VIDEO: White Hot Jordy Mercer Leads Pittsburgh Pirates

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Jordy Mercer is proving that the Bucs made the right decision when he was promoted to the teams’ starting shortstop coming into the season.   Mercer took over the job from Clint Barmes during the second half of last season, but it wasn’t until the offseason that the Pirates announced the Okie State alum as their shorstop.

Mercer has made the move look like a smart one since.  The 6’3″ 205 pounder is playing so damn well that even Josh Harrison can’t get a shot at playing short–and that’s probably a great thing.  We wrote about just how hot Jordy Mercer was a week ago in the story The Player The Pirates Cant Take Out of the Lineup.  We said that he deserved to play over Harrison.  I mean it wasn’t too damn hard to figure out, but it was important that the Bucs stay away from the Harrison-as-shortstop experiment.

After a slow start to the 2014 season, Mercer is officially white hot for the Pirates who are six games over .500. The Bucs have gone 23-13 in their last 36 games and a sparkling 42-28 in their last seventy after that miserable 10-18 start to the season.

Jul 19, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Jordy Mercer (10) receives a Gatorade bath from first baseman Gaby Sanchez (17) and center fielder Andrew McCutchen (right rear) after Mercer had the game-winning RBI single against the Colorado Rockies during the eleventh inning at PNC Park. The Pirates won 3-2 in eleven innings. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Pirates have a key series beginning in a few hours at PNC Park against L.A.   Now worries, Mercer has hit well against the L.A. Dodgers over his short career–seven hits in 19 at-bats.  He also has a .500 average in his past nine games at PNC Park.  In July, Mercer has 21 hits in 56 at-bats.

White.

Smoke.

Mercer is the king of the number eight hole as he ranks first in the NL with a .296 average while slugging .390 from that spot in the order. Those numbers are the best in the entire National League from the eight spot.  The Bucs SS has been white hot while the Bucs have been on this tear.   In his last 43 games, he has 50 hits in 161 AB with five bombs and has driven in 25 runs.

#ItsMercerTime !  It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

[H/T to Drew Brown for the hilarious video.]