Pittsburgh Pirates Breakout Candidate: Infielder Phillip Evans

In December as the Pittsburgh Pirates third base competition became open for taking, the club signed former New York Mets and Chicago Cubs minor league infielder Phillip Evans to a minor league deal which included an invite to Spring Training in Bradenton. With poor production at third base over the past two seasons, Evans should be a candidate to get reps at the hot corner

It’s easy to see why new Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington went after third baseman Phillip Evans of the Iowa Cubs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs.

While Evans doesn’t possess much experience at the Major League level, he possesses the potential to breakout if given the opportunity. This is because Evans has been mostly blocked by guys like Asdrubal Cabrera and Neil Walker before going to the Cubs and their All-Star infield.

Originally drafted by the New York Mets in the 15th round of the 2011 Amateur Draft, Evans was once considered a top-15 prospect in the Mets’ system. After struggling to the tune of a 57 wRC+ in 2013, just his second full-season playing pro ball, Evans followed up the next two seasons with little improvement on the offensive side.

It wasn’t until the 2016 season that Evans finally began to show upside on offense. The uptick in production came with a change of scenery. After posting just a .616 OPS during his time in St. Lucie, the Mets’ High-A affiliate, Evans was promoted to Double-A Binghampton, a friendlier league for hitters. He responded by posting a .859 OPS and ranked in the top 20 of the league with a 140 wRC+ in 386 plate appearances.

Since then, Evans has shown consistency and growth at the plate, all while improving his defense at the hot corner and turning himself into a full-time third baseman. His power has been his most significant improvement, averaging a .178 ISO over the past four seasons in the minors after posting just .074 in his first four seasons.

Now, it’s one thing to have power. Walk and strikeout rates typically follow a player regardless of level and can show how disciplined a player is at the plate. Over the years Evans has developed a lot of patience, culminating last season where he posted both a career high in walk rate (10.6%) and his second lowest strikeout rate (13.7%). Both excellent numbers.

Alright, you’ve seen the statistics. What you might not know is Evans’ scouting profile. According to FanGraphs, Evans was drafted as a contact first hitter who lacks power and an above-average defender who lacks arm strength. Now he’s mashing home runs and settling in at third base. Obviously, he’s been eating his Wheaties.

Here he is in 2011:

Certainly not a small guy, but when compared to himself nearly a decade later one can see a good bit of difference, especially around the core of his body. Here he is again in 2018:

A lot of hard work by Evans paid off turning his career home run totals from just 11 in his first five seasons to 42 in his last three. Add in his patience and contact abilities at the plate and Evans’ profile as a hitter has grown tremendously. FanGraph’s ZIPs MLB projections put his line at .249/.315/.392 for the season with a 1.2 zWAR. That’s already better than Colin Moran‘s projected line of .260/.313/.407 and 0.5 zWAR.

With the Pittsburgh Pirates third base competition brewing, Evans will face a lot of competition this spring. Whether he makes the team as a utility player or the everyday starting third baseman, look for him to have the opportunity to make an impact this season. However, if the Pirates choose to let Evans go they might just give up a diamond in the rough.