On Friday night, the Pittsburgh Pirates optioned infielder Liover Peguero and left-handed pitcher Jose Hernandez to Triple-A Indianapolis. Both moves are pretty significant to shape the final roster.
Peguero played in the majors last year, with a .654 OPS in 198 at-bats, along with seven home runs during his rookie campaign. This spring, he batted .269/.345/.423 with one homer in 26 at-bats, while looking good at second base.
This move points to Jared Triolo being the starting second baseman. If that’s the case, Triolo has earned it over Peguero. Aside from also playing good defense at second base, Triolo had better numbers in his debut, and better numbers this spring. He’s batting .353/.436/.559 with two homers in 34 at-bats this spring. That follows a .298 average, .786 OPS and three homers in 181 at-bats last year.
Triolo had a high BABIP last year, with 44% of balls in play falling in for a hit. Averages for hitters tend to be around 30%, although Triolo has always ranged higher in the minors. He had a .411 BABIP in Triple-A, prior to his MLB success. This spring, he had a .500 BABIP. You can expect some sort of drop over a full-season, which would lead to a drop in stats. However, there’s a reason Triolo trends higher with his BABIP: He genuinely makes exceptional contact.
Last year, Triolo had a 27.7% line drive rate, which was above the league average of 20%. Line drives have a BABIP of around 70%, and represent the best approach toward getting a hit. There’s a reason scouts love a player with a line drive stroke. Triolo’s fly ball rate — one of the worst batted ball trends for BABIP — was 31.9%, which was below the league average of 37.5%. From a scouting standpoint, Triolo is one of the most focused and poised players on the field, never taking his eye off the ball.
Matt Eddy, my editor at Baseball America, and a fantasy baseball expert, recently tweeted about having Triolo in all five of his dynasty leagues.
I now have 100% Jared Triolo saturation across five dynasty leagues.
Life is good.
— Matt Eddy (@MattEddyBA) March 19, 2024
That’s not a bad approach to take if you’re building your fantasy roster. Triolo seems like a sleeper candidate with eligibility all over the field, the capacity for a high average, and the frame for 15+ homers per year — when he’s not “selling out” for line drive contact.
For the Pirates, the decision to send down Peguero points to Triolo getting the second base job, with all of his sleeper candidacy potentially helping them win some games.
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Jose Hernandez going down is more difficult to connect the dots. A lot depends on what the Pirates do with their rotation and bullpen. He had a 1.50 ERA this year in six innings, with nine strikeouts. That also came with a 1.50 WHIP, making the ERA unsustainable over more innings. Last year, he put up a 4.97 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and 62 strikeouts in 50.2 innings.
Ryan Borucki has established himself as the top lefty in the bullpen. The Pirates have other lefties in camp. One situation worth watching is with Bailey Falter. He’s out of options, and has struggled as a starting pitching candidate. If the Pirates want to keep him, he needs to remain on the big league roster. Falter is unlikely to make the team as a starter, but could stick around in relief.
Josh Fleming, added through free agency last month, is another situation to watch. The lefty has a 3.86 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP in 11.2 innings, striking out ten. Fleming is also out of options, signed to a split-level contract. With Hernandez going down, it’s likely that one of the out-of-options lefties gets a roster spot as the second lefty in the bullpen.
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Peguero and Hernandez become depth options in Triple-A, as the Pirates maintain and give first chances to guys who arguably have deserved the roster nods. Peguero’s demotion points to Alika Williams winning a bench role as the backup shortstop. Williams hasn’t performed better than Peguero, but there’s an argument to be had for Peguero starting daily, while Williams stays on the bench in the majors.
Both Peguero and Hernandez are good depth options for the duration of a season, and both will likely be up at some point in 2024.
Pirates Prospects Daily
It’s been a little over a week since Pirates Prospects has returned. In future weeks, there will be a Saturday feature, likely focusing on a prospect outside of the top 30.
I was at Pirate City on Friday, conducting some interviews for upcoming player features. I’ll be back today, taking in the action at minor league camp on a day without so much rain.
The Pirates had their Friday night game against the Orioles cancelled, due to said rain. They take on the Red Sox on Saturday afternoon at LECOM Park.
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This Week on Pirates Prospects
**The History of Anthony Solometo’s Funky Delivery
Read about how Anthony Solometo developed one of the funkiest deliveries in the game and reached the upper levels as one of the top prospects in the Pirates’ system.
**Braxton Ashcraft Returned From Tommy John With MLB Stuff
Braxton Ashcraft is looking like he could help the Pirates in 2024, with the help of three plus offerings.
**Thomas Harrington Emerged as a Top Ten Prospect in His Pro Debut
He’s down with a shoulder issue right now, but Thomas Harrington showed he was a top ten prospect in the system with his 2023 debut.
**J.P. Massey Shows His Future Potential During Eventful 2023 Season
After a trip to the MLB Future’s Game, and a full season in A-ball, J.P. Massey is showing off potential that could lead to a future in Pittsburgh.
**Jackson Wolf’s Elevator Delivery Explained
Solometo isn’t the only lefty with a funky delivery. Read about Jackson Wolf, who the Pirates acquired from the Padres last year at the deadline.
