With on-base streak, versatile Billy McKinney building a case to make Pirates roster

Billy McKinney might be best known as the answer to trivia questions, given his involvement in multiple high-profile trades over the past decade. He has been part of the return package in trades for pitchers Jeff Samardzija, Aroldis Chapman and J.A. Happ over a nomadic six-year major-league career.

The latest trade brought McKinney to the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he’s building a case to make the Opening Day roster. After signing a minor-league contract with the New York Yankees, he was acquired by the Pirates on Dec. 14 in exchange for international signing bonus pool considerations.

“It was a little bit of a strange-looking deal, but we had pursued him earlier in the offseason and he ended up re-signing with the Yankees,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said. “This opportunity came up, and it felt like it made sense.”

The 29-year-old outfielder/first baseman is batting .360 (9 for 25) with seven RBIs in Grapefruit League play while showing an innate ability to get on base. McKinney has a .515 on-base percentage, thanks to drawing eight walks against two strikeouts, and leads all MLB players in spring training with a 13-game on-base streak.

McKinney has a pair of three-RBI games against Atlanta this spring, including a three-run homer against the Braves in Tuesday’s 5-1 win. He’s had a hit or a walk in four games and one of each in four others.

To say McKinney, a 2013 first-round pick by the Oakland A’s, is well-traveled is an understatement. He has played for the Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers before returning to the A’s and Yankees.

McKinney has a .209/.284/.390 slash line in 311 career games but has found success when given ample playing time. He had 14 doubles, 12 home runs and 28 RBIs in 84 games for the Blue Jays in 2019 and 11 doubles, three triples, nine homers and 27 RBIs in 116 games split between the Brewers and Mets in 2021.

“In Billy’s case, he does have the advantage of playing first base as well as outfield,” Cherington said. “He’s played all three outfield spots and first base, been a pretty productive left-hand hitter and put up decent numbers last season with the Yankees.”

Called up to the Yankees in June after Aaron Judge injured his toe, McKinney hit .320 with four home runs in his first 15 games. He slashed .227/.320/.406 with three doubles, a triple, six homers and 14 RBIs in 48 games for the Yankees. At Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he had a .388 OBP and almost as many walks (22) as strikeouts (32).

Playing for the Pirates reunited McKinney with Chapman, the seven-time All-Star reliever for whom he was traded in 2016. The Cubs sent McKinney, infielder Gleyber Torres, pitcher Adam Warren and outfielder Rashad Crawford to the Yankees for Chapman, then won their first World Series in 108 years.

“I was getting an oil change, and somebody texted me, ‘Hey man, good luck with the Yankees!’ I was like, ‘What the heck?’ ” McKinney said. “Then the next year (the Yankees) re-signed him, so it was pretty cool to see him in the clubhouse and be traded for him at the same time. It was different, but it was cool.”

The Pirates view McKinney as a left-handed hitting platoon option, comparable to Joshua Palacios and complementary to righties Connor Joe and Edward Olivares. He’s competing with all three for a spot on the 26-man roster. If McKinney has an edge, it’s his discerning eye and positional flexibility that is highly valued by the Pirates.

“That’s just something I’ve tried to take pride in, is my versatility,” said McKinney, who has played 125 games in right field, 122 in left, 28 at first base and 12 in center. “Knowing the Pirates are very big into that, I thought that was going to be key. Seeing how much talent they have — and young talent — it’s pretty ridiculous. I’ve been with a lot of organizations, and they definitely have some top-tier talent here. I thought this would be a good opportunity to get after it.”