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Who Could Be The Pittsburgh Pirates Backup Shortstop In 2017?
The Pittsburgh Pirates have just one remaining question in terms of position players for the 2017 season. This question is: who will be the backup shortstop?
For the most part, the Pittsburgh Pirates roster is set when it comes to position players. Jung Ho Kang, Jordy Mercer, Josh Harrison, and Josh Bell will be their starting infield in 2017. Francisco Cervelli will be behind the plate. And the outfield will be some combination of Gregory Polanco, Starling Marte, and Andrew McCutchen.
Additionally, the bench is pretty well etched in stone. Adam Frazier, Chris Stewart, David Freese, and John Jaso will all have spots on the Pirate bench in 2017. However, there is one remaining question mark in terms of position players. That one question mark is who will be the backup shortstop?
The Pittsburgh Pirates are set with Jordy Mercer as their starting shortstop. However, maybe minus Jung Ho Kang, no one else that is projected to make the Opening Day roster is capable of playing shortstop. So, who should be the Bucs backup shortstop in 2017?
Triple-A Indianapolis Shortstop Gift Ngoepe
The Pittsburgh Pirates could look to fill from within. If they go this route, then I would guess that Gift Ngoepe, who is one the 40-man roster, would be their first choice.
The 26-year old Ngoepe has spent the entirety of the 2016 season at Triple-A Indianapolis. This came after starting 2014 at Double-A Altoona before getting promoted to Indianapolis late in the season.
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Throughout his Minor League career Ngoepe has been known as a great defensive shortstop. However, his offense has never matched his defense. In 2,718 career plate appearances in the Minor Leagues Ngoepe owns a .232/.322/.346/.669 (nice) slash line.
Although Gift Ngoepe has always struggled to hit for average and has zero power, he has always been able to get on base. His 10.6 percent career Minor League walk rate is above average.
Additionally, speed is also an element of Ngoepe’s game. He has 88 career stolen bases in the Minor Leagues and has the ability to do the little things on the bases. When able to he will go first to third, take the extra base, etc.
As I said above, Gift Ngoepe is a great defensive shortstop. Despite his offensive shortcomings, this qualifies him to the be the backup shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2017. Much like it is with a team’s backup catcher, defense is the top priority with a team’s backup shortstop. Especially on a team like the Pirates where Jordy Mercer, barring injury, will start, at least, 145-150 games each season.
Offseason Addition Chris Bostick
On September 26th the Pittsburgh Pirates claimed Chris Bostick off waivers from the Washington Nationals. Due to this, like Gift Ngoepe, Bostick is on the 40-man roster. And this will give him the opportunity to make the team out of Spring Training.
Bostick started the 2016 season with Washington’s Double-A affiliate the Harrisburg Senators. He would then earn a promotion to the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs. If he does not make earn a Major League roster spot out of Spring Training, he will begin the year with Triple-A Indianapolis.
At Double-A last season Chris Bostick slashed .290/.356/.462/.818 with a .366 wOBA, 126 wRC+, and a .172 ISO. However, his numbers dropped significantly when he got to Triple-A. For the Chiefs his slash line plummeted to .206/.261/.297/.568 with a .256 wOBA, a wRC+ of 57, and an ISO of .095.
Personally, I would rather see Gift Ngoepe as the backup shortstop than Chris Bostick. While neither will be much threat with the bat, Ngoepe is an elite defender at shortstop. And this is something that can not be said about Bostick.
A Potential Free Agent Addition
The Pittsburgh Pirates could always look to add from the outside as well. This could be via free agency or via trade. Most likely, if they went with an external option it would be a free agent addition. This is because backup shortstop is not a big enough need to spend the resources needed to add help via a trade.
One potential free agent would be Stephen Drew. In fact, earlier this offseason I wrote about why the Pirates and Stephen Drew would be a good fit. Not only would Drew bring the ability to play multiple positions, most importantly shortstop, he would also be a strong bench bat. He could replace Matt Joyce as the team’s best power pinch hitter.
Erik Aybar and Alexei Ramirez could be options as well. And Ramirez is a player the Pirates have been tied to in trade rumors in past years.
Ultimately, I would be surprised to see the Pirates turn to free agency to find a backup shortstop. I am guessing they will use an internal option. However, potential free agent additions are still worth discussing because you never know.
To Conclude
A backup shortstop can be an underrated part of a Major League team. Right now, there is no clear cut backup shortstop for the 2017 Pittsburgh Pirates. But there are multiple options.
The Bucs could look to fill internally with players such as Gift Ngoepe or Chris Bostick. They could also look to the free agent and trade markets. Although, I believe the ladder options are pretty unlikely.
Another factor here is if the Pirates believe Jung Ho Kang can still play shortstop or not. He has not played shortstop since his catastrophic leg injury in September of 2015. And many people, myself included, came to the assumption after that injury that he would never play shortstop again.
Next: Bucs Avoid Arbitration With Three Players
If Jung Ho Kang can play shortstop in 2017 then the case is settled. On days Jordy Mercer is not in the lineup Kang slides to shortstop and David Freese starts at third base. However, it is unlikely that Kang will be able to play shortstop in 2017.