Adam Frazier became the Pirates' third different starting first baseman of the spring today and Derek Shelton said afterward not to expect a decision at that position any time soon.
Darick Hall started at first base in the team's Grapefruit League opener against the Orioles and Jared Triolo started there on Sunday against the Twins.
"I think you'll see a wide-variety of guys at first as we're continuing to make our decision. It will not be a decision we make early in camp," Shelton said. "It's probably going to be a lengthy, I don't want to say audition, but trial for different people."
Several players have taken reps at first base throughout the first few weeks. Along with the three mentioned above, Nick Yorke, Matt Gorski and Malcom Nunez have seen time there and others are trying their hand as well, including Jack Suwinski.
While Shelton said they aren't looking for anything in particular when it comes to who could fill in for Spencer Horwitz while he rehabs from surgery to his thumb extensor, they are looking to get guys as many in-game reps as they can to see who could possibly set themselves apart on defense.
"It's seeing guys when they have to get in a cut situation. How they're doing on tags. What they're doing playing behind guys," Shelton said. "One of the things I think we'll try to do is try to get guys over there as much as possible because in spring training, you don't have a lot of reps on those plays. We're really playing close attention to the plays they have, the plays they don't have to try to get as many looks as possible."
Here is Shelton's full media availability from today:
A few other notes:
• Tanner Rainey threw another scoreless inning today and struck out three straight batters after Ambioris Tavarez singled to lead off the inning and stole second base. He didn't allow a hit and struck out one batter on Saturday against the Orioles. He has put together a solid spring so far as a non-roster invitee.
"The fastball works good. I think as we've seen in the past, when he was in Washington the fastball played at [97 and 98] and today it was at 93 and 94, so that's encouraging," Shelton said. "What's encouraging is when it's still at 93 and 94 and he's getting swings and misses. That's something that's really important for us. Just continuing to build him up and see where it goes from there."
• Kyle Nicolas also threw a scoreless inning of relief and topped out at 98.8 mph, which is about a mile an hour faster compared to his average velocity last season. But as he continues to work through this spring, Shelton is looking for a little more consistency as far as staying in the zone: "Even in the walk that he had, the 2-2 pitch, all he has to do is go strike there and he probably gets a swing. So, it's just staying consistent. I like his delivery right now. He looks a little more relaxed. I think that's gonna be helpful."
• Ke'Bryan Hayes has also tallied three hits so far this spring. He beat out an infield single today and also stole a base. Health has always been a question mark with Hayes but it seems to be the healthiest he's been in a long time and that's something this team will need moving forward.
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THE ASYLUM
Greg Macafee
10:23 pm - 02.25.2025Bradenton, Fla.Shelton: First base won't be decided anytime soon
Adam Frazier became the Pirates' third different starting first baseman of the spring today and Derek Shelton said afterward not to expect a decision at that position any time soon.
Darick Hall started at first base in the team's Grapefruit League opener against the Orioles and Jared Triolo started there on Sunday against the Twins.
"I think you'll see a wide-variety of guys at first as we're continuing to make our decision. It will not be a decision we make early in camp," Shelton said. "It's probably going to be a lengthy, I don't want to say audition, but trial for different people."
Several players have taken reps at first base throughout the first few weeks. Along with the three mentioned above, Nick Yorke, Matt Gorski and Malcom Nunez have seen time there and others are trying their hand as well, including Jack Suwinski.
While Shelton said they aren't looking for anything in particular when it comes to who could fill in for Spencer Horwitz while he rehabs from surgery to his thumb extensor, they are looking to get guys as many in-game reps as they can to see who could possibly set themselves apart on defense.
"It's seeing guys when they have to get in a cut situation. How they're doing on tags. What they're doing playing behind guys," Shelton said. "One of the things I think we'll try to do is try to get guys over there as much as possible because in spring training, you don't have a lot of reps on those plays. We're really playing close attention to the plays they have, the plays they don't have to try to get as many looks as possible."
Here is Shelton's full media availability from today:
A few other notes:
• Tanner Rainey threw another scoreless inning today and struck out three straight batters after Ambioris Tavarez singled to lead off the inning and stole second base. He didn't allow a hit and struck out one batter on Saturday against the Orioles. He has put together a solid spring so far as a non-roster invitee.
"The fastball works good. I think as we've seen in the past, when he was in Washington the fastball played at [97 and 98] and today it was at 93 and 94, so that's encouraging," Shelton said. "What's encouraging is when it's still at 93 and 94 and he's getting swings and misses. That's something that's really important for us. Just continuing to build him up and see where it goes from there."
• Kyle Nicolas also threw a scoreless inning of relief and topped out at 98.8 mph, which is about a mile an hour faster compared to his average velocity last season. But as he continues to work through this spring, Shelton is looking for a little more consistency as far as staying in the zone: "Even in the walk that he had, the 2-2 pitch, all he has to do is go strike there and he probably gets a swing. So, it's just staying consistent. I like his delivery right now. He looks a little more relaxed. I think that's gonna be helpful."
• Ke'Bryan Hayes has also tallied three hits so far this spring. He beat out an infield single today and also stole a base. Health has always been a question mark with Hayes but it seems to be the healthiest he's been in a long time and that's something this team will need moving forward.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
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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