BRADENTON, Fla. — With the grounder rolling quickly to Cole Tucker's right, the 6-foot-3 shortstop awkwardly backhanded the ball before turning and faking a throw to first base at Pirate City. Jordy Mercer, standing behind Tucker in shallow left-center field, stepped forward and explained to Tucker what he did wrong on the play.
Then, Mercer took the next grounder with Tucker watching closely nearby. The two players took turns throughout the drill, with Tucker asking questions between reps. It was only seven years ago that Mercer, now 31, was a young shortstop learning from Clint Barmes. Now, he's become a mentor to young players such as Tucker, 21, and Kevin Newman, 24.
Rather than bristling at questions from one of his potential replacements, Mercer, a free agent at this season's end, has embraced his role in helping the Pirates' next wave of shortstops this spring. And the Pirates' 6-3 loss to the Rays Friday in Port Charlotte to open spring training play — which included two RBI from Austin Meadows and two scoreless innings from Triple-A right-hander Tyler Eppler — illustrated this is an opportune time to prep young prospects for their next step toward the major leagues.
"I enjoy it, to be honest with you," Mercer, who along with the club's other veterans didn't play in the spring opener, said earlier this week. "It’s really neat. I’ve been in their shoes before, too. I know what they’re going through. I know what they’re trying to learn. They’re trying to get to the big leagues. They’re trying to better themselves. When you have an older guy that’s been there and has played there for a while, it’s nice to have him around and to be able to ask questions when you need to. Just watch. I was able to do that at a young age to Clint, [Neil] Walker and a couple other guys there as well. It makes the transition easier."
Mercer, a third-round draft pick in 2008, was able to learn from Barmes before making his major league debut with the Pirates in May 2012. But he was also able to watch Barmes, then in his 10th major league season, during the regular season when Mercer served in a bench role for the club.
It was Barmes who helped Mercer better understand where to step and where not to step when turning a double play or something as simple as cutting down the angle on ground balls.
Mercer started 84 games for the Pirates in 2013 and has played in at least 108 games in each of the past four seasons. He's now coming off one of his best offensive seasons, though, as he hit a career-high 14 home runs with a OPS+ of 92 and a slash line of .255/.326/.406 in 2017.
He's now one of the veteran leaders on a young club that lost Andrew McCutchen this offseason, yet it's a role he's accustomed to. It began last spring when Mercer took Newman, a first-round pick of the Pirates in 2015, under his wing at Pirate City.
"He’s an awesome guy," said Newman, who went 0 for 2 on Friday. "Great player. It’s fun to take ground balls next to him and to learn from him. He’s got an unbelievable mind for the game. These days where I spend time with him I try to take away as much information as I can."
Learning those finer points of defensive play from Mercer helped Newman have a breakthrough season at shortstop in 2017. Although he had a disappointing season offensively, he proved to the organization that he doesn't necessarily have to slide over to second base once he reaches the major leagues.
Newman slashed .267/.311/.363 in 122 games between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis, and he appears to be on the verge of reaching Pittsburgh in 2018. He's also passed on some of Mercer's teachings to Tucker, who is in major league spring training for the first time since the Pirates drafted him in the first round in 2014.
Their friendship began in 2013, when Newman hosted Tucker on a recruiting visit at the University of Arizona. They are now competing against each other in big league camp while each one is trying to prove he is the heir apparent to Mercer at shortstop in Pittsburgh.
"I think I’m the youngest guy here," Tucker said. "I hope they throw me in the fire and let me play. As long as I’m here I want to gain as much experience and learn from these guys as much as I can. Obviously you want to get on the field, show them what they can do and show them what they have coming in Pittsburgh."
Tucker slashed .275/.358/.408 with 36 extra-base hits, 50 RBI and 47 stolen bases in 110 games between High-A Bradenton and Double-A Altoona last season, helping the latter win the Eastern League Championship. It was his first full professional season after he tore the labrum in his right shoulder in 2015, limiting him to 80 games in 2016.
Neal Huntington told reporters earlier this week that Tucker is indeed a candidate to reach the major leagues in 2018. However, Tucker seems to be at least a year away from such a promotion with Newman and Kevin Kramer, a second baseman, expected to begin the season in Triple-A.
That reality doesn't bother Tucker, though. Ranked by MLB.com as the Pirates' No. 7 prospect, the gregarious Tucker didn't think his invitation to big league camp would come since he didn't receive the call until late in the offseason.
But he's trying to take advantage of his time around the club's major leaguers.
Tucker has spoken extensively with Josh Bell about switch-hitting and had in-depth conversations with Sean Rodriguez about how to handle adversity in the major leagues. However, it's Mercer who is teaching him the finer points of playing shortstop.
"I’ve been picking Jordy’s brain," Tucker added. "He’s who I want to be, or he’s where I want to be."
Mercer isn't ready to give up his spot yet, though. He expressed excitement for helping lead the post-McCutchen era Pirates and is focused on improving his own game. At the same time, he wants to pay it forward after what Barmes did for his career.
"I tell them not to be afraid to come over to my locker and ask me something. or if we’re working out together on the field, throw it out there," Mercer said. "That's what Clint did for me. There’s no question that’s a bad question. That’s the best way to approach it. It's the only way I know how to approach it."
GAME NOTES
• Meadows, ranked by Baseball America as the Pirates' No. 2 prospect, went 3 for 3 with two RBI and one walk as the club's starting designated hitter. The 22-year-old outfielder was limited to just 81 games last season because of a lingering hamstring injury. He's expected to begin the season at Triple-A Indianapolis and expressed confidence last month that a revamped workout regimen will keep him on the field in 2018.
Meadows doubled to right-center field in the second inning to score Todd Cunningham and drove in Kramer with an RBI double in the sixth.
• Eppler, 25, received the start and allowed one hit in two innings, escaping a jam in the first when he struck out Wilson Ramos to strand Denard Span at third base. He retired six straight after allowing a leadoff single to Span.
• Adam Frazier, Colin Moran, Bell and Max Moroff each started. Moran recorded his first hit in a Pirates uniform, singling to left in the first inning. Frazier, Bell and Moroff went a combined 0 for 6.
• The eight bench players used by Clint Hurdle – including Bryan Reynolds and Jason Martin — went a combined 0 for 9.
• No pitcher on the Pirates' 40-man roster appeared in the game. Alex McRae, a 24-year-old right-hander who made 25 starts at Double-A Altoona last season, allowed four runs on four hits in the third inning. Additionally, John Stilson, a minor-league free agent signing, allowed two runs, including a solo homer by Adeiny Hechavarria, in the sixth.
• The Pirates released outfielder Michael Saunders, whom they signed to a minor-league contract earlier this week. Saunders promptly signed a similar deal with the Royals on Friday.
An All-Star for the Blue Jays in 2016, Saunders batted .205/.257/.360 in 73 games last season. He was unlikely to make the opening day roster after the club acquired Cory Dickerson in a trade with the Rays on Thursday.
• The Pirates will host the Yankees at LECOM Park on Saturday at 1:05 p.m., and right-hander Nick Kingham, who returned last season from Tommy John surgery, is expected to start. Clay Holmes, Michael Feliz, Kyle Crick, Jordan Milbrath and Richard Rodriguez are also expected to pitch.