Position preview: Kiner-Falefa has big opportunity at shortstop
The offseason has been quiet for Ben Cherington and the Pirates' front office. Outside of a few additions via free agency and trades, they haven't done much to improve the roster. So, as spring training approaches and the team heads to Bradenton, Fla, there are questions that need answered.
That being said, welcome to the fourth edition of our 2025 positional preview. I've already previewed catcher, first base and second base and will be working my way around the diamond before finishing with the starting rotation and bullpen on Sunday and Monday, respectively. We'll look at what players are in the hunt for playing time, take a look back at what happened in 2024 and what the outlook is for 2025. Hope you enjoy it.
• Position: Shortstop
• Players: Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Liover Peguero, Nick Gonzales
• 2024 review: At the beginning of the year, it seemed like Oneil Cruz was the future of the position. After breaking his leg in April of 2023, he returned to the lineup for his first full major-league season. But, as time carried on and Cherington elected to trade for Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Cruz's fate shifted.
After playing shortstop into the end of August, the Pirates moved Cruz to center field, where his athleticism and speed could be on full display. Cherington said last month at PiratesFest that the trade for Kiner-Falefa afforded them that opportunity. He added this insight at the time of the move: “We want to give him (Cruz) a chance to capture as much upside as possible and us as a team the chance to capture as much upside as possible by keeping him at a premium position for as long as possible."
At 6-7, Cruz doesn't fit the mold of an every day shortstop and while he often put in extra work to improve defensively, his numbers showed that it wasn't working. Cruz was worth -3 Outs Above Average, the sixth-lowest mark among shortstops with at least 250 attempts. He also committed 24 errors -- 12 throwing, 12 fielding -- which was the third-highest mark in Major League Baseball. The two players ahead of him played at least 45 more games. He also had the lowest fielding percentage among shortstops who played 950 innings or more. So, defensively, the move made sense.
At the plate, he was still one of the more dangerous hitters on the team as he was second on the team in home runs (21) and RBIs (76), trailing only Bryan Reynolds (24 and 88). But, he also led the team in strikeouts (181) by a large margin and often committed mental mistakes on the base paths.
When Nick Gonzales returned from a groin injury, Kiner-Falefa moved to shortstop, played 225 innings and didn't commit an error. He was worth -2 OAA, per Baseball Savant, and three defensive runs saved, according to FanGraphs. He also declined at the plate, compared to his time in Toronto hitting .240/.265/.322 with a .587 OPS.
Gonzales and Liover Peguero also played sparingly but didn't have a significant impact over the course of the year.
• 2025 outlook: Heading into spring training, shortstop will be Kiner-Falefa's position to lose. Cherington was asked last month at PiratesFest how defensive metrics might not support that and he responded: "For what it’s worth, our internal metrics have him as an above-average defensive shortstop. He’s been an elite infield defender for sure, over the course of his career. We also believe that going into spring training, potentially, if he has an opportunity to maybe focus a little bit more on short, where as last year when he was in Toronto, it was second, it was third, he was kinda bouncing around, he’ll be even more prepared for that position going into 2025."
Kiner-Falefa has been a valued utility infielder and won a Gold Glove at third base in 2020. However, he did play primarily shortstop in 2021 with the Rangers and 2022 with the Yankees. During those two seasons, he combined to record 20 defensive runs saved, according to FanGraphs, and was worth -9 OAA. So, 2025 is an opportunity for him to show that he can play that position full time at this stage of his career.
At the plate, he's hit .262/.313/.351 during his seven-year career but has never been a reliable power option. His exit velocity (86.1), barrel rate (2.3), hard-hit percentage (29.7) and bat speed (67) are all below the 10th percentile, compared to the rest of the league. But, his squared-up rate (35.1), whiff rate (14.8) and strikeout rate (15.7) are all in the 84th percentile or higher, according to Baseball Savant.
This is also a contract year for Kiner-Falefa. He's set to make $7.5 million and his future, along with the future of the position for the Pirates, is undetermined.
That's where Peguero could come in. The 24-year-old infielder has received limited opportunities since playing in one game in 2022. He had an extended stint with the club in 2023, playing in 59 games and hitting .237/.280/.374 with a .654 OPS. He was called up at the end of last season to play in three games, but didn't do anything of significance.
A strong spring training could go a long way for Peguero, but shortstop will be Kiner-Falefa's position to lose and is another opportunity for him to make his case as an above-average defensive infielder.
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THE ASYLUM
Greg Macafee
9:23 pm - 02.07.2025DOWNTOWNPosition preview: Kiner-Falefa has big opportunity at shortstop
The offseason has been quiet for Ben Cherington and the Pirates' front office. Outside of a few additions via free agency and trades, they haven't done much to improve the roster. So, as spring training approaches and the team heads to Bradenton, Fla, there are questions that need answered.
That being said, welcome to the fourth edition of our 2025 positional preview. I've already previewed catcher, first base and second base and will be working my way around the diamond before finishing with the starting rotation and bullpen on Sunday and Monday, respectively. We'll look at what players are in the hunt for playing time, take a look back at what happened in 2024 and what the outlook is for 2025. Hope you enjoy it.
• Position: Shortstop
• Players: Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Liover Peguero, Nick Gonzales
• 2024 review: At the beginning of the year, it seemed like Oneil Cruz was the future of the position. After breaking his leg in April of 2023, he returned to the lineup for his first full major-league season. But, as time carried on and Cherington elected to trade for Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Cruz's fate shifted.
After playing shortstop into the end of August, the Pirates moved Cruz to center field, where his athleticism and speed could be on full display. Cherington said last month at PiratesFest that the trade for Kiner-Falefa afforded them that opportunity. He added this insight at the time of the move: “We want to give him (Cruz) a chance to capture as much upside as possible and us as a team the chance to capture as much upside as possible by keeping him at a premium position for as long as possible."
At 6-7, Cruz doesn't fit the mold of an every day shortstop and while he often put in extra work to improve defensively, his numbers showed that it wasn't working. Cruz was worth -3 Outs Above Average, the sixth-lowest mark among shortstops with at least 250 attempts. He also committed 24 errors -- 12 throwing, 12 fielding -- which was the third-highest mark in Major League Baseball. The two players ahead of him played at least 45 more games. He also had the lowest fielding percentage among shortstops who played 950 innings or more. So, defensively, the move made sense.
At the plate, he was still one of the more dangerous hitters on the team as he was second on the team in home runs (21) and RBIs (76), trailing only Bryan Reynolds (24 and 88). But, he also led the team in strikeouts (181) by a large margin and often committed mental mistakes on the base paths.
When Nick Gonzales returned from a groin injury, Kiner-Falefa moved to shortstop, played 225 innings and didn't commit an error. He was worth -2 OAA, per Baseball Savant, and three defensive runs saved, according to FanGraphs. He also declined at the plate, compared to his time in Toronto hitting .240/.265/.322 with a .587 OPS.
Gonzales and Liover Peguero also played sparingly but didn't have a significant impact over the course of the year.
• 2025 outlook: Heading into spring training, shortstop will be Kiner-Falefa's position to lose. Cherington was asked last month at PiratesFest how defensive metrics might not support that and he responded: "For what it’s worth, our internal metrics have him as an above-average defensive shortstop. He’s been an elite infield defender for sure, over the course of his career. We also believe that going into spring training, potentially, if he has an opportunity to maybe focus a little bit more on short, where as last year when he was in Toronto, it was second, it was third, he was kinda bouncing around, he’ll be even more prepared for that position going into 2025."
Kiner-Falefa has been a valued utility infielder and won a Gold Glove at third base in 2020. However, he did play primarily shortstop in 2021 with the Rangers and 2022 with the Yankees. During those two seasons, he combined to record 20 defensive runs saved, according to FanGraphs, and was worth -9 OAA. So, 2025 is an opportunity for him to show that he can play that position full time at this stage of his career.
At the plate, he's hit .262/.313/.351 during his seven-year career but has never been a reliable power option. His exit velocity (86.1), barrel rate (2.3), hard-hit percentage (29.7) and bat speed (67) are all below the 10th percentile, compared to the rest of the league. But, his squared-up rate (35.1), whiff rate (14.8) and strikeout rate (15.7) are all in the 84th percentile or higher, according to Baseball Savant.
This is also a contract year for Kiner-Falefa. He's set to make $7.5 million and his future, along with the future of the position for the Pirates, is undetermined.
That's where Peguero could come in. The 24-year-old infielder has received limited opportunities since playing in one game in 2022. He had an extended stint with the club in 2023, playing in 59 games and hitting .237/.280/.374 with a .654 OPS. He was called up at the end of last season to play in three games, but didn't do anything of significance.
A strong spring training could go a long way for Peguero, but shortstop will be Kiner-Falefa's position to lose and is another opportunity for him to make his case as an above-average defensive infielder.
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Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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