Pirates All 40: Can Tucupita Marcano Carve Out Big-League Role?

This is one in a series of stories looking at members of the Pittsburgh Pirates 40-man roster.

When the Pittsburgh Pirates pulled the trigger on a trade that sent infielder Adam Frazier to the San Diego Padres leading up to the 2021 trade deadline, they received a trio of players in return.

The Bucs acquired swiss-army knife Tucupita Marcano, outfielder Jack Suwinski and right-hander Michell Miliano from the Friars.

While Suwisnki received a lot of attention for his efforts during the 2022 season, Marcano was viewed as the prize of the haul at the time of the trade.

Marcano was considered the Padres sixth-best prospect in 2021, as ranked by MLB Pipeline. The native of Venezuela was considered a plus hitter, a plus runner and a solid defender.

Marcano received his first extended look in the big leagues with the Pirates this past season.

He appeared in 49 games with Pittsburgh, playing mostly left field and second base. Marcano also had a couple brief appearances at shortstop and in right field.

At the plate, things didn’t go all too well for the 23-year-old. In total, Marcano hit just .206 with a .562 OPS, six doubles, two triples, two homers and 13 RBIs.

Though the final results may not have been great, Marcano still showed flashes at the plate, as evident by his first 17 games with the Bucs.

In his first crack with the Pirates during that stretch, Marcano slashed .289/.351/.462 with both of his home runs on the year.

His first career long ball came against the Dodgers in Los Angeles on the final day of May.

Marcano also performed well in the minor leagues for the Pirates, combining to hit .292 with an .831 OPS and almost as many walks (34) as strikeouts (42).

Marcano is more of an old-school type player. He doesn’t have a ton of power, but he puts the ball in play and has the speed to pair with it.

With his style of play and his versatility, Marcano has appealing traits that could see him get another shot to prove himself with the Pirates.

Looking at the projected opening day roster for the Bucs, and its apparent that a couple bench spots will be up for grabs as spring training grows nearer.

Maybe Marcano can break camp with the club, but it might take a strong showing this spring to do so.