Ever have too much of a good thing?
Have you ever in your life had too much of a good thing?
Maybe you have two highly attractive members of the opposite gender pursuing you. This is not a problem I have ever had in my 33 years on this earth, but I hear it does happen.
A situation similar to this could be facing the Pittsburgh Pirates as starting infielders Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer begin their respective rehab assignments following injuries they suffered in July.
When these two return, the Buccos will have plenty of options to sift through in order to put the best eight position players on the field for the team’s stretch run to a division title.
Just three years ago, this problem would be a laughable one for Pittsburgh fans, who yearned for one good version of an effective starting eight.
When Harrison and Mercer do return to the active roster, manager Clint Hurdle and the rest of the franchise’s brass will make the tough decisions on just what to do with a problem that will stretch from the infield (with the exception of the catcher spot) into right field.
Further clouding the team’s future prospects is the improved play of Gregory Polanco, who has seemed to have developed a flair for the dramatic, providing big hits in even bigger situations.
The way I look at it, six different players will be vying for four starting spots. I am excluding Neil Walker from the discussion, as I can’t see a situation, short of injury, in which he gives up his starting job at second base.
Once Harrison returns, first base becomes an even clearer platoon situation.
Aramis Ramirez, who is finally starting to hit in a Pirate uniform again, moves over to first base to split time with Pedro Alvarez. If Ramirez continues to hit, especially if the power returns to his bat, then Alvarez has to be moved to the bench. While I don’t think the team will ultimately go this route, it makes the most sense in terms of making a huge improvement defensively, with a minimal, if not non-existent, drop in batting production.
If A.J. Burnett continues to struggle when he returns to the rotation, or if the team doesn’t improve its starting pitching before the Aug. 31 trade deadline, I think an offense-first mentality would be the way to go for the team.
Should that be the case, then you have to keep Jung Ho Kang and Gregory Polanco in the lineup.
In this scenario, Jordy Mercer would take on the role of utility infielder, with Kang and his vastly superior bat manning the shortstop position. Right field would then stay with Polanco, as long as he continues to hit, with Harrison swinging back to third base.
Should Burnett revert to something closer to his form from the first half of the season, or the team makes a splashier pickup than J.A. Happ to bolster the rotation, a more defensive approach makes sense.
If the gloves take priority over the bat, Mercer becomes the man at shortstop, Kang, and his vastly underrated arm, takes over at third and Harrison replaces Polanco in right.
Obviously, Ramirez plays a lot of more first than Alvarez in this scenario.
With the Pirates needing to play nearly flawless baseball over the final month-plus of the regular season in order to win the National League Central, personnel moves are going to more crucial than usual.
It’s a good thing the team appears to have the horses to make that stretch run as the postseason approaches.