Here's what fuels the rise of the upstart Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates are one of the bigger surprises in baseball through the first month-plus of the season.

After losing 100 games each of the past two summers, the Pirates are 20-10 as of this posting, tied with the Atlanta Braves for the best mark in the National League.

You might expect shortstop Oneil Cruz, a budding star, and third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes to be leading the team offensively. But Cruz is on the 60-day IL rehabbing a fractured left ankle and Hayes has posted a below-average OPS (.653). 

It thus should be considered an encouraging sign for Pirates fans that the team has the seventh-best team OPS and ninth-best ERA in baseball even despite missing production from key players. 

"It's come together a little quicker than I think most expected," Jack Bowen, the national scouting supervisor for the Pirates, told Yardbarker. "Guys like Ji Hwan Bae and Rodolfo Castro have filled in very nicely."

In the absence of Cruz, Castro -- a 23-year-old utility player -- has provided plenty of spark. He has batted comfortably above replacement value so far, with a .379 on-base percentage compared to the 2023 league average of .320. 

For his part, Bae has played middle infield though he is a natural centerfielder. While he has struggled at the plate, Bae has blazing speed (top four percent in Major League Baseball, according to Baseball Savant) and has made some spectacular catches: