Pittsburgh Pirates 2022 Staff Predictions: Jeff Cupp

Cole Tucker & Kevin Newman Are Serviceable

Cole Tucker and Kevin Newman are two players who have been through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Before he ever debuted Tucker was thought of as the shortstop of the future. His debut in 2019 was long anticipated, but Tucker has yet to live up to those expectations. At the end of last season he showed that he could be an electrifying player if he can put it all together.

Newman wasn’t quite as hyped up as Tucker had been, but when he hit the major league level with a batting average over .300, many people began to believe that Newman could be the next everyday shortstop of the Pirates. 2020, and subsequently 2021, have put those thoughts out of the minds of many Pirate fans.

Despite being a gold glove caliber defender, Newman’s 54 wRC+ the past two seasons has been among the worst throughout baseball, especially for a player that played the vast majority of the season. Tucker has been better offensively, but not by much with a 60 wRC+ on his career, and a 75 wRC+ last season.

Despite all the bad, I still see these two as being capable of everyday play at the MLB level. Newman has already proven how good of a defender he is at short, and Tucker showed at the end of last season that he’s capable of being a big game hitter, and that he is also a very good fielder.

Both have a chip on their shoulder heading into this season, and both will likely get everyday opportunities to prove their worth. It won’t take much improvement from Newman to be an everyday hitter. A glove first shortstop is a valuable starter to have, as long as they put up a little bit more fight at the plate than Newman has been giving.

Let’s go with some projections:

Newman: 550 PA, 8 HR, .245/.300/.365, 72 wRC+, 5 DRS, 1.4 WAR

Tucker: 450 PA, 13 HR, .228/.310/.400, 91 wRC+, 3 DRS, 1.8 WAR