Pirates preview: Versatility valued from infield featuring several Gold Glove candidates
When Derek Shelton discusses the Pittsburgh Pirates infield, the only things set in stone is that Ke’Bryan Hayes will be playing third base and Roberto Perez will be behind the plate.
The rest is written in pencil, with a big eraser at the ready.
That has more to do with positional flexibility than anything, as the Pirates manager values versatility from his infielders. From the outset of spring training, Shelton emphasized the need for players to be multi-positional to make the Opening Day roster.
“There are nine spots on the field. If you can fill positionally four of ’em, you have a better chance of playing,” Shelton said. “I think players have taken away the (utility player) stigma by realizing, ‘If I get to the big leagues and I get in the lineup, that’s the most important thing.’
“Industry-wise, we’ve started to look at it. There’s a Gold Glove for a utility player now, which there should have been for multiple years. Where I really feel it’s come into play, players realize any way I can get into the lineup, it doesn’t matter. They’re gonna play multiple positions to do it.”
Here’s a position-by-position look at the Pirates infield:
Catcher
When the Pirates traded NL Gold Glove winner Jacob Stallings to Miami, they wasted little time signing two-time AL Gold Glove winner Roberto Perez to a one-year, $5 million free agent contract.
Pirates pitchers have raved about his attention to detail and in-game adjustments. The big question is how long Perez can stay healthy. He has played 100-plus games only once in his career and was sidelined by shoulder and finger injuries last season with Cleveland.
If Perez is out, the Pirates have a problem.
They had three nonroster invitees vying to be the backup catcher.
Michael Perez was the backup last season and has some pop (eight doubles, seven home runs and 21 RBIs in 70 games) but the Pirates designated him for assignment after he batted .143. Behind him, Taylor Davis has 22 games in the majors while Jamie Ritchie has none.
First base
After parting ways with Colin Moran, general manager Ben Cherington spent $5 million to sign a pair of lefty sluggers whose bats should play at PNC Park and could double as designated hitter.
Yoshi Tsutsugo hit eight home runs and had 25 RBIs in 43 games with the Pirates last year, and he signed a one-year, $4 million deal last fall. The key for Tsutsugo will be to keep his strikeout rate where it was for the Pirates (22.9%) instead of the Tampa Bay Rays (31%) and Los Angeles Dodgers (38.7%).
If Daniel Vogelbach can return to his 2019 All-Star form — when he hit 30 home runs for the Seattle Mariners — the $1 million deal he signed will be an absolute steal. Although he has a career .209 batting average, the Pirates like his .336 on-base percentage.
Second base
The Pirates have a handful of players who are competing for the starting job. Cole Tucker is considered the front-runner, though he also is their most valuable super-utility player.
“He’s played all over the diamond,” Shelton told AT&T SportsNet on Friday. “I know he’s an athletic kid, but defensively he’s played well in both (outfield) corners, he’s played well in the middle (infield) spots.”
The question is whether Tucker’s bat can keep him in the lineup. Shelton praised Tucker for working hard on having a more stable setup and swing in the offseason, using a more balanced stance to drive balls to the gaps.
Late-summer acquisitions Michael Chavis and Hoy Park also are candidates with positional flexibility who can serve as DH. Chavis can play first, second and third; Park can play second, third, shortstop and the outfield.
The dark horse is Diego Castillo. He has slashed .346/.393/.923 with a team-leading five home runs and nine RBIs in 11 games, and he has impressed Shelton and his staff by playing smooth defense at second, short and third. Castillo, however, has played only 18 games at Triple-A.
When the Pirates acquired Josh VanMeter from Arizona, it signaled they might be tempted to start Castillo in Indianapolis. Shelton said VanMeter, who slashed .388/.539/.881 with nine homers and 20 RBIs in 19 games at Triple-A Reno last year, will make the Opening Day roster.
That means at least one of the other four second base candidates won’t.
Shortstop
After losing his starting job in 2020, Kevin Newman was challenged to improve his defense and became a Gold Glove finalist. The downside? Newman batted .226 with an MLB-worst .574 OPS (among qualified batters).
This time, the Pirates challenged Newman to improve his hitting. After reconstructing his swing, he was slashing .333/.400/.611 going into Sunday’s Grapefruit League game against Tampa Bay. Newman batted .606 last spring, so he has to prove he can continue hitting in the regular season.
While Newman held off Oneil Cruz, it’s only a matter of time before the Pirates promote their top prospect. The 6-foot-7 Cruz will start the season in Triple-A, where he is expected to play some outfield.
Newman has slid over to second base at times, showing he can play either side of the bag. One thing the Pirates have in their pocket is that Tucker, Park and Castillo all can play shortstop.
Third base
Although he didn’t play enough innings to qualify for the Gold Glove, Hayes showed his defensive prowess by winning the Fielding Bible award as the best third baseman in baseball.
A sprained ankle has sidelined Hayes for the past week, so the key is for him to show that he can stay healthy. A plus for the Pirates would be if Hayes can find a solid middle ground between his September 2020 numbers (.376/.442/.682 with seven doubles, two triples, five homers and 11 RBIs in 24 games) and his rookie totals (.257/.316/.373 with 20 doubles, two triples, six homers and 38 RBIs in 96 games).
A left hand/wrist injury hampered Hayes last season, and he avoided surgery by undergoing therapy, stretching and switching to a two-handed follow-through on his swing. The Pirates are counting on Hayes to be one of their offensive catalysts this season.
Defensively, Shelton sees an infield that is much improved over the one he inherited in 2020.
“Our defense has played really well,” Shelton told AT&T SportsNet. “One of the things we’ve taken out of this is to just make the routine play. We need to make the routine play. Everybody gets enamored with, ‘OK, we’re going to make the flashy play. We’re going to make the plays that end up on TV.’ If you catch the balls that are hit to you, a lot of good things will happen.”
Kevin Gorman is a TribLive reporter covering the Pirates. A Baldwin native and Penn State graduate, he joined the Trib in 1999 and has covered high school sports, Pitt football and basketball and was a sports columnist for 10 years. He can be reached at kgorman@triblive.com.
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