1) Chris Stewart: Assuming Stewart is healthy, he will undoubtedly be the Pirates backup catcher. There's not much to say about Stewart; he's a backup catcher and a solid one at that. The one interesting thing people look into is whether he will catch for Gerrit Cole again because Cole's numbers are, in all technicalities, better with Stewart behind the dish. I personally don't support that, but do the Pirates support it is what matters, and it seems like they did for awhile in 2015. Do they go back to that? We'll see.
2) John Jaso: John Jaso has, once again, increased his number of roles by learning how to play outfield. While he will be limited to a bench spot because of the emergence of Josh Bell, I get the sense Jaso will see playing time, either in the OF and/or as a defensive replacement at 1B late in games with the latter being more prevalent. Jaso, despite the negative opinions of how he played, actually put forth one of his better offensive seasons in 2016 as well as learning a new defensive position seemingly instantaneously (it wasn't instantaneous but it felt like it didn't it?). I expect Jaso will be a nice bench piece and defensive sub that starts occasionally, but that's all he needs to be.
3) Adam Frazier: While I swear there is a group of fans that may picket in front of PNC Park if Frazier doesn't start at 2nd base, the reality is that he will likely be a utility player for the Pirates but will receive a lot of playing time anyway. He has that spark plug feel to him with his speed and his seemingly natural ability to hit when the team needs him in a pinch. I think he can succeed in his role, and him being successful would really benefit the Pirates.
4) Phil Gosselin: Gosselin was acquired by the Pirates in the late portion of the offseason in exchange for Frank Duncan. Gosselin was acquired to fill a super utility role similar to what Sean Rodriguez did with the Pirates. He can play in the outfield and most of the infield spots, so he is most certainly a "super utility" player. The main places we will likely see him are 3B, SS, and OF, if I had to guess. He can backup to Freese or Mercer and can play OF if needed as well. While his defense is good, his bat can help out too. He was actually a productive bench player with the Diamondbacks the last few years. Gosselin won't be a world-beater by any stretch, but he will do what the Pirates ask of him and do it well, which is just what you want in a player like that.
5) Alen Hanson: The Alen Hanson situation is difficult. He has no options left so he has to make the 25-man roster or be exposed to waivers where he'd stand a decent chance of being picked up. So it's basically "use him or lose him" regarding Hanson. However, the situation with him became easier with Jung Ho Kang's situation getting foggy. Since that opened up a bench spot, the Pirates do not need to make an immediate choice with him as they can have him on the roster easily now. Moreover, has had a good spring, which helps.
Now, Alen Hanson can play some infield and some outfield but the defense leaves some to be desired wherever he plays. His good qualities are that he is very speedy and can hit some. He's been a slow-developing prospect based on inconsistencies, but he still has loads of talent that he will get a chance to put all together in 2017 when the pressure is really on him to perform well.
The Pirates bench was very productive last year with unexpected strong performances by Joyce, Freese, and Rodriguez. Not many benches can match that, so let's not expect anything like that from this bench. However, this bench has a lot of flexibility and some potential to be very productive.
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