Pirates Fantasy Baseball Draft Preview | Bryan Reynolds, Mitch Keller, Oneil Cruz, David Bednar, Ke'Bryan Hayes and More
Discussing the top fantasy players from the Pittsburgh Pirates as the 2024 season approaches.
The fantasy baseball season is closing in quickly. FantasySP has published a number of articles about the top players at every position, and while those kinds of stories will continue until the regular season starts up, we wanted to make sure we covered as many fantasy players as possible, so it’s time to look at options on a team–by-team basis.
We’ve covered several teams already, and those articles can be found at the links below:
American League - Texas Rangers (hitters and pitchers), Oakland Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros (hitters and pitchers)
National League - Los Angeles Dodgers (hitters and pitchers), Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies, Atlanta Braves (hitters and pitchers)
Now, we’ll take a look at the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Get ready for draft season! Check out our Mock Draft Simulator, Average Draft Position list and Draft Genius!
Top Fantasy Hitters
Just five Pirates currently appear in the FantasySP Average Draft Position list.
The first one off draft boards according to the data is outfielder Bryan Reynolds. He ranks 72nd overall and has an ADP mark of 75.54.
He’s turned in back-to-back nearly identical seasons in batting average. His .263 mark in 2023 was one point better than in 2022. His on-base percentage dropped to .330 (from .345), but he had higher marks in hits (151-142), RBIs (84-62), stolen bases (12-7), runs (85-74) and extra-base hits (60-50). Reynolds played in 145 games in both seasons.
Reynolds is projected to bat second in the Pirates’ lineup, following Oneil Cruz and ahead of Ke'Bryan Hayes. That should give Reynolds some RBI chances, while also allowing him to score a good amount of runs. He’s going to provide you with pretty solid numbers and is a pretty good value pick near his current ADP - I like him as a second or third outfielder.
The next hitter on the list is Cruz, who ranks 142nd with a mark of 138.64.
Cruz played just nine games in 2023 after fracturing his ankle early on. In 87 games in 2022, Cruz had a .233 average, .294 on-base percentage, 77 total hits, 34 extra-base hits (including 7 homers), 54 RBIs, 10 stolen bases and 45 runs scored.
Not having a full season of play despite spending part of three seasons in the big leagues is definitely concerning for fantasy owners. His 162-game averages would be pretty well-rounded, but until he proves it, his ADP is going to be near where it is this year. I wouldn’t mind Cruz as a backup shortstop, but I also like a bunch of other names going around him more, so unless Cruz falls a couple additional rounds, I’m probably going to pass on drafting him.
Hayes is the final Pirate hitter on the ADP list, ranking 228th with a mark of 178.13.
Hayes appeared in 124 games a season ago, finishing with a .271 average and .309 on-base percentage. He collected 134 total hits, including 53 extra-base hits (15 homers), drove in 61 runs, stole 10 bases and scored 65 times.
He’s missed portions of each of his four years in the big leagues. When he’s out there, he’s a good fantasy option, but much like Cruz, we just haven’t seen it yet, so it’s hard to justify taking him. With his ADP being pretty late, there’s not nearly as much risk involved, so if you are looking for a backup third baseman or top bench bat, Hayes is a pretty solid option, with a ceiling that’s quite a bit higher than his ADP mark.
There’s plenty of other starting options available, but fantasy owners don’t want a part of them in the first 287 picks right now.
Other projected starters are: Andrew McCutchen, Jack Suwinski, Henry Davis, Edward Olivares and Liover Peguero.
Last season, Suwinski was the best fantasy option of that group, primarily because he played 144 games. He had 100 hits (as did McCutchen), 26 homers, 74 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. I’d keep a close eye on Suwinski on the waiver wire if someone doesn’t snatch him up in the last couple rounds.
McCutchen should hit cleanup in this lineup, which will give him some run-producing chances when he’s in the lineup. He played 112 games a season ago, but drove in just 43 runs across those 100 hits.
Davis played 62 games, while Peguero was at 59 games. Peguero had a .237 average, while Davis was at .213. Both hit seven homers.
Olivares played with the Kansas City Royals last year, posting a .263 average across 107 games and 385 at-bats. He had 12 homers, 36 RBIs and 11 stolen bases.
Rowdy Tellez should hit in the strong side of a platoon at first base. He had a .215 average, .291 on-base percentage, 67 total hits, 23 extra-base hits (13 homers), 47 RBIs and 26 runs scored across 105 games played last season for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Yasmani Grandal is the other catching option for Pittsburgh. He’s had some good seasons in the past, so if he gets hot and the Pirates aren’t a playoff contender, expect Grandal to be moved at the trade deadline.
Connor Joe is an option to platoon with Tellez, and could earn more playing time because he can also play in the outfield.
Top Fantasy Pitchers
Mitch Keller and David Bednar are the only two Pittsburgh pitchers to appear on the ADP list. Keller ranks 98th with a mark of 102.65, while Bednar is ranked 106th with a mark of 108.77.
Keller made 32 starts in 2023, finishing with a 13-9 record and 4.21 earned run average. He struck out 210 batters over 194 1/3 innings.
It was pretty easily Keller’s best season in the big leagues, and he saw big jumps in strikeouts and wins because he worked 35 1/3 more innings than the previous season. He’ll be the ace of the starting rotation to open the season and will be asked to lead the team.
Keller is one of my favorite value picks among starting pitchers after what he did a season ago. He’s a great third or fourth starting option.
Bednar opens the season as the team’s closer. He earned 39 saves in 2023. Bednar went 3-3 with a 2.00 ERA, striking out 80 batters over 67 1/3 innings.
Bednar has been one of baseball’s best relief pitchers over the past three seasons, and there’s no reason to expect a dropoff this season. If you miss out on the top crop of closers, Bednar is a fantastic pick several rounds later.
The rest of the Pittsburgh rotation is projected to be filled by Martin Perez, Marco Gonzales, Luis Ortiz and Bailey Falter. JT Brubaker and Mike Burrows could be options starting in July and August, respectively.
Brubaker last pitched in 2022 and has a career 4.99 ERA. Burrows would be making his MLB debut if he’s able to pitch this season.
Perez pitched for the Texas Rangers in 2023, making 20 starters over 35 appearances. He had a 4.45 ERA over 141 2/3 innings, striking out 93 along the way. He finished 10-4.
Gonzalez made 10 starts for the Seattle Mariners in 2023, finishing 4-1 with a 5.22 ERA. He struck out 34 batters over 50 innings.
Falter split time with the Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies. He had 18 appearances (14 starts) and went 2-9 with a 5.36 ERA, striking out 60 over 80 2/3 innings.
Ortiz made 18 appearances (15 starts) for the Pirates in 2023, going 5-5 with a 4.78 ERA. He struck out 59 over 86 2/3 innings.
Perez's win-loss record sticks out most of all those numbers, but it’s not likely going to be replicated in Pittsburgh. These are all streaming options if they are ever going up against some weaker hitting teams.
Paul Skenes is the No. 3 overall prospect and is expected to debut at some point this season despite being drafted last summer. I’ve actually seen him going at the back end of some drafts, so you might need to follow a similar approach if you are hoping to play him. If he makes it through the draft, then you’ll want to keep a close, close eye on him for when he gets the call.
Jared Jones and Anthony Solometo are two other top-100 prospects who could debut this season. Given the current state of the rotation, I’d definitely keep an eye on these two guys as well, because it’s likely they’ll be given a chance at some point.
One final guy I need to mention is Aroldis Chapman. He signed with the team this offseason and will likely serve as the setup man to Bednar.
Chapman has closing experience and could be utilized if Bednar ever misses time. With his closing experience, Chapman will be another name to watch at the trade deadline - he could go from a setup man on the Pirates to the closer on a playoff contender, and you’d obviously get better fantasy results with him in that role.
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