Pittsburgh Pirates: Roster Moves that Need to be Made
By Marty Leap
Improving the bench with younger talent
Right now the Pittsburgh Pirates have a three man bench. It consists of backup catcher Andrew Knapp, whoever is not starting at first base between Yoshi Tsutsugo and Michael Chavis, and whichever of VanMeter, Castillo and Rodolfo Castro are not starting in the middle infield. This is a bench in need of an upgrade.
These upgrades can be found at Triple-A Indianapolis. Outfielder Cal Mitchell has done more than enough to earn a promotion to the majors. He’s hitting for a .312/.387/.548 slash line with 5 home runs, 7 doubles and a 147 wRC+ at Triple-A.
Utility man Ji-Hwan Bae could also get a look in the majors. Bae has a strong 11.7% walk rate, is striking out at just an 18.3% strikeout rate and a 107 wRC+ in 120 plate appearances at Triple-A this season. Bae can also play all over the field with the ability to play third base, shortstop, second base and all three outfield positions.
There is a good chance that on the next contending Pirate team Bae is the team’s super utility man and Mitchell is the fourth outfielder. Hell, the possibility of Mitchell being an every day player is still in the cards as well. It’s time for them to get a look.