Why Ji Hwan Bae’s Best Asset Has Turned Into an Issue (+)
PITTSBURGH — Ever since Ji Hwan Bae began professional baseball, his calling card has always been his speed.
On the 20-80 scouting scale with 80 being considered elite, Bae’s speed was rated as a 70 by MLB Pipeline on the 2022 Pirates’ top prospects list.
To begin the year, Bae’s speed was a huge asset for him and for the Pirates, and it made sense. MLB implemented a series of new rules encouraging more aggressiveness on the basepaths.
In March/April, Bae successfully stole 11 bases in 12 attempts as he was able to put pressure on the opposing team’s pitchers. Bae also used his speed as an advantage in advancing an extra 90 feet.
May, however, has been a different story for the 23-year-old. Entering Tuesday’s game, Bae had only swiped three bases while getting caught four times. The issues on the bases continued in the Pirates’ 6-1 loss to the Texas Rangers at PNC Park on Tuesday night.
“He needs to slow down a little bit. Right now, he’s going a little fast. I think you see young players that have speed, at times, they try to create things instead of just letting things come to him. Right now, he’s probably trying to do a little too much. The weapon that he has is a true weapon, but if you use it recklessly, then you run into outs and you can’t have that,” manager Derek Shelton said.
Bae led off the third inning with a single the other way, setting the stage for the Pirates to try and get on the board. Soon after, Bae was picked off of first base. The miscue hurt the Pirates even further when later in the inning Bryan Reynolds doubled home Andrew McCutchen.
Bae had another miscue in another big spot in the eighth. Baserunners mean even more when a team is trailing, especially in the later stages of a game.
The Pirates’ second baseman again reached first base on a single. With two outs, McCutchen singled to right field and Bae should have advanced to third on the play. However, he slammed on the breaks in a very late decision and was thrown out while trying to retreat to second base.
“Because there were two outs, I thought I had to go to third, but didn’t read the play properly, so ended up getting out,” Bae said through interpreter Daniel Park.
With Bae’s speed, it’s a tough balancing act between wanting him to utilize it to gain an advantage, but not getting too carried away with it.
MLB teams are full of smart people, whether in the front office, on the coaching staff or on the field. The 29 other teams in the league expect Bae to run, so he needs to take that into account.
“It’s a matter of a young player learning what he’s going to do at the Major League level and a young player with a really elite tool. It’s part of our job just to continue to coach him on what’s the right opportunities and what’s not,” said Shelton.
Still a rookie, Bae is going through the struggles of a young player. If he wants to grow, he will need to use these experiences as learning opportunities.
“I think the biggest homework for me right now is really just reading the situation of the game and using when to know when to use my speed and when to not,” he said.