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 faced with more than a few challenges heading into 2017. One of them includes replacing Sean Rodriguez, who served as the Pirates super utility man for two seasons.
This is where Adam Frazier comes in.
Frazier burst onto the scene with the Pirates last season, hitting .301 in 146 at-bats for the big league club. Frazier, who like Rodriguez is capable of playing multiple positions around the diamond, has been incredibly impressive this spring, hitting .442 with one home run and seven RBIs in 43 at-bats.
In my mind, Frazier is a lock for the Pirates opening day roster. Why? Because he has shown his value and has proven to be capable of starting and serving as a quality bench option for the Bucs. He’s a guy who can play second base or shortstop to give Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer a day off, and is more than capable of serving as a fourth outfielder. Not to mention the fact that he can contribute at a high level offensively as well.
The departures of both Rodriguez and Matt Joyce left voids to be filled as they both had remarkable impacts on what I thought was one of the best benches in baseball last season. However, all good things must come to an end.
With Frazier proving to be a capable super utility man and Phil Gosselin putting up numbers that make him look like a quality acquisition, the Pirates bench looks to be bound for good things once again heading into 2017.
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