Pirates A to Z: Liover Peguero packs power but must show he can master the middle infield

During the offseason, the Tribune-Review will offer Pirates A to Z, an alphabetical, player-by-player look at the 40-man roster.

Player: Liover Peguero

Positions: Shortstop/second base

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

Age: 22

Height: 6-foot-3

Weight: 220 pounds

2023 MLB statistics: Batted .237/.280/.374 with four doubles, one triple, seven home runs and 26 RBIs in 59 games.

Contract: Not eligible for arbitration until 2027.

Acquired: From the Arizona Diamondbacks, along with pitcher Brennan Malone, in exchange for outfielder Starling Marte in January 2020.

This past season: After making his major league debut in a one-game cameo in June 2022 and batting .286 with four RBIs in seven Grapefruit League games, Peguero was disappointed to return to Double-A Altoona to start the season.

“This game is always surprising,” said Peguero, who was ranked the Pirates’ No. 6 prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 7 by Baseball America. “Something I really learned last year before I came to the bigs was you’ve got to be ready because you never know when. Right now, I’m patient waiting for my moment and just working.”

The Pirates wanted Peguero to work on his defense. He committed 31 errors in 2022 — 23 at shortstop and eight at second base — so there was plenty of work to do at both positions.

“I feel like last year I was rushing a little bit, trying to get back (to the majors). I feel like those things were making it worse and worse,” Peguero said. “My biggest takeaway from last year was understanding to slow down the game a little bit more. Not pressure but more like, you’ve got to do this better instead of just being me, being the Liover Peguero I’ve always been.”

Peguero’s patience paid off, as his bat offset his defense. He hit .260/.333/.453 with 20 doubles, 11 home runs, 34 RBIs and 19 stolen bases in 22 attempts while committing 13 errors in 69 games for the Curve. Peguero earned a July 4 promotion to Triple-A Indianapolis but spent only seven games there, including one where he homered twice.

"Why hit one home run when you could hit two?"

- @liover_peguero, probably. ???? pic.twitter.com/E75tA38Zb0

— Indianapolis Indians (@indyindians) July 15, 2023

On July 17, Peguero was one of six rookies to start in an 11-0 loss to Cleveland, including the MLB debuts of a pair of Pirates top-10 prospects in right-hander Quinn Priester and catcher Endy Rodriguez.

The Pirates like the thunder in Peguero’s bat, as he had two homers and six RBIs in his first eight games and delivered 12 extra-base hits and 26 RBIs over 59 games.

Peguero hit his first major league homer against the San Diego Padres on July 24 at Petco Park, his first three-RBI game. That was the same night Tucupita Marcano suffered a season-ending ACL injury, opening the door for Peguero to stay in the majors.

After starting six of his first eight games at shortstop, Peguero split time on both sides of the bag. He played 284 1/3 innings at short and 208 2/3 innings at second base.

“I feel like I still need to get better at second,” Peguero said. “But being at a different position is a really hard moving-type thing. But I don’t take out of my head that I do want to be a shortstop, so I feel like being able to play second base has given me a lot of confidence and flip-flopping, it’s been really good. It feels really great to have different type of views of defensive sides.”

Where Rodolfo Castro endured similar struggles, Peguero separated himself with his effort. He broke up Sonny Gray’s 5 1/3 innings of a perfect game with an infield single that sparked a three-run sixth inning in the 7-4 win at Minnesota on Aug. 19.

#MNTwins booth questions whether Liover Peguero interfered with Donovan Solano on the single that broke up Sonny Gray’s perfect game and sparked the Pirates big sixth inning. pic.twitter.com/2XZo4FmzqY

— Puckett's Pond (@PuckettsPond) August 20, 2023

Three Run HR by SS Liover Peguero @Pirates #LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/f515yVGB2G

— Pittsburgh Pirates Player Development Report (@PGHplayerDev) August 30, 2023

Peguero also flashed some power. His 416-foot, three-run homer off Steven Cruz in the top of the ninth sparked the Pirates to a 6-3 win at Kansas City on Aug. 30 but wasn’t the only thing that caught the attention of manager Derek Shelton.

“I think it’s more just the approach of what you should swing at,” Shelton said. “The fact that he got it and got it as clean as he did, that’s something that really stands out.”

After going 0 for 9 with six strikeouts in the previous three games, Peguero snapped out of his funk in a big way. He was 3 for 4 with three RBIs and two runs scored in his most complete performance.

“We’ve been working really hard,” Peguero said. “Seeing it happen, it makes me feel a lot more confidence and makes me have a lot more hope. As long as I keep working and putting that trust in my work, I’m going to keep doing this. It feels amazing.

“This game is hard. All I need to do is recognize that and work through. I’ve been working really hard, and I just trust the work I’ve been putting in. I feel like I’ve got nothing to be scared of.”

PEGGY'S GOT RANGE pic.twitter.com/Qlc1TyrR9K

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 2, 2023

Another of Peguero’s top performances came in a 4-2 extra-inning win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sept. 1. He made a sliding over-the-shoulder catch of a Nolan Gorman bloop to center field to save a run with two on and two out in third inning.

“I saw (the ball) just for a little — I didn’t see it very well — but I was playing focused,” Peguero said. “I almost blacked out … I was just like, ‘Oh my god, I did it.’ ”

Peguero, who went 2 for 3 with a walk and two runs scored, beat the throw on an infield grounder, then scored on a wild pitch as the Pirates pulled off a three-run 10th inning.

“He just continues to play hard,” Shelton said. “He’s really improved defensively, and I think that’s credit to the guys here, a credit to Indy, a credit to the guys in Altoona because he’s gotten better as a defensive player as the year’s gone on.”

Pirates manager Derek Shelton on the play of rookies Endy Rodriguez and Liover Peguero in 7-6 win over Phillies pic.twitter.com/Cov8ABrsN9

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) July 30, 2023

The future: With Oneil Cruz expected to make a healthy return to shortstop next season, Peguero’s immediate future is cloudy.

He likely will compete with Ji Hwan Bae, Nick Gonzales and Jared Triolo for the starting job at second base. Where Peguero has an edge for a utility role is that shortstop is his natural position.

But Peguero’s defensive struggles continued. His minus-7 defensive runs saved — minus-4 at second base and minus-3 at shortstop — was among the worst on the team, with only Bae (minus-8) and outfielders Henry Davis and Jack Suwinski (both minus-9) ranking lower. Some scouts believe Peguero has the potential to play center field, a position of need for the Pirates but one that would be new to the middle infielder.

It didn’t help that Peguero struck out at a 31.5% rate and drew only 11 walks in 213 plate appearances. He batted .150 against breaking balls, with 35 strikeouts and a 48.7% whiff rate, but hit .345 against off-speed pitches.

Still, Peguero has elite sprint speed and prodigious power for a player who doesn’t turn 23 until Dec. 31, showing a knack to become a run producer at a position up the middle.

“It’s hard to say. It’s still very early in his career,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said. “He does have a comfort level on the baseball field. I think he’s one of those guys who believes he belongs there. He’s got skills there. You combine the bat speed and there’s strength in there. He hits the ball almost as hard as anyone we have.”