Gregory Polanco won't be moving out of right field in 2018. Clint Hurdle made that abundantly clear to reporters last week, when he said both Sean Rodriguez and Adam Frazier will serve as primary backups to Starling Marte in center field.
Hurdle's reasoning was that he wants to ensure Polanco is comfortable both in the field and at the plate. After all, the 26-year-old outfielder expressed frustration to the Pirates last season when he was moved to left field. Despite that level of comfort, though, Polanco remains an inconsistent defender, as evidenced by his defense in the Pirates' 3-1 loss to the Twins on Wednesday in Fort Myers.
Polanco, playing right and batting third, stood idle when the sun made it difficult for him to see a fly ball hit to right in the second inning. Marte sprinted over from center to try to assist Polanco, but the ball dropped, allowing Byron Buxton to reach third easily. Buxton then scored one batter later to give the Twins a 2-0 lead. Polanco also missed a fly ball in foul territory.
On the other hand, Polanco made a nice sliding catch in the third inning and made another impeccable play in the sixth inning when he threw out Eduardo Escobar at second base after Escobar hit a line drive that bounced off the right-field wall.
Polanco recorded four defensive runs saved in right field last season and was a below-average defender in left, according to FanGraphs. Focused on playing an entire season, Polanco is having a successful spring at the plate, batting .368 with three home runs and six RBIs, although he went 0 for 2 with a walk against the Twins.
Also, he's batted third in the order in front of Josh Bell as of late, indicating that's where he could hit in the lineup at the start of the season.
• Trevor Williams, making only his second start of the spring, had his strongest outing to date, striking out eight in 5 1/3 innings. The right-hander allowed two runs, one of which was earned, and six hits, including back-to-back singles in the first to give the Twins a 1-0 lead.
Although Huntington declined to reveal whom will start the second game of the series in Detroit next weekend, it appears it will be Williams who follows Ivan Nova in the rotation since Jameson Taillon will start the home opener on April 2.
• The Pirates took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Marte and Polanco drew back-to-back walks. They then tried to execute a double steal and Twins catcher Jason Castro made a throwing error to third, allowing Marte to score. Marte went 1 for 2 and is now batting .410 this spring with six stolen bases.
• Kyle Crick and Richard Rodriguez also pitched for the Pirates. Crick, acquired from the Giants in the Andrew McCutchen trade, allowed one hit in 1 2/3 innings, lowering his ERA to 4.35 this spring. The right-hander is likely to receive one of the final spots in the Pirates' bullpen, especially with his ability to throw multiple innings.
Additionally, Rodriguez, a non-roster invitee, has now pitched 5 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings and struck out two Twins. The 28-year-old right-hander allowed three earned runs in one inning against the Yankees during his first appearance this spring. He pitched only 5 2/3 innings in the majors last season for the Orioles.
• Hurdle was unable to manage for the Pirates because he attended a funeral.
• Here's the lineup for the game:
1. Corey Dickerson, LF
2. Starling Marte, CF
3. Gregory Polanco, RF
4. Josh Bell, 1B
5. Jose Osuna, 3B
6. Elias Diaz, C
7. Kevin Kramer, 2B
8. Kevin Newman, SS
9. Trevor Williams, P
• The Pirates will host the Twins on Thursday night at 6:05 p.m. Chad Kuhl is scheduled to start with Felipe Rivero, Michael Feliz, Josh Smoker and Dovydas Neverauskas in relief.