Pittsburgh Pirates Mailbag: September 30, 2018

Welcome to the final Pittsburgh Pirates’ mailbag of the 2018 regular season

The bad news – today is the final day of the season for the 2018 edition of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The good news – there is a Pirate mailbag today!

What will the Pittsburgh Pirates do with Pablo Reyes in 2019? Which starters can improve in 2019? And more is on the docket for this mailbag.

As always, thank you to everyone who participated by submitting questions this week. Now, let’s dive in!

After the September he has had it is hard to envision Pablo Reyes not being on the Opening Day roster for the Pirates in 2019. Especially when you factor in his positional flexibility.

With Gregory Polanco set to miss the first month or two of the season, we may see plenty of Reyes in right field early next season. That said, his best role is likely a super utility role where he is not playing on a daily basis.

My guess is we see Reyes settle into this role in 2019 and beyond for the Bucs. Even if he starts 2019 with an extended role due to the Polanco injury.

The first player that comes to mind for me is Colin Moran.

Moran entered play on Saturday with a .277/.339/.406 slash line, .321 wOBA, and a 102 wRC+. Not bad numbers, but not great either.

He has done a lot of things well at the plate in 2018. He owns a 8.3% walk rate, just a 17.8% strikeout rate, and he has made a lot of contact. His biggest issue has been a lack of power. However, in the minor leagues Moran was viewed as someone who would develop plus power.

If Moran can develop even average power, while maintaining in all other offensive areas, he would become an above league average hitter in 2019.

Why do so many Pirate fans fail to appreciate how good Starling Marte is? When healthy, he is one of the best two-way players in the National League. Also, he is not a 4-tool player he is a 5-tool player. Just ask Gerrit Cole.

Outside of 2017, when he missed 80 games due to suspension, Marte has been at least a 3.0 WAR player every season since 2013. There are very few players in baseball who can say this. Marte can hit for power, he has elite speed, and plays plus defense. Marte is the Pirates’ best player, he is one of the best players in the NL, and he is not wasting his greatness. If anything, he is underappreciated.

As someone who has been clamoring for the Pirates to trade for/sign Jed Lowrie the past few seasons this is a partnership I would love to see come to fruition.

The veteran infielder is set to hit free agency and would make a lot of sense for the Pirates. He can play third base, shortstop, and second base. Most importantly, he could help the team fill what is looking like a crater sized hole at shortstop.

Despite being 35, Lowrie has had a strong offensive season posting a .802 OPS, .348 wOBA, and a 123 wRC+. Lowrie may be out of the Pirates’ price range this offseason, but he would certainly help what looks like a potential postseason team fill one of the few holes they have entering 2019.

If you ever have a question for the mailbag look for our Tweet each week asking for question. This offseason, we will be ready to tackle all and any Pirate related questions you will have.