Pittsburgh Pirates future is now at shortstop

The Pittsburgh Pirates are making a change at shortstop, with prospect Cole Tucke being promoted to the majors.

Friday night’s contest was a rough one for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Starter Jordan Lyles was forced from the game after being hit in the right hand by a comebacker. Outfielder Starling Marte and shortstop Eric Gonzalez collided when tracking a fly ball, knocking both out of the game and ultimately sending both players to the Injured List.

In their place, the Pirates have brought up two of their top prospects. Shortstop Cole Tucker and outfielder Bryan Reynolds have been promoted to Pittsburgh, and will make their major league debuts.

In the case of Tucker, this promotion may well mark the end of his minor league career. The Pirates shortstop situation had been disappointing, as Gonzalez had provided an excellent glove, but little on offense. Kevin Newman, who is also on the Injured List, had hit reasonably well in his 11 plate appearances, but struggled with the glove.

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A former first round pick, Tucker has had his own injury concerns, as well as difficulties keeping his 6’3″ frame under control when in the batter’s box. However, the light switch appears to have clicked on, as Tucker has been on fire since the Arizona Fall League. Following a mediocre campaign in AA, he produced a .370/.442/.457 batting line in his 95 plate appearances.

That production followed Tucker to Spring Training. He did everything he could to force his way onto the roster, hitting at a .389/.450/.889 clip with two homers in his 20 plate appearances. Although he was sent to AAA, Tucker did not slow down, producing a .333/.415/.579 batting line with three homers and five steals in 66 plate appearances.

Considered the Pirates fifth overall prospect, Tucker is still a bit of a work in progress. He has a tendency to lose his lower half, lengthening his stride and getting off balance. If those issues are finally under control, his excellent speed and solid bat should keep him in the lineup for years to come.

It was a matter of time before Cole Tucker took over as the Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop. That future is now.