Ji Hwan Bae rewards Pirates' trust in center field with spectacular catches in Seattle

When the ball came off J.P. Crawford’s bat at an exit velocity of 99.9 mph, Ji Hwan Bae turned and chased it toward the center-field wall but had trouble tracking it with the sun directly overhead.

Bae glanced at the wall straight ahead, then realized the ball had veered to his left, so he reached out with his glove hand to make a backhand circus catch before crashing into the padding, knocking off his sunglasses and his hat while tumbling backward.

“It hurt a little bit, but I’ve got to catch it first,” Bae told AT&T SportsNet on its postgame show. “This was the only way I can catch it.”

Because of this play by Ji Hwan Bae, we're going to extras pic.twitter.com/itUpx81U8N

— Justice delos Santos (@justdelossantos) May 28, 2023

Not only was it a highlight-reel worthy catch, but it saved an extra-base hit and served as the final out in the ninth inning of a tie against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday afternoon at T-Mobile Park.

“That was a hell of a catch, an unbelievable catch,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “We continue to see him do really good things in the outfield.”

J.P. Crawford lines out to center fielder Ji Hwan Bae. (05/28/2023)
Hang: 3.6s | Fielder Distance: 75ft.

Catch Odds: 49%
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????: https://t.co/cVGYML8u7F pic.twitter.com/z6J8o9orBj

— Outfield Bot (@OutfieldBot) May 28, 2023

The Pirates rookie second baseman has showcased his speed and versatility by moonlighting in center field, a transition Bae has handled seamlessly. It’s possible that it could be a more prominent position for Bae, especially in light of how thin the Pirates are at first base.

“I think there was no right or wrong answer to this,” Bae said, “but the coaches believe in my athleticism, and that’s what helped me a lot.”

Bae started in center field between Connor Joe in left and Andrew McCutchen in right Sunday in the 6-3 extra-inning loss to the Mariners. When Carlos Santana was removed from the game in the sixth inning with lumbar spine muscular tightness, Joe replaced him at first base, and Jack Suwinski entered the game to play left field.

That Bae stayed put was proof of Shelton’s trust in him. Bae’s play in center gives the Pirates the option to put Bryan Reynolds and Suwinski in the corner spots, with McCutchen rotating in right, if Joe needs to spend more time at first base. Bae already is a regular late-game defensive replacement in the outfield, shifting from second to center.

“I see it as an opportunity to show what I’ve got,” Bae told the Tribune-Review last week through interpreter Daniel Park. “I feel comfortable everywhere, so the more they let me out somewhere, I’m able to show them something.”

Bae showed Shelton he could handle high exit velocity earlier in the game, when he sprinted in to make a diving catch of Julio Rodriguez’s 112.6 mph line drive in the fifth inning.

“It just was coming right to me,” Bae said. “I was like, ‘I’m going to challenge this.’ ”

Shelton was as impressed by that catch by Bae as the one at the wall.

“The ball Rodriguez hit earlier in the game, the line drive right at him,” Shelton said, “to get that kind of jump on it was outstanding.”

It’s the jumps on the basepaths that had the Pirates worried last week. Bae leads the Pirates, ranks second in the NL and is tied for fourth in the majors with 15 stolen bases. But he has been caught stealing five times and has been picked off several times while taking generous leads.

“What I realized is they were throwing a lot of fastballs to the batters after me and wasting a couple balls counts so they could (stop) me from running,” Bae said through Park. “For me, it’s just a fight against the pitcher. It’s all about timing because no matter how fast the pitcher pitches, they can pick me off. But if I get good timing, I’ll be able to steal the base.”

Shelton wasn’t happy when Bae was picked off twice in a game against the Texas Rangers last Tuesday.

After a leadoff single in the third inning, Bae was thrown out at first by pitcher Nathan Eovaldi. Following a single in the eighth, Bae rounded second on McCutchen’s single to right and was thrown out by right fielder Adolis Garcia to end the inning.

“Once he commits to going, he’s got to go with his speed,” Shelton said. “We saw that García was coming up and throwing the ball to second, too, but once he commits he’s going to go, he’s got to go.”

Shelton blamed Bae’s issues on the bases on his being a young player with an elite skill who is still learning at the major-league level about when to take advantage of his opportunities and when to stay put.

“He needs to slow down a little bit,” Shelton said. “Right now, he’s going a little fast. I think you see young players that have speed, at times, they try to create things instead of just letting things come to him. Right now, he’s probably trying to do a little too much. The weapon that he has is a true weapon, but if you use it recklessly, then you run into outs and you can’t have that.”

Shelton showed faith in Bae the next day by using him as a pinch runner for Santana in the bottom of the eighth inning of a 3-2 loss to the Rangers, then playing him in center field in the ninth. In the series in Seattle, Bae went 4 for 9 with two doubles and two runs.

He was hit on the right thigh by a pitch Saturday night, then stole second base and advanced to third on a throwing error in the 5-0 loss.

“I do believe that they still believe in my speed. That’s why they put me on as a pinch runner,” Bae said. “Until I retire, it’s always going to be a learning experience. It’s just a matter of how to minimize my mistakes.”

Or make up for them with spectacular catches.