BRADENTON, Fla. – Very few things get the outrage in the comments like the Pirates giving a player another position.
“Great! Another utility player!”
The Pirates take this approach a lot. They move prospects around in the minors, giving them new positions. The ultimate goal is that the player might have an easier time breaking into the big leagues, since he has more avenues to the majors. Likewise, he could have an easier time sticking in the majors with more positional value, and might even find a starting role.
Perhaps the best example of this is Josh Harrison. He had played all over the field before the Pirates added him from the Cubs in 2009. But they kept moving him around, and that versatility eventually got him to the majors. When the team needed an outfielder in 2014, Harrison stepped up, and it started his breakout season. When their outfielders got healthy, he moved to third base to replace the struggling Pedro Alvarez. He remained at that position most of the time in 2015, while moving around a lot. Then he became a regular starter at second base in 2016, replacing Neil Walker.
Adam Frazier is another example. He was drafted as a shortstop, and spent the entire 2014 season in Bradenton at the shortstop position. He added center field in 2015 in his jump to Altoona. He moved to second base in 2016 — a position he also played some in 2013 — and added the corner outfield spots. That allowed him to break into the majors primarily as an outfielder, getting in 37 of 59 games in the outfield. He played more second base in 2017 than in 2016, but again got most of his time in the outfield.
It’s not uncommon for the Pirates to move their players around, and Harrison and Frazier are two of the big success stories in terms of the positional versatility creating opportunities.
The Pirates aren’t going to win solely with utility players, and they aren’t trying to do that. If there’s a guy who can be a starter, he sticks to one position, and doesn’t move around until a better option emerges.
And that’s why Kevin Newman’s recent switch to second base is so interesting.
Newman isn’t completely moving to second base. He’s still getting time at shortstop. But for his whole pro career, Newman has been a shortstop. He hasn’t even taken a ground ball in practice at another position. But now he’s getting work at second, and getting into games at second.
Meanwhile, unless I’ve missed something, Cole Tucker still hasn’t taken a ground ball away from shortstop. If you’ve followed our rankings, you’ve seen that Tucker has moved ahead of Newman as the top shortstop prospect. Apparently, that’s the case with the Pirates as well.
The Pirates have a good collection of talented shortstop options in the upper levels. Newman will start off in Indianapolis. Tucker will start in Altoona. Kevin Kramer has even spent some time at the position, but I see him more as a second baseman who can play shortstop as a backup. Clint Hurdle discussed that depth yesterday when I asked him if he’s seen this many upper-level shortstop options in his time here.
“You’re aware of who your two shortstops are in the big leagues,” Hurdle said. “You’re aware of the guy in Triple-A. You usually know who your Double-A guy is. This situation we’re in here, we’re men deep at the shortstop position, with quality. Whether it’s Newman, whether it’s Tucker coming up, the Kramer kid — don’t forget about him, he came up as a shortstop. He played shortstop in the fall league as well. I think we’re in a very good position.”
I don’t see Newman as a guy who can be a starting shortstop in Pittsburgh for a long time. That has less to do with his skills, and more to do with Tucker being the better option on both sides of the ball. At best, Newman can come up and replace Jordy Mercer, only to be replaced a year or so later by Tucker, while remaining on the team as a backup option and a second baseman. So it’s a good thing to get him some work there now, and it’s very telling that he’s already getting that work.
“That’s just going to help Kevin to give him another option,” Hurdle said of the work at second. “It’s also going to give him another lens for the game, which doesn’t hurt. Sometimes they can develop a sharper lens for that. It helps them with the way they work with a second baseman, once they go over there and realize the challenges that a second baseman can run into.”
Newman said that the work at second base has been pretty similar, with the key difference being the change in the spin of the ball off the bat.
“It’s pretty similar,” Newman said. “There are differences with the spins off the bat. It’s an infield spot, the throws are a little shorter, have a little more time. The biggest thing for me is the spin, how it’s opposite for lefties and righties. That’s something I’ll get with time.”
He’s been working on getting more comfortable with the turn on double play balls, along with the other nuances of the position. It will be interesting to see how much time he spends at the position, and how much time he spends at shortstop in Triple-A, especially with other options available. But I think if there’s one telling thing about this spring, it’s that Newman doesn’t appear to be a shortstop in this organization over the long-term, and that Tucker should be the guy penciled in for that future starting role.
