Preparing to succeed: How Connor Joe became the most consistent player in Pirates' lineup

When Connor Joe’s name is mentioned, the reflex response from the Pittsburgh Pirates has been to talk about his preparation. Joe is nothing if not prepared, a label he wears as a badge of honor.

But Joe is changing the conversation, as the first baseman/outfielder has been the most consistent player in the Pirates’ lineup through the first two months of the season — thanks, in part, to his preparation.

With a .266/.342/.438 slash line, the 31-year-old Joe leads all qualified Pirates hitters in batting, on-base and slugging percentage and OPS (.780), runs scored (35) and is tied for first with 14 doubles. His 54 hits and 25 RBIs both rank behind only Bryan Reynolds.

“There’s a lot of people that prepare well. There’s a lot of people that work hard. But, you have to be consistent in staying with your plan. And Connor does a really good job of that,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “You can see at times when the plan doesn’t work out how frustrated he gets because he knows he was prepared, and then something happens out of the ordinary. Consistency and ability to stick to his plan is what stands out the most.”

Joe has motivation after thriving in matchup-based situations early last season, when he slashed .288/.387/.575 over the first month-plus to earn more playing time before slipping to .221 in May and .197 in June. He rebounded with a .366 OBP in July and .845 OPS in August and ended up tying for the team lead with 31 doubles.

“As far as maybe why there’s more consistency this year, I feel like I’m a more aware hitter,” Joe said. “I just know myself more.”

Shelton said he knew Joe had more in him.

“I think so now, looking back in reflection. To say at the time? Maybe not,” Shelton said. “But what he went through last year I think has prepared him for this year, and it’s probably also prepared us as a coaching group of what the adjustments and conversations have to be so we don’t fall to that again.”

That required a deep dive into data as the righty-hitting Joe worked with Pirates hitting coaches Andy Haines and Christian Marrero to break down his history, study scouting reports for opposing pitchers and instill an approach designed to maximize his strengths and reduce his weaknesses in an effort to become an everyday player.

“I knew I was going to have to hit off righties as well as lefties and get on base against righties,” said Joe, whose career batting average against left-handed pitchers (.266) is 24 points higher than righties. “So then Haines, Christian and the hitting staff, we dove into numbers and found where I’m good, what pitches I hit, what pitches I can do damage and tailored an approach.”

Joe is feasting on fastballs, batting .324 this season compared to .253 last year. He’s been especially good against four-seamers, with a hard-hit rate of 43.5%. And he’s sitting on off-speed pitches, hitting changeups at a .313 clip.

But it’s not as simple as pitch selection. Joe said Haines emphasized the need to learn and trust the long game instead of searching for hits in a specific at-bat. That mentality took some of the self-inflicted pressure off Joe, as did Shelton sticking with him through slumps.

Joe’s preparation earned the trust of the coaching staff. He’s renowned for his reputation of studying pitchers — to the point that coaches and teammates alike can’t help but notice.

“We get a lot of information, but it’s up to us how we handle it,” Pirates first baseman Rowdy Tellez said. “He takes his information, (writes) it down, studies it. Whenever a new pitcher comes in, he always goes over to his binder and he’s reading about that pitcher and looking up tendencies. He’s very diligent about his work, and I think that’s what’s made him very consistent.

“He’s the same guy, who shows up every day whether he’s playing or not, and I think that’s a testament to playing baseball. Even if you talk to him, he’ll say he’s always trying to get better. He’s one of those guys that really hasn’t been talked about off the field with what he does to get ready for the game.”

Joe also has made a smooth transition from corner outfielder to first baseman, where he’s made 25 starts this season and taken advantage of Rowdy Tellez’s slump to earn regular playing time. Joe has shown positional versatility, playing 23 games in right field and five in left, which makes him even more valuable to the Pirates.

“It’s been huge,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said. “Obviously, first base has been an area that we’ve been challenged by here in the last few years in trying to figure out. We’re lucky he’s here. He’s kind of slid into that. Playing more there and producing. He had played there in the past, but he first started going back there more last year. Took a little while to get back in the routine of playing defense, but defense has been really stable at first too. He works so hard. He’s so well prepared. He cares. Super dependable player.”

That type of compliment isn’t lost on Joe, a 2014 Pirates first-round pick who was traded to the Atlanta Braves and bounced around baseball by playing for six teams. Along the way, he beat testicular cancer and earned a spot with the Colorado Rockies before being re-acquired by the Pirates as a depth piece in December 2022. It taught Joe that days in the major leagues are precious, and being unprepared is a disservice.

“Everyone has their own journey. Everyone has their own path and timeline,” Joe said. “I didn’t necessarily get the opportunity as soon as I would have wanted but, as an athlete, whenever you get that opportunity you have to be prepared. That’s what we place confidence in and what we control, is how we prepare and how ready we are when we get that opportunity. That’s really what I’ve grasped onto: preparing myself for opportunities that are presented. You have to take advantage of them.”