Pittsburgh Pirates: Analyzing Ben Cherington’s First Base Comments

Recently, Pittsburgh Pirates General Manager Ben Cherington spoke about the offseason.  He made some interesting comments about the first baseman position.

As of now, it is looking like the National League will revert back to their pre-2020 rules.  It has been reported on multiple fronts that National League Executives are planning for a 2021 season without the designated hitter.  So what does this mean for the Pittsburgh Pirates?

Last year the Pittsburgh Pirates saw Josh Bell continue his second half of 2019.  Meanwhile, Colin Moran enjoyed a breakout season and after the Ke’Bryan Hayes promotion, Moran continued to have success at first base.  Not only did Moran continue to out hit Josh Bell, but he also showed to be much more competent of a defensive first baseman. In a perfect world, Josh Bell would serve as the primary designated hitter while Moran would get the most reps at first base.  Instead, the team is backed into a corner.

Recently Ben Cherington sat down with Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and discussed this issue.  Is it possible to keep both on the roster? Here is what Cherington and to say on the decision going forward:

“…I think if that’s where we are on Opening Day, they’re both on the team,  they’re both healthy, and there’s no DH, then we’re going to have to find a way to get one of them to at least go somewhere else on the field occasionally, just to have enough time.  We’ll see. A lot can happen between now and then.”

To answer the question above, it does not sound likely.  Everyone knows the limitations that Josh Bell has, and while Moran has made a nice transition to first base, he is pretty limited defensively as well.  Is the answer to stick Josh Bell in the outfield, a position he played previously?  No, especially given how much his defense affects his bat already.  Asking him to try and play two positions does not seem like the answer.

Neither is making them a “platoon”.  This does nothing for anyone involved in the process.  For the players, it takes consistent bats away.  Moran has earned a position in the batting lineup. Meanwhile, Josh Bell needs to get at-bats due to his power potential but he also needs the consistent at-bats to reach that potential.

For the Pittsburgh Pirates, it does not make a lot of sense either.  Why platoon two of your middle of the lineup bats while also likely limiting their offensive potential?  Also, if you are doing this and Josh Bell starts to bounce back to early 2019 form, then what?  No matter which way you cut it, the Bucs are handcuffing themselves by keeping both in the field and at the plate.

From a Front Office standpoint, it does not make a lot of sense either, which is why Cherington leaves the door open.  He says “we’ll see. A lot can happen between now and then.”  Cherington likely understands that it will be very hard to incorporate both players on the current team.  The first part of the quote mentions both being on the team, that was him referencing in a perfect world with a DH.  However, with it increasingly likely that the DH will not be implemented in 2021, then the second part of the quote is the more significant part.

One thing to keep in mind is player value.  Many fans know that Josh Bell does not have the value on the trade market to match his potential.  The Pittsburgh Pirates are not in a position to worry about if Josh Bell will bounce back or not.  It does not matter for them because there is a good chance this team will not be in playoff contention in 2021 whether he bounces back or not.

So trading Colin Moran looks like the solution.  Colin Moran had a solid 2019 and started to turn the corner in terms of power.  He raised his overall slugging percentage from .407 in 2018 to .429 in 2019.  Also, his ISO (isolated power) had a nice jump from .130 to .152, putting him above League average. Moran did not enjoy a breakout in 2019 despite those power numbers.  He saw his strikeout rate increase by 6.0 percent and his OBP lowered nearly 20 points.

Well, 2020 brought a complete Colin Moran.  He found a nice middle ground of hitting for power while not sacrificing too much contact.  Moran hit 10 home runs in 52 games while posting an impressive ISO of .225 with a .800 OPS.  The better numbers were attributed to the new staff working with Moran on hitting at a better launch-angle.  These are numbers that were expected for Moran when he was taken sixth overall.

Trading Colin Moran now would be doing so at a high point in his value.  If Ben Cherington wants to continue and get this team in the right direction trading Moran now would make sense.  Having come off a strong season with multiple seasons of team control left, he would net a solid return.  Also, this would allow the team to give Josh Bell the starting first base job and give him another chance to flourish once again.

Who do you think the team should keep?  Comment below!