Pittsburgh Pirates free-agent target profile: Kelly Johnson

The Pittsburgh Pirates are still looking for bargains, but that doesn’t mean they can’t find value at the same time.

The Pittsburgh Pirates still have a left-handed hitting first baseman on their wishlist.

They won’t be finding Chris Davis under the tree.

But they might find a nice stocking-stuffer in Kelly Johnson.

Pardon the holiday puns, but the fact remains that the Pirates have still not addressed a glaring need as of yet. After letting Pedro Alvarez walk after a tumultuous tenure manning first, the Pirates are seemingly content to treat the position as one in flux with the imminent arrival of Josh Bell.

Going into the season, Michael Morse was an incumbent right-handed bat in any potential platoon. General manager Neal Huntington has guarded against a Morse backslide by buying into the potential of Jason Rogers, recently acquired by the Brewers. Rogers has a natural and effective swing, as seen in our latest winter league roundup, and may get the chance to show he can be productive with a steady stream of at-bats.

Though keeping Morse and acquiring Rogers are logical moves, both are right-handed bats. That still leaves the problem of a lack of balance. Huntington himself acknowledges as much, as he recently told Chris Russo of MLB Network’s “High Heat:”

“We are working hard to try to find a left-handed complement. We may need to get creative or work outside the box, but we would like to add a veteran, professional hitter that’s going to command the zone and work the count and complement the offense.”

Kelly Johnson may just fit the bill for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Here are Johnson’s career statistics:

Although these numbers may be underwhelming to fans, to those folks, I would point to what Johnson can do with a higher number of plate appearances. As recently as 2012 and 2013, Johnson was able to put up 15 home runs and 50+ RBI. Those numbers may still be underwhelming, but it’s important to consider Johnson strictly as part of a platoon. He won’t serve as a home run threat in the vein of Alvarez – Johnson’s career HR/AB (home run per at bats) comes in at 29.23, a far cry from Alvarez’s 16.61 rate in 2015 – but he epitomizes Huntington’s vision of a “professional hitter.”

If there’s one glaring weakness working against Johnson, it’s his strikeout rate. A career 25.4 percent rate does not inspire confidence. Johnson’s defense and multi-positional flexibility (he can play 1B, 2B, 3B, or either corner outfield spot) can offset this weakness. Regardless, Johnson is able to salvage a decent on-base percentage due to an adequate 10.2 percent career walk rate.

Speaking of defense, Johnson would be a marked upgrade, having committed just 10 errors across five positions last year.

Perhaps the best note on Johnson is his salary. Making just $1.5 million last year, Johnson’s asking price relatively cheap in 2016.

Perhaps that fact alone makes him an attractive option to pair with Morse or Rogers. Perhaps he can even be another depth option off the bench. The fact is, the Pirates do not need to rely on the first base position for offense. With Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte, and Jung Ho Kang (presumably) in tow, the Pirates’ two through four hitters are likely set, and a bounce-back year from Josh Harrison coupled with a repeat performance from Francisco Cervelli strengthen the batting order throughout.

When viewed in that light, this may be one “low cost” option that can make a lot of sense in an already tumultuous off-season for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

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