Travis Ishikawa to the rescue?
Probably not what Pirates brass planned, but at least for the moment, that looks to be what the Pirates are hoping of the journeyman first baseman after Andrew Lambo was reassigned to AAA Indianapolis.
To say that Lambo had his struggles this spring (.095 BA, .095 Slugging, .269 OPS) would be an understatement. After being considered a virtual lock to be the left-handed hitting part of the first base platoon with Gaby Sanchez, Lambo’s four hits in 46 plate appearances were enough to force the Pirates hand.
There is no question Ishikawa is having a strong showing this Spring. After coming to camp on a non-roster invite, and initially missing the better part of the first two weeks of camp with a hamstring strain, Ishikawa made up for lost time with an impressive showing at the plate. Though done in a relatively small sample of 30 plate appearances, Ishikawa has hit three home runs, carried a .333 BA, along with a .708 slugging percentage.
The question becomes after several years of either languishing in the minor leagues, or failing to deliver consistently at the major league level, can the 30-year-old Ishikawa be consistent and productive for a team trying to build on a 94-win playoff season?
Once considered a top prospect for the San Francisco Giants, Ishikawa has been unable to stick in the majors. Ishikawa’s largest sample of playing time was during the 2009 and 2010 seasons, where he played in 236 games and had 536 plate appearances. The results were decent, but far from spectacular, as Ishikawa hit 12 homers and held a .262 average over that span. However, since 2010, Ishikawa has struggled to find a home in MLB. This included stints with the Brewers, Orioles and Yankees before becoming a Pirate this Spring.
Ishikawa seems to be the option GM Neal Nuntington has settled on at the moment. Solid defensively, and with decent track record of hitting right-handed pitching, the hope is that Ishikawa can do the job filling in for Sanchez when the pitching match ups call for it.
One of the biggest questions with a Sanchez/Ishikawa platoon is where will the power numbers come from, and can the Pirates afford to use a valuable roster spot on players who are limited to playing first base exclusively? That was one of the benefits of former Pirate Garrett Jones, having a left-handed bat first baseman who could also play in the outfield when needed. A similar plan was in place with Lambo, at least before his spring training struggles.
There is still some hope that Lambo, the Pirates 2013 Minor League Player of the Year, will find his stroke with some time back in Indy. One does have to wonder, is Lambo another example of a prospect who simply never figures out how to hit major league pitching? The difference in quality in pitching from AAA to MLB is obviously substantial, and some players simply never find a way to take the next step and be consistent major league hitters.
That begs the question many Pirates fans are asking today: Can the Pirates win consistently with Sanchez and Ishikawa as their first basemen? Letting Jones and deadline acquisition Justin Morneau leave via free agency was a calculated move. Jones simply never found a way to hit consistently last season, and was a major liability against lefties. The lack of desire to bring Morneau back could be questioned, but his play with the Pirates was not necessarily worthy the $12.5 million in guaranteed money he got from the Rockies.
The Pirates look to be trying to catch lightning in a bottle with Ishikawa. Judging performance based on spring training numbers is always a crap shoot, and how he will respond during the regular season is very much in a wait and see mode.
Don’t be surprised if Huntington continues to look at options outside the organization if Ishikawa struggles, or if Lambo does not prove to be viable option during his time in Indy. If this is the case, the Pirates may have to consider either signing a player like Kendrys Morales, or trading for potentially available left-handed hitting first basemen such as Mike Carp, Justin Smoak or Ike Davis.
