Just a few notes from a routine day at Pirate City. The team was primarily doing base running and infield drills, and batting practice.
As per usual, for drills the Pirates have two groups, one made up primarily of regulars and the other primarily of non-roster invitees and other players who are fighting for the last roster spot or two. Most of the latter, of course, will end up at Indianapolis.
It’s easy to read too much into this — in the past veterans like Garrett Atkins and Brad Hawpe would work out with the “regulars” — but the first basemen with the group that included the team’s regulars were Gaby Sanchez and Andrew Lambo. As the Pirates have already said, it looks like Lambo will spend the spring at first rather than in the outfield. The only utility infielder with this group, unless you count Clint Barmes, was Josh Harrison, who doesn’t seem to have any serious competition for a bench role. (For some reason, Harrison is listed as an outfielder on the team’s web site, but he was working out at third today.) Chris Stewart, Tony Sanchez, Gregory Polanco and Jose Tabata were all with the “regulars.” Stewart physically looks very similar to Pirates’ catching prospect Jacob Stallings, which is mildly interesting because they have very a similar skill mix.
The other group included Travis Ishikawa, Chris McGuiness, Travis Snider, and Alen Hanson. Matt Hague played third during infield drills. He could end up as the regular there with Indianapolis, with Ishikawa, McGuiness and Lambo all possibilities to play first for the Indians. I could not locate Chris Dickerson or Jaff Decker.
