Pirates infield shows promise, but with lots of room to grow

All you need to know about Ben Cherington’s and Derek Shelton’s expectations for the Pittsburgh Pirates is the team’s second-most-productive run producer doesn’t have a lock on his job.

Chances are, Colin Moran will be difficult to unseat at third base (at least early in the season). He hit .277 with 13 home runs and 80 RBIs last year. Only Josh Bell and the departed Starling Marte drove in more runs.

But the general manager and field manager will give 2015 first-round draft choice Ke’Bryan Hayes a look at third base when players report to spring training. Jose Osuna and Erik Gonzalez are lurking, too.

“We’re different than most clubs,” Shelton said last month at PirateFest when asked about the team’s needs. “Because of the fact that we need to put eyes on our guys. We need to see people on the field and what they’re doing and how they’re doing it and how they react.

“It’s probably a better March 15-March 17 question than it is Jan. 24.”

Cherington said the team has had “good dialogue with Colin this winter.”

“We do see third base as an area, long-term, to build this winning team, and we’re looking for more production defensively and offensively out of third base.

“That’s something he’s clear on and working hard on, but we also expect that to be a competitive situation where we want to give some others a chance to show what they can do, too.”

When speaking to reporters at PirateFest, Moran said he has worked this offseason on his fielding, especially in an attempt to quicken that first step and turn would-be singles into groundouts.

Hayes, 23, never has played in the majors, but he might carry the most reliable glove in the Pirates’ minor league system. He played in 899 Triple-A innings with only three errors last season while hitting .265 and belting 10 home runs.

Shelton and Cherington are aware, however, five of the six defenders stationed closest to the batter’s box — first, second and third base, shortstop and catcher — did OK last season. Not great, but more than serviceable with room to grow. Only catcher Jacob Stallings has reached his 30th birthday, and he did that in December.

Situations will change over the next seven weeks before the March 26 opener in Tampa, and the roster will remain in flux throughout the season if Cherington is doing his job, but the four infielders and Stallings present a good starting point.

Bell, an All-Star last season, is most prominent in the group, with his home-run power and budding leadership skills.

“I’m going to go out on a limb here and say Josh Bell is probably going to play first base a lot,” Shelton said. “Yeah, I’ll stick to that one.”

But Bell’s .277 batting average was third among the five last season, and Moran needed only one more hit to pass him.

The double-play combination of shortstop Kevin Newman and second baseman Adam Frazier hit .308 and .278 and flashed solid gloves most of the time. Frazier was a Gold Glove finalist, and Newman made only 10 errors in 369 chances.

Stallings hit .262 in his busiest season as a pro, appearing in 61 games behind the plate. He also threw out eight potential base stealers and continually drew praise from pitchers for his ability to call the right pitch. Still, the Pirates could use an upgrade, if only because catchers Luke Maile and John Ryan Murphy, acquired in the offseason, have lifetime .198 and .219 batting averages and there doesn’t appear to be much help in the minors.

One of the most interesting storylines of the spring will involve 2014 first-round draft choice Cole Tucker, whose athleticism can’t be ignored. His quickness can be a pitcher’s best friend, especially if he’s trying to induce groundballs.

But Tucker has plenty of room to improve as a batter. He hit .211 in 56 games last season.

“Cole, from talking to him and talking to people that were around him, he learned a lot by taking his lumps,” Shelton said. “Everybody is going to struggle at some point (in the majors). When you learn early on how to handle those, it makes it easier.”