Pirates Second Base Battle Shaping Up As Key Spring Storyline (+)
When forecasting the lineup for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2024, manager Derek Shelton can fill in a few spots with sharpie.
Bryan Reynolds will man left field. He’ll be joined in the outfield by Jack Suwinski. On the left side of the infield, Gold Glover Ke’Bryan Hayes will be at the hot corner with Oneil Cruz to his left at shortstop as the latter is ready to return from his fractured left ankle. Rowdy Tellez and Connor Joe figure to share time at first base and Henry Davis will spend more time behind the plate in wake of Endy Rodriguez’s elbow surgery.
One spot that is still completely up for grabs is at second base. The Pirates have a handful of in-house candidates to fill the void, and what happens during spring training in the coming weeks is going to mean a whole heck of a lot.
Last season, it was more of a timeshare at second base than a permanent home for one player. Eight different players appeared in a game at the position a year ago, including Ji Hwan Bae (64 games), Liover Peguero (33), Nick Gonzales (29) and Jared Triolo (13).
Those four players will all seemingly get a shot to be the opening day starter when the Pirates take on the Marlins in Miami on March 28.
All four players offer different skillsets. Bae relies mostly on his top-tier speed. Peguero has some of the best athleticism in the Pirates’ organization. Gonzales’ bat has carried him and Triolo is an excellent defender.
While Triolo’s defense is his calling card, he generated the best results at the plate among the four candidates. If he’s able to replicate what he did to end last season again this spring, he may have the edge.
“I think coming up, debuting, getting a feel for what it was and then going back down and coming back up and having more success was really a good thing for me going forward,” Triolo said during PiratesFest at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. “I have a lot of confidence in that.”
Still, a lot can happen from the time spring training opens to when it closes. All four candidates have a legitimate chance to get the nod.
For Peguero, he’s ready to embrace the competition after receiving his first prolonged look in Pittsburgh.
“That’s always been my mindset. Compete and never stop,” he said “I’ve been working since Nov. 1. I feel like the grind’s been there, the works’ been there… I feel like the competition is always there, the same mindset.”
While Peguero made his big league debut for a one-game showing during the 2022 season, Gonzales received his first taste of the big leagues this past season.
The 2020 first-rounder started off hot but faded down the stretch, something young players often experience. He’s aware of the competition heading into next season and believes it will let itself play out.
“I want to come out here and play. All the guys on the team are my brothers and I love all of them. You don’t think about (competition) in that way,” Gonzales said. “You just think about it as they’re there to make me better. I’m there to make them better and at the end of the day, whoever’s there to start the season or whatever time in the season, is who deserves it.”
If a guess was to be made as to who would be the Pirates’ starting second baseman as things currently stand, I’d probably have to pull a name out of a hat.
So much will be determined by what happens this spring training. Someone will earn a place in Shelton’s opening day lineup. Another could very well land a spot on the big league roster as a bench option. The others may begin the season in Triple-A, waiting for an opportunity to prove themselves.
The battle will begin six weeks from now, and it sure will be interesting to watch.
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