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Pittsburgh Pirates: Top Prospects in the Player Pool
Hitting Prospects
Third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, shortstop Oneil Cruz, outfielder Travis Swaggerty, shortstop Ji-Hwan Bae, and first baseman Mason Martin are five of the team’s top hitting prospects. While Hayes will be in MLB camp with a chance to win the starting third base job, the others will train in Altoona.
As members of the taxi squad, Cruz, Swaggerty, Bae, or Martin could be promoted to the MLB level at some point this season. That, however, is unlikely. Even though that is unlikely, it will still be great for these three players to get work in this season and to train with/against some players that have MLB experience.
It will be especially beneficial for Swaggerty. As the potential center fielder of the future, and the not very distant future to boot, losing a year of development could have a huge negative impact on him. While nothing can replicate getting game experience and at bats, working out in Altoona throughout the season will still do Swaggerty a lot of good.
The same goes for Martin. A young power hitter, Martin has his fair share of issues with strikeouts. He will have the opportunity to work with Pirate minor league coaches and personnel to improve his strikeout rate.
Cruz will also be an intriguing one to watch. Could he potentially see some time at the MLB level this season as the DH? While it is unlikely, never say never. Especially in what is already going to be a weird year. If Ben Cherington and his staff believe Cruz could be ready for full MLB duty by some point in 2021, then they may be intrigued by the idea of Cruz getting some at bats as the Pittsburgh Pirates DH this season.