Walking the Plank: Future is Bright for the Infield

Throughout my life as a Pirate fan, there seems like there has always been at least one hole in their infield from either a weak bat or someone playing out of position. Some players that come to mind are Pedro Alvarez (horrible defense), Clint Barmes (could not hit), and then what seems like a hundred random first basemen they tried before they finally got a good one in Josh Bell. I have good news though Pirate fans.... I think this issue is finally resolved in the near future! Let's take a look at each infield position going forward.

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First Base

Obviously, there are not many questions at this position with Josh Bell having an amazing season there. Bell has been amazing at the plate and has steadily improved his defense at 1B. The biggest question surrounding Bell is how long he will be with the team because at his current pace, he will be commanding big money when the time comes because first basemen like him do not grow on trees (as evident by the Pirates struggling to find one ever since Kevin Young in the early 2000s). Behind Josh Bell is Will Craig, who has been showing great power at the plate in AAA and is a very promising prospect for the Pirates; however, with Bell on the team, where will Craig play (Pun not intended)? Fans have suggested he could play an OF position or 2B, but that is still to be seen. This is a good problem to have for once!

Second Base

This is the infield position with the biggest question mark, but it is still in pretty good shape. Frazier has steadily improved his defense, but his bat has not been as good since playing in the field full time as a starter. It makes you wonder if he will be the long term starter at second base? I really like Adam Frazier, but I think he may be best used as a utility guy off of the bench. Kevin Kramer has shown some promise in the minors, but it is still to be seen if he can be a major league 2B. The solution at 2B may come from SS.....

Short Stop

I love the Pirates future here at short stop. Kevin Newman has emerged into the SS we knew he could be and has etched himself into the lead off role in the Pirates line up. Newman has been one of the only good surprises to the 2019 season, especially after his disappointing call up at the end of 2018. Behind Newman is every fans favorite guy, Cole Tucker. Tucker is the most natural shortstop defensively, but he still needs to find himself a little more at the plate before contributing to the major league team. When Tucker does that, he should become the everyday SS, so how will they let the situation with Newman and Tucker play out? Here is my solution, let Newman be the everyday 2B and have Frazier go back to being a utility guy. Shouldn't I just be the manager? P.S: Newman got ANOTHER hit while I was writing this. 

Third Base

This is another position the Pirates have historically struggled to fill, but it seems to be in good hands with the recent emergence of Colin Moran. Moran has assumed the role as the everyday 3B and has thrived in that role this season. Moran just recently had one of the best nights of his career with 5 RBIs and hitting his 10th HR of the season, which won him my "Position Player of the Week." Behind Moran is Ke'Bryan Hayes, who is on the radar of every Pirate fan as the future 3B. If Moran ever begins to falter, Hayes will be right behind him to assume the everyday 3B position. If they are both on the roster, Moran could be a great asset off of the bench where he has shown the ability to be a great pinch hitter. 

With the tough times the Pirates have had recently, I thought us Pirate fans deserved a positive article to keep our hopes up for the future. Thanks for reading and Let's go Bucs!!

-Aaron, TGYK