Pirates Option Liover Peguero
The Pirates announced Friday evening that they’ve optioned infielder Liover Peguero and lefty reliever José Hernández to Triple-A Indianapolis. After the Bucs optioned Nick Gonzales last night, that seemingly leaves Jared Triolo as the starting second baseman to begin the year.
Triolo, 26, appeared in 54 games as a rookie last season. The Houston product ran a .298/.388/.398 line with a trio of homers over his first 209 plate appearances. It’d be hard for him to maintain those results without making contact more consistently, though. Triolo punched out at a 30.1% clip, so it took an unsustainable .440 average on balls in play to keep his on-base percentage up.
It has been more of the same this spring. He has knocked a pair of homers, while 10 of the other 20 batted balls have dropped for hits. He has walked five times and struck out on 12 occasions over 39 plate appearances. The overall batting line — .353/.436/.559 — has been excellent. Even if Triolo’s batted ball results eventually take a turn, he could be a solid all-around contributor. He draws plenty of walks and should be a quality defender. Scouting reports credited him with a potential plus glove at his natural third base position. While Ke’Bryan Hayes will keep him from playing there frequently, his hands and athleticism could translate to the right side of the infield.
Peguero had a solid exhibition showing himself. The right-handed hitter turned in a .269/.345/.423 mark while striking out in just four of his 29 plate appearances. He’s a few years younger than Triolo and only appeared in seven Triple-A games before being called to the big leagues last season. Peguero struggled against MLB pitching in the second half, fanning at a 31.5% rate en route to a .237/.280/.374 slash. The Bucs evidently prefer to get him more run against Triple-A arms to start the year. Defensive specialist Alika Williams remains in camp and could secure a bench spot behind Triolo and Oneil Cruz up the middle.
Pittsburgh’s Second Base Camp Battle
With Spring Training’s arrival, the next few weeks will feature a number of camp battles around the league. One position that could be up for grabs before Opening Day: the second base job in Pittsburgh. The Bucs used eight players at the position a year ago. Four of them remain on the roster and could vie for time at the team’s most uncertain infield spot.
Peguero, 23, got his first extended MLB run last year. He appeared in 59 games and tallied 213 trips to the plate. Peguero didn’t produce much, hitting .237/.280/.374 with dismal strikeout and walk rates (5.2% and 31.5%, respectively). It’s not all that surprising that he had a rough go against MLB pitching. Peguero only appeared in seven Triple-A games before being called to the majors. He had spent the majority of the season’s first half at Double-A Altoona, where he turned in a .260/.333/.453 showing with 11 homers, 19 steals, and a solid 10.1% walk rate against an 18.2% strikeout percentage.
Scouting reports on Peguero have credited him with a well-rounded physical toolset but raised questions about his strike zone judgment. He showed excellent speed in his MLB time but didn’t put things together consistently on either side of the ball.
Pittsburgh selected Gonzales, a New Mexico State product, with the #7 overall pick in 2020. He has drawn plenty of walks while hitting for power in the minors but hasn’t consistently made contact. That concern carried over in his first look at MLB arms. Gonzales hit .209/.268/.348 with a 28.1% strikeout rate across his first 35 big league contests.
The 24-year-old was a lot more productive with Triple-A Indianapolis. Gonzales hit .281/.379/.507 with 14 homers in 443 plate appearances at the top minor league level. He drew free passes at a 12% clip and hit for power, but a .369 average on balls in play masks a near-27% strikeout percentage. Gonzales isn’t regarded as a great defender, so he’ll have to take a notable step forward in his pure contact skills. Baseball America ranked him the #9 prospect in the Pittsburgh system this offseason.
Last year’s team leader in playing time at second base, Bae also had a tough rookie season. He hit .231/.296/.311 in 371 plate appearances. Unlike Peguero and Gonzales, Bae had roughly average plate discipline and contact metrics. His issue was a complete lack of power. He only homered twice with 17 doubles and a pair of triples. Nearly three-fifths of his batted balls were hit on the ground.
Bae is a plus-plus runner and stole 24 bases a year ago. He’ll need to contribute more offensively if he’s to play more than a bench role. Defensive metrics gave the 24-year-old below-average marks for his work at second base. The Pirates also gave him a fair bit of center field run and could use him in a utility capacity.
Of this group, Triolo had easily the best results against MLB pitching. The Houston product put up a .298/.388/.398 line over his first 209 plate appearances. He’d need to dramatically improve his contact rate if he’s to sustain anything like that production over a full season, though. No hitter can maintain anything like the .440 batting average on balls in play that Triolo posted last year. (Freddie Freeman led qualified batters with a .370 BABIP in 2023.) In order to offset the inevitable regression from a batted ball perspective, Triolo will need to cut a strikeout rate that sat above 30%.
While he’s clearly not a finished product, Triolo isn’t without promise. He had a strong minor league track record, including a .286/.412/.432 slash in Triple-A last season. He came up as a third baseman but doesn’t have a path to playing time at his natural position thanks to Ke’Bryan Hayes. Prospect evaluators raved about his glove at the hot corner in the minors. If he can carry that to multiple infield positions, he could compete for second base reps.
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It’s likely one of that quartet will get the bulk of the second base time in 2024, although there’s some chance the mix changes before Opening Day. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Jason Mackey has suggested the Bucs could dangle someone from the group in talks with the Marlins about right-hander Edward Cabrera. It’s far from a guarantee that any deal with Miami will get across the finish line, but the front office is still evaluating ways to add rotation help in some capacity before Opening Day.
Beyond this group, the Bucs have two other second basemen on the 40-man roster. Prospect Tsung-Che Cheng hasn’t played above Double-A and might not factor in until 2025. Alika Williams got to the big leagues last year but likely didn’t hit well enough (.198/.270/.248) to compete for the second base job. He played exclusively shortstop last year when Oneil Cruz was injured but could handle second base defensively. Williams’ bat is very light, pointing to a likelier future as a glove-first utility type than a regular.
Andrew McCutchen Suffers Partial Achilles Tear, Done For Season
The Pirates announced to reporters, including Justice delos Santos of MLB.com, that outfielder/designated hitter Andrew McCutchen is going on the 10-day injured list due to a partial tear in his left Achilles tendon. McCutchen will be in a walking boot for the next six weeks, meaning his season is done with less than four weeks now remaining on the schedule. The club later officially announced McCutchen’s IL placement with infielder Jared Triolo recalled in a corresponding move.
McCutchen, 36, returned to the Pirates this season on a one-year, $5MM deal. He had spent his prime with the Bucs but eventually bounced to the Giants, Yankees, Phillies and Brewers as the Pirates underwent a rebuild and gave most of the playing time to younger players. But he was able to don the black and gold again this year, serving as a veteran presence for a young team on the rise.
That’s not to say that his position on the roster was merely ceremonial, as he’s actually been the club’s best hitter this year. He’s drawn walks in 15.9% of his plate appearances and hit 12 home runs. His .256/.378/.397 batting line amounts to a wRC+ of 115, indicating he’s been 15% better than the league average hitter this year, the highest mark on the club among those with at least 10 plate appearances.
The Bucs are well out of contention at this point but it’s nonetheless a tough pill to swallow, given his popularity among the fans and around baseball in general. He’s also currently sitting on 299 home runs, meaning he won’t have a chance to cross that milestone this year.
Although that’s surely frustrating, it seems possible he’ll have a chance to hit that marker next year. He has continually been open about his desire to return to the Pirates next year and reiterated that stance today, via delos Santos. He seems to have a good relationship with the franchise, making it fair to expect the two sides to reunite on another deal for 2024. The injury creates some cloudiness about his status, but if the six weeks in the walking boot get him back to health, he should be in line to have a fairly normal offseason and Spring Training.
Defensively, McCutchen was primarily a designated hitter this year, only heading to the outfield for 64 2/3 innings. Though the club might want to give some playing time to younger players, they could surely find some at-bats for their best offensive contributor this year, especially considering his iconic status in Pittsburgh.
Pirates Promote Jared Triolo, Place Ke’Bryan Hayes On IL
The Pirates announced that they have recalled infielder Jared Triolo from Triple-A. He’ll be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game. He’ll take the roster spot of third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, who has been placed on the 10-day injured list with low back inflammation, retroactive to June 25. Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette noted Triolo’s presence at the ballpark prior to the official announcement.
Triolo, now 25, was selected by the Pirates with the 72nd overall pick in the 2019 draft. He got a brief professional debut that year but then the minor leagues were canceled by the pandemic in 2020. He spent 2021 at High-A, hitting 15 home runs in 108 games and slashing .304/.369/.480 for a wRC+ of 128 while stealing 25 bases.
He got bumped to Double-A last year and seemed to have less power but with better discipline. He only hit nine home runs in 112 games but his walk rate jumped from 8.9% to 12.7% as his strikeout rate dropped from 19.9% to 17.6%. He hit .282/.376/.419 overall for a 121 wRC+ and swiped another 24 bags.
The Bucs added Triolo to their 40-man roster in November to prevent him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft. Coming into this year, he was ranked the club’s #15 prospect (since moved to #16) by Baseball America, #9 by FanGraphs and #15 by Keith Law of The Athletic. He’s generally considered an excellent defender at third base but has been moved around to other positions because of the presence of Hayes. In addition to third, he’s also spent some time at the other infield positions and in center field as well.
Here in 2023, he hit a speed bump when he required hamate surgery in early April. That delayed his 2023 debut into early May. He’s played 37 Triple-A games this year with just one home run and a 27.7% strikeout rate, but he’s walked in 15.7% of his trips to the plate. His .293/.403 .436 overall line amounts to a 117 wRC+ and he’s tallied another eight steals. He’ll likely help cover third while Hayes is out but could potentially move to other positions if he performs well enough that the club decided to keep him around.
The Pirates were red hot in April but have cooled off lately. Their 36-42 record has them in fourth place in the National League Central but they are only five games off the lead. They are still acting like they want to put their best club on the field and stay in the fight, having recently promoted notable prospects like Henry Davis, Nick Gonzales and now Triolo.
As for Hayes, he last played on Saturday due to this back issue popping up. The fact that he wasn’t immediately placed on the IL suggests it may be a borderline case and he’ll therefore be back in action soon. Since the move is backdated, he could be back in a week if that is indeed the case. He’s continued to provide his excellent defense this year, having already tallied 10 Defensive Runs Saved and nine Outs Above Average. However, his offense remains subpar, with his .254/.290/.397 batting line amounting to a wRC+ of 84.
Elsewhere on the roster, the Bucs could soon welcome back first baseman Ji Man Choi and left-hander Rob Zastryzny from the injured list. They’ll each head to Triple-A Indianapolis for rehab assignments tonight, per Mackey.
Pirates’ Jared Triolo Undergoes Hamate Surgery
Pirates infield prospect Jared Triolo underwent surgery to repair a hamate bone injury late last month, the club’s director of sports medicine Todd Tomcyzk informed reporters this morning (relayed by Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). He’ll be shut down for four-to-six weeks before potentially beginning baseball activities, meaning his absence from game action is likely to cost multiple months.
Triolo, 25, was selected by Pittsburgh with the 72nd overall pick in the 2019 draft. A right-handed hitter, Triolo put up a solid .282/.376/.419 line over 495 plate appearances for Double-A Altoona last season. He only connected on nine home runs but demonstrated strong strike zone awareness, walking at an excellent 12.7% clip against a 17.6% strikeout rate. He also swiped 24 bases in 29 attempts.
The University of Houston product is primarily a third baseman, where he draws strong defensive reviews from scouts. Pittsburgh gave him 19 starts at shortstop in Double-A as well, demonstrating they believe his glove can translate (at least on occasion) to the infield’s most demanding position.
Pittsburgh added Triolo to the 40-man roster last winter to ensure they wouldn’t lose him in the Rule 5 draft. He’s yet to play a single game in Triple-A and would presumably have been ticketed for the Bucs’ top affiliate in Indianapolis to start the season. Triolo could factor into the MLB mix at some point later in the year, particularly if there’s an injury to either of Oneil Cruz or Ke’Bryan Hayes, but he’ll first have to get healthy himself. Given his recovery timetable, it’s possible the Pirates place him on the major league 60-day injured list at some point. Doing so would require paying him at the MLB minimum rate while he rehabs but would clear a spot on the 40-man roster should Pittsburgh require one for another transaction.
Pirates Announce Several Roster Moves
In advance of the Rule 5 draft deadline, the Pirates have announced they’ve selected the contracts of Endy Rodriguez, Mike Burrows, Colin Selby and Jared Triolo to their 40-man roster. In corresponding moves, Tyler Heineman, Jeremy Beasley, Manny Banuelos and Junior Fernandez have all been designated for assignment. Their 40-man roster remains full.
Pittsburgh acquired Rodriguez from the Mets as part of the three-team trade centered around Joe Musgrove heading to San Diego. He’s powered through the minor leagues this past year, making it all the way to Triple-A by season’s end. Across three levels, he hit .323/.407/.590 with 25 home runs. He appeared mostly at catcher, but also logged some time in the corner outfield, and at first and second base in 2022. The 22-year-old was ranked in the top-100 prospects in the game by Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, and given the Bucs’ lack of catching options on the major league depth chart, there appears a strong chance he makes it to the big leagues sometime in 2023.
Burrows landed fifth in Baseball America’s mid-season ranking of the Pittsburgh’s prospects. An eleventh round pick in 2018, Burrows spent half the year at Double-A before being promoted to Triple-A in June. In 12 starts at Double-A, Burrows had a 2.94 ERA, striking out batters 32.4% of the time and walking them 8.9% of the time. A big drop in strikeouts at Triple-A (down to 23.3%) largely accounted for his ERA spiking to 5.31 after his promotion, although his opponents BABIP also jumped about 40 points. Nonetheless, a couple of strong months at Triple-A to begin 2023 and it won’t be long before the 23-year-old finds his way to Pittsburgh.
Selby was a 16th round pick in 2018, and began his career as a starter before the Pirates shifted him to the bullpen last year. While the results weren’t particularly encouraging initially, he’s had a strong 2022 campaign at Double-A and made it to Triple-A briefly at the end of the season. In 32 2/3 innings at Double-A, Selby had a 29.7% strikeout rate against a 10.1% walk rate on the way to a 2.20 ERA. He only threw three innings at Triple-A, but should start there next season and could be a depth option for Pittsburgh’s bullpen next summer.
Triolo was picked up in the third round of the 2019 draft, and spent the entire 2022 campaign at Double-A. He hit a solid .282/.375/419, and as the line would suggest, posted a strong walk rate of 12.7% against a 17.6% strikeout rate. He’s predominantly a third baseman, but logged time at shortstop and center field in 2022. Given the presence of Ke’Bryan Hayes at third for the foreseeable future in Pittsburgh, it’s possible Triolo has a future as a utility man.
On the DFA side of things, only Heineman and Banuelos saw any meaningful time in the big leagues. Heineman appeared in 52 games at catcher, batting .211/.277/.254, while Banuelos threw 32 2/3 innings of 4.96 ERA ball after coming across from the Yankees mid-season. Fernandez only threw 3 1/3 innings for the Pirates, and Beasley only threw at their Triple-A affiliate.