In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates.
I know spring training statistics don’t matter, but it’s hard to ignore how good Gregory Polanco has looked this spring. The Pirates right fielder is hitting .389 (14 for 36) with three home runs and six RBIs, a good sign considering the struggles and injury woes he had a year ago.
Polanco was at his best in an 11-8 victory over the Minnesota Twins Monday. He went 3 for 4 with a double and two RBIs, just a few days after going 2 for 4 with a home run against the Atlanta Braves.
Yes, I understand that these numbers won’t matter if Polanco doesn’t perform during the regular season, but how can we not take notice of what he’s been able to do this spring. He has three multi-hit games in his last five games and has at least one hit in eight of his last 10 games.
And aside from his stellar offensive surge, Polanco looks relatively healthy, which is probably the biggest thing holding him back from putting everything together. Polanco’s health was something that Jayson Stark also took notice to:
I once picked Gregory Polanco in an ESPN "Guys You'd Start Your Team With" draft. So maybe I'm warped by that. But it's hard not to notice how good — and how healthy — he looks this spring.
Just smoked a game-tying double the other way. Which only makes him 10 for his last 20!
— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) March 19, 2018
Will Polanco’s spring success translate to the regular season? I don’t know. But for the Pirates to have any sort of success this season, it needs to.
More roster cuts
The Pirates announced another round of roster cuts this morning:
Another round of Pirates Spring Training roster cuts: Max Moroff, Chris Bostick, Nick Kingham, Casey Sadler, Eric Wood, Erich Weiss, Pablo Reyes, Jackson Williams, Todd Cunningham, Brett McKinney, John Stilson.
— Adam Berry (@adamdberry) March 20, 2018
Nick Kingham, Chris Bostick and Max Moroff were optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis while the others were reassigned to minor league camp.
A lot of these moves were expected, but Moroff being optioned to Indy definitely leaves the battle for the final bench spot down to Jose Osuna and Bryce Brentz.
Despite being out of options, Brentz might be the odd man out. Osuna has had a stellar spring while Brentz has struggled since being acquired from the Boston Red Sox.
Pirates Guide – the perfect gift for a Pittsburgh Pirates fan
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Baseball talk on the web
- MLB unveiled special event uniforms for 2018 on Monday.
- Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner suffered a broken wrist after being hit by a pitch Monday.
- The Yankees and Red Sox could play in London in 2019.
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