Potanko: Pirates Have Got to Switch Things Up in the Running Game (+)
PITTSBURGH-– Coming into the 2023 season, the Pittsburgh Pirates seemed primed to thrive under MLB’s new rules in terms of the running game.
In April, the Pirates were setting the bases aflame, surpassing past numbers with ease and setting up multiple opportunities to score more runs with runners in scoring position.
As it stands right now, the Pirates are ranked fourth in the National League in batting average, with runners in scoring position with a .246 average.
So, in theory, the Pirates, with their base stealing threat, have got a leg up on the competition, despite their lack of true power in the lineup.
As of late, it seems as though teams may have figured out the Pirates’ formula, and as a result, they are ranked first in all of MLB in total caught stealing with 18.
In addition, two Pirates are at the top of the individual list with Ke’Bryan Hayes, and Ji-Hwan Bae, with five caught stealing attempts.
Speed isn’t everything when you’re trying to steal bases, you have to have a high IQ and anticipation to steal bases on the regular successfully
Bae, in particular, has been in a rut on the bases and hasn’t been able to pull himself out as of yet.
Back in January, we spoke with minor league baserunning and outfield coordinator, Kieran Mattison, and we discussed this very scenario.
“It’s a big advantage when you have guys with speed, There are two different types of speed. There are guys that are naturally fast, and then there are guys that play fast. What we are trying to do is get the guys to play fast. What that means is they are processing the information fast and making great reads off the bat. Another way of playing fast is taking efficient routes around the bases and attacking the inside corner of the bases.”
Mattison continued.
“Being a good baserunner isn’t just having speed. You have to have good awareness and create good angles. You have to know what you’re doing out there and understand the situation. You also have to anticipate on every pitch.”
There is no doubt that Bae has the speed to burn, but something has got to change with his approach on the bases. I’m not saying throw up the red light, but they have to switch things up with their strategy as a whole.
Something the Pirates have strayed away from as of late has been the sac-bunts, and maybe that strategy could solve the base running woes temporarily.
The Pirates currently have three players in the top 10 with sac bunts, with Austin Hedges and Tucupita Marcano tied for fourth with three and Bae tied for eighth with two.
Saturday afternoon, Pirates manager Derek Shelton discussed how teams have started to adapt to their running game.
“The Diamondbacks run a ton too, and they’re really athletic. I think they were aware that we run, and they were aware of how other teams try to combat them, and we saw it [Friday] night when they tried to do that. We’re in mid-May, and people are realizing how to adapt and adjust to it. Early on, we weren’t seeing timeouts, and now we’re seeing it used a lot more frequently with hitters.”
On the other end of the token, the Pirates have been on the lower end of the spectrum in terms of stopping opposing base stealers.
One of the ways the Pirates could switch things up could be using the pitch timer to their advantage, or even using more disengagements per at-bat.
“That’s something we’ve been paying attention to,” said Shelton on Saturday. “Before, we used to watch patterns of tempo and different things, and now, you can actually watch it with the clock. It is a constant conversation amongst our staff. There are a lot of things that we talk about on a daily basis on how we can best use it to our advantage.
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