Entering last season there were plenty of reasons for optimism. The Pittsburgh Pirates had a young, but promising pitching staff, a strong duo of catchers behind the plate, and a chance to have one of the better outfields in baseball. Meanwhile, they had some top prospects ready to push for MLB roster spots.
Behind the plate was Francisco Cervelli and Elias Diaz, who combined to be one of the better catching tandems in baseball during the 2018 season. In the outfield, the team had five-tool player Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco coming off an impressive second half in 2018, and their best all-around hitter in 2018 in Corey Dickerson.