John Jaso and his value to the Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates took an unconventional approach to filling the first base position for 2016 and now are reaping the benefits on the field.

After the Pittsburgh Pirates signed John Jaso, I discussed how a change of scenery may be all that the on-base machine needed to really flourish. One area that I focused on in that piece that I would like to revisit is the idea of Jaso easily being worth the value of his contract since the Pirates were able to sign him to a deal on very team-friendly terms.

So far this season, Jaso is slashing .277/.349/.426. This gives him an OPS of .775 which is above the league average. He is also sporting a fantastic 10/11 BB/K ratio, which is an improvement on his injury-shortened season of 2015. Since Jaso has been penciled in the lead off spot for the Pirates, it is natural that his RBI total (nine) is low since that lineup position does not come to the plate with as many runners on base as the men lower in the order.

But here I would like to focus on Jaso’s overall value to the team, and how he has a real chance to be one of the best offseason signings of any club. Baseball Reference currently has Jaso’s WAR for the 2016 season at 0.5. Considering that the Pirates have only played 25 games, Jaso is in a very good position to crack the 2.0 mark in WAR this season. His career high in WAR is 3.4 which he accumulated back in 2012 when he played 108 games for the Seattle Mariners.

The 108 games played in 2012 is the second highest in Jaso’s career, just one behind his career best of 109 which came in 2010. The Pirates have shown a willingness to sit Jaso in unfavorable match-ups, so this could be a roadblock to Jaso reaching a WAR of 2.0 this season. But considering that he is already at 0.5, I think there is a very good chance that he can reach 2.0 by season’s end if he receives steady playing time.

Now, when we consider Jaso’s 0.5 WAR to date and the fact that his contract is paying him just $4 million for this season (and $4 million next season), his deal looks even better. For comparison, Chris Davis, arguably one of the biggest free agent first basemen on the market last year, also has a 0.5 WAR so far this season. The difference is that the Baltimore Orioles are paying him $23 million this season. I am not saying by any means that Davis and Jaso will have the same WAR when the season ends, because Davis is one of the most powerful hitters in the game. It is just interesting to note that at this point both players are providing their respective club with the same value, at least in WAR.

Last season the Pirates transitioned Pedro Alvarez to first base and the results were not pretty. Every ball thrown his way was an adventure, and the same goes for any batted ball that went towards first base. Last year in his first full season at first base, Alvarez accumulated a WAR of 0.1. The Pirates paid Alvarez $5.75 million last season, so with a WAR that was barely over zero, the team did not get a very good return on their investment. Jaso is making less than Alvarez did last season and has already surpassed him in WAR.

Not all of the moves that Neal Huntington made this past offseason have worked out. Ryan Vogelsong was supposed to be a member of the rotation and eventually got bumped to the bullpen. The Jon Niese for Neil Walker trade, at least at this point, looks like a steal for the New York Mets. But there is no doubt that Huntington had a plan in place with first base in 2016. Jaso may not have the big power numbers traditionally attached to a first baseman, but so far this season he has brought incredible value to the team when his current contract is considered.