Pittsburgh Pirates: Could Jake Lamb Get Called Up Soon?

This off-season, the Pirates signed veteran infielder Jake Lamb to a minor league contract. This signing was to provide depth in the organization at the first base position. The Pirates do not have a lot of first-base options throughout the organization. Two notable names are Malcom Nunez and Josiah Sightler, but aside from them, there are not many.

So far this season, the Pirates have played three different players at first base. Those guys are Rowdy Tellez, Connor Joe, and Jared Triolo. In the off-season, the Pirates signed Tellez to a one-year deal. The plan was to platoon Tellez and Joe depending on if there was a right or left-handed pitcher. That plan has not benefited the Pirates so far.

Tellez has struggled at the plate this season as he possesses a .205 batting average with one home run and seven runs batted in. He also has an OPS of .561, which includes an on-base percentage of .292 and a slugging percentage of .269. The league average wRC+ is 100 and Tellez has just a 63. The first month of baseball has not been great for Tellez, but he could get hot soon.

Connor Joe has been the other player in the first base platoon role. He is off to a great start to the season as he has been one of the best hitters in the Pirates lineup. Joe has a batting average of .282 with two home runs and 13 runs batted in. He also has an OPS of .812, which includes an on-base percentage of .365 and a slugging percentage of .447. Joe has a very impressive wRC+ of 128 and has eight doubles.

Joe has been the better hitter of the two, but he is also needed to play outfield. On days when Joe is in the outfield, Tellez is required to play first base and that could be a problem for the Pirates lineup. It is very unlikely that the Pirates will get rid of Tellez this early, but if he continues to struggle, it leaves no choice for Ben Cherington.

Jake Lamb is the first name that comes to mind if the Pirates decide to get rid of Tellez. Lamb had a great Spring Training and took that hot bat to Indianapolis, where he has continued to hit well. In 18 games played, Lamb has a .382 batting average with three home runs and 12 runs batted in. He also has an OPS of 1.086, which includes an on-base percentage of .486 and a slugging percentage of .600. Lamb also has 14 walks and has only struck out 10 times.

If Lamb continues to swing a hot bat, then he will eventually find his way to Pittsburgh.

His situation is very similar to Miguel Andujar, who had an amazing season, but remained in Triple-A because the Pirates did not have a spot for him. Lamb also played 104 innings at first base last season with the Angels and had two defensive runs saved and two outs above average.

Jake Lamb could be an option that the Pirates consider with how much Rowdy Tellez has struggled. If Ben Cherington decided to swap the two, then Lamb could continue the platoon with Connor Joe. Keep an eye out for Jake Lamb with Indianapolis this season as he might be up in Pittsburgh later this season.