Pittsburgh Pirates 2012 Position-by-Position Look: First Base
By Matt Shetler
Aside from a brief look at Derrick Lee last season, first base continues to be a huge weakness in the Pittsburgh Pirates lineup.
That won’t change this season as on paper the Bucs look to be weak, if not weaker than in previous season’s, at the position.
Relying on incumbant Garrett Jones is a mistake, one the front office realized, so they improved the bench with the trade for Casey McGehee.
The McGehee trade will give Pirates manager Clint Hurdle the ability to play the hot hand and focus on matchups more. While Jones hasn’t done anything production-wise to warrant him getting everyday at bats, having McGehee around could be good for him as well.
With Albert Puljos and Prince Fielder out of the National League and Ryan Howard injured, first base isn’t a position where each opposing lineup will have a dominant bat any longer.
Together, McGehee and Jones has a chance to combine to put up decent numbers,
Starter: Jones
When he’s locked in for those two, two-week stretches Jones can carry the offense. But take away those four weeks during the season, and he practically kills the offense the rest of the season.
His OPB is lousy at .321 and his OPS (.754) ranks him in the bottom third in baseball among both right fielders and first basemen, both positions you must have production from.
Of course getting Jones away from left-handed pitching could help his overall production.
The numbers don’t lie. Jones is a career .275 hitter with a .838 OPS against right-handers, as opposed to a .199 average and .601 OPS against lefties. The Pirates will give Jones or McGehee the opportunity to emerge with more at-bats, but they will continue the platoon if that turns out to be the best solution.
2012 Projections: The key for Jones to be productive is to find an approach that works and stick with it. He’s constantly a mess with his mechanics and his mental state. Jones gives at bats away at an alarming rate and that has to stop. he’s in his fourth season with the Pirates and if he doesn’t get it figured out, it will likely be his last. With that being sais, the presence of McGehee could ultimately be a positive thing for Jones. Hopefully there won’t be as many situations in 2012 where Jones has no chance to succeed. .238 AVG, 18 HR, 59 RBI.
Backup: McGehee
McGehee will see time at both first and third base and will see a ton of at bats against left-handed pitching. What the Pirates need is for either Jones or Pedro Alvarez to have a big year, because naturally McGehee can’t play both third and first base at the same time against southpaws.
The Bucs’ are banking on McGehee rebounding from a poor 2011 in which he hit only .223 with 13 HR and 67 RBI.
He may not give you the .285 AVG 23 HR and 104 RBI season he put up in 2010, where a lot of those numbers have to be attributed to batting behind Ryan Braun and Fielder, but a decent rebound is likely.
The book on McGehee is that he rakes against lefties, but in actuality he can hit well of right handers as well, which could see him getting a ton of at bats at both positions if either Jones or Alvarez struggles out of the gate. Here’s a breakdown of McGehee’s numbers by pitch.
All vs. RH vs LH
Fastballs .287 .291 .274
Curveballs .205 .167 .321
Sliders .262 .269 .227
Changeups .297 .315 .281
Other .167 .167 .000
He’s clearly a guy that hits the fastball well and isn’t fooled by the changeup.
Compare McGehee’s numbers to the same breakdowns on Jones.
All vs. RH vs LH
Fastballs .287 .304 .249
Curveballs .261 .275 .240
Sliders .196 .243 .143
Changeups .231 .250 .095
Other .265 .273 .000
While neither guy is going to be confused anytime soon with a solid productive major leaguer, McGehee will ultimately prove to be less of a liability.
As for defensively at first base, McGehee may not be a gold glover, but he’s no worse right now than Jones, who’s proven the past couple of years that he’s not a capable defensive first baseman.
Both guys clearly have their strengths and both guys clearly have their weaknesses.
If Hurdle plays his cards right though, they could turn out to be a decent platoon.
2012 Projections: While a rebound offensively is likely, don’t expect anything similar to McGhee’s 2010 numbers. He will put together a solid season off the bench though and Hurdle will be forced to get his bat into the lineup more often than not. .252AVG, 17 HR, 61 RBI
Needs a big year: Matt Hague
I like Hague, but contrary to popular belief, he’s not realistically the first baseman of the future for the Pirates.
He had a huge season last year and with another, that thought could change.
Despite Hague’s huge minor league season last year, the Pirates didn’t reward him with a September call-up, which could be an indication of where the Pirates are at on Hague.
Basically he’s a Jones type of player. Not good defensively. Only modest power.
While he might not be an everyday guy, he’s still a major leaguer down the road as the Bucs could eventually find a role for him the way they did with Steve Pearce.
However, if he rakes at Indianapolis this season again, the Bucs could be forced to give him a look at first base, considering the limited options they currently have at the major league level.
Prospect to watch: Alex Dickerson
The former Indiana Hoosier and Pirates third-round pick won the Big Ten triple crown and quickly showed as a pro that he’s one of the better hitters in the Pirates system.
MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo ranked Dickerson the ninth best first-base prospect in the game right now and had the following to say:
"Dickerson had a very solid career offensively at Indiana, though his power numbers went down a bit with the switch to the new college bats in 2011. That, and a lack of a true defensive home, led him to be available in the third round for Pittsburgh. He’s settled in nicely at first base and showed his advanced hitting skills during his debut last summer. Dickerson can hit for average and has some legitimate power, maximizing it all with excellent plate discipline. His left-handed bat should allow him to move pretty quickly up the ladder."
Dickerson has power to all fields and so far is willing to go the other way, which is an eye-opener.
In his debut in pro-ball in the NYPL, he showed good plate discipline and solid gap-to-gap power. he hit only three homers, but that will come after he adjusts to using wood bats.
It’s definitely worth keeping an eye on Dickerson, who’s likely to begin the season with Bradenton.
To take a look at the catchers, click HERE
Follow City of Champions Sports on Twitter