Gregory Polanco has great potential when batting third. To stay there, he will need to follow these three keys
It is no secret Pirates manager Clint Hurdle will put his lineup together by any means necessary in order to maximize each hitter one through nine. For an example, look no further than Hurdle moving center fielder Andrew McCutchen from the three-hole in the line up to second to start the season to get the perennial MVP more at-bats with less than two outs.
Third baseman David Freese and reserve outfielder Matt Joyce took up a bulk of the at-bats in the three-hole in the lineup until recently when Hurdle put third-year right fielder Gregory Polanco in the spot. Early returns suggest that the young outfielder is there to stay for the for near future.
“I like that spot. Hopefully I’ll stay there,” Polanco has said. “I’m going to try to do my job and help the team however I can.”
Polanco’s performance while he has been in the majors has been inconsistent at best, however, 2016 has shown a return to the form he showed in the minors with a low strikeout rate and high walk rate while hitting .275 on the season.
While Polanco just might be having the best year of his short career so far, how can he stay – and be productive in – the three-hole?
Get on base
The best way for Polanco to stay in the three-hole is to be productive at the plate and get on base. Getting on base usually allows for runners to advance and get into scoring position for the heart of the order.
Through 33 games this season, Polanco has an on-base-percentage of .378 while hitting .275. Of course, being able to move over the runners in hitting in front of Polanco benefits not only the young slugger, but the hitters following behind him. Some of the more consistent RBI threats in the Pirates’ lineup will bat behind him, and having runners in scoring position allows the heart of the order in Starling Marte, Jung Ho Kang, and Francisco Cervelli to bring them home. Each of those three bring a little something different to the plate, and anything the Pirates can do to give them more chances is a worthy pursuit.
Polanco’s speed is well known and when the right-fielder gets on base he’s a dangerous threat to steal a base or advance more than one base on a ball hit to the outfield no matter where it lands. With three stolen bases so far this season, the sky is the limit for the speedy lefty. Whether Polanco can improve his base-running is unknown, however, his speed plays no matter the scenario.
Spraying the ball to all fields
So far this season, Polanco has been able to spray the ball to all field in a variety of ways.
Source: FanGraphs
When Polanco is able to spray the ball good things happen. Three of Gregory Polanco’s four home runs have gone to center field or the opposite way in left while only one has been directly pulled to right field. Working gap to gap for Polanco allows the speedy runners in front of him whether it be McCutchen, Jaso, or the like to get more bases and take advantage of runners on base.
“Whenever you hit the ball to the opposite field, you’re feeling good and seeing the ball good,” Polanco said following Sunday’s game, “I just have to stay with that approach.”
A key factor in Polanco driving the ball to all fields is hitting the ball where it is pitched. Along with hitting the ball where it’s pitched, Polanco has improved his fastball contact rate sitting at a career high 92.5 percent.
As long as Polanco keeps is swing short and hits the ball where it is pitched he should have no problem staying at the three spot in the order.
Quality at-bats
The Pirates team as a whole has bought into a patient approach and getting pitches each hitter in the lineup can drive. Polanco has done just that during his at-bats by grinding down pitchers averaging 3.94 pitches per plate appearance. His approach and the Pirates approach as a whole has grinded down starters at an alarming rate. Many starters the Pirates have faced have been unable to last more than six innings at a time agains the grind-out, see more pitches approach the Pirates have developed.
The ability to get pitches to drive has allowed the outfielder to explode for 15 extra base hits through 33 games this season. A key contributor to Polanco’s numbers have been his ability to limit swinging at pitches outside the zone, something he has struggled with in the past.
[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”#000000″ class=”” size=””]When Polanco is able to spray the ball good things happen.[/pullquote]
Comparatively speaking, Polanco has swung at pitches outside the zone 26.7 percent of the time. This is considerably lower from his 2015 rate of 30.6 percent. While his swings at pitches outside of the zone are down this year, Polanco’s swings at pitches inside the zone are up, swinging at those 67.1 percent of the time. Polanco is now simply more patient and more confident.
As long as Gregory Polanco continues his upward trend this year, the sky is the limit for the youngster’s potential. Being able to drive the ball, with power to all fields is not an easy feat and Polanco has made it look easy so far this season. With his knack for getting on base and grinding down pitchers, his numbers should continue to improve. Sandwiched between Mccutcheon and Marte in the order spells a dangerous threat to an opposing defense no matter who steps to the plate.
As for how Hurdle feels about Polanco hitting in the three-hole?
“We’ll see how it plays out moving forward. It’s got some legs,” Hurdle said. “He’s looked pretty good there.”
Photo Credit: ESPN.com
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