Shane Victorino Should be Focus of Pittsburgh Pirates as Deadline Approaches
By Matt Shetler
As the 2012 MLB Trade Deadline approaches, Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Neal Huntington has some tough decisions ahead of him.
There are big names such as Justin Upton and Hunter Pence that could potentially be had at the deadline, but Huntington should make a serious push to land Shane Victorino instead.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ll take Upton or Pence in a heartbeat, but Victorino fills a huge need on this current Pirates team- a leadoff hitter.
I’m not the biggest fan of Victorino’s and he’s not having the greatest season, but what he’s capable of doing at the top of the Bucs lineup could pay dividends.
He’s only hitting .253 and his OBP is only .316, but consider that only Andrew McCutchen and Neil Walker have a current OBP that’s better than Victorino’s. The OBP of the guys he would replace: Alex Presley (.270), Garrett Jones (.289), Drew Sutton (.296) and Josh Harrison (.288). Flat out, the Bucs corner outfielders don’t get on base enough, especially Presley at the top of the order.
The Bucs need base runners on ahead of Andrew McCutchen and adding a quality leadoff guy makes sense.
Victorino also adds the dimension of the stolen base, having swiped 21 bags on the season, only being thrown out three times. He has some pop and is a good defensive outfielder as well. he has a career OBP of .342, which isn’t great but will be exactly what this Pirates team needs at the top of their lineup.
Of course like with most players, adding Victorino means taking on some baggage.
He’s reportedly not happy in Philadelphia, due to not getting a contract extension.
Then there’s the asking price, which Rob Biertempfel reported was very high.
#Pirates see Shane Victorino as perfect fit in their OF, but they are out of mix for trade unless #Phillies drop asking price dramatically.
— RobBiertempfel (@RobBiertempfel) July 22, 2012
There’s no doubting Victorino is a risk. His slugging percentage has taken a serious dip from .491 to .373 this year. He’s also seeing fewer fastballs and swinging at more pitches out of the zone. However that Phillies lineup wasn’t what it usually is for the better part of this season and he’s been pitched much differently.
There are plenty of warning signs that you can examine on Fangraphs that would make you want to stay away from Victorino.
He’s certainly a guy I wouldn’t overpay for, but I see a guy looking for a contract and a veteran guy that knows how to get on base. Put him at the top of the Pirates lineup in the middle of a pennant race and I feel he would produce positive results.
As the deadline approaches, the asking price on Victorino should go down.
If it doesn’t, I would shift my attention to Denard Span quickly.
While he doesn’t run as much as Victorino, Span gets on base at a better clip.
The Pirates must address the leadoff spot and add OBP to this team.
I wouldn’t write Victorino off as a trade target. He’s a guy that I feel can really help this Pirates team make a push for the playoffs.