After my week in Bradenton watching the Pirates, I feel there’s some battles that still need to be fought out but we have a general idea who is making the roster.

Roster Locks

C Austin Hedges, 1B Ji Man Choi, 2B Rodolfo Castro, 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes, SS Oneil Cruz, LF Bryan Reynolds, CF Jack Suwinski, RF Andrew McCutchen, and DH Carlos Santana.

These guys have pretty much been my locks based on what I’ve seen in Bradenton, and more. The real battles though, are in the backup spots. Let’s take a closer look.

Backup Catchers: Kevin Plawecki vs Tyler Heineman

Yes I know you may be wondering, why isn’t Endy Rodriguez on this list? Well, the Pirates have publicly stated he will be starting the year at AAA, so there’s not really a point to include him. My gut tells me Plawecki is the backup catcher, as he hits the ball a bit better than Heineman, and is slightly better defensively. Plawecki is currently batting .200 with a .500 OPS, compared to Heineman who is batting .083 with a .166 OPS. Plawecki also has more MLB experience than Heineman, and that can play dividends going into this season. Especially if Austin Hedges goes down with injury, or another reason.

INF Utility: Bae vs Owings vs Marcano vs Andujar vs Maggi

I say only one infield utility guy will be used, since it’s likely 1B and DH will be swapped more than with Santana and Choi. I love what Owings has brought to the table this spring, as he is batting .278 with 3RBIs and a .935OPS, along with have a decent arm in the field. Bae, Marcano, and Andujar have struggled and I think they could benefit from some more time at AAA. Don’t count out Drew Maggi though. Maggi is quietly having himself a great spring, batting .467 with 2 home runs and 6RBIs in 15 plate appearances. The one downside with Maggi is he has no MLB experience, compared to Owings. But, maybe the Pirates will opt to go with the journeyman, and make his lifelong dream come true.

OF Depth: Travis Swaggerty vs Cal Mitchell vs Canaan Smith-Njigba vs Connor Joe

All four of these men have had a phenomenal spring so it’s very hard to pick two of these four. I’m gonna go with Connor Joe and Travis Swaggerty. Joe’s versatility just makes him so valuable to the team. I think Travis Swaggerty just edges out Mitchell and Smith-Njigba for this final spot, as he has just been slightly better all around. He is really showing the promise that made him a top prospect. Swaggerty raking with a .386 average, including 6RBIs and 2 home runs. Smith-Njigba is not far behind him, batting .286 with 6RBIs and 1 home run. Mitchell is also hitting .261 with 3RBIs. It’s a tough call in the end, but it looks like Swaggerty should hold the slight edge.

Roster Locks: The Rotation

RHP Mitch Keller, LHP Rich Hill, LHP Vince Velasquez, RHP JT Brubaker, and RHP Roansy Contreras should all make the roster.

These guys are all honestly set in stone, as they have given me plenty of reason to put them in the rotation. Still, Luis Ortiz and Johan Oviedo have had impressive springs, but the fine tuning of AAA can only make them better.

Bullpen: Where Things Get Interesting

Lefty Jarlin Garcia and righty Robert Stephenson are more than likely to head to the IL to start the season, so some non roster invitees are going to have to step up in their absence. The relievers I have making the team are listed below.

Closer David Bednar, RHP Yerry DeLos Santos, LHP Chase DeJong, LHP Rob Zastryzny, RHP Colin Holderman, RHP Will Crowe, RHP Duane Underwood Jr, and LHP Jose Hernandez 

The toughest spot for me to pick here was the arm to replace Garcia as the left handed arm out of the pen. Zastryzny pitched decently well before heading to play for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic. Daniel Zamora is sticking around camp too. A 2.84 ERA in 6 games might be enough for Zamora to squeak through but this is Rob’s spot to lose in my eyes. Angel Perdomo was once a top prospect but he’s another arm who just hasn’t had the right factor in the bullpen.

Yerry DeLos Santos vs Yohan Ramirez vs Dauri Moreta.

Yohan Ramirez has just not been good this spring, so really in my eyes this battle is between Yerry and Dauri. I personally lean more towards Yerry here, because he just has a little more experience. Also, I feel Dauri can take a little more time to sharpen his tools in AAA. Dauri is perfect throughout his 4 games this spring, not allowing a single run and striking out 5 batters. Yerry has pitched to a 3.00 ERA in his 3 games with only 1 strikeout. Yerry is more of a ground ball specialist, who is also coming off a right shoulder injury so this really is a toss up between the two.

Final Roster Projections

My final roster projections are as follows:

SP: Keller, Contreras, Brubaker, Hill, Velasquez

RP: Bednar, DeLos Santos, DeJong, Zastryzny, Holderman, Crowe, Hernandez, Underwood 

C: Plawecki, Hedges 

INF: Choi, Castro, Hayes, Cruz, Joe, Owings

OF: Reynolds, Swaggerty, Suwinski, McCutchen 

DH: Santana 

IL: Garcia, Stephenson

Let me know your thoughts, and what you would change in the comments below.