The Pittsburgh Pirates caught lightning in a bottle last season with Matt Joyce. Can they do it again in 2017?
As a small market team, the Pittsburgh Pirates often look for unexpected avenues to fill out their 25-man roster. Last year, the signing of Matt Joyce to a minor league deal – with an invite to spring training – turned out to be a fantastic deal. Joyce posted a 1.6 WAR season with an .866 OPS.
Below, we will highlight three potential free agents in a similar vein to Joyce that could each be a good fit in Pittsburgh.
Garin Cecchini
Garin Cecchini was once a highly touted 3rd baseman in the Boston Red Sox organization. Due to the rise of Xander Bogaerts and a lack in production, Cecchini took a backseat in Boston’s grand scheme. Cecchini is still young at only 25 years old. Cecchini’s minor league slash numbers are .277/.364/.398, which are modest. As you can probably tell, Cecchini is not a power hitter. He likes to spray the ball to all fields and is a pretty good glove at 3rd. He would be a nice option for the Pittsburgh Pirates to have at the AAA level in case Jung Ho Kang succumbs to injury.
Cecchini’s most recent playing time occurred in Colorado Springs – Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers – where he collected 115 hits (.271) in 469 plate appearances. Homering once every 93.8 PAs for five total, Cecchini would not bring a power bat off the bench, but he could bring a hitter that can hit for average and play a decent defensive role.
Brandon Allen
30-year old Brandon Allen is the quintessential minor league journeyman. The two positions that he fields are first and left field. He is a right handed bat with average speed. Brandon was originally drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 5th round of the 2004 MLB draft. His most recent venture brought him to Louisville in the Independent League where he had a rough season.
Allen’s slash line last season in 268 PAs was just .177/.285/.268. Despite those paltry numbers, Allen brings intrigue chiefly due to solid pwoer numbers before 2016. In 2014, in only 400 ABs between three different leagues, he had 14 HRs. In 2015 he followed up that strong power performance with the New York Mets organization tallying 16 HRs in 466 PAs. You could infer that with increased playing time and the ability to stay healthy, Allen could be a valuable power bat off the bench for the Pittsburgh Pirates. That may be a stretch, but the gamble would be small if it worked out.
Domonic Brown
Probably the most familiar name to baseball fans on this list, Domonic Brown was once a highly regarded prospect in the Phillies organization.
He was selected as Baseball America’s #1 prospect in 2010, and #2 was a young player with upside named Mike Trout. After six seasons in Philadelphia that saw him rack up 1,748 plate appearances, Brown was granted free agency after the 2015 season. He signed with Toronto on a Joyce-type deal but did not see the Big Leagues in 2016.
Brown has elected free agency once again and could be a valuable pick-up for a major league club. Brown is a left handed outfielder who is still young at 29 years old. Brown was an all-star in 2013 where he batted .272 with 27 HRs, posting a 2.5 WAR. Since that point, Brown has precipitously slipped.
He followed the 2013 season with only a .235 batting average and 10 HRs, putting up a very-low .635 OPS in the process.. In 2015 he received only 204 plate appearances in 63 games.
Can Brown recapture his 2013 form? That is the singular question that Neal Huntington will have to answer internally if he wishes to pursue Brown as a viable bench bat for the Pittsburgh Pirates. There is no doubt that the talent is there, it has been shown in the past. The much bigger question for Brown’s suitors, can the production that was present in 2013 be brought forth once again?
With a potential 26th roster spot for 2017, the Pittsburgh Pirates may be tempted to try to catch a spark much like they did with Matt Joyce. They will certainly have their pick of once-highly touted prospects, big leaguers who have shown flashes or some players who never got a chance. Should they choose to go this route, their experience with Joyce can only help the front office to make a well-informed decision on players such as these.
Image courtesy Fast Philly Sports
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