In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are playing out the string. Some could cynically call the season’s last weeks as “stat-padding time.” Some even think that’s happening with Gregory Polanco.
Yesterday I put out a call on Twitter for Pittsburgh Pirates fans to help me decide if Polanco has had a good season:
When it’s all said and done, will #Pirates fans look back on Polanco’s season as a successful one?
I’m inclined to say yes
— Jason Rollison (@jrollisonpgh) September 3, 2018
Feel free to read the replies, but suffice to say folks were split.
The fact is, Polanco is still a streaky player. The other fact is, it has been a hell of a season for the right-fielder. He has set career highs in OPS (.825) and wRC+ (119 as of this writing).
Both can be true.
And if both are true, the debate comes down to a philosophical question. If a hitter has enough production at the end of a season (re: his stats looks good) at the expense of semi-lengthy slumps, can he be considered a good hitter?
The true answer requires some study. However, if we take the long view, we can find a huge positive in the fact that Polanco and the Pittsburgh Pirates brass now know exactly what type of hitter he is: a left-handed bat that sometimes sells out for power. The type that can reach 30+ doubles and 20+ HR rather easily over the course of 162 games.
And those types of players? Teams will take those types of players 10 out of 10 times.
#Bucsin280
#RAISEIT #Pirates beat the #Reds 5-1. Trevor Williams remains amazingly amazing. 6.2 more scoreless innings from him. His ERA is down to 3.15. Adam Frazier is also really good at hitting. 4 hits and a home run from him. Greg Polanco with a home run as well. 67 wins. #BUCSin280
— Pirates Breakdown (@piratebreakdown) September 3, 2018
Baseball Talk on the Web
- David Laurila’s latest Sunday Notes column is live. Always a good read.
- He was fantastic again yesterday, so let’s revisit Alex Stumpf’s detailed look at how Trevor Williams is out of his mind right now.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
