Thursday Ramble: What to Look For Down the Stretch, Injury Updates

OK, 16 games left. Pittsburgh doesn't have a horse in the MLB race, so what to look ahead to? The 2019 auditions, of course.

This year the Bucs cleared some space by moving S-Rod and Freeser, and the odds are that J-Hay and Jordy will join them. So the first logjam is the infield. Fraze is making a determined push to move beyond super-sub status and claim second base. His bat would be an improvement and leave Clint with a genuine top-of-the-order guy. More importantly, his defensive metrics have jumped; he's got a modest +2 DRS and his range is improved, per Fangraphs, so his mitt shouldn't hurt. Kevin Kramer will try to make his case that he should be the caddy; he bats lefty and can also play third.

The Kevins look to impress for 2019 (image AT&T SportsNet)

If Jordy goes, Kevin Newman will try to work his way into the position. He's looked better at the plate after a very rugged start and has a rep, like Jordy, of being a steady if unspectacular glove guy. K-Man is the sole internal option, at least until Cole Tucker handles the twig a little better in the upper levels. Max Moroff, the yo-yo infielder the past two years, is the odd man out; he didn't even rate a September call as the Bucs have seen him (.193 MLB BA, 11% walk rate, 33% whiff rate) and moved on to the Kevins, leaving no time for Mighty Max. Jose Osuna likewise is battling for a spot as a corner back-up. He's a good glove guy at first and a work-in-progress at the hot corner, but he doesn't walk (nor for that matter K) very often and carries a career .223 BA, though his nine homers do give him a sudden-strike potential off the pine. He also swings from the right side, so he fits as a  platoon role player for Colin Moran/Josh Bell. Ke'Bryan Hayes is still over the rainbow as a challenger.

The outfield has a couple of mighty big ifs now - how will Gregory respond to his double-dinger injury and will the Bucco FO strike a deal with Corey Dickerson, who is in his walk year? Jordan Luplow and Pablo Reyes will get time to see how they fare. Luplow has the ability to lose baseballs while Reyes is a Swiss Army knife who can play several spots around the diamond. Bryan Reynolds and Jason Martin are rising but too green to challenge yet.

Catching is set; we don't expect the team to move Fran and Eli has proved capable. Jacob Stallings and Ryan Lavarnway are OK third-stringers if they're signed again.

Is The King going to be in or out next season? (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

The pitching is in place unless Ivan Nova moves over the winter, with Jamo, Arch, Willy and Big Joe starting and a bullpen that's both good & under contractual control, lacking maybe one mid-level arm. The depth isn't great, with Nick Kingham the only guy up who slots as a starter.  Question marks include the final diagnosis on Chad Kuhl's bad wing (not lookin' good) and how quickly Mitch Keller develops at Indy. The Bucs are thin there system-wide, at least in the upper levels unless JT Brubaker or Tyler Epler develop.

So sit back and enjoy September; it's not about the wins and losses now. The only regulars who should see regular time are Starling, Cervy, Adam Frazier, J-Bell and Colin Moran. That leaves Clint lots of wiggle room to give his puppies a small-sample taste of big league play. And though it's a small sample, the player evaluation at the big league level should inform the Pirates as to what moves to make in the off season both by subtraction and addition, with short, starting pitching depth and possibly the outfield being the major concerns. Of course, the biggest add would be to find a consistent, middle-of-the-lineup producer, but the Bucs aren't the type to open their pocketbook for a splash player.

Notes:

• Gregory Polanco had surgery to repair an acutely dislocated left shoulder (no recovery time given) yesterday, to go with his severe knee bruise (6-8 weeks). Plz, someone, build him a home sliding pit.
• Eli is running and catching bullpens. He plans to run bases this weekend, so it looks like he may be ready before the season runs out. 
• Chad Kuhl shut down his first bullpen session yesterday because his forearm still felt tight. He's going to get a reevaluation (actually, a third opinion) before getting into any more rehab.
• Jung-Ho Kang is still rehabbing his wrist, but is doing some soft-toss hitting and taking infield, throwing without pain. The team hopes he recovers in time to participate in the Pirates fall Florida Instructional League.
• OF'er Jack Herman, 18, this year's 30th round pick from Eastern HS in New Jersey, was named to the 2018 GCL All-Star Team after hitting .340.