Who won Pirates Spring Training Position Battles?

The 2024 Spring Training is officially over, and the Pirates have announced who will be traveling to Miami for Opening Day. Through Spring Training, the Pirates had multiple battles for starting positions, which included second base, fourth outfielder, and two spots in the starting rotation. Let’s examine who won these battles and who will be joining the Pirates in Miami. 

Second Base

The second base position was up for grabs this offseason with a strong core of young players fighting for that spot. Those players included Liover Peguero, Jared Triolo, Nick Gonzales, and Ji Hwan Bae. All four made multiple appearances in 2023 and had some success. After a strong Spring Training, Derek Shelton announced that Jared Triolo will be the starting second baseman in Pittsburgh. Liover Peguero and Nick Gonzales were both optioned to AAA Indianapolis. Ji Hwan Bae will be on the 10-day injured list. 

Triolo earned the starting spot with his great glove and solid bat. This spring, Triolo had a batting average of .310 with two home runs and five runs batted in. He also had an OPS of .883, which included an on-base percentage of .383 and a slugging percentage of .500. His main opponent was Liover Peguero and this spring he batted .269 with one home run and three runs batted in. He also had an OPS of .768, which included an on-base percentage of .345 and a slugging percentage of .423. 

As you can see, Triolo earned this spot on the opening day roster. Peguero is definitely a great player, but he needs to see more time in the minors before getting a consistent opportunity in the bigs. Watch out for Jared Triolo this season.

Fourth Outfielder

The fourth outfielder spot was also up for grabs this spring as Josh Palacios, Edward Olivares, and Canaan Smith Njigba all competed for this spot. Olivares was acquired this offseason from the Royals for a minor league player. Smith Njigba was claimed by Seattle, but in a week returned to the Pirates through waivers. Palacios was a fan favorite a season ago, but this spring he battled injuries and ultimately was not as productive.

Edward Olivares is the fourth outfielder traveling to Miami this week. This spring, Olivares had a batting average of .208 with a home run and eight runs batted in. He also had an OPS of .599, which included an on-base percentage of .224 and a slugging percentage of .375. I believe Olivares will be a solid hitter and a better player than his spring stats showed. If Palacios did not get injured throughout Spring, I think he might have won this battle. Watch out for Edward Olivares as he might hit over 15 home runs this season. He has a lot of power.

Starting Pitching

The starting pitching battle lasted until the last week of Spring Training. Luis Ortiz, Bailey Falter, Jared Jones, and Quinn Priester were all in the mix for this spot. The Pirates surprised multiple people with who they selected. Bailey Falter and Jared Jones are the two pitchers that they selected to make the rotation to start the season. Luis Ortiz has a long relief role in the bullpen and Quinn Priester was optioned to Indianapolis. 

Jared Jones was the standout pitcher in Spring Training this year. Through six outings, Jones allowed zero earned runs in 16.1 innings pitched and struck out 15 batters. He also had a WHIP of 1.04. He obviously deserved a spot, but Bailey Falter made it undeservingly. This spring, Falter was arguably the worst pitcher on the Pittsburgh roster after posting an earned run average of 7.88 in 16 innings pitched with 15 strikeouts. He also had a 1.54 WHIP. 

I am very excited for Jones to make his major league debut in game three against the Marlins. This start also will line him up to pitch the home opener in Pittsburgh. Falter, on the other hand, should not be on the Pirates roster, but we will see if he can return to his 2022 form. He was solid in 2022 but has not been the same pitcher since. Luis Ortiz deserved a spot in the rotation over Falter, but I believe that if they use Falter as an opener for Ortiz, they could find success from both.