Pirates
Four Players Improving Stock at Pirates Spring Training
For the first time since their Grapefruit League schedule began, the Pittsburgh Pirates get to enjoy a day off on Wednesday.
The Pirates (10-8) are off to a good start this spring and trail the Grapefruit League-leading Toronto Blue Jays (11-6) for second place.
A handful of players are off to individual strong starts this spring, but several have improved their roster status as we inch closer to the start of the regular season. Here are a few that have been pleasant surprises.
Ji Hwan Bae
Entering the spring, I wasn’t sure if Bae would still have a spot on the roster come Opening Day. But the 25-year-old has done nothing but impressed, cementing his spot on the 40-man roster — at least for now.
In 10 games since the Grapefruit League slate begin, Bae has gone 10 for 22 (.455) with three doubles, a home run, three RBIs and a pair of stolen bases.
Bae’s best attribute has always been his speed. He can flat-out fly. But he’s had trouble making an impact with the bat in his hands during his big-league career. While he’s still not on the Opening Day roster for me just yet (more on that later in the day), Bae has certainly impressed down in Bradenton.
Jack Suwinski
It’s only spring training, but Suwinski has seemingly put his nightmare 2024 season behind him, which is not an easy task.
After leading the team in home runs and OPS in 2023, Suwinski slumped to a .182/.264/.324 batting line with only nine home runs and a -1.7 bWAR in 88 games. He was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis in the middle of the summer and didn’t return the rest of the season.
But Suwinski has looked like a much different player through the first three-and-a-half weeks of spring training games. Suwinski has stepped to the plate 25 times this spring and is hitting .348 with an OPS just north of 1.000. Half of his eight hits of gone for extra bases — three doubles and one home run — and he’s driven in six runs.
Suwinski returning to his 2023 form would go a long way for the Pirates’ lineup in 2025.
Henry Davis
Davis’ struggles in the big leagues across parts of the last two seasons are no secret. The 2021 first-overall pick hasn’t found his footing yet against the game’s top pitching. But if this spring is serving as any indication, he may finally be starting to.
The 25-year-old appears to be making better contact at the plate and is slashing .286/.348/.524 with a pair of doubles and a home run. One pause for concern, though, is that he’s struck out six times in 23 plate appearances (26% strikeout rate)
Davis is in competition to be the second catcher on the Pirates’ roster behind starter Joey Bart. He’s battling Endy Rodríguez, who is actually outperforming him so far. But there’s a long way to go until either player finds out their fate.
DJ Stewart
Of the four players mentioned on this list, Stewart is the only one who wasn’t with the Pirates last season. Pittsburgh signed Stewart to a minor-league deal in the offseason which included an invite to spring training.
In wake of an injury to Spencer Horwitz, the Pirates need someone to step up and fill in at first base in his absence. So far that’s been Stewart.
Stewart leads the team with 27 at-bats and is second in plate appearances (31) and games played (12), so he’s been out there a lot. To date, he’s batting a robust .333/.419/.593 with four doubles, one home run and five RBIs.
Hank is still doing what he did most of last season… guessing. He’s still way out in front of really good breaking pitches. When he first came up, and what he showed against Ohtani, was that he could use all fields and with power. We haven’t seen that since 2023.
Agreed. I am tempering my enthusiasm on Henry’s results thus far this spring for that very reason. Although he does seem to be hitting and driving more balls the opposite way, he does still seem vulnerable to the slider down and away, as though he is selling out, as you say, to a fastball. I have also seen him reach out and hook a couple sliders hard to left field for hits, which is okay, but that’s a pitch I would like to see him drive to right center.
I am hopeful that Matt Hague will be able to get a rebound out of Suwinski and Davis. That would be huge. Also, IKF and Horowitz have positive history with him from last year, so that’s also encouraging. Bae is likely AAA depth to be honest. He might get called up early if someone gets hurt, because Palacios is out of options and will likely get DAF’d.