Pirates All 40: Jared Triolo, Defensive Jack Of All Trades

This is one in a series of stories breaking down members of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 40-man roster.

Jared Triolo took the field at five different positions in 2024, filling in wherever the Pirates needed him.

60 games at the hot corner, taking over for the injured Ke’Bryan Hayes; 47 games at second base, bridging the gap while Nick Gonzales remained in Triple-A or again when he went down with an injury in late July; Triolo also spent time at first base, shortstop and in right field, showing he really can do it all.

The 26-year-old received the Rawlings Utility Gold Glove Award for his trouble, beating out Kiké Hernández and Brendan Donovan of the Dodgers and Cardinals, respectively, for the honor, first awarded in 2022 in order to recognize the defensive talents of those who don’t stay pinned down long enough to make their case at any single position.

Triolo committed just three errors all season, with his .995 and .985 fielding percentages at second and third base both ranking toward the top of MLB. Fielding percentages only tell part of the story, however, and Triolo’s UZR — a statistic used to show a player’s defensive range, comparing them to the rest of the league in terms of capability, not just plays made — also puts him in the upper echelons of the positions he played, even in limited time. Extrapolated over the course of a full season, Triolo’s UZR/150 at second base, third base and shortstop clocked in at 7.7, 6.5 and 10.4 respectively, each good enough to have him in the gold glove conversation.

While Triolo’s bat ran cold for much of the season — he went nearly two months without a home run between June and August — he started to find a rhythm at the plate toward the end of the season. His .216/.296/.315 slash line, good for an OPS+ of 71, well below league average, isn’t inspiring, nor are his ten doubles and nine homers across 125 games played.

With that said, utility players aren’t typically known for their offensive prowess, and Triolo’s glove makes him a more than productive big leaguer for the Pirates.