The Pirates are facing a lot of question marks about how to take a step forward in the 2023 season, but one place where I feel some (relative) optimism is in the rotation. I think Roansy Contreras can be at least a mid-rotation starter, if not more; Mitch Keller finally turned himself into an actual big-league pitcher in 2022. Add in a free agent or two, along with talented prospects in Quinn Priester and Mike Burrows, and the Pirates at least have some enticing options on the mound next year.
For me, the X factor in that potential rotation is JT Brubaker. If he can be a solid mid- to back-rotation starter, I feel a lot better about the Pirates’ rotation (and the team overall) in 2023. For much of his Bucco career, Brubaker has wobbled back in forth between looking like a solid rotation option and looking like a guy who would be better off in the bullpen. After back-to-back bad starts — including the 7-run disaster against Philadelphia — Brubaker has bounced back with a solid outing against Arizona last week and maybe the best start of his Pirate career on Thursday: 7 innings, 2 hits, no walks, no runs, 7 strikeouts. His slider in particular was nasty, generating 7 whiffs and 20 called strikes. That’s a performance that demands a pitcher remains in the rotation, not just this summer but in the years beyond.
Heck, forget 2023 — if the Bucs are gonna survive the next month-and-a-half of baseball, they’ll need Brubaker to pitch well. Keller is getting a few extra days off after his velocity was way down on Tuesday, and the team is already committed to one bullpen game each time through the rotation. As bad as things are right now, Brubaker is perhaps the last thing standing between where the Bucs are now and the wheels REALLY flying off. Next year, he might have the opportunity to help the franchise actually take a step forward, rather than just saving it from further embarrassment.
Also, shout out to Bryan Reynolds. The Pirates may be terrible, but the man keeps on chugging, blasting 2 homers against Boston on Thursday (the second was the 3,000th in PNC Park history — I think Albert Pujols was responsible for at least 1,200 of those). Please build a better team around him.
Bucco Ball 