36 days until the Pittsburgh Pirates have their first Spring Training workout

Spring Training 2018 continues to inch closer and closer for the Pittsburgh Pirates

In just 36 days, pitchers and catchers for the Pittsburgh Pirates will have their first workout of Spring Training at Pirate City in Bradenton. Just 36 more days.

For the Pittsburgh Pirates, number 36 is currently worn by corner infielder/outfielder Jose Osuna. During the 2017 campaign, Osuna was one of nine Pirate players to make their Major League debut.

As a rookie last season Jose Osuna struggled. While he flashed good pop owning an ISO of .195 and a .428 slugging percentage, his 4.0 percent walk rate and .269 on-base percentage were both abysmal. This led to Osuna having just a .293 wOBA and a wRC+ of 78 in 227 plate appearances in 2017.

Jose Osuna also struggled defensively in 2017. As an outfielder, Osuna owned a defensive runs saved (DRS) of -8 and a UZR/150 of -15.8. At first base, his DRS was -1 and his UZR/150 was -7.8.

Last summer, Osuna began taking groundballs at third base in an effort to learn the position. He has continued to work at learning the position this off-season. However, it is tough to envision Osuna as being able to help the Pittsburgh Pirates at third base in 2018.

First off, Osuna is a poor defensive player at first base and the corner outfield positions where he has played for a long time. Due to this, there is zero reason to expect him to be able to learn third base defensively.

Secondly, he was a poor hitter in 2017. He was especially poor against right-handed pitching. Osuna owned just a .277 wOBA and a wRC+ of 68 against right-handed pitchers in 2017. He also struck out 21.5 percent of the time, walked just 2.5 percent of the time, and he owned a .246 on-base percentage.

Right now, it is tough to envision a scenario where Jose Osuna makes the Pirate Opening Day roster.

Next: Twitter Mailbag: Jan. 9, 2018

In just 36 days, the Pittsburgh Pirates will hold their first workout of the spring at Pirate City. When those workouts begin, Jose Osuna will have the opportunity to earn a spot on the team’s Opening Day roster for the first time, as well as at-bats at third base. However, he will need to improve immensely in all facets of his game in order for these things to happen.