BRADENTON, Fla. — The art of pinch-hitting was foreign to Jose Osuna. He started 343 of his 393 games as a minor leaguer in the Pirates' system, following the same pre- and post-game routines from ballpark to ballpark.
Then, Osuna, a 25-year-old Venezuelan stuck behind Josh Bell on the organizational depth chart, was promoted to the major leagues last April as soon as the news of Starling Marte's suspension broke. But he wasn't joining the Pirates in St. Louis to become a starter.
Osuna would need to contribute off the bench — a less-than-ideal situation for any young player without major league experience — and the power-hitting first baseman struggled to the tune of a .233 average in 104 games.
However, Osuna, who is having another impressive spring training, hopes that frustrating first season, as well as his work learning third base, has shown the Pirates he can fill a similar role again in 2018.
"I think I showed them I can do it," Osuna, who hit a two-run homer in the Pirates' 9-5 loss to the Yankees on Thursday, told DKPittsburghSports.com. "I have to be ready. It doesn’t matter if it’s playing every day or if it’s on the bench. If my opportunity to make the team is on the bench I have to be able to make that adjustment and have that routine again to do my job and help the team win."
Although he's a longshot for the opening day roster, Osuna is making a statement this spring. He's batting .333 with three home runs and 8 RBIs in 27 at-bats over 13 games, driving in two runs with a pinch-hit single during the Pirates' 8-5 loss to the Orioles on Monday.
It's similar to what occurred in Florida last spring, when Osuna batted .407/.492/.754 with five home runs and 17 RBIs in a breakthrough performance. But defense will likely prevent him from making the 25-man roster.
The Pirates' acquisition of Colin Moran forced David Freese into a platoon role at first and third base. Additionally, Bell is rarely in need of a day off, as he played in 159 games last season. Both Clint Hurdle and Neal Huntington have indicated that Osuna is no longer a corner-outfield option.
That became clear with the club's acquisition of right-handed-hitting outfielder Bryce Brentz, who is out of minor-league options, last month. Adam Frazier and Sean Rodriguez are also expected to substitute in the outfield to give Marte, Corey Dickerson and Gregory Polanco the occasional day off.
Late last season, Osuna began doing pre-game work at third base, taking grounders with Joey Cora offering instruction nearby. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound Osuna showed the coaching staff he had the athleticism to possibly play the position well enough to platoon there.
But the Pirates wanted to see Osuna do it in a game. So, when he told the organization he wanted to play in the Venezuela Winter League for a fifth consecutive season, Bravos de Margarita was an ideal destination. The club's manager, Henry Blanco, was a former major league catcher who played for Hurdle in Colorado after successfully transitioning from third base.
"I didn't want them to even hit the ball to me at first," Osuna said with a smile. "After the first week, I think, I felt a lot of confidence playing there. I think this is about work. Every day I feel better there."
Osuna played most of his 22 games at third base, committing three errors during that span. However, the reports Blanco sent to Hurdle and the Pirates indicated that Osuna improved enough to play the position in the major leagues.
He no longer needed to be replaced late in games, and his footwork was improving each game. After all, Blanco and Osuna were on the field before every game going through drills to improve his defense.
The arm wasn't an issue. Osuna's is among the strongest in the Pirates' organization. But he had to be able to read the ball off the bat at game speed. Osuna finished the VWL season with a .321/.376/.538 slash line and four home runs with 14 RBIs, but Huntington expressed some doubts that Osuna was ready to play the position for the Pirates.
Those doubts seem to have merit, as Osuna has three errors in 12 games this spring.
"We love the bat and think the young man can hit," Huntington said. "If he has the opportunity to go out and help a team because he can go to third base in a double switch or he gets good enough he can make some starts there over the next handful of years it's going to be a credit to his work."
Both Hurdle and Huntington acknowledge the difficult situation Osuna was put in last season. He only made 42 starts, completing just 22 of those games, and had to learn how to not be an everyday player. Watching teammates such as John Jaso and Rodriguez, who was re-acquired by the club in August, taught him the nuances of working as a bench player.
"It’s the first time I’ve ever came off the bench like that," Osuna explained. "I was so used to playing every day, but it was good. It taught me the routine I needed to be successful. I learned how to be ready and prepare for the game."
He developed a routine to head to the batting cage after the third inning, taking a specific number of swings to ready himself whenever he was asked to go into the game. It didn't lead to results, though. Osuna batted .120/.154/.200 in 50 at-bats as a pinch-hitter.
Osuna had just 227 plate appearances, making winter ball more necessary than in previous years. Although Osuna will likely begin the season as the starting third baseman in Triple-A, Hurdle is of the opinion that the experience last season has Osuna ready to contribute offensively if needed.
"I think going through it will help him moving into this season," Hurdle said. "That’s a role we can get him back into and one that lands in his favor. Knowing that it’s not life or death. As many times you can tell a young man what his expectations are — which I tell our pinch-hitters, ‘you have nothing to lose; you have everything to gain.’ Until they get to that point personally it doesn’t help. I think he’s gotten to that point personally. I think he’s relaxed as far as knowing he can play and perform at this level, and I think he’s still aggressive in knowing he wants to repeat it, wants to get back."