Impact bat Pirates refuse to acknowledge demands attention with drought-snapping HR

When Bryan Reynolds was placed on paternity leave, the Pirates recalled Billy Cook to take his place. Deservingly, Cook earned his promotion with his outstanding hot streak in Triple-A, but was optioned right back down once Reynolds was back.

Even though Tommy Pham has heated up, Cook should easily still be in Pittsburgh over at least Alexander Canario. Both Pham and Canario have an OPS below .600. Canario barely even plays as is, logging just 13 games this month with four being defensive replacements and another two being mid-game replacements for Reynolds' departure and Oneil Cruz's lack of hustle.

So really, why is Cook not still up here? His power hasn't been the same this season, going until Tuesday night without a home run. He belted a big three-run homer, ending his long drought of no home runs this season. If the power sticks like last season where he belted 17 homers in the minors and three in the majors, he could become an everyday player in the outfield.

He has shown impressive hit tools this month, too, batting .429, while adding 11 stolen bases on the year, and has proven to play any outfield position effectively. The power obviously needs to stay consistent though, and now that he is showing flashes of it returning, the Pirates should give him a chance.

Cook didn't even perform poorly while he was with Pittsburgh, collecting two hits in six at-bats, striking out just once. He had just two fewer hits than Canario in the majors this month in 21 fewer at-bats.

Pirates leaving Billy Cook in the minors is getting harder to justify following drought ending home run

Cook's numbers make it seem like he's been struggling this season, but really his April statistics dragged him down to being slightly below average. His wRC+ sits at 96 with a .712 OPS and 26.8% strikeout rate. His approach at the plate looks different without the power, but it is working as his batting average has climbed to .274.

For the Pirates to have any success in the future, they need their supposed impact prospects to pan out. Money is an issue in Pittsburgh, and one-year deals for players like Tommy Pham are not going to get this team to the postseason. High-upside players like Cook will, though. Keeping him in Triple-A is just hurting this organization more than it is helping them. It's time to acknowledge the impact that Cook can make by keeping him in the big leagues over Canario or Pham.