In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates.
As I type this, the World Baseball Classic has kicked off with a thrilling extra-innings affair between Israel and host country South Korea. The WBC has its share of detractors, but for some Pittsburgh Pirates, it could hold hidden benefits.
A large chunk of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ core will be participating. Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco, Josh Harrison and Francisco Cervelli will be playing for their respective home countries. INF prospect Eric Wood will be participating as well.
With the exception of Wood, all of these veterans could be well served by getting out of the day-in, day-out grind of Spring Training and into some meaningful games. The plate appearances and innings in the field these players will receive in the WBC could provide more “bang for the buck” in terms of getting them ready for the season.
Thinking more abstractly, several Pittsburgh Pirates prospects will benefit from increased time in those aforementioned Spring Training games. Austin Meadows, Kevin Newman and Josh Bell could all see more time in Grapefruit League play, and Bell in particular could use the extra reps.
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Baseball Talk on the Web
- The Hardball Times has a great article on how to value power after last year’s historic spike.
- Each week, MLB Trade Rumors highlights the best in Independent Baseball Media. PBD is honored to be featured, and encourages you to check out the latest installment for some great reads.
- Yasiel Puig has changed his batting stance. Ok then.
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