Perrotto: No Negative Connotations for Jared Triolo

Being called a utility player wasn’t always a good thing.

Players with that label were considered not good enough to be in the starting lineup. Sometimes, it might be weeks where they did nothing but pinch hit, pinch run or serve as a late-inning defensive replacement.

However, times have changed in this era of load management. Utility players aren’t glued to the bench and sometimes accumulate almost as many plate appearances as regulars in a season.

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ Jared Triolo doesn’t mind being categorized as a utility player. He has come to accept it and even won a prestigious award because of it.

Triolo was named the National League Gold Glove winner for utility players on Sunday night.

He began this past season as the Pirates’ starting second baseman and played 47 games at the position before being unseated by Nick Gonzales. Triolo went on to appear in 60 games at third base – his natural position – while Ke’Bryan Hayes was sidelined by back problems and nine games at both first base and shortstop and one game in right field.

“Originally, I think when I learned I was going to play second base, second base was the goal I had,” Triolo said Monday about winning a Gold Glove. “I think a utility Gold Glove is all the more special.”

The Pirates drafted Triolo as a third baseman in the second round in 2019 from the University of Houston. However, he began to play other infield positions in the minor leagues, which helped him reach the major leagues in 2023.

“Just them even asking me to do it, the feel of being at different positions felt a little more comfortable to me than I think, looking around, it did to other people,” Triolo said of becoming a multi-position player. “Just realizing I was pretty good at playing different positions, I think that was a big confidence (boost) for me.”

Triolo had six defensive runs saved at second base this year despite his limited playing time at the position. He also had two DRS at third base and one in his lone game in the outfield.

With a Gold Glove on his resume, Triolo is already looking forward to the 2025 season, though the start of spring training is more than three months away.

“It’s all the confidence in the world. I mean, defense is half the game,” Triolo said. “So, if you have confidence there, it usually leaks over. So, I just have a ton of confidence going into next season.”

The other half of the game is hitting and Triolo batted just .216/.296/.315 with nine home runs in 125 games in 2024. That followed a promising rookie season when he had a .298/.388/.398 slash line in 54 games.

However, that doesn’t diminish what the 26-year-old Triolo accomplished with the glove. And he still has three other positions to learn – catcher, left field and center field.

“I think my biggest asset right now is playing a bunch of positions and being ready to take on whatever position they put me at,” Triolo said. “So, I haven’t really thought too much about a position for next season. Obviously, I’m going to get my work everywhere and just kind of see where the cards get dealt.”

Triolo sounded like a true utility player, a job that no longer has negative connotations.