There was a time during Spring Training that you could have made a strong case that Ji-Hwan Bae shouldn’t have made the Opening Day roster.
He started to turn things around later on in spring, and hasn’t really slowed down – literally – since.
In a game that definitely made you feel like you did a little time travel, Bae was one of the catalyst at the bottom of the order, picking up three hits in the Pittsburgh Pirates home opening win against the Chicago White Sox.
This has been nothing new for Bae, who has been put in charge of providing a spark at the bottom of the order. Someone with the speed and hitting ability that he has, you could easily insert them as the lead-off batter and let the big hitters drive him home.
Instead he’s bringing a sense of balance to a lineup, that thanks to their offensive outburst on Friday, find themselves in the top half of the league in scoring.
Even though he’s gone 7-for-23 (.304), with two doubles, a home run and a pair of stolen bases, it hasn’t just been the offense he’s contributed to. He’s also made some splashes defensively, switching between the infield and outfield, sometimes in the same game.
JI HWAN BAE WITH THE PLAY OF THE DAY! pic.twitter.com/YBk1GNt3zv
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 5, 2023
He’s hit for power, as well as using his speed to get himself on base. Friday saw him bunt for a base hit, sliding in before the ball made it to first. He would later score on an Oneil Cruz RBI single.
When you can make an impact so many ways, it helps insulate you from slumps. His speed has turned singles into doubles, as well as groundouts into base hits. The power continues to develop as well, evident by his opposite field shot for his first career home run.
The first home run of Ji Hwan Bae's big league career.
Having that balance throughout the lineup can really make the difference in the team’s win total by the time it is all said and done. Bae has shown the ability to make a difference, even if it’s not in the most traditional spot in the order.
— Thomas Harrington made his professional debut and was fantastic. He only needed 63 pitches to get through five innings, and still struck out seven along the way. The slider and changeup were fantastic, generating eight whiffs on just 13 swings.
Just the slider alone accounted for 12 whiffs and called strikes, and that’s coming with him throwing it just a total of 15 times.
— Getting the Opening Day start for Greensboro, Anthony Solometo looked strong in four innings of work. He struck out the side in the first inning, picking up eight swinging strikes just in that frame alone.
His lone mistake was leaving a slider too much over the plate, which got smashed over the center field wall. The fastball looked good, and while it got up to 93 mph, it stayed mostly in the 90-91 range.
There was a part of the game missing from the stream being down, so there could have been a pitch thrown harder.
Daily Video Rundown
Welcome to the Pirates Prospects daily video rundown, where we pull some of the top videos of the Pittsburgh Pirates across the internet.
Owen Kellington with a nice curveball to get the strikeout #LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/OpzDWMtWrF
— Anthony Murphy (@__Murphy88) April 8, 2023
Owen Kellington was one of the prep pitchers that the Pirates went over slot to sign during the 2021 draft. An injury limited him to just ten innings in the FCL last year. Despite that limited work, he got the push to Bradenton for this season.
Jase Bowen with a RBI double for the first run of the game for Greensboro. #LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/7m5qMezudX
— Anthony Murphy (@__Murphy88) April 7, 2023
After putting up some pretty good statcast numbers in Bradenton last year, Jase Bowen struggled in a small sample of High-A to end 2022. Getting another chance in Greensboro this year, he got off to a great start, picking up three hits in the opener, including this RBI double.
NASTY back door slider for a called strike three.
82.4 mph
2893 rpm
36 inch vertical break
20 inches horizontal breakInsane pitch#LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/QqOY01kgeR
— Anthony Murphy (@__Murphy88) April 7, 2023
The 36th overall pick by the Pirates last year, Thomas Harrington made his professional debut on Friday, and it went really well. The righty mixed his pitches, threw strikes and only needed 63 pitches to complete five innings and strikeout out seven batters.
Pirates Prospects Daily
By John Dreker
Yesterday was the home opener for the Pirates, and the season openers for Bradenton and Greensboro. We will have four full-season teams to cover daily until the DSL/FCL Pirates start their seasons in early June. Here are the links from yesterday.
**Pirates Recap: It’s Beginning to Feel a Lot Like 2013
**Prospect Watch: Thomas Harrington Shines in His Pro Debut
**Williams: How Will Positive Vibes in Pittsburgh Help the Pirates Prospects?
**Minor Moves: Pirates Set Bradenton and Greensboro Opening Day Rosters
**Prospect Roundtable: Who is Your Sleeper Prospect in the Pirates System?
**Pirates Get Numerous Mentions Among Best Tools in the Minors
**Pirates Prospects Daily: The Two Sides Of Kyle Nicolas On The Mound
Song of the Day
