Five players to watch as Pirates begin spring training
Here are five players to watch this spring as the Pirates get started on what they hope will be a fourth consecutive season with a playoff berth:
JUNG HO KANG
The infielder蘑菇视频 fine rookie season ended abruptly last September when he broke his left leg and tore knee ligaments in a collision at second base.
While the Pirates haven鈥檛 put a timetable on his return, Kang蘑菇视频 rehab is going well as he is running, taking groundballs and hitting in the cages. There is at least a chance he will be ready for the April 3 opener against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park.
The Pirates are counting on Kang to be the everyday third baseman this season while Josh Harrison shifts to second base to replace Neil Walker, who was traded to the New York Mets in December.
Kang hit .287 with 15 home runs and an .816 OPS in 126 games last season while becoming the first native South Korean position player to make the transition to the major leagues from the Korean Baseball Organization.
JOHN JASO
The 32-year-old will attempt to become an everyday first baseman after signing a two-year, $8millon contract as a free agent in December despite having played just five innings at the position during his seven-year career.
Of course, he probably won鈥檛 be any worse than Pedro Alvarez, who easily led all major league first basemen with 23 errors last season for the Pirates, nearly offsetting his team-high 27 home runs.
The Pirates, though, are most attracted by Jaso蘑菇视频 ability to get on base. The former catcher/outfielder has a lifetime .361 on-base percentage, including a .380 mark last season in 70 games with the Tampa Bay Rays.
JEFF LOCKE
The 28-year-old left-hander has been inconsistent ever since being selected to play in the 2013 All-Star break, and he went just 8-11 with a 4.49 ERA in 30 starts last season.
The Pirates will need him to be better this year with the rotations thinned out by the retirement of right-hander A.J. Burnett, the free-agent departure of lefty A.J. Happ to the Toronto Blue Jays and the trade of righty Charlie Morton to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Pitching coach Ray Searage began fixing some flaws in Locke蘑菇视频 delivery during the team蘑菇视频 minicamp last month. While the results of spring training games rarely mean much, it will be interesting to see how Locke looks during Grapefruit League play, which begins March 1.
ERIC O鈥橣LAHERTY
Signed to a minor league contract last week, the 31-year-old veteran of 10 major league seasons has an excellent chance to make the team as the Pirates look to add a second lefthanded reliever to go with set-up man Tony Watson.
O鈥橣laherty struggled to an 8.10 ERA in a combined 30 innings with the Oakland Athletics and Mets last season, a year removed from Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery. However, he had a 1.99 ERA over 249 1/3 innings in five seasons with the Atlanta Braves from 2009-13 and fits the sinker-pitching profile the Pirates love.
ALEN HANSON
The 23-year-old second baseman has long been considered one of the Pirates鈥� top prospects but his status slipped in the eyes of some scouts last season while playing at Class AAA Indianapolis. He hit .263 with six home runs, 35 stolen bases and a .701 OPS in 117 games.
If Kang is not ready for the start of the season, Harrison will be needed at third base and someone will need to fill in at second base. Hanson might get a shot to be the temp if he has a good spring while bolstering his sagging stock.