Pittsburgh Pirates: Intriguing Non-Roster Invitees to Watch

PITTSBURGH, PA - JULY 22: Ji-hwan Bae #72 of the Pittsburgh Pirates in action during the exhibition game against the Cleveland Indians at PNC Park on July 22, 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - JULY 22: Ji-hwan Bae #72 of the Pittsburgh Pirates in action during the exhibition game against the Cleveland Indians at PNC Park on July 22, 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /
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Pittsburgh Pirates
NMSU junior Nick Gonzales takes a swing at the plate as the New Mexico State Men’s Baseball team faces off against Purdue Fort Wayne in the first game of a double header at Presley Askew Field in Las Cruces on Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020.Nick Gonzales 3 /

Infielders to watch

The group of infielders the Pittsburgh Pirates will have in camp as non-roster invitees will give some glimpse into the future of the day. Leading the way will be 2020 first-round pick Nick Gonzales.

Gonzales hit for a .303/.385/.565 slash line at High-A last season, he followed this up by hitting for a .380/.483/.549 slash line in 87 plate appearances across 19 games in the Arizona Fall League.

Despite what he showed last season there will always be questions about Gonzales’s power at the plate. However, he is such a good natural hitter that he has a very high floor as a prospect and should be a productive hitter when he reaches the majors. Gonzales should start the season at Double-A Altoona and could reach the majors late in the season.

Ji-Hwan Bae will be another infielder to keep an eye on. Bae had a strong year at Altoona last season and also played in the AFL. This should put Bae in line to start the season at Triple-A Indianapolis.

Like Rodriguez, Bae is a player who it will be interesting to see where he works at this spring. With Ke’Bryan Hayes having third base on lockdown for the foreseeable future and a glut of middle infield prospects, the Pittsburgh Pirates could give Bae more time in the outfield, something he started to do last season, as they look to turn him into a super utility player.