The first week of Spring Training games is in the books. It is too early to make a call on some of the position battles, but there are definitely front runners making their presence known.
Shortstop
Going into the start of Spring Training, there were 3-4 guys in the mix for playing time at short. Two of them have come out swinging and taken steps toward locking down playing time.
Kevin Newman looks to be in 2019 form when he hit .308. For the week, he’s hitting .667 with 3 walks and zero Ks. While all his hits have been singles, he’s hitting the ball to all fields.
Erik Gonzalez is doing his best to keep up with Newman. For the week, he’s hitting .333 with 1 homer, a walk, and a K.
Cole Tucker has been injured with a hand contusion and hasn’t seen the field since the first game where he went 0-3 with 4 Ks.
Wilmer Difo has also seen playing time at short. So far, he’s hitting .125. Difo is looking for a spot on the bench as a non-roster invitee.
From what I’ve seen, I’m going with Newman. I think he has the most upside and future value. He’ll either provide a solid option in the middle infield or a trade piece down the road. Newman could see more time at 2B if Adam Frazier gets traded. To me, Gonzalez is a good option on the bench or a potential trade candidate. They won’t get much for him, but his value will rise if he continues to hit this spring. Tucker is in a tough spot. Not playing isn’t doing him any favors. The longer his absence goes on, the more likely Tucker is to being optioned to the minors to start the year. This could change if someone in the middle infield is dealt.
Centerfield
The centerfield battle is still up in the air. Anthony Alford has made only one appearance in the field so far. He’s starting slow due to elbow surgery last year. He does have a home run, but that’s his only hit so far.
Dustin Fowler went 1-3 in his lone appearance so far this spring; he made his debut on Saturday. We will see more of him in the coming weeks. Since he is out of options, the Pirates will want to see what he can do.
Brian Goodwin is 1-6 this spring in 3 games. As the veteran of the group, the Pirates know what he brings. However, he still needs to earn a spot on the roster. If Alford and Fowler both turn it on at the plate, Goodwin could be the odd man out.
I have no idea what they’ll do here. Nobody is running away with it yet.
Bullpen
The pen competition is wide open. We still haven’t even seen several guys like Michael Feliz, Luis Oviedo, and Richard Rodriguez. Here’s a list of who I’ve been impressed with and a list of guys who haven’t impressed me:
Impressed: David Bednar, Carson Fulmer, Shae Spitzbarth
Not so much- Kyle Crick, Sean Poppen, James Marvel
The guys not listed have looked pretty good as well. We’ll wait and see how this all comes together in the coming weeks. The bullpen race will be an article on its own in the future.
My last thought is that Ke’Bryan Hayes looks good. He’s hitting the ball well all over the field. He hasn’t skipped a beat from his debut last season.
There is a lot of baseball left to play before the team breaks camp. A lot can happen. These are fun races to watch. I’m excited to see how it continues to play out.
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