MIAMI -- One of the beautiful things about the Opening Series is it can inspire some of the best overreactions. Did someone have two good games at the plate? They’re about to have a monster season. Did a reliever give up a run? Sound the alarm. Most of it, of course, is the product of the smallest of sample sizes and shouldn’t be taken too seriously. But there are things you can glean from the first couple games of the year. With that in mind, here are three takeaways from a 1-1 start to the 2025 Pirates season. |
The go-go Buccos could be fun April 2023 was the best ball the Pirates have played in the Derek Shelton era, and the offense that month was defined by aggressiveness on the basepaths. The Bucs may have flown too close to the sun and eventually ran into too many outs, but it was a style of play and tempo that stood out from the rest of the league. Pittsburgh didn’t try to recreate that style of play in 2024, though, and the offense was overall stagnant. Two games into this season, the Pirates are looking like a supercharged version of that April 2023 team. They have stolen eight bases, the most through two games in a season in franchise history since at least 1900, per the Elias Sports Bureau. There are plenty of players who have the potential to swipe double-digit bags, if not more, but Oneil Cruz might have the highest ceiling. He has two steals this year and was one of the most efficient basestealers in the game a year ago, converting 22 of 23 steal attempts. If the green light is on, who knows how many extra bases he can take. "As soon as I get to first base, for sure… I'm just gonna try to steal bases to try to put my team in a better position to drive me in,” Cruz said, via coach and interpreter Stephen Morales. |
Will we see the best version of Keller? With all the hype surrounding Paul Skenes and Jared Jones last year, Mitch Keller seemed to fall into the background a bit. He’s a leader of the staff and clubhouse, and he has an All-Star nod on his résumé, but Keller doesn’t get the attention some of his rotation partners do. He delivered a quality start in his first outing of 2025 and was ruthlessly effective. His velocity was a tick or two lower than usual, but he was locating and every pitch (besides the cutter) was effectively utilized. Keller’s revamped changeup wasn’t perfect, but he showed how the pitch could be a better tool for getting lefties out than the cutter was last year, getting more ideal movement and bite with it. Left-handed hitters gave him the most trouble in his second-half slump in 2024, and if he has a new tool to get them out, that could help him put together a full season. “I think I see some really good results when it’s over the plate and down,” Keller said about the changeup. “So, that will be the focus next time out. But, overall, I was pretty happy about it.” |
Rodríguez is a natural at first First base was a question mark all spring with Spencer Horwitz on the shelf, and it was (partially) resolved when Endy Rodríguez won the second catcher job. The Pirates wanted him to know he’s a catcher in his first year back from right elbow surgery, but once they determined he was the best fit for the Opening Day team, they pivoted to have him play first base, too. Despite playing only one game at first base in Spring Training, Rodríguez has looked good at his new position. Sure, he booted a ball on Opening Day, but he immediately cleaned up the mistake by snaring a double play. On Friday, he started another double play and had a couple of impressive stretches to get outs on bang-bang plays. He’s still a catcher first, but he’s putting in the effort to contribute any way he can right now. So is Horwitz, who was fielding ground balls with Rodríguez before the game Friday. “I'm feeling pretty good,” Rodríguez said. “Obviously I don't have that much [practice] playing first base this year, but it feels pretty good. Very natural." |
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Bryan Reynolds drove in two runs Thursday, his third straight year recording an RBI on Opening Day. Who was the last Pirate to record at least one RBI on three straight Opening Days? A. Barry Bonds B. Andrew McCutchen C. Willie Stargell D. Neil Walker |
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As the Pirates’ home opener nears, let’s rewind to April 7, 2023, when the Bucs opened their home schedule and welcomed back the most beloved player of the 2000s, Andrew McCutchen. McCutchen would, of course, deliver in the spot, ripping a base hit. |
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C. Stargell
Stargell had a five-year streak with an RBI on Opening Day, doing so from 1974-78.
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