No matter the position, Connor Joe embracing opportunity to be everyday player for Pirates

Connor Joe often doesn’t know what position he’s going to play or which spot in the order he’s going to bat, but after a career of bouncing from team to team he’s not about to complain.

Joe, 31, has a career-best 27 doubles in a career-high 114 games this season for the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he has carved out a role as a corner outfielder and first baseman. Joe has welcomed the additional playing time and is finding comfort with more reps. As a result, he ranks among the team’s top five in almost every offensive category.

“It’s easier mentally, as far as knowing you’re going to be in there, knowing who you’re going to face that night for a couple at-bats,” Joe said, “as opposed to trying to play the game out in your mind when you’re on the bench and see what spots or what innings you’re going to be in to be ready for and then how to prepare during the game to get myself ready for that pinch-hit, which is also a gritty at-bat.”

Joe has to be happy to be back at PNC Park for a three-game homestand against Milwaukee, considering that he slashed .435/.533/.652 with five doubles and five RBIs over the previous seven-game homestand last month. He followed that by going 0 for 17 with three walks, two RBIs and one run scored on the six-game road trip at Kansas City and St. Louis last week.

Chasing consistency has been one of Joe’s top priorities this season. He had a fantastic start to the season, slashing .288/.387/.575 with seven doubles, two triples, four home runs and 11 RBIs through the end of April as the Pirates put the right-handed hitter in favorable matchups.

That earned Joe regular playing time until he batted .197 in June. He made only seven starts in July but appeared to be more patient at the plate with a .366 on-base percentage, but had only one RBI. Joe found his groove again in mid-August, with three doubles in an 11-1 win over the Cardinals on Aug. 21, five over that three-game series and seven in a 12-game stretch. His 27 doubles trails only Bryan Reynolds’ 28 among the Pirates.

“The quality of the at-bat is really always good,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “He controls the zone and does a really nice job there. I do think he’s gotten a little more aggressive to pitches he can hit earlier in counts, and we’re seeing more aggressive swings.”

Joe said he hasn’t changed his setup so much as his mindset. His focus is on how he loads, making sure he’s on time and ready to hit to help his swing decisions. Joe is hitting lefties (.255) better than righties (.234), but the differences aren’t as drastic as his home-away splits. Joe is far more productive at PNC Park, where he’s slashing .280/.394/.441, than on the road, where he’s batting .211 with a .696 OPS.

“As ballplayers, we all want to be in there every day,” Joe said. “The matchups are great and being in spots that for us, the best possible spot for us to succeed is great and all. But, that in turn, leads to everyday at-bats and everyday opportunities, which is what everyone in this clubhouse wants to be used as is an everyday guy who can make an impact every day. So it’s great to be utilized in situations where the numbers are in your favor. But in order to make an impact everyday, you gotta face everybody, no matter if it’s a righty or lefty, regardless.”

His versatility has kept Joe in the lineup on a near-everyday basis. He has started 35 games in right field and 22 in left, with 15 of his 28 starts at first base coming since the Pirates traded Carlos Santana to the Brewers in late July. Joe has even been taking ground balls at second base before games, in anticipation of being used there in pinch-hit situations.

“I think it definitely helps his cause,” Shelton said. “The more positions that you can play and play effectively … there’s only nine spots in the lineup. When you swing the bat, you give yourself the opportunity to really get a lot more at-bats.”