Pittsburgh Pirates News: JT Riddle Elects Free Agency

Super utility man JT Riddle has elected free agency after being designated for assignment by the Pittsburgh Pirates, ending his Pirate tenure.

Late last week, the Pittsburgh Pirates made a move that put a smile on the face of many fans. This move was designating super utiltiy man JT Riddle for assignment.

On Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Pirates outrighted Riddle to Triple-A Indianapolis. However, Riddle rejected the outright and has instead elected free agency. This ends Riddle’s poor stint in Pittsburgh.

Riddle, somehow, appeared in 23 of the 60 games the Pittsburgh Pirates played in 2020. The reason this is hard to understand is because he hit for just a .149/.174/.224 slash line to go with a wRC+ of 4 in these 23 games.

Riddle came to Pittsburgh known for his defense, but he also struggled mightily defensively in 2020. Riddle posted a -4 Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average at third base. At shortstop, he went from being a plus defender to being average at best with both a DRS and OAA of 0. He was the sameway in the outfield with a DRS of +1 and an OAA of 0.

Had Riddle nto started the 2020 season on the injured list, he may have appeared in even more games for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Had this been the case, who knows how poor some of his results may have gotten.

While Riddle was not with the Pirates long, it did not take him long to become a punching bag for the team’s fans. Between his horrible offense, struggles on defense, playing too much, and, at first, helping to block Ke’Bryan Hayes at third base, fans turned on Riddle in a hurry. It is safe to say that fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates will not miss Riddle. That said, we still wish him all the best wherever his next stop in baseball may be.