Quantcast
Channel: isportsweb
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 25

State of the Pittsburgh Pirates: Third base edition

0
0

This is the third part of a series of articles that examines the state of the Pittsburgh Pirates, position by position. The first and second articles of the series are located here and here. This third article ironically deals with the third base position.

Just last season, the Pirates didn’t have any options at the hot corner besides veteran David Freese. South Korean slugger Jung-ho Kang spent all of 2017 stuck in his home country, his request for a work visa denied by the U.S. government as a result of his third DUI. Freese was a serviceable replacement, but is not the answer to the Pirates’ problems at third.

This season, Freese has been the back up to Colin Moran, the red-bearded rookie who is emerging as the third baseman of the future. Freese has gotten his share of at-bats, and the two have split the position well.

However, the addition of Kang to the 40 man roster just over a week ago makes the third base situation much more complicated. A wrist injury is delaying his return to the majors, but the Bucco brass will soon be forced to make a decision on who plays and who goes.

In 2015, Jung-ho Kang was an instant difference maker for the Pittsburgh Pirates, splitting his time between shortstop and third while hitting .287 with 15 home runs.  A broken leg ended his season, robbed him of speed, and relegated him exclusively to the hot corner. Kang’s batting average dropped to .255 in 2016, but he made up for it with 21 home runs and a .354 on-base percentage.

The Pirates sorely missed a power hitter in the middle of the order last season, a role Kang could have easily filled. If he returns to previous form, he will be an invaluable addition to the squad. Nevertheless, Kang struggled during winter ball in the Dominican Republic and is currently batting .239 with zero homers for Triple-A Indianapolis.

One must wonder how the addition of Kang will affect the playing time of Colin Moran. The centerpiece of the Gerrit Cole deal, Moran became a fan favorite immediately after hitting a grand slam during his first Pirates home game. Moran is in the midst of a solid rookie season in which his strengths and weaknesses are apparent.

Moran is a patient hitter with a .348 on-base percentage. His 10.3 percent walk rate and 17 percent strikeout rate are much improved from his days in the minors and his stint with the Houston Astros. Additionally, he swings at only 26.6 percent of pitches outside of the strike zone. Moran also hits the ball hard, with his soft contact rate at 17.7 percent, while his hard contact rate is up to a nice 32 percent.

Moran does need to work on his defense. Third base is one of the most difficult positions to defend, as even the most elite fielders make a good amount of errors. Moran has made seven errors this season for a .950 fielding average, which is five points below the league average. Moran does not have good range and his defensive WAR is below league average as well.

Despite his defensive shortcomings, he is not nearly as bad with the glove as ex-Pirate Pedro Alvarez. Moran still has a lot of time to improve. The same can’t be said for David Freese. At thirty-five, Freese is a well-respected veteran and solid option at third. However, his upside is lower than the other two men competing for third base.

During his time at third last season, Freese proved himself to be a solid defender who can get on-base. Sadly, Freese’s on-base percentage has plummeted from .368 in 2017 to .328 this season. His batting average on balls in play also diminished from .372 in 2016 to .306 now. His .938 fielding percentage and mediocre defensive WAR indicate declining physical skills.

David Freese is a likable player and can still offer a lot to a big league ball club. Nevertheless, the return of Jung-ho Kang could mean for a Moran/Kang platoon at third, leaving Freese as the odd man out.

July is a swing month for the Pirates’ playoff hopes and everyone will be expected to produce. With the amount of options at third base, anyone who falls off could be cast away from the club.

*Statistics courtesy of fangraphs.com and baseball-reference.com

The post State of the Pittsburgh Pirates: Third base edition appeared first on isportsweb.


Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 25

Latest Images

Trending Articles





Latest Images