Pirates A to Z: Jared Oliva endured injury but remained optimistic about his future in outfield
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During the offseason, the Tribune-Review will offer Pirates A to Z: An alphabetical player-by-player look at the 40-man roster, from outfielder Anthony Alford to pitcher Miguel Yajure.
Player: Jared Oliva
Position: Outfielder
Throws: Right
Bats: Right
Age: 25
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 205 pounds
2021 MLB statistics: Oliva batted .175/.233/.225 with two doubles and two RBIs in 20 games.
Contract: Not eligible for arbitration until 2025.
Acquired: Selected by Pirates in seventh round of 2017 MLB Draft.
This past season: After getting a taste of the major leagues in 2020, when he played in six games in late September, Oliva came to spring training trying to earn a spot on the 26-man roster.
Although Oliva went 3 for 16 at the plate, he found value in playing both left field and center field at PNC Park. And he spent the offseason working on his jump to take better advantage of his speed.
“Definitely the first thing that comes to mind from the outfield standpoint was just knowing the stadium you’re in,” Oliva said. “Obviously, PNC Park, I was playing left field and center. Left field dimensions are a little bit different than a typical ballpark. You’ve got the big left-center gap, the angles toward the line, the warning track even. So there’s a lot of things just with your awareness of being out there, and I think Tarrik (Brock) did a good job of just setting little points, setting boundaries of where we’re playing, positioning, that really helped my spacial awareness.”
Oliva was well aware of the competition in center field. With Bryan Reynolds and Gregory Polanco locked in as starters in the corners, the Pirates had Oliva fighting for a job against Anthony Alford, Dustin Fowler and Brian Goodwin in spring training.
“This year, he is having fun, consistent at-bats." #Pirates manager Derek Shelton on Jared Oliva, who just went yard against the Yankees: https://t.co/FTZGGTdYl3 pic.twitter.com/ZDMumzoLEC
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 11, 2021
First hit of Spring Training for #Pirates prospect Jared Oliva. pic.twitter.com/0gCcBs38QN
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 7, 2021
“I think everyone’s obviously aware of it,” Oliva said. “The whole group here, the dynamic, I mean you want to be one of those three outfielders that’s up there.”
Where Alford and Fowler made the Opening Day roster — both were designated for assignment by the end of April — and Goodwin was sent to the alternate training site, Oliva and Cole Tucker stayed in Bradenton to focus on what Pirates manager Derek Shelton called “individual skills development.”
“They were part of the discussion,” Shelton said. “We sat down and talked to them about what our thoughts were and laid out a plan and they were both 100% on board with it. We figured Bradenton was a better place to get the actual skill development stuff (done).”
Upon joining the alternate site squad, Oliva suffered a left oblique strain on his first swing and spent the next two months on the injured list. He played 15 games at Triple-A Indianapolis before being called up to the Pirates in July, when Polanco and Ka’ai Tom were dealing with injuries.
Oliva’s initial impact came in an 11-2 loss to Milwaukee on July 3, when he recorded his first major league RBI and made a pair of defensive plays that caught the attention of Shelton. Oliva made a shoestring catch of a Jackie Bradley Jr. line drive to right in the seventh inning, then showed off his arm with a throw to third that held Willy Adames at second base on an Avisail Garcia fly ball to right in the ninth.
“Defensively, he looks better. He looks more comfortable,” Shelton said. “The one thing I will say is, he’s definitely adjusted his throwing stroke. I give him credit. It was one of the things we outlined when he went to Bradenton, and it’s considerably different and considerably better.
“There’s still some things he’s working on the plate that we outlined. Unfortunately, because he missed the time with the oblique, we’re still working through those things but definitely seeing signs of growth.”
The most noticeable difference to Oliva, however, was playing in front of Pirates fans after his first visit to PNC Park was in an empty stadium because of covid-19 protocols.
“I got a couple of the firsts checked off,” Oliva said. “The big thing for me is I’m more comfortable with the staff and the guys here. Last year, I felt good coming up but my first big league camp, I was a little bit nervous. I think that’s the biggest difference, just trying to feel comfortable. I feel like I’m stepping in and ready to contribute.”
Oliva showed that his swing still requires some work, as he went 7 for 40 and struck out 10 times. Shelton said in late July that hitting coaches Rick Eckstein and Christian Marrero had identified some things to help Oliva be in a stronger position under his legs to load up.
“We are seeing strides with him, developmentally,” Shelton said. “It’s tough when you’re making adjustments at the major league level. … We’ve seen that start to transition into his game at-bats.”
With the emergence of Ben Gamel in left field and Alford’s hot bat in Triple-A, the Pirates sent Oliva back to Indianapolis to finish the season. He ended with a .249/.321/.364 slash line, 12 doubles, four triples, two home runs and 23 RBIs in 64 games.
The future: Oliva expressed his excitement last July about the future of the Pirates under the management of Ben Cherington and Shelton, and remained hopeful that he would get a greater opportunity.
“I’m looking forward to see what this organization (does),” Oliva said. “The wheels are turning a little bit, to see from top to bottom the transparency everyone is doing.”
As much as Oliva was adamant about wanting to be recognized as a player and not a prospect in his second major league stint, it’s also a reflection that he’s no longer ranked as one of the Pirates’ top 30 prospects and his status is slipping.
With the acquisitions of outfielders Canaan Smith-Njigba and Jack Suwinski and the standout season of Matt Fraizer, the club’s Honus Wagner Award winner as minor league player of the year, Oliva’s status with the Pirates could be tenuous.
Oliva remains on the 40-man roster entering Friday, when the Pirates have to protect their top prospects from the Rule 5 Draft. Whether his name appears on the transactions will be telling.