Connor Joe Still Wants to Improve After Solid First Season Back With Pirates (+)
Nine years after he was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates, Connor Joe finally made his debut in the black and gold.
The Pirates originally drafted Joe with the 39th pick in 2014 out of the University of San Diego. Three years later, he was traded to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Sean Rodriguez.
After he was dealt, Joe bounced around a couple different organizations and reached the big leagues with the San Francisco Giants in 2019 before a two-year stint in Colorado with the Rockies from 2021-22.
Last offseason, the Pirates acquired Joe from the Rockies, and the 31-year-old quietly put together a solid year in his first season back with his original organization.
Joe registered a .760 OPS (107 wRC+) and was tied for the team-lead with 31 doubles. He slugged 11 home runs and drove in 42 runs across 133 games played.
“First and foremost was my health which I was really happy and proud of myself for,” Joe said earlier this month at PiratesFest. “Preparing myself last offseason to maintain and be healthy, (2023) was my first full healthy year, so that was an accomplishment for me.
“As far as having the most doubles, it’s really cool and I think that is attributed to the opportunity I got. The work with the hitting coaches, the preparation that started in the offseason with (Andy) Haines and the hitting staff that flowed into spring training and then throughout the year. Constant communication with them, constant feedback from them throughout the year, it’s been really good synergy between me and the staff which has been great.”
Joe may not be the flashiest of players, but he does certain things well. Among his best attributes is his ability to draw walks and get on base.
Last season, he posted a healthy 10.6% walk rate with 50 free passes in 472 plate appearances. He finished the season with a .339 on-base percentage, which was tied for second-best on the team.
His patience at the plate goes back to his early playing days.
“It’s always been something I’ve done really well,” he said. “Going back to travel ball when I was young, being selective, knowing what pitches and locations I could really hit well. Coaches when I was young would encourage me to swing more, and that’s kind of what I’ve had to deal with as my professional career has gone along is being more aggressive and knowing the hot zones.
“That’s kind of the data and the information that I’ve filtered and been able to learn as I’ve gotten older and gotten to know my game a little bit better.”
While it was a steady season for Joe, there are areas for him to grow. Last year, his OPS against left-handed pitchers (.820) was 100 points higher than his OPS against righties (.720).
If he’s able to provide more even splits, it will result in a larger role moving forward. That’s been the primary focus this offseason.
“I wanna continue being a threat in the box versus righties and lefties. I’ve had a lot of success against righties and I know I can continue to have success of righties, so that’s an emphasis.” Joe explained. “Other than that, just keep hitting the ball hard and that’s gonna turn into numbers…I think if my emphasis is on quality contact and hitting the ball hard, the numbers will come.”
Based off of his exit interviews last season, Joe is expecting a similar role. He bounced around last season between first base and the corner outfield spots.
Heading into 2024, Joe is expected to continue to see playing time at those positions. As it stands, he looks like a perfect platoon pairing with the newly-signed Rowdy Tellez at first base.
But if Joe is able to show more consistency agaisnt right-handed pitching, he could be in line for even more playing time this year with the Pirates.