CHANCE THE TIME-HONORED
Injuries have allowed as many as eight players to make their debuts this season. In several cases, the results have been eye-opening (see: Bryan Reynolds).
Barring a dramatic turn of events, it appears that losing 12 of the first 14 games after the All-Star break has buried the Pirates playoff hopes. The team — 21⁄ games 2 out of first place in the National League Central Division at the break — entered a weekend series against the New York Mets 10 out (after Friday). The Miami Marlins are the only NL team with a worse record.
As bad as things are, general manager Neal Huntington is optimistic about the 2020 season.
“We talk a lot about Josh Bell’s breakout, but there’s a good group of young players here,” Huntington said. “And I’ve got to do everything in my power — and you could argue, a better job — of adding to that.”
One of the unintended consequences of the Pirates’ injury-riddled season is that eight players made their major league debuts earlier than expected. If Huntington is right, it’s likely that a few who made debuts this season will be contributors in 2020 and beyond.
Bryan Reynolds, Cole Tucker, Jason Martin, Montana DuRapau, Geoff Hartlieb, Mitch Keller, Dario Agrazal and Luis Escobar are guys who got their first taste of the majors.
Here’s a look at some of them:
• Martin was the first of the eight to debut April 6 after Corey Dickerson went on the injured list. Martin, 23, played in his first MLB game before he played in Class AAA.
“Everything happened so fast. One minute, I was preparing to play in AAA. The next minute, I was getting a call to go to Pittsburgh,” Martin said. “Everybody talks about how different it is on this level, but you don’t feel it until you get here.”
Martin had a hit in his first game as well as a walk and a stolen base. The outfielder showed range defensively and speed on the bases in the 17 games he was up. But his bat didn’t show up as much. He had
a .229/.289/.286 slash line in 38 plate appearances. While his numbers weren’t much better in his first month in Class AAA, he has gotten hot and had a .328/.389/.531 slash line in his previous 19 games going into the weekend.
Expect to see Martin get a September call-up, and, if Dickerson and/or Melky Cabrera are dealt at the trade deadline, it could make room for Martin to get lots of playing time as the season winds down. That would put him in a strong position to compete for a roster spot next spring.
• Tucker and Reynolds were called up April 20, the day after Starling Marte and Erik Gonzalez collided trying to catch a fly ball.
Tucker hit a dramatic home run in his first game and instantly caught the attention of fans and observers. He grabbed headlines while Reynolds quietly delivered hit after hit. Reynolds started his career with a franchise-recordtying, 11-game hitting streak. Tucker struggled with 22 hits in 112 at-bats with 34 strikeouts and seven walks. His glove and defensive range allowed him to remain in the lineup even though he didn’t hit well.
Tucker has a.270/.339/.460 slash line in Indianapolis and likely will be back when rosters expand. He still is viewed by many in the front office as the shortstop of the future. Kevin Newman, however, is making a strong case not to give up his spot. Assuming the Pirates don’t trade Adam Frazier, which would allow Newman to move to second base, expect a position battle between Newman and Tucker.
Reynolds, meanwhile — while overlooked early — settled into the second spot in the Pirates lineup and there has been no need to change that. He should head into spring expecting to be an everyday player in 2020 as he is now.
• Mitch Keller’s debut was highly anticipated, but he did not deliver the results he or the Pirates wanted. His first inning of pitching May 27 in Cincinnati was horrific. He gave up five runs, including a grand slam to Derek Dietrich. He did settle down and got through three innings without giving up another run.
Keller’s next two starts showed flashes of hope that the 2014 first-round pick can be a good pitcher. But the results weren’t so great. He allowed six runs in three innings against the Atlanta Braves and four against the Detroit Tigers in five innings. To be fair, the defense didn’t help Keller in Detroit.
He has pitched well in Indianapolis and hopes to compete for a rotation spot next spring.
• Dario Agrazal’s call-up was triumphant. The Pirates placed Agrazal on waivers after the 2018 season. He played winter ball in Latin America, came to spring training on a mission and was ready when his chance came against the Miami Marlins.
Agrazal pitched four innings and allowed two earned runs. More important, he threw strikes and carried himself with confidence. He doesn’t have any overpowering pitches, but he is a sound pitcher.
“It’s hard to argue with what Dario has done,” Huntington said. “And just how he stands out, his ability to execute pitches. He doesn’t throw 97 [mph] and he doesn’t get the thunderous swing and miss up in the zone. He pitches. He mixes and matches and hits his spots. And that’s fun to watch.”
Agrazal pitched six innings in each of his next four starts heading into the Friday night game against the New York Mets. It’s still a small sample size. If he continues to pitch well, however, he could find a place in the 2020 rotation. If the Pirates are able to trade Jordan Lyles at the deadline, Agrazal could remain in the rotation the rest of this season.
“I take a deep sigh of relief that he cleared waivers,” Huntington said. “It’s a part of the game is that you do roll the dice on occasion with roster spots, and we rolled the dice that the elements that led to him being a candidate to come off the roster would allow him to likely clear waivers at that point in time. He took it as a challenge, and he’s answered the bell with ferocity, and he wants to show us that we made a mistake in taking him off the roster.”
• Luis Escobar allowed five runs on five hits and four walks over two innings Wednesday against the St. Louis Cardinals and was sent back to Indianapolis a day later. He had some success in his debut July 13 with two scoreless innings against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, and hadn’t given up runs before Wednesday.
He could fit into the Pirates bullpen plans next season.