Pittsburgh Pirates DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Pittsburgh Pirates closer David Bednar (lat) threw live batting practice on Monday and said that his next step is likely to appear in games. "I'm staying day-by-day as much as I possibly can," Bednar said. "But each day has been feeling good. I'm optimistic." Bednar has yet to appear in a Grapefruit League game this spring due to right-lat soreness, but he's optimistic that he'll be ready by Opening Day next Thursday on March 28. When healthy, he's a top-10 fantasy closer, as he's been one of the best relievers in the game the last two years. He was 3-3 with a career-best 2.00 ERA with a league-high 39 saves and 80 strikeouts in 67 1/3 innings in 2023. The Pirates could be conservative with Bednar early on, perhaps not using him on back-to-back days, instead using lefty veteran Aroldis Chapman in those spots.

Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes continued his hot hitting in Monday's 11-2 Grapefruit League rout of the Phillies. The 27-year-old went 3-for-4 with a run scored, making it three straight multi-hit performances for the youngster and the sixth of the spring. He's now 16-for-38 (.421) with two doubles, three home runs, nine RBI, and eight runs scored in 13 spring games. Perhaps even more impressive is that he's struck out just once in those 38 at-bats. Hayes is an all-around, albeit somewhat unexciting, contributor for fantasy as he'll approach 20 home runs and provide double-digit steals. Right now he's ranked as the thirteenth option at third base at RotoBaller, but it wouldn't be unrealistic to see him in the top-12 by season's end.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz continued his impressive power display during Monday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies. He went 3-for-6 with two home runs and six RBI during Monday's blowout victory. Cruz is now tied for the spring lead with seven home runs already. Fantasy managers who were lucky enough to draft him before the hype train should be excited. Now, fantasy managers will have to pay the price to get Cruz, but he looks like he's the real deal. It feels like a 30-HR and 30-SB season could be a real possibility for him.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Jack Suwinski went 3-for-3 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 4-2 spring win over the Atlanta Braves. Suwinski took Charlie Morton deep in the first inning to put the Pirates on the scoreboard. It was his fourth home run of the spring. The 25-year-old is slashing .324/.361/.765 with four home runs, nine RBI, five runs scored, and a stolen base over 12 games during spring training. He is expected to be the team's everyday right fielder after the Pirates signed Michael A. Taylor on Friday to handle center field duties. Suwinski slashed .224/.339/.454 with 26 home runs, 74 RBI, 63 runs, and 13 stolen bases over 534 plate appearances in 2023. Suwinski has power/speed potential, making him a high-upside pick if fantasy managers can withstand his low batting average at his current NFBC ADP of 230.

The Pittsburgh Pirates agreed with free-agent right-hander Domingo German on a $1.5 million minor-league deal on Friday. The 31-year-old Dominican hurler tossed a no-hitter against the lowly Oakland Athletics last year while with the New York Yankees, but that was easily the highlight of his season, as he finished with a 5-7 record, 4.56 ERA (4.65 FIP) and 1.08 WHIP with 34 walks and 114 strikeouts in 108 2/3 innings pitched over his 20 appearances (19 starts) in his sixth year in pinstripes. He'll have a better opportunity with the rebuilding Pirates, but German is unlikely to be much of a fantasy asset outside of NL-only leagues if he's with the big-league roster in 2024. In his six-year career, German holds a 4.41 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with 2.8 walks per nine innings and 9.4 K's per nine innings in 522 1/3 frames.