Valentine’s Day is usually a day of appreciation to a partner or someone important to you, unless you’re like me and think the holiday is stupid.
Instead, on Wednesday, my eyes and ears will be glued to Twitter, or X, or whatever you care to call it nowadays, as the Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers and catchers will officially report to Bradenton, Florida for Spring Training, kicking off baseball season with football out of the way.
Pitchers and catchers reporting is always an important date on the baseball calendar for a multitude of reasons, ranging from getting eyes on pitchers again for the first time in over four months to the optimism that grows when a player looks “good”.
Pitching has been the talk of the town this off-season for Pittsburgh, rightfully so, and the staff and system offers plenty to watch for when we start seeing video clips and excerpts from sunny Florida, so here’s what I will be watching out for and what all of you should look for as well.
How does Roansy Contreras look?
Rewind to this time last year, and Roansy Contreras was a practical lock to be in the rotation after a 2022 campaign that saw him post a 3.79 ERA in 18 starts and 95 innings.
Now coming back to the present, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist, or me, not a rocket scientist, to tell you that Contreras had an awful 2023.
He lost velocity, his command was all over the place, and ultimately, he hit rock bottom after being sent to just about every level of the system to figure things out.
There has been radio silence on Contreras this season, we haven’t heard, or seen, much of anything when it comes to his status and how he is doing, and that’s no mistake, seeing as he’s likely worked hard to refine his craft behind closed doors.
Now, he’ll come to Bradenton, along with every other pitcher, and get an opportunity to truly get back to his best self.
We as fans also get to see little things about Contreras, like his form, velocity and everything else under the pitching umbrella, for the first time in quite awhile, and in confidence I can say optimism will surround him, especially after the first video we see of him throwing 95-96mph again.
The Pirates would also be in a much better spot if Contreras does indeed take a step in the right direction, seeing as the staff only has three guarantees as of right now.
Contreras has the talent, we’ve seen it, and this Spring, we’ll get to see him hopefully take steps forward to getting back to his 2022 form.
The fringe guys
Contreras, for now, could be considered a fringe guy, seeing as we don’t truly know what he’s worked on and if it’ll have immediate returns.
Pairing him alongside Quinn Priester and Luis Ortiz has been like pairing a good IPA with a slice of pizza and wings this off-season, seeing as all three struggled last season after being highly touted the year prior.
Priester, a former top-10 prospect, is still in the infancy of his baseball career as a pitcher, and he’ll get ample opportunities due to his status.
Ortiz meanwhile, was a prospect riser in 2022 and it just didn’t translate in 2023, but he has the tools to get back to that form in some capacity, especially if he can regain his command and elite fastball velocity.
These aren’t the only fringe guys though, seeing as the Pirates have plenty of NRIs and other guys who could make the rotation with the right success in Spring.
Bailey Falter, Kyle Nicholas, Jackson Wolf, Wily Peralta, Brent Honeywell Jr., Ben Heller, Hunter Stratton, just to name a few, could all play themselves into some role for the big league team.
So yes, Contreras, Priester and Ortiz will get all the attention as the top fringe guys, but take a gander at everyone else and you end up being surprised with the potential outcomes.
The top prospects
The Pirates have been well represented in top-100 prospect lists this off-season, especially when it comes to the pitching they possess in their system right now.
As pitchers and catchers report, its always fun to see these top guys with everyone else, seeing how far along they are with their progress and how they perform against big league talent in spring.
Obviously, I, and all of you, want to see Paul Skenes throw a baseball to a catcher’s glove. Hit potential is through the roof, heck, he could even debut this season if things line up, and seeing a top pitching prospect working alongside your other top overall pick before Wednesday, is a refreshing feeling.
Then you have the other top guys, with a lot of attention centering on Jared Jones, who I personally believe is the closest to a call-up of any of the top-100 pitchers for Pittsburgh.
I also think Jones will be one of Pittsburgh’s best performers in spring this year, and I say that with confidence. I can also say with confidence he won’t be here on Opening Day, but his debut, I think, should follow not too far into the season.
Anthony Solometo and Bubba Chandler will be fun to watch as they continue molding themselves into professional pitchers, and having all these guys surrounded by everyone else on report day is already giving me goosebumps and happy jitters.
Mitch Keller
Yes, I am excited to watch Mitch Keller on Wednesday in any capacity.
Right now, Keller is the unquestioned ace of the staff after his solid 2023 All-Star campaign, but I am interested to see minor tweaks that might even allow him to take the next step.
As long as he’s healthy, he’ll be the Opening Day starter, and who doesn’t want to watch their Opening Day starter firing pitchers to a catcher’s glove in Florida in February, cause I sure want to see it.
It also allows to appreciate having Keller on the roster, and as the days go by, I would urgently like to see Keller and the team work on an extension, because if he does match or exceed his production from 2023 into this year, things get mighty complicated in that department.
But for now, watching No. 23 waltz onto the grass and mound in Bradenton will be very refreshing, along with every other pitcher and catcher there, because folks, baseball is close and closer to being fully back and I could not be happier.
Steel City Pirates 