Who earns the Pirates 5th rotation spot?

Heading into the offseason, it was vital for the Pirates to add at least 1 starting pitcher. While 2 would have been preferable, the Pirates filled their rotation need with the one they added by re-signing Ivan Nova. The top four in the rotation will come as Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, Ivan Nova, and Chad Kuhl, that's certain. However, the 5th spot in the rotation is definitely up for grabs as Spring Training gets underway in Bradenton, Florida. The Pirates will essentially have 4 guys that will compete for the 5th starter job this spring. Those guys being Tyler Glasnow, Drew Hutchison, Steven Brault, and Trevor Williams. Each of them have a case for belonging in the rotation, but in the end there is only one spot. I will sift through each guy and see the cases they have and then see which one should have the most inside track on the final rotation spot. 

We start with Tyler Glasnow. He is one of the Pirates bright, young starters that is destined for a spot alongside Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon in the rotation sooner rather than later. The case for Glasnow is that he is the young guy and probably the option with the highest ceiling and potential of the four. Also, this may be the best time for the Pirates to let Glasnow take his lumps in the majors instead of continually dominating in AAA with no sense of accomplishment or moving forward as a player. It may benefit them in the long run to let Glasnow figure it out as he goes. 

Next is Drew Hutchison. Acquired in the Liriano trade in August of 2016, Hutchison was tendered a contract in 2017 by the Pirates, maybe in hopes he could be an option in the 2017 rotation. The case that Hutchison provides is that he is a more veteran presence. Despite being young himself, he's been around the block a few times as a starter in the MLB, most notably in the rigid AL East. Hutchison also still has some redeeming qualities that maybe Ray Searage can tap into in the pursuance of getting the former Opening Day starter to where he and the Pirates wish for him to go. The veteran presence and the fact the Pirates are paying him like an MLB player might suggest he has the inside track on the position. 

The third one is Steven Brault. In limited action in the MLB in 2016, Brault showed he's at least capable of starting a bit in the MLB. Whether he can do it consistently is always a question with young guys. The case to be made for Brault is that the rest of the Pirates rotation are righties, and he would represent a lefty in the rotation. Pirates have seemed to put an emphasis on having lefties in the rotation, most of the time multiple ones in fact (even sometimes three). So having a rotation of 5 righties may seem peculiar, but if the best 5 starters are righties, so be it. It also balances out somewhere as Pirates may end up with 4 or 5 lefties in the bullpen. However, being a lefty here may give Steven Brault at least some sort of leverage on the position. 

The last guy is Trevor Williams and likely the guy that would need to do the most to earn a rotation spot this spring. He would need to wow the Pirates management to earn a spot. The case of Trevor Williams isn't much of one though, as he brings really nothing to the table the other guys don't besides a nice charisma. While charisma is great, it needs to be backed up with good pitching. While I'm a believer in Trevor Williams personally, I can't say the Pirates are convinced he will pan out and his up and down stint in the majors in 2016 doesn't make anyone any more comfortable in that regard. 

Personally, I feel that Tyler Glasnow deserves the job as the 5th starter, but realistically I think it'll be Hutchison or Brault. Pirates could feel they either need another veteran arm in there or they need a lefty to balance it out a little bit. There's still a chance they add somebody late in the process, but with the options they have now these guys will duke it out for the final spot in the rotation.