CARLSBAD, Calif. -- Adam Frazier, as usual, gives the Pirates options.
The Pirates will have a need for a right fielder at the start of next season while Gregory Polanco recovers from surgery for a torn labrum in his left shoulder. Polanco will be out anywhere from the middle of April until mid-June.
Conventional wisdom says the Pirates will pursue a winter trade for an outfielder, one who could provide temporary help in right field then transition into a bench role once Polanco is activated from the disabled list.
The Pirates want to give Frazier the full-time job at second base next season. However, his ability to play in the outfield opens up the possibility of the Pirates adding a utility infielder to play second base or go with an internal option, such as rookie Kevin Kramer, while Polanco is sidelined.
Of Frazier's 185 starts during his three seasons in the major leagues, 86 have come in the outfield — 61 in left, 20 in right and five in center. He also has started 95 games at second base, three games at third base and one game at shortstop.
The Pirates entered spring training this year with Frazier expected to share time in left field with Jordan Luplow — who also could factor into the right-field situation next season — until they traded with the Rays for Corey Dickerson during the first full week of workouts and installed him as the regular in left.
"We feel very comfortable with Adam in the outfield," Neal Huntington told DKPittsburghSports.com as the General Managers' meetings continued Wednesday as the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa.
Yet, even if Polanco misses a significant portion of the season, the majority of Frazier's starts in 2019 will come at second base. Though he has a reputation as a poor defender, Frazier was credited with four defensive runs saved in 55 games at second this past season, and scouts confirm the numbers by noting he has gotten better with the glove.
"The knock on Adam is unfair," Huntington said. "We haven't helped him by bouncing him all around the field. When he's been able to get consistent reps at second base, he's shown much improvement."
That Kramer potentially could be in the opening-day lineup is a bit of a surprise. He made his major league debut Sept. 5 but struggled mightily, hitting .135/.175/.135 with no home runs in 21 games while striking out 20 times in 40 plate appearances.
However, Kramer had a fine year with Triple-A Indianapolis, batting .311/.365/.492 in 129 games with 15 homers and 13 stolen bases. He was one of just three players in the International League with at least 10 home runs and 10 steals.
"Kevin Kramer can hit. He didn't forgot how to hit once he came to the big leagues," Huntington said. "It might have been the case of squeezing the bat too tight and not letting his muscles work the way they should. He's not the first player who has pressed and struggled the first time he's been called up."
Frazier has proven he can hit major league pitching with a .280/.345/.422 line, 18 homers and 14 steals in 300 career games and 966 plate appearances. This year, he hit .277/.342/.456 with 10 homers, including .306/.357/.533 with seven long balls in his last 55 games after his return to the Pirates on July 25 after spending a little over a month at Indianapolis to get his bat on track.
The strong finish is a large reason why the 26-year-old will be given the opportunity to be a regular as well as the leadoff hitter in 2019.
"We like Adam Frazier's advancement both offensively and defensively," Huntington said. "He deserves a chance."
Other news from my talk with Huntington:
• Polanco is undergoing his rehab with a physical therapist from outside the organization in Florida, but he is checking in with Pirates' athletic trainers in Bradenton on a regular basis. "He's doing everything he can to come back as strong as possible," Huntington said.
• Luplow was called a "viable option for right field" by Huntington. Luplow had a solid season at Indianapolis this year, batting .287/.367/.462 with eight home runs in 88 games. However, in 64 games with the Pirates over the last two seasons, Luplow has posted a .194/.274/.371 line with six homers.