The Solution?

What is the Pirates weak link this year.  Well, offense apparently.  But, what positions are they struggling at. Here's my power ranking of the Pirates positions and where they rank, with 10 being the weakest position and 1 being the strongest.

9. Right Field
Garrett Jones has been an average producer in right field.  Jose Tabata has had some good games, the near cycle the other night, and at one point he had his average up near .300, but that has come back down and he just hasn't paid off of the investment the Pirates made in him before last season.  If they could get anything in a trade for him he'd probably be gone by now.  I've always been an Alex Presley fan, but the Pirates don't seem to be much.  He comes up when they have an opening, plays a little, then back to Triple A.  He doesn't have much power and his baserunning skills for the speed he has are average.  If he ever got the chance to be a regular outfielder I think he'd hit for average.  It looks like he might have to find another team to do that though.

8.  First Base
Again, Garrett Jones has been just ok at first base.  Right Field and First Base would be a toss up as far as strength if not for Jones regular position.  You never know when he will break out though.  He had a very good year last year, but that was last year.  The Pirates traded with the Marlins last year to get Gabby Sanchez in hopes that he would revert to his rookie form and power numbers.  They lost on that one.  He has been adequate, but not someone you would want to run out there daily.  Both players have played well defensively, but offensively they are lacking.

7.  Shortstop
Jordy Mercer's timely hitting helped to improve this position after Clint Barmes couldn't provide enough offense to drive anyone in.  Barmes is a Hurdle favorite and has regained some playing time with improved production recently, but Barmes has never been a great hitter and I expect his production to decrease again. Barmes is the better defensive solution, but Mercer should play based on offensive production and adequate defense.

6.  Second Base
Neil Walker has 2nd locked down, but he has a recent history of injuries.  He's a streaky hitter, but he's better than anyone else in the system.  Plus, he's the favorite son of the City.

5. Third Base
Pedro Alvarez started slow again this year, but currently leads the league in Home Runs and raised his average around .240.  He might have more than the desired amount of errors, but he has made some outstanding plays at third.  Check out the diving stop of a liner down the 3rd base line against the Marlins in the series finale.

4.  Left Field
Starling Marte has been most of what was promised during his minor league stint.  His power numbers have not been as high as expected, but his speed and aggressiveness have bought many runs and he gives the team an advantage in left field over a majority of other teams.

3.  Center Field
Positions 1-3 can be highly debated.  All 3 positions have what I consider the most important members of the team.  Andrew McCutchen is the best athlete on this team, at this point the best outfielder on the team and possibly the league.  In short the Pirates would probably not be where they are without him.

2.  Catcher
Finally the Pirates plugged a nagging hole at catcher.  Russell Martin has stopped the running at will that has happened the last few years.  In addition he has been a consistent offensive presence and also provided a steadying influence on the pitching staff that certainly has led to the status of one of the best in the league.

1.  Pitcher
The pitching staff is one of the best in the league night in and night out.  The team is hardly an offensive juggernaut.  In order to succeed with a lack of offense you need a great defense and great pitching staff.  All phases of the pitching staff have been superb.  Starters, relievers and closers.  Without the pitching staff and depth the front office has assembled the second half this year could have easily followed that of the last 2 years.

So, what do the Pirates need to do to fix number 8 and 9.  The first trading deadline passed without anything happening.  Now, the player has to pass through waivers for the trade to go through. Not to mention Mr. Huntington probably doesn't want to mortgage the teams future by trading the stars of the future.  I'd say unless he gets an offer for a player that will be under the team's control for a few years without trading a high prospect there probably won't be a trade that will make a difference.  So, any improvement will need to come within.  It turns out I have a few suggestions.  I think one will be somewhat of a surprise and the other is one that has been called for by many fans and supposedly discussed within the management team.

In order to fix number 9, the Pirates need a productive hitter in the position.  Namely one that can do things like hit walk off Home Runs.  Defensively that player doesn't need to be outstanding because of the field covered by McCutchen.  Let's see, I wish I could think of someone in the system that could fill that hole.  Of course, like I said, I already had someone in mind.  Jay Hey, Josh Harrison.  He has been lauded recently for having a better command of the strike zone and yeah he had that walk off the other night.  He's one of my favorites.  He seems like he comes through frequently, but he's not really star type material as a player.  It would be great if the Pirates had another Starling Marte in the wings, and really they do have a couple very promising players, one in Triple A.  But Harrison has been around and has big league experience.  He reminds me of a scrappy player a while back that ended up in the manager's seat, Lloyd Mclendon.  Couldn't hurt to give him some time in right field.  He might provide a few more of those walk offs.



The other option I'm thinking of and many fans have been calling for is Andrew Lambo.  Lambo came over in a trade with the Dodgers and has had his good and bad times in his minor league career.  This year he started in Double A and after tearing it up was promoted to Triple A and proceeded to continue his tear including 17 home runs.  Add 14 home runs in AAA and Pirates fans are salivating to add those round trippers to the Pirates roster.  Unfortunately, possibly due to his spotty past the team is hesitant to promote him.  If he continues to provide the power at AAA, how can they not give him a shot.  My plan is not flawless though.  They have played Lambo mostly in right field in Indy.  Josh, maybe you better work on your first base defense.  I would expect at the very least Lambo would be called up when rosters are expanded.  Whether they give him a chance is another question.  But, like I said, with the numbers that he has put up this year how can they resist and for that matter, what are they waiting for.