Perrotto: A Second Pirate Also Having Happy Homecoming (+)
PITTSBURGH – This is the player the Pittsburgh Pirates anticipated back in 2014.
Nine years and plenty of career twists and turns later, Connor Joe has become a difference-maker for the Pirates. The first baseman/outfielder is hitting .377/.459/.679 with two home runs and eight RBIs in 16 games and 53 at-bats.
Joe is finally wearing a Pirates’ uniform in the major leagues after being a supplemental first-round draft pick in ’14 from the University of San Diego.
Joe was traded to the Atlanta Braves three years after being drafted for popular utility player Sean Rodriguez. Joe eventually moved on the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies organizations.
The Pirates acquired Joe from the Rockies in a trade on Dec. 18 for minor-league pitcher Nick Garcia.
It is turning out to be quite a homecoming for Joe, who was expected to be a role player for the Pirates who would primarily play against left-handed pitching. However, he has instead played a key role in the Pirates getting off to a 14-7 start, their best since 1992, as he has made eight starts in right field, three in left field and two at first base.
Joe has played a big hand in the Pirates winning the first two games of a four-game weekend series against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park. In Thursday’s 4-3 victory, Joe hit a three-run home run in the first inning. He then went 3 for 3 with a walk and scored the tiebreaking run Friday night in a 4-2 win.
“Yeah, it’s been a great stretch,” Joe said. “It’s super early, right – such a small sample size, but I’m really happy about it. I’m really happy about my approach at the plate, being able to execute the plan that I come up with.”
Joe was one of the lower-profile acquisitions during a winter in which the Pirates added players that casual fans had actually heard of, including Andrew McCutchen, Carlos Santana and Rich Hill. Joe’s return to the Pirates hasn’t been on the grand scale of McCutchen’s but it’s been impressive.
“I think he gets overlooked,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “He was a guy we targeted in the offseason because of the way he controls at-bats, and he continues to get better in the outfield. I use this term a lot but Connor Joe’s a baseball player. You talk to him, the way he prepares, the way he goes about it, he’s locked in every pitch, regardless if he’s playing or not.”
Joe is more impressed with the Pirates’ surprising record, though, rather than his own statistics. The Pirates are playing at a .667 clip after finishing last in the National League Central each of the previous four seasons and losing 101 games in 2021 and 100 last year.
“I think it says a lot about the style of baseball we’re playing,” Joe said. “We’re playing hard-nosed. Running the bases hard. The pitching staff has been unbelievable in keeping us in games all the time. We’re grinding out at-bats. That type of baseball puts a lot of pressure on the other team, and I think that’s why we’re having the success we’re having right now.”
And, all these years after originally joining the organization, Joe is right in the middle of it all.