Only days away from the All-Star break, the Pittsburgh Pirates are five games below .500, their record standing at 44-49. They are currently in fourth place in the National League Central division and are ten and a half games out of first place. At this point, the team’s chance of making the playoffs is slim to none, and to quote Charles Barkley, “slim just got shot.”
The Pirates have shown a lot of promise during this rebuilding year. Austin Meadows, Colin Moran, and Elias Diaz have all looked comfortable against big league pitching. Jameson Taillon is emerging as the ace of the staff. Corey Dickerson and Joe Musgrove were low-key additions who have been among the team’s top performers.
At the same time, veteran players such as Starling Marte, Josh Harrison, and Ivan Nova have all put up disappointing numbers. Trade rumors have circulated around the latter two players, while Francisco Cervelli and Corey Dickerson may also be part of talks. However, one of Pittsburgh’s best trade assets is a name that is currently not on the market. Although the team has stuck with him through his struggles, it is a good time to test the waters for a Gregory Polanco trade.
Gregory Polanco takes care of the Tigers pic.twitter.com/NUlDDPTNi1
— Baseball Bros (@BaseballBros) March 30, 2018
It is still hard to believe that Gregory Polanco is twenty-six years old. Polanco tore through the minor leagues and his major league debut in 2014 was the source of much excitement for Pirates fans. The man known as El Coffee seemed set for stardom, a five-tool dynamo who would join Starling Marte and Andrew McCutchen in leading the team to their first World Series since 1979.
To be frank, Polanco fell short of those expectations. Watching Polanco play is a frustrating experience. On the field, he is the baseball version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
The natural tools are there. Polanco’s speed is well above league average; Austin Meadows and Starling Marte are the only Pirates with better measurements from Statcast’s Sprint Speed. His arm is among the league’s best and he can hit the ball a country mile. Additionally, El Coffee makes some great fundamental plays, such as turning singles into doubles with aggressive base running or bunting through the shift for a hit.
#Padres challenge call that Gregory Polanco is safe at 3B in the 9th; call confirmed, runner is safe.
Powered by @Mitel. pic.twitter.com/6qJ8z3LwUv
— MLB Replay (@MLBReplays) July 1, 2018
These skills are coupled by maddening blunders. Polanco gets poor jumps on fly balls in the outfield, turning outs into singles and singles into extra bases. His outs above average and defensive WAR are both below league average. He often takes a lackadaisical approach when “sprinting” out of the box, with his lack of hustle costing him extra-base hits.
Nevertheless, the Pirates could still get a good return in a Polanco trade. Youth is still on El Coffee’s side and his contract is flexible. He is also riding a hot streak at the plate following an adjustment suggested by Pirates manager Clint Hurdle. Now, Polanco stands a step further away from home plate while batting.
The change is paying off, as Polanco is batting .324 with a .435 on-base percentage throughout the last thirty days. His OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) is 1.055 during this time frame, which is seventh-best among all major leaguers. Polanco’s plate discipline is also improving, correlating with a career high 13% walk rate and a career low 26.8% outside swing percentage.
Since moving off the plate June 6, #Pirates Gregory Polanco: 3 HR, 15 RBI, .320/.426/.600 in 62 PA
– More hits (4-for-9) on pitches inner-third and in than before he moved (3-for-42)
– Now has career-high .827 OPS overall vs lefties
— Joe Block (@joe_block) June 30, 2018
Gregory Polanco has all of the potential in the world, but it has not been harnessed yet. In five years with the Pirates, Polanco’s totals include a .258 batting average, an on-base percentage of .331, and 62 home runs. Despite his hot streak, he is only hitting .231 on the season and was hovering around .200 at the beginning of June. With the emergence of Austin Meadows, can the Pirates afford to wait around for Polanco to fully reach his potential?
There are contenders who need help in the outfield, particularly the Cleveland Indians and Philadelphia Phillies. Polanco is still an appealing project and the Pirates could get some good pieces for him. Although it is likely that he will still be in a Bucs uniform by the end of the season, Pirates brass should examine the market for Gregory Polanco.
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