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Pittsburgh Pirates: Projecting the Team’s Bench
By Marty Leap
Super utility man JT Riddle
This past December, the Miami Marlins non-tendered utility man JT Riddle. This made the left-handed hitting Riddle a free agent. Then in January, he would sign with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
In his career, Riddle has always struggled with the bat. In 718 MLB plate appearances, Riddle has hit for just a .229/.269/.368 slash line to go with a 69 wRC+. That said, he was a bit sanke bitten last year owning just a .226 batting average on balls in play. In fact, his career BAbip is nearly 30 points below league average at .272, indicating he has been victimized by some tough luck.
In addition to his BAbip, there are some other reasons to expect Riddle to improve some offensively in 2020. Last season, his average exit velocity of 88.9 MPH was more than 2 MPH higher than the league average. His .182 ISO indicates a hitter that could produce some solid pop off the bench as well.
But the main reason Riddle will be a part of the Opening Day bench is his glove. He can play the middle infield, as well as center field. He owns a +15 Defensive Runs Saved in his career at shortstop, to go with +10 Outs Above Average.