In Pittsburgh Pirates Position Battles, No One Is Seizing The Opportunity

Through the first three weeks of Grapefruit League play, no Pittsburgh Pirates player has seized the opportunity that exists at both shortstop and in the starting rotation

Throughout the offseason it was no secret what the two needs were the biggest for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The team entered the offseason in need of a shortstop and a fifth starting pitcher. Unfortunately, general manager Neal Huntington failed to properly address these two positions.

At shortstop, Huntington acquired Erik Gonzalez from the Cleveland Indians in a five-player trade in November. When it comes to the final spot in the rotation, the team inked Jordan Lyles to a one-year contract at the Winter Meetings. They also added Rookie Davis on a minor league deal late last month.

When Gonzalez was acquired it was assumed he would be a bench player for the Pirates. However, Huntington and Clint Hurdle have spent all offseason praising Gonzalez. It now appears that he is the front runner to start at shortstop on Opening Day.

Gonzalez being the front runner at shortstop comes despite the light hitting 27-year-old being just 6-for-20 this spring with one home run, one walk, and seven strikeouts. These struggles continue the career norm for Gonzalez of being a plus defender but a well below average hitter.

A big reason Gonzalez is still the front runner at shortstop is due to the struggles of Kevin Newman this spring. The former top prospect looked lost during his MLB action last season, and has followed it up with a 4-for-19 start to his spring. Newman continues to struggle defensively at shortstop, too.

Failing to add a legitimate MLB shortstop this offseason was a major mistake by Huntington. As the team’s internal options for shortstop continue to struggle this spring the lack of confidence that fans have in the shortstop position will only continue to grow. Hopefully, Gonzalez and/or Newman will eventually grab the bull by the horns at shortstop.

As the battle for the team’s fifth starter’s job rages on, the results, much like the shortstop battle, have been less than encouraging. Lyles, Davis, Nick Kingham, and Steven Brault are competing for the final spot in the starting rotation. None of these pitchers have a good track record as a starting pitcher at the MLB level and their struggles have continued this spring.

These four pitchers have combined to allow 21 runs on 24 hits, five home runs, and 15 walks in 28 innings pitched. That, folks, is not good. With the way these four have pitched, it would lead you to believe that none of them want the final spot in the Pirate rotation.

While it is too late at shortstop, the Pirates can still address their rotation question marks. Lefties Gio Gonzalez and Dallas Keuchel both remain on the free agent market and both would be major upgrades at the back of their starting rotation. The team can easily afford both as well due to their lack of activity earlier in the offseason.

Watching Gonzalez and Keuchel pitch elsewhere this season while the final spot in the Pirate rotation struggles will be frustrating. Things will be made even worse if/when the rotation experiences injuries and the team’s depth is tested.

Spring Training results are meaningless. That said, watching each player competing for a team’s starting shortstop job and final rotation spot struggle throughout the spring is not a good sign. Especially when there was a lack of confidence in each of these players entering the spring. Right now, the Pirates decision to not address shortstop and the final rotation spot better this offseason is looking more and more foolish by the day. Especially for a team that has the bullpen and rotation top four of a contender.