The Pittsburgh Pirates will be taking on the Toronto Blue Jays for the second Grape Fruit Game of 2021. Let’s take a look at the starting lineup.
Yesterday, the Pittsburgh Pirates got off to a solid start against the Baltimore Orioles. Chad Kuhl pitched his way out of jam by striking out three in the first innings. Ke’Bryan Hayes also belted a an RBI double to go along with a walk. In the end, the Pittsburgh Pirates won the game 6-4 getting their 2021 Spring Training off to a good start.
Today the Bucs will be sending Mitch Keller to the hill against the Toronto Blue Jays. My colleague Marty Leap wrote up a piece about the potential pitchers for today’s game. So who will be in the Bucs lineup? Well, the lineup looks a lot different than it did in Sunday’s game, with some new faces and potential depth pieces:
Pittsburgh Pirates Lineup for 3/1: Cole Tucker (SS), Wolmer Difo (2b), Brian Goodwin (CF), Phillip Evans (3b), Anthony Alford (DH), Michael Perez (C), Troy Stokes Jr. (LF), Will Craig (1b), Hunter Owen (RF), Mitch Keller (SP).
This lineup is not surprising. Early in Spring there will be mixed up lineups with a lot of players not playing back to back days. This is the case with this lineup, as none of the players listed started in yesterday’s game.
The top of the lineup is the intriguing part, as it should be. Cole Tucker leading off is competing for the starting shortstop job, that officially starts today. Anthony Alford returning to the lineup is good news. Pittsburgh Pirates fans were given a taste of his potential last year before he broke his elbow. According to reports, he is still working on building his throwing back up so he will mainly DH to start. All things considered, this is fine as Alford’s questions and potential upside lies in his bat.
The final two players to really watch are Michael Perez and Troy Stokes Jr. Both of these players were added via waiver claims this past offseason. Furthermore, they both ranked as an organizational top 30 prospects at one point, so there definitely is potential upside. Perez more so that Stokes will have a chance to make the roster.