Pittsburgh Pirates quarter pole awards

May 24, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Jordy Mercer (10) is congratulated in the dugout after scoring a run against the New York Mets during the seventh inning at PNC Park. The Pirates won 9-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Least Valuable Player – Jordy Mercer

The Pittsburgh Pirates are in a difficult position with their infield. Josh Harrison struggled for much of the early part of the season, batting under .200 up through much of May. He’s gotten hot as of late and is currently batting .259. Jung Ho Kang has emerged off the bench to the tune of a .316 average and a 1.5 WAR, good enough to start at short for many teams in the majors. Jordy Mercer, on the other hand, started off poorly and hasn’t recovered. He’s had a good couple of games recently, showing his power with some extra-base hits, but his average is still stuck under .200 at .189 and he’s been a below replacement-level player, coming in at a -0.5 WAR.

This award would have been a contest between Mercer, Harrison, and Andrew McCutchen after the month of April, but the latter two have recovered gracefully. Mercer has the misfortune of often not having the opportunity to improve as Kang has stolen his playing time, and deservedly so. Jordy is no longer undoubtedly the starting shortstop for this team. He needs to start showing the power that he’s shown in the past (his OBP is still higher than his slugging percentage, the latter of which sits at a measly .227). He’s done so recently, but the more Kang hits, the fewer opportunities Mercer will likely get.

Runner-Up – Andrew Lambo

Andrew Lambo seems to have disappeared from the memories of Pirates’ fans ever since he was placed on the disabled list with a foot injury, but he’s been a disappointment nonetheless. He went 1-for-25 before his injury sidelined him, accumulating a -0.6 WAR in that short amount of time. Lambo was also coming off of a poor spring training in which he barely got a spot on the bench. If he hadn’t been placed on the disabled list, he may very well have stolen the LVP from Mercer.

The battle for the Most Valuable Player Award was a tight one. But one player’s recent surge wasn’t enough to completely diminish his poor start and take the title from the consistent play of his outfield counterpart over the first quarter of the season.

Next: It's a Marte Partay