Kevin Gorman's Take 5: Pirates losing patience with young players not producing at the plate

Derek Shelton typically bends over backward to protect the young players on the Pittsburgh Pirates from criticism, showing more restraint than most major league managers would be willing to do.

On Sunday, Shelton sounded like he had run out of patience.

When Ji Hwan Bae, Jack Suwinski, Tucupita Marcano and Rodolfo Castro — all 24 or younger — went a combined 1 for 10 in a 2-0 loss at the Miami Marlins, the Pirates dropped their 12th game in the past 13.

During that span, those four players had a collective slash line of .098/.196/.156 with one double, two home runs and six RBIs with 33 strikeouts against 14 walks. It’s so bad that Marcano (.172) is the only one of the four with a batting average above .100. Suwinski leads the Pirates with 15 home runs but is 0 for 29 since homering twice at the Chicago Cubs on June 13. Bae is 0 for 21 since June 18. Castro is 0 for 18 in his past six games.

“At some point, guys getting the opportunities have to produce,” Shelton said on the AT&T SportsNet postgame show. “That’s essentially what it comes down to: It’s the big leagues. You have to produce.”

1. Getting defensive: Shelton has to find it difficult to justify starting any of those four, let alone all four in a lineup that also includes catcher Austin Hedges and his .091 batting average since June 13.

Where Hedges provides value behind the plate with six defensive runs saved, per Sports Info Solutions, Suwinski has a minus-2 DRS in center field, Castro minus-2 at third base, Bae minus-5 at second base and Marcano minus-6 at shortstop.

Then again, Suwinski is plus-3 in left field, Bae is minus-2 in center field but has used his speed to make spectacular catches and Marcano is plus-2 and Castro plus-1 at second base. Perhaps it’s a matter of putting them in their best defensive positions.

Now that 2020 first-round pick Nick Gonzales has been promoted to the majors, it’s possible he could get the majority of playing time at second base ahead of Bae and Castro. Gonzales also showed Sunday that he can play shortstop, if necessary.

Then again, Gonzales is still seeking his first major league hit, so he has to prove that his bat belongs in the lineup.

2. Bugged by injuries: A major problem for the Pirates is having key players out with injuries.

Where shortstop Oneil Cruz is months away from returning from his left ankle fracture, first baseman/designated hitter Ji-Man Choi should be back within a week or so.

Choi started his rehabilitation assignment with Double-A Altoona and smoked a double in his first at-bat Friday night. Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said it will take Choi longer because they want him to be available to play first base.

Losing outfielder Bryan Reynolds to the 10-day injured list with low back inflammation was a blow to the batting order. Where Ke’Bryan Hayes and Andrew McCutchen filled in the two-hole by going 7 for 21 (.333), Suwinski, Connor Joe and Josh Palacios went a combined 3 for 23 (.130) while batting third.

Shelton said Hayes was unavailable Sunday with lower back stiffness, which was a lingering injury last season. Playing without Hayes downgrades the defense at third base and takes away a valuable right-handed bat from the Pirates’ lineup.

After hitting .487 with six extra-base hits and nine RBIs over the nine-game homestand, however, Hayes batted .217 and had 15 strikeouts with no walks over the past dozen games.

3. For starters: Shelton was frustrated that the Pirates wasted three of their four strong starts by pitchers in the Miami series.

Mitch Keller, Luis Ortiz, Osvaldo Bido and Johan Oviedo allowed a combined 27 hits but only five runs while striking out 21 against two walks. Keller, Ortiz and Oviedo took pressure off a beleaguered bullpen by delivering quality starts of at least seven innings (Ortiz went eight), and Bido tossed 5 2/3 innings.

“It’s an encouraging sign because we’re talking about three kids that are rookies, one (Bido) didn’t even start the year in big-league camp with us,” Shelton said. “And Mitch had a really good start. It’s not a situation where we’re not getting good starting pitching. We’re getting elite starting pitching right now. We’ve just got to figure out a way to score more runs.”

4. Looking for help: If the Pirates are looking for immediate offensive help from within the system, they could turn to a pair of veterans with hot bats at Indianapolis.

Miguel Andujar leads Indy with a .355/.420/.595 slash line, 20 doubles and 44 RBIs. He can play the corner outfield spots or first base but hit only .161 in 13 games with the Pirates this season.

Shortstop Chris Owings is slashing .294/.429/.529 with two doubles, two homers and three RBIs in nine games at Indy this month but hit only .160 in 10 games with the Pirates.

If the Pirates are looking for all-around value, it might be the perfect time to promote Jared Triolo. The 25-year-old third baseman is slashing .315/.400/.507 with five doubles, three triples and 11 RBIs this month and also can play shortstop, first base, second and center field.

“It’s been nice to see Jared Triolo, the resurgence he’s had recently coming off the hamate injury,” Pirates farm director John Baker said. “You can tell that he was still dealing with some lingering issues with that when he got back but another really solid quality baseball player who does all the things that are required in the modern game — play really good defense, run the bases well, put the ball in play — and he’s gotten hot recently, so that’s one I’m excited about.”

5. Endy game: Baker spent seven seasons in the majors as a backup catcher, so he understands the toll the position can take on a player’s offensive output.

“You get so beat up,” Baker said. “There’s so much focus involved in making sure the right signal is down, that you keep the ball in front. From playing the position myself, that’ll take a toll on you mentally and physically. We’re not seeing the Jason Kendall, 155-game catchers anymore because I think we realize what is does to players’ offensive capabilities. That is the model of the future, not just for the Pirates but for other teams.”

Baker believes being the primary catcher at Indianapolis has impacted Endy Rodriguez’s numbers this season, as the 2022 minor league player of the year is slashing .248/.332/.389.

After batting .225 in May, Rodriguez is having a strong June: He is batting .271 and has six of his 11 doubles and 17 of his 31 RBIs this month.

With Henry Davis playing for the Pirates, Baker wants to see Rodriguez improve as much at the plate as behind it. Baker has no reservations about Rodriguez’s athleticism and glove in the field.

“Defensively, I would trust him right now to play defense in the majors,” Baker said. “He’s under control, he’s body aware, can handle ground balls and fly balls. You could run him out to left field. He played some second base last year. He can play right field. When you ask Endy Rodriguez what position he likes to play, he just says, ‘Baseball.’ He loves baseball. There’s no fear.”