Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Pirates start spring training focusing on developing top prospects

After his first spring training as a major league manager was interrupted by baseball’s shutdown because of the covid-19 pandemic, Derek Shelton referred to the shortened summer camp in July as 2.0.

Now, the Pittsburgh Pirates skipper is steering a club that is in total teardown into a spring training where there will be an emphasis on balancing the major league talent with minor league development.

The Pirates have as many as six top-100 prospects, with third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes ranked in several top 10s. But Shelton is looking forward to seeing shortstops Oneil Cruz and Liover Peguero and former first-round picks in second basemen Nick Gonzales (2020), center fielder Travis Swaggerty (2018) and right-hander Quinn Priester (2019).

“That’s probably the part of spring training that I’m most excited about,” Shelton said, “because of the fact, in my role right now, I have to be very aware of not only what we’re doing at the major league level but also what we’re doing in development and what our conversations are.”

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington promised an infusion of talent upon arrival, and he jettisoned Jameson Taillon, Josh Bell and Joe Musgrove through trades for 11 prospects. Twenty players who finished the 2020 season on the 40-man roster are gone. After an offseason of major turnover, the Pirates will have many new faces when pitchers and catchers report to Pirate City this week in Bradenton, Fla. The first workout for pitchers and catchers is Wednesday, and the first full-squad workout is Feb. 22.

“The fact that we have a larger group at spring training with 75, a lot of people are like, ‘We have too many people,’ ” Shelton said. “The way that our staff is looking at it is, we have a chance to get eyes on a bunch of guys that are going to be part of our future and to have the ability not only with our development staff but with our major league staff to have some impact on these guys that we normally wouldn’t have had. That’s important for the Pirates right now.”

Here are five spring training storylines to follow:

1. Changing Cruz

Since the crash that killed three people on a motorcycle in his native Dominican Republic last September, the Pirates have expressed confidence Cruz will be able to put his legal troubles behind him and participate in spring training.

The 6-foot-7 shortstop is regarded as a top-50 prospect and one of their closest to reaching the majors, but where he will play remains a question mark.

ESPN ranked him No. 28 as a third baseman, even though Hayes is blocking that path. Cruz’s arm strength and athleticism have led some to project a position switch to right field or possibly first base.

Shelton said the Pirates will move Cruz around this spring.

“I do think at some point we’ll see him play multiple positions, for multiple reasons,” Shelton said. “No. 1 is his ability to swing the bat; No. 2 is his athleticism; and, No. 3, the ability to play multiple positions is extremely important, especially for a National League club.”

2. Turnover at top

Shelton is excited about the future after spending seven days last fall at the Instructional League in Bradenton, watching Pirates prospects to get a feel for the prospects.

Shelton said he “spent a ton of time” with shortstop Peguero and is excited to see the rising stock of the 20-year-old Dominican acquired from Arizona in the Starling Marte trade in January 2020.

But this will be the first extended look for Shelton and his staff at second basemen Gonzales and Ji-Hwan Bae, shortstops Cruz and Peguero and power-hitting first baseman Mason Martin.

The Pirates are prioritizing the development of their top prospects, and the communication between Shelton’s staff and new director of coaching and player development John Baker is vital. It’s one of the reasons the Pirates transitioned Mike Rabelo from assistant hitting coach to major league field coordinator, a dugout role where he will ensure alignment, handle technology and innovation and also serve as the major league staff’s liaison to Baker.

“That’s important, me and our staff having a relationship with Bake,” Shelton said. “Normally, in a regular spring training, you see more guys because they may come over and throw an inning or hit and you’re able to watch. During minor league spring training, you can watch their development and have conversations with player development about how they’re doing. We missed all of that.”

3. First pitch

As interesting as it will be to see how the rotation shapes up, with Mitch Keller, Steven Brault, Chad Kuhl and JT Brubaker looking like four starters, the Pirates are invested in watching the progress of Priester.

His stock has soared since Instructional League play, when Priester showed his fastball had jumped from the low 90s to 96-98 mph after spending the summer at the alternate training site in Altoona. Shelton and pitching coach Oscar Marin saw Priester pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies in Instructional League play.

“I haven’t spent a ton of time with him one on one, but I did get to watch him throw,” Shelton said. “When you’re a major league manager and you go down and watch a kid in development and you come away with a smile on your face — Oscar and I had a talk about it — it makes you feel good that these are the guys you have in development. That’s exciting. He’s one of those core-group pitchers that stands out. I think it’s our job to continue to monitor his development.”

4. Youth movement

The Pirates only have a handful of players who are 30 years or older, so adding a veteran could help to run the clubhouse and show the young players how to act like pros.

Shelton credited catcher John Ryan Murphy and lefty Derek Holland for handling that role last season but warned the Pirates have to be careful with who they sign so they don’t impede the development of a promising prospect.

“It has to be the right person. That’s the most important thing,” Shelton said. “Obviously, with the situation we’re in and the message that we’re bringing, you have to make sure you bring the right leadership group into this. We have to make sure that our group here continues to grow and learn and lead. But you don’t force that on them. You can’t come in and say, ‘Player X should be a leader.’ Just because we think he’s a leader or we see him in a role moving forward for the organization doesn’t mean that works.”

While Shelton wants to watch the young prospects blossom into those roles while coming up together, former Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson offered Neil Walker as an example of a perfect fit to have a locker next to prospects like Hayes and Gonzales.

“I know it’s frustrating as a Pirates fan. I’ve been through it,” Wilson said. “What I think is important is, if you’re going to rebuild, you need to make sure you bring in some veterans that have some clout, that have some leadership ability. It’s really tough when you have a bunch of guys on one-year deals fighting for their careers. There’s a lot of pressure on them to perform so they can get to arbitration or a multiyear deal.

“Now you have to make sure you bring in what I call ‘glue guys,’ guys that come in the clubhouse and help the young players and understand that role and maybe not collect a paycheck because you’re on the last legs of your career but to come in and make it enjoyable and be that coach in the locker room. That’s Neil Walker, for me. That makes a lot of sense on so many different levels: A guy that’s been there, homegrown, been to the playoffs with the Pirates, the Brewers and the Mets and Yankees. This guy knows how to win. He can help.

“Neil Walker is priceless. You can pay that guy $700,000 and he’s worth $4 million, just because of his presence and what he can bring to that clubhouse. Guys like that are important in this process. Who’s not going to love bringing Neil back? He’d probably get more applause than anybody on Opening Day. It’s a great PR move, a great move for the team and young talent.”

5. Focus on future

If anyone understands a rebuild at PNC Park, it’s Wilson, who joked he went through multiple in Pittsburgh. They lost at least 94 games in six of his nine seasons with the Pirates, with 100 losses in his first season in 2001 and 99 in his final season in ’09.

“I still have that connection,” Wilson said. “I still bleed black and gold.”

Yet Wilson credited Cherington for stockpiling shortstops, even if they eventually move to other positions or become trade chips.

The Pirates have a surplus at short, from former first-round picks Kevin Newman and Cole Tucker to Cruz, Bae, Gonzales and Peguero. Wilson noted his double-play partners with the Pirates — Freddy Sanchez, Jose Castillo and Pokey Reese — all came up at shortstop before switching to second base.

“Your really good second basemen come from that side anyways, so that’s always a plus,” Wilson said. “If you can fill your infield full of guys who can play short, that’s a good thing.”

Wilson also called Hayes “phenomenal” and a “special talent” and raved about working with Gonzales.

“I’m excited for the young talent they’re bringing in through these trades,” Wilson said. “Obviously, it’s going to be a tough go when you’re doing a rebuild like they’re doing. I’ve been there. You understand it. … I’m excited for what the future is going to bring in Pittsburgh, for sure.”