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CHICAGO -- Heading into Thursday’s opener at Wrigley Field, the Pirates had three players finish the spring season with 20 or more hits in at least 30 at-bats.
Kevin Newman went 0-for-2 in the 1-1, seven-inning tie with the Twins in both teams' Grapefruit League finale at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, Fla. on Tuesday. Although Newman ended his spring season going hitless in his final six trips to the plate, he still finished with a .606 average and no strikeouts in 33 at-bats.
“I'll take both of them honestly. Pretty cool. Definitely a fun spring,” Newman said. “Probably the hottest streak I've ever had, which is a lot of fun, but excited for the regular season, definitely a new slate, so looking to carry it into here.”
The Pirates got all of their offense from Ke’Bryan Hayes’ solo shot off Matt Shoemaker in the opening inning Tuesday. It’s safe to say that this is not an example of what a successful version of this team’s offense would look like.
This group very much lacks the slugging bruisers that Derek Shelton got to work with as bench coach of the “Bomba Squad” that hit an MLB record 307 homers in 2019. Sure, they have guys that can put the ball out of the park -- in 2021, everyone does. But in order for this team, as constructed, to be truly successful at the plate, they’ll have to play a version of small ball: Stringing hits together, striking out less often, stealing bases and drawing walks.
Essentially, they’ll have to be less like Nelson Cruz or Max Kepler and more like Newman.
“I think we kind of know we are in that regard. We’re not a 20-homer one through nine sort of lineup,” Newman said. “So, we are going to have to do those things, get runners over and get runners in when we can. I think we’ve got a pretty good idea of our identity when it comes to those things.”
Sure, they should take home runs where they can get them. Obviously, if someone could put forth a-Cruz-or-Kepler-in-2019-type season, it’ll benefit them immensely. And don’t count out everybody on this club, however. Shelton has maintained that pull-side power can develop within a player’s first couple big-league seasons, and Bryan Reynolds could be hitting that point now.
But until that bloom occurs, they just don’t have the horses. Pittsburgh was 18th among all major league teams with 29 long balls this spring, and 28th overall with a lot of the same lineup -- save for a full season of Hayes -- in the pandemic-shortened regular season last year.
Newman’s spring average broke the record previously set in 2008 by Oakland’s Todd Linden, who batted .586. Along with Hayes’ .431 mark and Adam Frazier’s .488 spring, that consistency is clearly not sustainable throughout a full season. But Shelton has seen things from that group at the top of the order than actually can carry over from Florida.
“I think the big point is the fact that we’re starting to see the work that we’ve done and the adjustments that we’ve made pay off in game situations,” Shelton said last week while Newman almost effortlessly maintained an average better than .700. “Consistency of at-bats against major league pitching is important.”
Newman and Frazier have repeated the sentiment that the group is working together and learning from one another to see what might shake out from all of this spring success. A lot has been made of adjusted hand placement before the swing for both Newman, Frazier, and even Anthony Alford. Reynolds also fits that bill, even if he doesn’t care to admit it.
“We're talking about really staying within ourselves and knowing who we are as hitters,” Newman said. “We can remember those feels and the work that we're putting in now so that it carries us through the year.”
Hayes, Frazier and Newman finished second, third and sixth in total base hits among all players this spring. As a team, they were in the top half of the majors with 135 runs scored (12th) and 388 total bases (ninth).
It wouldn’t have taken much to improve on the across-the-board regression the Pirates suffered at the plate last season. But hitting coach Rick Eckstein was confident the group would find themselves after dealing with the changes to the in-game processes brought on by the pandemic.
“Our comfort level never really got to a point to where players and all of us as a collective group could really show our talents and abilities the way we thought we were capable of,” Eckstein said earlier this spring. “I feel very strongly about the group and their talent and their ability, and hopefully we're putting them in a position to where they can continue to grow and express their talent and who they are on a baseball field.”
The Pirates finished the spring tied with the White Sox for eighth overall with 21 total stolen bases and were caught stealing eight times. But they also committed the sixth-most errors this spring with 25.
“At least on my side of things, there was a difference in watching the way that we [ran the bases and played defense],” Newman said. “There was some serious intent about them.”
The Pirates were toward the bottom of the league in walks -- which is going to happen when there aren’t true power hitters to pitch around -- but combined for fewer strikeouts than all but eight teams in the majors. The former hitting coach Shelton outlined a plan that might lead to lead to sustainable success for this offense despite both low walk and strikeout totals.
“I think consistency of at-bats is a big one. Controlling the count, and then being aggressive,” he said. “Looking at total offense: hit and run, moving guys, being able to move runners over, we did that.
“Little things like that so we create as many run scoring opportunities. I think trying to get to third base as much as possible with two outs, however that is, is going to be really important for us.”
MORE FROM THIS GAME
• After giving up five runs in as many innings through his first three spring appearances, JT Brubaker ended his Grapefruit League season with consecutive five-inning starts. His performance in the finale was his best of the spring. Following an inauspicious start where he allowed a hit and two walks to the first four hitters, Brubaker retired the next 14 batters to face him. He surrendered Minnesota’s only run on Max Kepler’s sacrifice fly in the opening inning, which could have gotten further out of hand if he didn’t put down Miguel Sano on three straight sliders to end the inning. Brubaker finishes with a 5.40 spring ERA with 13 strikeouts.
• The Pirates only had three hits themselves in the finale. In addition to Hayes’ homer, Colin Moran recorded singles in each of his two at-bats. The first was well struck -- 109.5 mph -- in the opening frame and the next was a squibbler off the end of the bat -- 56.3 mph -- in the fourth. He finishes the spring 11-for-37 (.297) with two doubles, two homers, the second of which came against Detroit lefty Matthew Boyd, and six RBIs. Gregory Polanco went hitless Tuesday and did not have such a strong finish. He finished with two hits in 23 at-bats (.087) over his final eight games. Polanco was 7-for-16 (.471) to start the spring.
• Relievers Sean Poppen and Edgar Santana, both of whom will start the season in minor-league camp, kept the streak going as the Pirates recorded 20 consecutive outs to end the game. Both pitchers recorded a strikeout in their lone inning. That duo also had a difficult spring overall. Poppen pitched to a 7.59 ERA while Santana lowered his to 10.80 in the final game of the spring.
• During the game, the Pirates announced the return of veteran infielder Todd Frazier on a new minor-league deal. Frazier opted out of his original deal with the club Friday when he was informed he would not make the opening day roster. Alex Stumpf of DK Pittsburgh Sports can also report that veteran catcher Tony Wolters opted out of his minor-league deal. Wolters lost the backup catcher battle to Michael Perez, Shelton announced Monday.
• Exclusively digital tickets and improved Wifi are among the enhancements the Pirates say they’ve made at PNC Park this spring. Cash will no longer be accepted by ballpark vendors and “reverse ATMs” have been installed throughout the stadium to convert paper money into a prepaid card.
• The Pirates were expected to fly to Chicago on Tuesday night and to provide some media availability Wednesday afternoon from Wrigley Field ahead of the opener. Chad Kuhl and Kyle Hendricks have been announced as opening day starters for the game scheduled to begin at 2:20 p.m.