Pittsburgh Pirates: Grading the 2013 First Basemen
By Matt Shetler
Gaby Sanchez- .254 AVG/ .361 OBP/ .402 SLG, 7 HR, 36 RBI
Aug 1, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Gaby Sanchez (14) throws underhand to retire a St. Louis Cardinals batter during the ninth inning against at PNC Park. The St. Louis Cardinals won 13-0. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Sanchez actually didn’t have a bad season. He is on the roster to hit left-handed pitching and he did that pretty well in 2013 to the tune of a .333 average and a nice .987 OPS.
He didn’t hit right-handers so well, but Sanchez is here to mash lefties and provide a decent glove at first base, both of which he did very well in 2013.
Sanchez isn’t the answer in terms of the Bucs finding an everyday first baseman, but he has turned out to be a very valuable and productive part of the bench. He is arbitration eligible this offseason and I would expect him to be back in a Pirates uniform next season. Grade: B-
Justin Morneau- .260 AVG/.370 OBP/ .312 SLG, 0 HR, 3 RBI
I’m not as down on Morneau as most people as I think he legitimized the Pirates lineup. Having the former MVP in the cleanup spot not only made the Pirates lineup deeper, but added a bat in the middle of the order that opposing teams had to respect and pitch carefully to.
They simply didn’t have that with a guy like Jones.
But having said that, the .312 slugging percentage, no homers and only three RBI’s stick out like a sore thumb.
Huntington made the right move by acquiring Morneau, but the 32-year old simply didn’t produce. You kept waiting for him to deliver a big hit, but that big hit never came. I liked the fact that he got on base as his .370 OBP was pretty nice in his 25 regular season appearances as a Pirate.
However at the end of the day he didn’t produce at all. I wouldn’t be opposed to him coming back next year on a team friendly deal, but there are likely better options as it certainly appears that Morneau’s best days are clearly behind him. Grade: D+
To see 2013 grades for Pirates catchers, click here