’Twas the night before Christmas … ah, well, you know the rest. This week usually is the slowest throughout baseball, as executives, agents, scouts, coaches, and players enjoy some holiday downtime. The average MLB salary in 2018 was $4.52 million, so what can you put under the tree for a big leaguer who already has everything? As it turns out, I have a few holiday gift ideas for your favorite Pirates:
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Chris Archer: Another standing ovation. — The crowd of 26,000-plus rose to its feet and cheered as Archer walked off the mound in his Pirates debut on Aug. 3 against the Cardinals. Yet, the fans were cheering more for Archer’s mere presence — “Hey, the Pirates traded for a legit marquee player!” — than his performance (4 1/3 innings, five runs, seven hits). “It was great to be welcomed right away like that,” Archer said in September. Yet, in 10 starts with the Pirates, Archer went 3-3 with a 4.30 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP — results that were a notch below what both he and the fanbase expected. If Archer can regain the form he had in 2015, when the righty finished fifth in the American League Cy Young Award voting, he’ll savor the applause even more.
Trevor Williams: Some national recognition. — The righty did not receive a single Cy Young vote (each ballot lists a top five), despite putting together a breakout season. Williams was the only pitcher in the majors (and the first Pirate since 1908) to make 10 starts of at least six innings without allowing a run (the runner-up was Justin Verlander, who had nine such outings). Williams also deserves pub for his selfless work with Project 34 and Underdogs United.
Josh Bell: Less obsession about his home run total. — With 12 home runs, Bell was tied with Joey Votto for 12th place among National League first basemen. The year before, however, Bell went deep 26 times. Still, the news isn’t all bad. While first base ideally is a power position, Bell was productive even with fewer homers. He ranked ninth at his position with 112 wRC+, which was four points higher than his mark in 2017. He overcame the dip in power by leading the team with 77 walks and hitting a career-best 31 doubles. There are other positive indicators, too: Bell ranked 18th in the majors in max exit velocity (115.6 mph), increased his launch angle (9.2 degrees) and hard-hit rate (36.5 percent), and lowered his strikeout rate (17.7 percent) and chase rate (23.1 percent). Bell also took a bit more time to savor his long balls. His average home run trot, according to Statcast, was 21.7 seconds, nearly a full second longer than in 2017.
Cole Tucker: Strong fingers and a box of Sharpies. — Tucker is arguably the most outgoing and fan-friendly player in the organization. Now that he’s on the doorstep of the majors, Tucker will face long autograph queues at Indy. When he reaches Pittsburgh in September (or maybe a bit sooner than that), Tucker will instantly become the darling of the Pirates’ community relations staff. Look for him every weekend at your local Giant Eagle, kissing babies and signing photo cards.
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Jung Ho Kang: The gift of gab. — During our half-hour conversation a few weeks ago about his conversion to Christianity, I kidded Kang about his reclusive nature with the media. “A lot of reporters don’t like to ask me questions because my answers are usually very short. This is probably the longest you’ll ever get,” Kang said, smiling. If Kang’s comeback bid turns into a feel-good story, he’ll be in line for a lot more interview requests next summer.
Steven Brault: An anthem encore. — Brault sang the “Star-Spangled Banner” before the June 19 game at PNC Park. It was nothing new for the lefty, who was a music performance major in college and in the offseason is frontman for the band Street Gypsies in his native San Diego. “I know I’m not the only singer in Major League Baseball,” Brault told MLB.com after his anthem performance. “It’s a fun song to sing, a hard song to sing. Maybe it’ll encourage some other guys that are better than me to go and do it, too.”
Nick Burdi: More than just 60 days in the majors in 2019. — Because he spent most of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery, Burdi must stick with the Pirates for the first two months of the season to fulfill his Rule 5 obligations. After that, he’ll become full property of the team and can be optioned to Triple-A. “Our thought in selecting him last year was power arm, potential back-end bullpen guy,” general manager Neal Huntington said. If Burdi can reach that level, his stay in the big leagues will last well beyond May.
Francisco Cervelli: A Champions League title for Juventus. — Cervelli is the biggest soccer fan in the clubhouse. It’s been more than 20 years since his favorite club won Europe’s most prestigious club tournament.
Lonnie Chisenhall: A crash course in how to deal with balls caroming off the Clemente Wall at PNC Park.
Kyle Crick: Lots more soft contact. — Per Statcast, Crick had a 2.0 percent rate of barreled balls per plate appearance. That ranked 10th-best in the majors, tied with Jeurys Familia and a tick behind Adam Ottavino (1.9 percent). Only 24.4 percent of batted balls off Crick had an exit velocity of 95 mph or better, the best rate in the big leagues.
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Elias Diaz: A happy holiday season at home with his family. — In February, Diaz’s mother was kidnapped in Venezuela by a gang that included a family friend and a former policeman. She was rescued three days later. “The joy I felt was overwhelming,” Diaz said. The ordeal certainly gave Diaz a renewed appreciation for the importance of family.
Corey Dickerson: A strong second half. — Last season, Dickerson dispelled the conventional wisdom that he was all bat/no glove by winning a Gold Glove in left field. Maybe he can erase another bad rap next year. When he joined the Pirates, Dickerson had a rep for putting up strong first halves (career .292/.340/.506), then fading a bit after the All-Star break (.274/.312/.488). He followed that trend last season (.306/.340/.469 and .289/.312/.483). The overall result is still a very productive full season. But, given the challenges the Pirates might face with run production, a consistent season from Dickerson would be a huge boon.
Michael Feliz: More sliders. — Feliz’s usage of that pitch dropped to a career-low 22.3 percent, even though it was his best whiff pitch (37.9 percent). Feliz’s arsenal was especially fastball-heavy early in the year, so he augmented it with a sinker (a pitch he’d shelved in 2017) and changeup (which he used at a career-high 4.2 percent rate). He still struggled to gain consistency, though.
Adam Frazier: A steady, everyday job at second base. — Frazier broke into the Pirates as a utilityman, a role that often comes with sporadic playing time that can make it difficult to climb out of batting funks. Frazier scuffled midway through the 2017 season and again this past summer, so much that he was demoted to Indy in early June. In September, as Josh Harrison was being phased out of the lineup, Frazier started 19 of his final 23 games and slashed .278/.321/.494 with three home runs. “We feel good about Adam Frazier getting a chance to play second base on a regular basis and letting him go play one position,” Huntington said two weeks ago during the winter meetings.
Clay Holmes: A clean slate. — The rookie right-hander was put in some tough spots last season. In the two days leading up to his first start in the majors, Holmes watched the Dodgers maul the Pirates, 17-1 and 8-3. He lasted 2 1/3 innings and gave up four runs. A month later, Holmes was given a spot start in the infamous “rest the starters” game against the Giants. He was tagged for seven runs in 2 2/3 innings. Although management hasn’t ruled out a future move to the bullpen, Holmes will go into 2019 in a starter’s role.
Keone Kela: Non-emergency save opportunities. — Kela was the Rangers’ closer before he was traded to the Pirates to become a setup man. He’s got the stuff to close and converted 24 of 25 save chances with the Rangers. If Felipe Vázquez needs a blow every now and again, it’s likely because he’s getting lots of work because the Pirates are ahead in the late innings. So lots of victories could lead Kela to get a handful of save opps. Everyone wins.
Mitch Keller: Patience. — The right-hander, who’s rated the Pirates’ top prospect, will begin the season with Triple-A Indianapolis. He made 10 starts there last summer after a midseason promotion and went 3-2 with a 4.82 ERA. Unless the big league rotation is struck by a rash of long-term injuries, Keller probably will stay with Indy until September. He was 22 last season. About four years younger than the typical Triple-A player. Keller most likely will reach Pittsburgh before he turns 24 in April 2020.
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Nick Kingham: A rotation spot. — The 27-year-old righty has worked through nine seasons in the minors, plus recovery time from Tommy John surgery. A spot starter last season, Kingham is out of minor league options, so the Pirates surely would lose him on waivers if he doesn’t make the team out fo spring training. With Keller and others pushing up from Indy, it’s time for the Pirates to see what they have in Kingham. Can he replace Ivan Nova this season?
Kevin Kramer: No more “Seinfeld” jokes. Ever.
Kevin Newman: Ditto.
Chad Kuhl: A speedy recovery from Tommy John surgery and a spot in somebody’s rotation when he returns. — Kuhl will turn 27 in September, about a week shy of the one-year anniversary of his surgery. He might not be ready for a full season’s work until 2021 and by then the Pirates might have younger arms in their rotation.
Starling Marte: The leadership tool. — Marte can hit, run and throw with the best of them. His performance last year as the everyday center fielder in some ways surpassed that of his predecessor, Andrew McCutchen. Yet, when it comes to on-field maturity and clubhouse presence, Marte is playing catch-up to McCutchen. In August, Marte was benched by manager Clint Hurdle for a lack of effort on the field. After sitting out an 80-game suspension in 2017 after flunking a steroid test, Marte proved last season that his playing skills have returned. He still must show that he can handle the role of team leader.
Colin Moran: That pinch-hitter feeling in every at-bat. — In games he started, Moran slashed .264/.326/.387 — which was not the slugger management hoped he’d be. As a pinch-hitter, Moran went 11 for 26 (.423) with a home run and four RB. His 11 pinch hits were tied for the fourth-most in the majors and were the most by a Pirates rookie since Mike Diaz had 11 in 1986.
Joe Musgrove: A full season in the rotation. — After working as a swingman with the Astros in 2017, Musgrove was eager to be a full-time starter with the Pirates. However, he was dogged by injuries at the beginning, middle and end of the year and made 19 starts, just four more than he made the previous season. The righty is on the mend from abdominal surgery and is expected to be full speed at or around the start of spring training.
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José Osuna: Greener pastures. — Osuna’s natural position is first base, but he is not going to unseat Bell. He’s been tried at third base and the corner outfield positions, but his defense is iffy. He hasn’t hit well enough in the majors (.231/.263/.417 over 338 plate appearances) to be of much use as a bench player. Perhaps a change of scenery would revitalize his career.
Gregory Polanco: A good memory. — There were ample signs last season that Polanco finally had figured out to tap his enormous potential at the plate. His .254 average was pretty much on par with the career average, but the .340 on-base percentage and .499 slugging percentage were career bests. And then he tried to slide into second base in the Sept. 8 game against the Marlins, tearing up his shoulder and knee in the process. The knee was fine after some rest, but his shoulder had to be surgically repaired. Polanco is scheduled to begin a throwing program in January, but might not be ready to rejoin the Pirates until June. When he is cleared to swing a bat again, Polanco will have to regain some of the muscle memory that aided his swing last summer.
Pablo Reyes: A superhero cape. — Even though Reyes stuck around in big league camp until the final week of spring training, I got a lot of emails asking, “Who’s this guy?” when the 5-foot-8 utilityman was called up on Sept. 1. Those queries stopped after Reyes hit .293/.349/.483 with three homers in 58 at-bats. He can play second, third, left and right, and perhaps even shortstop in a pinch. Sooner than later, big league pitchers are going to catch on to Reyes. But he’s still a good fit for a team that relies on grit and guile to win games.
Jameson Taillon: The ace role. — It’s time. Taillon has the first-round-pick pedigree, awesome stuff, and a breakout season upon which to build. Now that Nova is gone, Taillon is the oldest (at 27) and most experienced (75 career starts) member of the rotation.
Felipe Vázquez: Lots of new vinyl for his turntable. — As “DJ Nightmare,” Vázquez jolted the clubhouse with throbbing dance tunes after big (or even narrow) wins. Those celebrations happened less frequently in the second half of the season.
Pirates fans: A merry Christmas to all … and a quick countdown until the start of spring training camp!
(Top photo of Joe Musgrove and Steven Braut: Pittsburgh Pirates)