As sprint training neared, it looked as if the Pirates had their 13 position players cemented in stone.
- Starling Marte
- Andrew McCutchen
- Gregory Polanco
- Travis Snider
- Neil Walker
- Pedro Alvarez
- Josh Harrison
- Francisco Cervelli
- Jordy Mercer
- Jung-Ho Kang
- Corey Hart
- Chris Stewart
- Sean Rodriguez
It was as simple as that. A spring training with very little questions.
But, that changed on Tuesday night, as the Pirates traded Snider to the Orioles for 21-year-old left-handed pitcher Stephen Tarpley and a player to be named later. Frankly, I don’t get the trade from the Pirates standpoint.
To me, having Snider — a proven fourth outfielder — is more important than getting a pitcher who went 3-5 with a 3.68 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 13 games last year.
After all, it was Snider that took away the right fielder’s job from Polanco in the second half of the season last year, as he had a slash line of .288/.356/.524 with nine home runs and 24 RBI.
Let’s get it clear, Snider was no threat to Polanco entering the season. He was simply the next man up should any of the three get injured or if Polanco should struggle. Now, the Pirates don’t have that luxury, as it looks as if Andrew Lambo is going to be handed a spot on the opening day roster again without earning it.
Anyway, I digress.
What it does show, however, is that the Pirates are fully behind Polanco, as if there was any doubt.
And it’s not as if Polanco felt pressure from Snider being in the clubhouse or that he wanted him gone. In fact, check out this classy move by El Coffee on Twitter.
.@Lunchboxhero45 was one of the guys who helped me most when I came up last year good luck in BAL #hermano #classact pic.twitter.com/vrh2UKg508
— Gregory Polanco ☕️ (@El_Coffee) January 28, 2015
What the Pirates and Pirates fans want from Polanco, who was arguably the most-hyped prospect to make his way up to Pittsburgh ever, is to get back to his numbers from June, where he had a slash line of .288/.374/.749 with two homers, four steals and 10 RBI when he was first called up. Over the rest of the season, Polanco’s numbers dropped across the boards drastically, so much so that Polanco had only 33 plate appearances in September and October combined, where he hit just .179.
The potential that Polanco has makes the Pirates outfield one of the best in baseball. And if he lives up to it, it will be the best, easily.
I’ve personally been on board with ESPN’s Buster Olney since last year, who earlier this month named the Miami Marlins as having the best outfield in baseball with Giancarlo Stanton (the power), Christian Yelich (the hot start offensively and defensively) and Marcell Ozuna (the potential). But, I also have the Pirates right behind the Marlins, and I’m ready to copy and paste them above the Marlins in Polanco lives up to the hype, which he should.
One thing the Pirates need to avoid with Polanco is slotting him into the No. 1 spot in the lineup right away. Yes, lineup construction is what it is, and that’s overrated. Happy, advanced stat nuts? But for a player, there’s a mental side of things to press when hitting atop the lineup. I’d prefer to see Polanco hit second after Harrison, or sixth after Walker, assuming Marte would slide into the two-hole.
Like any prospect with that hype, it was impossible for Polanco to live up to it right away, and he was going to have his struggles. Sorry, not everyone is Mike Trout. And this year, he may struggle again and face the dreaded sophomore slump. But the Pirates are backing Polanco 100 percent, as is clear with the deal of Snider now (again, they ALWAYS were).
Now, it’s time to sit back and see the most talented outfielder for the Pirates mold into a star.
