2023 Pittsburgh Pirates projected lineup and wRC+
- Cruz, SS (113)
- Reynolds, CF (126)
- Hayes, 3B (99)
- Choi, 1B (112)
- McCutchen, LF (106)
- Santana, DH (110)
- Suwinski, RF (106)
- Castro, 2B (92)
- Hedges, C (63)
- Team Average: 103
Note: The Pirates lineup has gotten better with the additions of Choi and Santana as well as McCutchen rejoining the team. However, Austin Hedges is one of the worst-hitting catchers in the game. He gets playing time because his exceptional defensive skills. The Pirates are still not remotely a competitive team because of their pitching and their ownership’s unwillingness to spend money and poor drafting. There are a lot of reasons why Bryan Reynolds wants to be traded and the ownership and front office are the reason behind nearly all of them.
2023 St. Louis Cardinals projected lineup and wRC+
- Edman, SS (104)
- Contreras, C (120)
- Goldschmidt, 1B (140)
- Arenado, 3B (130)
- Donovan, 2B (111)
- O’Neill, LF (118)
- Nootbaar, RF (119)
- Yepez, DH (118)
- Carlson, CF (112)
- Team Average: 119.1
Note: Far and away, the Cardinals have the best offense in the division. Their starting lineup has a projected average wRC+ of 119.1. The starting lineups of the rest of the league combined have three players with a wRC+ higher than that. Goldschmidt and Arenado are a big part of that but only Edman has a projected wRC+ lower than 111. The Cardinals won the division by seven games. With the addition of Contreras and if their outfield can stay healthy (unlike last year), they should win the division by even more than they did last year, due in large part to the strength of their lineup.