This offseason, Pirates Breakdown will look at how each position will probably shape up for 2018 and into the near future for the Pittsburgh Pirates. This week the series focuses on first base, a position that appears to be set for the club for the next few years.
One of the few bright spots for the Pittsburgh Pirates (and their fans) during the 2017 season was the emergence of Josh Bell, the power hitting first baseman that the team has desperately tried to find over the last few years. After getting his feet wet in 45 games in 2016, Bell, who came in third in the voting for the National League’s Rookie of the Year Award, showed that he has the potential to be a serious power threat in the middle of the Pittsburgh lineup. His 26 home runs last year were a record for a National League switch hitting rookie and placed him second on the team in that category, trailing Andrew McCutchen’s 28 long balls. While McCutchen may have bested Bell in the home run department, his 90 RBI was the most by a Pirate last year.
While the power that Bell brings to the first base position is certainly welcomed on a team that has been starved for production in that area for years, there are some facets of his game that he can be improved. In 2016 he had 21 walks to 19 strikeouts in his limited exposure to big league pitching. Last year he struck out 117 times and walked 66, but given that it was his first full season at the most difficult level of organized baseball, it is not surprising that there was an uptick in strikeouts. But given his performance in the minors, there is a good chance that Bell will cut down on the strikeouts moving foward.
But there is reason to believe that once Bell gets more experience at the big league level, he continue to be a difficult opponent for pitchers. His plate discipline is better than average, as he swung at 26.7 percent of pitches outside of the strike zone, well below the league average of 29.9 percent last year. When he did swing at pitches outside of the strike zone, he made contact on 69.7 percent of them, which was better than the league average of 62.9 percent. Because Bell already has great discipline at the plate, he should become even more of a threat if he can add more power to his already powerful swing.
However Bell is still a project at first base as he enters his second year as the team’s starting first baseman in 2018. He improved his fielding percentage from .983 in 2016 to .992 last year and also went from -3 DRS to 6 last year. But with a UZR and UZR/150 of -1.7 and -2.9, he still has room to improve while he gets more comfortable playing first base.
In the minors, Will Craig is the team’s seventh top prospect but most likely will not reach the Majors until 2019. Craig spent last season with Bradenton and slashed .271/.373/.371/.744 and went deep six times in 458 at-bats. He showed a great eye at the plate in 2016 as he drew 41 walks to just 37 strikeouts, and while he continued to show patience with 62 walks last year, he did strike out 106 times. Fortunately for the Pirates they have Bell secured in the role at first base so Craig has plenty of time to continue honing his skills. But there might be another first baseman knocking on the door even sooner for the Pirates.
…Oops
Higher up in the minor league system is Edwin Espinal, who spent last season with Altoona and Indianapolis. He slashed .294/.327/.447/.774 between the two levels and hit 15 home runs (all with Altoona). Even more impressive, Espinal maintained a fielding percentage of 1.000 as he did not commit any errors in 892.1 innings at first. In fact Espinal’s career fielding percentage is .995, so he has had a solid glove throughout his career. With a strong showing in Indianapolis to start the 2018 season or an injury that puts Bell on the shelf, Espinal could be in line for a promotion sooner rather than later.
The funny thing about the offseason is that sometimes you assume the news cycle being slow would allow you to come back to a piece when you have more time to flesh it out. This was one of those times; however the Detroit Tigers had other ideas, as per Pirates Prospects’ Sean McCool:
Edwin Espinal has signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers.
Signed by the @pirates in 2011, Espinal hit .294 between Altoona & Indy last year and was the @AltoonaCurve 2017 Team MVP. pic.twitter.com/klWz6iDvAe
— Sean McCool (@NotSoMcCool) November 18, 2017
Having technically been designated as a minor league free agent, Espinal’s chances to stay in the organization might have been slimmer than many realized. Regardless, he could have served as a capable depth option for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but with Craig right behind him, the loss of Espinal won’t hurt the organization too badly.
Like the other positions around the infield, the Pittsburgh Pirates have some exciting prospects at first base who should graduate to the majors in the next few years. While Bell seems to have the position locked down and fits the profile of the power hitter that the team has looked for in recent years, it is reassuring that the organization has some prospects who could impact the parent club in the next few years.
Image credit – Daniel Decker Photography
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