Pirates manager Derek Shelton focused on spring training competition at SS, CF

On the eve of the first workouts for pitchers and catchers of spring training, manager Derek Shelton said the Pittsburgh Pirates will have open competition for starting jobs at multiple positions.

Shelton’s focus will be on finding starters at shortstop and center field, helping his corner outfielders rediscover their swing after sub-.200 seasons and providing a fun atmosphere for the new arrivals and young prospects participating in their first spring training at Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla.

As for the Pirates player with the most success last season and brightest future, according to Top 100 prospect rankings, Shelton is trying to temper external expectations for Ke’Bryan Hayes. Shelton said the third baseman is “extremely grounded,” even after winning NL rookie of the month honors last September and being ranked among baseball’s top 10 prospects by several scouting services this offseason.

“Everybody is going to say he came in and played 24 games and did this, this and this,” Shelton said of Hayes, who batted .376/.442/.682 with seven doubles, two triples, five homers and 11 RBIs last year. “We expect Ke’Bryan to go out every night, have consistent at-bats, play good defense and go from there. We don’t expect him to be a world beater or anything in that regard. We just expect him to be himself. And I fully expect him to do that. He’s going to have ups, he’s going to have downs. He came to the big leagues last year and didn’t have a lot of downs, but we’re just looking for consistency.”

That’s the same requirement in the search for a starting shortstop, where former first-round picks Kevin Newman and Cole Tucker will compete with veteran Erik Gonzalez. Shelton said all three will have an opportunity to win the starting job but stressed the importance of their versatility to play other positions. After playing mostly in the outfield last season, Tucker will get a longer look in the infield this spring.

“I wouldn’t say an experiment, but we knew he was athletic and we knew he had the ability to do it, and to his credit, we kind of threw him (into) the fire and he did a nice job,” Shelton said of Tucker. “The other thing was out of necessity with just where we were with our outfielders, and we still truly believe that he can be an infielder. As we come back in after an offseason of him working, we’re giving him an opportunity to play there.”

That leaves center field, where the Pirates signed veteran Brian Goodwin to a minor league contract with a nonroster invite to compete with Anthony Alford, Jared Oliva and possibly Reynolds for the starting job.

“I was happy that we were able to add Brian into the mix,” Shelton said. “Brian has the ability to play all three, has the ability to play center, left-handed bat. Great reports on him from the people that I’ve talked to in Cincinnati and Anaheim. From having a conversation with him, he’s hungry for an opportunity to play.”

Shelton has right fielder Gregory Polanco and left fielder Bryan Reynolds penciled in as starters, despite their struggles at the plate last season. Polanco hit a career-worst .153 with seven homers and 22 RBIs and is coming off a right wrist injury in winter ball. Reynolds followed a .314 average in his rookie season by batting .189 with seven homers and 19 RBIs, but Shelton is looking for a bounce-back year.

“He does mean a heck of a lot to the Pirates, and full confidence that he is going to hit better,” Shelton said of Reynolds. “He had a down year, and it’s probably the first year in his life, well, it is the first year in his life that he didn’t hit. He’s going to hit, and I fully expect him to bounce back. I think there were some things that happened last year early on where he got himself in a little hole, and then he tried to build out of it every night by getting three or four hits, and that puts a lot of pressure on you. So starting a new year fresh is what Bryan Reynolds needs.”

Shelton doesn’t want to erase their scuffling in the 60-game season last summer from their memories but rather have both hitters use it as a fuel to find their groove again over a full season.

“I don’t think you leave it in the past. I don’t ever think you leave anything in the past,” Shelton said. “I think you use it as motivation or a foundation to build forward, and what happened with a lot of guys last year, not just Pirates, is you get off to a rough start and then you’re trying to build every night.”