INDIANAPOLIS — Christopher Bostick smiled and slightly chuckled when thinking about how to describe his professional career thus far.
“Kind of all over the place,” he simply said.
Bostick, promoted by the Pirates on Monday, fittingly picked a versatile description.
He’s playing for his third organization since being drafted in the 44th round of the 2011 draft by Oakland. Bostick has been a top-30 prospect with Oakland, Washington, and now, Pittsburgh.
He’s played four different positions already this season with Triple-A Indianapolis, spending time everywhere but catcher and first base in Spring Training.
He’s also been all over the lineup as a hitter, now being used as the Indians’ primary lead-off batter since Gift Ngoepe was promoted.
The Pirates promoted Bostick and Max Moroff from Indianapolis on Monday, sending catcher Elias Diaz and infielder Phil Gosselin back down to the Indians.
Bostick joked his skill set is “kind of like a jack of all trades, master of none type of thing.” He’s played second base, third base, left field and right field this season, committing two errors — one in left field and one at second base.
“It’s something I’ve tried to embrace in my career and understand I have to try to be good at a bunch of different things,” Bostick said. “I just try to be as consistent as possible, because I’m not going to be the guy that throws 100 across the diamond or hits 40 home runs.”
Bostick has been one of the most consistent hitters in the Indianapolis lineup this season. He just had a 15-game hitting streak snapped on Saturday, but had eight multi-hit games in that stretch. His slash line is .320/.495/.841 with seven doubles, two triples and two home runs.
The hitting streak came down to one basic philosophy often uttered, but not always followed: know your strengths and use them. Those are words Bostick keeps close to him regarding all aspects of his game.
“He’s aggressive in the zone,” Indianapolis manager Andy Barkett said. “He’s short and doesn’t try to do too much. A lot of times you see guys over-swing and try to take a bigger swing than they need to, but he doesn’t. He knows himself and trusts himself. You’re seeing the results.”
His recent success at the plate has led to a more confident player, something that should be expected Bostick said. But at the same time, he takes that feeling with caution.
“It’s trying to stay within yourself,” Bostick said. “Really, it can work in the opposite, too. If you get a little more comfortable you can either get too passive or too aggressive. Just really try to take a deep breath and take every pitch at a time. If I get a good pitch, try to put my swing on it and if it’s a pitch I can’t hit then do my best to let those ones go by.”
Bostick’s value will likely come from his defensive ability to be a super utility player, a role that is ever-evolving. He was a shortstop in his younger days and was primarily a second baseman early in his professional career. He’s played second base in 517 of his 639 career minor league games.
He’s had a few moments in left field this season that were shaky, but has been a solid defensive player otherwise. That’s especially valuable considering he’s able to play good defense despite constantly rotating around the field. During the first 18 games of the season, only twice did Bostick play the same position two games in a row.
“It’s huge for him,” Barkett said. “He’s fast and can run. So, when you can run you become a commodity for a manager in the big leagues, especially if you’re versatile. Because in the National League, especially, you can go in with double-switches. There are a lot of different scenarios where you can add value to a club because of your speed and defense if you can play multiple positions. If you can’t, then it limits you.”
Bostick doesn’t receive a schedule saying he’ll play a certain position in Tuesday’s game, or he’ll move to third base for Friday’s game. He finds out where he plays each day when he arrives at Victory Field each day, something Bostick tries to find out early.
If he’s playing an infield position, he’ll go out for extra work before batting practice, which allows him to refamiliarize himself to the position in a more controlled setting. If Bostick is playing in the outfield, he’ll go out there during batting practice which closely simulates what he might see in the game.
“All you can ask for is to be in the lineup,” Bostick said. “You just go to card each day and find out where. The rest kind of falls on us and the other guys on the team are doing the same thing. It’s on us to make sure we get our work in and do the things we need to make sure we’re ready.”
As his career has evolved, Bostick has developed the ability to play multiple positions. He only started playing third base last season and hasn’t even played a dozen games in right field. Developing into a super utility player involves as much of a mental commitment as a physical one.
“Obviously it’s a lot more comfortable to be able to show up to the park and say, ‘I know I’m playing here and batting in this spot of the lineup,’” Bostick said. “It’s real comfortable to be able to do that. But once you open yourself up to, ‘Okay, I know today might be a different position, something else.’ I think earlier in my career it was a little bit tougher because I like playing second base and I think I’m more comfortable playing second base. Once I kind of opened up and realized this is what will make me the player I am, I think that’s helped with the mindset and try to stay as athletic as possible.”
In the long run, Bostick might start a trend of developing players that can be used almost anywhere on the field — even switching from infield to outfield. That would be just fine with him.
“This game has been years and years of guys that play one position,” Bostick said. “Maybe they’re not one-dimensional, but they never really got the chance to show they could do other things. It’s an exciting time in baseball and the game is definitely changing. Hopefully, I can be part of that.”
Bostick has proven to be a dependable player in the field for the most part this season, being used in multiple infield and outfield positions. His outstanding start at the plate is an added bonus to his intrigue as a prospect. He’s a smart player who knows his skills and limitation, which might allow him to surprise people when he plays in the Major Leagues.
