Previewing the Pirates: With Ke'Bryan Hayes locked in at 3B, Colin Moran takes over at 1B

As the Pittsburgh Pirates prepare for the start of spring training next week in Bradenton, Fla., the Tribune-Review takes a look at players in every position grouping.

When the Pittsburgh Pirates traded Josh Bell to the Washington Nationals, general manager Ben Cherington made it clear dealing the 2019 All-Star first baseman had nothing to do with the slugging success of the player he split duties with last season.

That Colin Moran proved he could play the position and provide a middle-of-the-order bat didn’t make Bell expendable. It did, however, give the Pirates comfort they had a replacement at the ready.

“I don’t think we would make a trade with a player because of some other player, necessarily,” Cherington said. “But, separate to this trade, yes, we’re very encouraged by what Colin did and certainly believe he can do a really good job if he’s getting a lot of at-bats at first base. We’re excited to see him build on 2020.”

When it comes to the Pirates corner infielders, Moran has a stronger grip on first than he did at third base. Moran started the season at the hot corner, a position that now belongs to Ke’Bryan Hayes.

The rookie made his major league debut last September and was named NL Rookie of the Month after hitting .376/.442/.682 with seven doubles, two triples, five homers and 11 RBIs and flashing Gold Glove-caliber defense. Ranked baseball’s No. 9 prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 15 by Baseball America, Hayes is an early favorite to win NL Rookie of the Year honors this season and is a piece the Pirates plan to build around.

It will only help Hayes if Moran can provide protection behind him in the batting order after discovering his home-run stroke last season. Moran batted .247 with 10 doubles, a team-best 10 home runs and tied for the team lead with 23 RBIs in 52 games, putting him on pace for a 31-homer season over a 162-game schedule.

A hot start had a lot to do with it, as Moran homered twice in the home opener and hit five by Aug. 1. He cooled off considerably over the next few weeks and fared better when batting third (.250, three doubles, two homers, six RBIs in 13 games) than cleanup (.221, five doubles, seven homers, 16 RBIs in 32 games).

The Pirates appear committed to starting Moran at first, especially now that the universal designated hitter wasn’t among the rule changes to carry over from last season. Moran spent 26 games as DH, starting one more game there than he did at first and third combined.

“Colin played a bunch there last year. I’ve already talked to him that he’s going to play primarily there this year,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “That’s not to say he won’t go on the other side of the field in a double-switch situation or something.”

The bigger question is who will back up both corner infield positions. While Moran can switch to third in a pinch, the primary option is Phillip Evans, who slashed .359/.444/.487 with two doubles, a home run and nine RBIs in 11 games before being involved in a collision in right field with Gregory Polanco on Aug. 8. Evans suffered a concussion and a fractured jaw that required season-ending surgery.

“Phil did a good job there last year, too,” Shelton said. “Those are probably the two primary guys right now with what we have. That’s not to say that we don’t add in the next two weeks because there’s a lot of people still out there.”

Cherington is searching the free-agent market for an outfielder and could look for one who can also play first base after Jose Osuna was designated for assignment and signed to play in Japan.

The internal minor league options are Will Craig and Mason Martin, both of whom have received nonroster invitations to spring training. Where Martin’s stock is soaring after being named the club’s minor league player of the year in 2019, Craig’s is in a free fall since being selected in the first round of the 2016 MLB Draft.

Shelton said Craig was “really good” defensively but has to improve his swing after going 0 for 4 in two games last season. Craig was designated for assignment in late November before clearing waivers and being outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis. Martin spent the summer at the alternate training site in Altoona, where he didn’t get many innings at first but faced better pitching than he would have in Double-A.

“I’m excited about Mason Martin as we work forward,” Shelton said. “I don’t know a ton about him, just because of the fact of exposure. One of the things that really limited us last year and was challenging for the Pirates was the fact that losing all those minor league at-bats. In the conversations I’ve had with our scouts and player development people, I’m excited to see him on the field.”