The Andrew Lambo Project Begins

Andrew Lambo is the biggest defensive question mark on a Pittsburgh Pirates team that loves defense.  Looking around the league about half of the big first basemen were plucked in the draft to play somewhere other than first base.  The position looks easy.  The position isn’t easy.

Some of the players that learned the position have been Albert Pujols who was a third baseman.  Mark Trumbo was a pitcher.  Miggy Cabrera was a shortstop.  Power bat Adam Dunn was an outfielder which puts him in the same position as Lambo.   Remember Justin Morneau?  Remember how smooth he looked at first last year for the Buccos?  He was picked as a catcher, so maybe there is hope.  Maybe.

As expected, Lambo was the popular subject as the Pirates began working at their Spring Training home in Bradenton.  It’s now the time of the year the project begins.  It is one of the most interesting projects in quite some time and one not many in the organization saw it coming.  Should the fourth round pick in the 2007 draft figure it out, the Pirates could laugh all the way to the bank as the 6’3″ 220 pounder could be under control until 2020.

The pride of Newbury Park High School had a break out year and has earned the opportunity.  He has played first base in the past, but with the Pirates he has been mostly an outfielder.

Let’s trust we see picture after picture of Lambo working hard on his defense in Spring Training with Nick Leyva.  I am wondering just how many of those shots we will see by the time the Bucs head north at the end of March.  One would guess the longer we see pics of Lambo with his first base glove and not his outfielders glove, the more likely Lambo it is for him to be firmly in the mix at first.

Some Lambo links to keep the blood flowing.

Rob Biertempfel checks out the progress in his article and a video is also included.

Andrew Lambo working on transition.

Dan Zangrilli of 93.7 The Fan is in Bradenton and got Lambo for an interview.

Andrew Lambo: ‘Every Day I’m Racing To The Field’

Also, it was announced today that Jason Aldean tickets will be available for his Saturday July 26th show at PNC Park relatively soon.  Gear up!