On Friday, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Corey Hart for $2.5 M, with an additional $2.5 M in possible incentives. He will presumably play first base when left-handed pitchers are on the mound, but could also serve as a backup in the outfield. One of the things I noticed in response to the signing was the inevitable comparison to Gaby Sanchez, with some wondering why the Pirates got rid of Sanchez (who was due an estimated $2.7 M) just to sign another platoon option for around the same price.
There are two ways to look at this comparison. First, you’ve got the strict platoon role. Sanchez was coming off a down year against lefties, but has an .863 OPS in his career against left-handers. Hart is also coming off a down year against lefties, and has missed a lot of time due to injuries the last two years. However, he has a career .866 OPS against left-handers. Both players are about the same for their careers.
If I was picking the safer platoon option, I’d go with Sanchez. Both players had a down year in 2014, but the injury issues with Hart provide more of a concern. This isn’t to say that Hart can’t bounce back. It’s just that Sanchez looks like less of a risk, since he hasn’t been plagued by injuries that could be limiting his production, unlike Hart.
What about beyond just the right-handed platoon role at first base? That’s where Hart has an advantage. Sanchez has a career .691 OPS against right-handers. Hart has a career .788 OPS. This gives Hart a potential upgrade in a few areas.
First, it means that if Pedro Alvarez struggles or goes down with an injury, Hart is a much better option to be a full-time starter at first base than Sanchez. There’s also the additional positions that each player can play. Sanchez can play third base. Hart can play the outfield. Neither player is a good option at those positions — Sanchez due to defense and Hart due to health. Sanchez playing third base means that he’s either batting against a right-hander, or Alvarez is at first against a lefty. Either way, he’s going to provide a liability at another position. Because Hart can hit right-handers, he could find extra time in the outfield, if needed, while Alvarez is playing first. That means he actually has value at another position.
Both of these still come with the big disclaimer that Hart is injury prone, and that there is no guarantee he will be healthy and productive this year. By comparison, there is less risk with Sanchez, but there is no upside against right-handers. Even if he plays up to his career numbers, he isn’t a guy who should be batting against right-handed pitching.
Sanchez represents a lower risk than Hart, but he also comes with a lower potential reward. Hart is a bigger risk due to his injuries. If he can get healthy, then he has a much bigger upside, due to the fact that he can hit right-handers, and also wouldn’t provide a liability on the field if he was playing another position other than first base. I don’t know if this is what the Pirates were thinking when they non-tendered Sanchez (who is now going to Japan for $2.15 M) and went with Hart. But by the looks of each player, they’re going for the higher risk/higher reward option, rather than just playing it safe and going for someone who is strictly a lefty platoon option.
