Pittsburgh Pirates: Domingo Leyba Pushing For Another MLB Opportunity

Infielder Domingo Leyba is hitting the ball well in the minors, potentially impressing the front office of the Pittsburgh Pirates

In 2019, Domingo Leyba made his MLB debut with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Despite performing well with the Diamondbacks, they didn't continue to give him playing time the next season. After a year, in 2021, he got his second shot. However, he went 0-22 with 2 walks and 7 strikeouts during this stint.

Subsequently, he was waived and claimed by the Baltimore Orioles. After 21 games with the Orioles, in which he went 10-65 with 6 walks and 16 strikeouts and had a minuscule .154 batting average, he was released by the team. He was then picked up by the Texas Rangers but didn't play in the majors. In the following season, the Padres signed him but didn't call him up either. Now, in 2023, it has been announced that he will sign with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In 58 games with the Pirate farm system between Double-A and Triple-A, he is batting .322 with 8 home runs and 33 RBIs. He has always been able to make good contact with the ball while rarely striking out. In those 58 games, he walked 25 times with 33 strikeouts. He seems like a better version of Tim Anderson, but this just raises questions about why he isn't in the majors with such an amazing slash line: .322 average, .397 on-base percentage, .503 slugging percentage, and an OPS of .900.

The main reason he hasn't been called up is that he plays second and third base, which are already loaded positions for the Pirates. Still, he deserves a shot, and in my opinion, he has a better upside than Jared Triolo.

But unlike Leyba, Triolo has been able to perform in the majors when called up for an extended period. However, who knows, maybe in another universe, if the Diamondbacks, Orioles, Padres, or Rangers had given him a shot, he might be in the majors today, at least as a usable player. As he ages, his value continues to fall, and fewer teams will want him. It might be now or never, but at least he made the majors. At the end of the day, there is only a limited number of roster spots.