The Pittsburgh Pirates have had some difficulty in finding a viable first base option in recent years. Can John Jaso take a familiar path to give the team some stability to the position?
When the 2016 season gets underway for the Pittsburgh Pirates, one of their newest acquisitions will have more of a transition than just changing into a new uniform. For new first baseman John Jaso, he will need to adapt to a whole new position. Though a lack of experience at this new position may be difficult for Jaso to overcome, his particular position transition has become a common trend among other players at the Major League level.
Jaso, a former catcher who has played 326 career games behind the plate, is likely to battle throughout spring training with other new acquisitions Jake Goebbert and Jason Rogers as well as Mike Morse for a piece of the starting first base job going into the regular season. The 32-year-old, who has spent time in the major leagues with the Tampa Bay Rays, Oakland Athletics, and Seattle Mariners, has only played two career games at first base. Jaso, who signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the Pirates this off-season, will attempt to fill the shoes of Pedro Alvarez, who departed from the Pirates following six seasons with the club. Though Jaso is just beginning the switch to the first base position, he is one of many on the list of players to make the familiar move.
Some of the other players who have made this move recently include San Francisco Giants catcher/first baseman Buster Posey, Minnesota Twins first baseman Joe Mauer, and even Hanley Ramirez of the Boston Red Sox. Each one of these players made the move based on different reasons, whether it involved injury issues or a new opportunity that has opened up with the club.
In Posey’s case, the transition to first base hasn’t become a full time gig. Posey has played at least two games at first base every season since 2010, giving others, including Andrew Susac, an opportunity to play behind the plate, while keeping Posey’s bat in the lineup at the same time. Posey may begin to play at first base full time in the future, but until that happens, the former National League MVP will likely continue to play both positions as others around the league have also done.
In November of 2013, it was announced that Twins star Joe Mauer would permanently shift over to first base. The 32-year-old, who has played 920 games behind the plate throughout his major league career, began the transition in 2011, playing 18 games at first base. Over the past few years, he has played 237 games at first. This particular move had to do with various injuries that Mauer had sustained throughout his years as a backstop, including a concussion he sustained during the 2013 season. Mauer is also on the list of catchers to transition to first base, but unlike Posey, his move was permanent.
Hanley Ramirez is a perfect example of players around the diamond, not just catchers, that have also attempted to make a transition to first base. As the Red Sox enter spring training, Ramirez is learning more about the position and will likely be their everyday starting first baseman going into the regular season. Like Jaso, Ramirez goes into his switch to first base without much experience at the position. In fact, he has yet to play a regular season game at first base in his major league career. His situation is the one that resembles Jaso’s the closest. Ramirez, who found most of his success playing at shortstop and third base, is moving to first base following a rough transition to the outfield last season.
Though Jaso has spent most of his career behind the plate, the transition may be good for him. It is no surprise that the catcher position is one of the toughest and most grueling positions to play on a baseball diamond. Injuries are common for players who are consistently behind the plate and transitions like this likely help in regards to extending a players’ career.
With players finally arriving to Pirate City in Bradenton, Jaso is getting the opportunity to battle for the open spot at first base. He will have to compete with Goebbert, Rogers, Morse, and, in the future, maybe even top first base prospect Josh Bell. With Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart established as the duo to likely break camp as the starting and backup catchers, the move for Jaso makes even more sense. It allows him to have the chance to be an everyday starter and make a transition that has become common among many players around the league. Hopefully his move in a success for both him and the team.
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