Pirates Spring Training Week 3: Who's Hot and Who's Not?

The third week of Spring Training has come to an end and we are even closer to Opening Day. The Pirates had a good week with players who will make an impact on the big league roster. Baron and Tyler share their hot and cold players from this week of Spring Training. 

Hot Hitter: Jack Suwinski

Jack Suwinski was on fire last week as he is getting ready for Opening Day. Last season, Suwinski improved from his rookie year, but played as a boom or bust kind of player. So far this spring, he has proved that we may see that same kind of bat again this year. Last week, Suwinski had a batting average of .615 with three home runs and six runs batted in. He also had two doubles and only struck out twice. The addition of Michael Taylor will move Jack to a corner outfield spot for most games, but he will remain a force in the lineup this season.

Hot Hitter: Billy McKinney

Billy McKinney has been on fire this spring as he is fighting for a spot on the big league roster. McKinney was acquired this offseason from the New York Yankees. He has shown a lot of power upside throughout his career, but his overall production in the majors has been rough. Last week, McKinney had a batting average of .333 with two home runs and five runs batted in. For McKinney to make the Pirates roster, someone would have to be removed from the 40-man as he is not on it. I think he will start the year in Indianapolis, but if he keeps it up, maybe we see him in Pittsburgh. 

Hot Pitcher: Jared Jones

Jared Jones has made a huge name for himself, and he continues to do so. Coming into Spring Training, Jones was on the outside looking in on earning a starting rotation spot. However, if you were to ask me who I felt confident in going into the season, Jones would be my third starter, behind Martin Perez and Mitch Keller. Last week, the biggest moment for Jones came against Atlanta. The Braves had 6 “regular” starters in the game where Jones went 4.0IP while allowing just two hits. During those four innings, Jones tallied 4 K’s. Michael Harris struck out twice, Travis d’Arnaud once, and Forrest Wall once. Jones gave up just two singles, one coming from Ozzie Albies, and the other from Matt Olson. Jones continued to show elite command to go along with his “ace” caliber arsenal. 

Hot Pitcher: Josh Fleming

Prior to this week, Josh Fleming looks pretty disappointing in terms of effectiveness. Fleming gave up 6 runs in 5 appearances and showed a lack of command which led to a lot of hard hit balls. However, Fleming showed the Pirates this past week what he can do when his stuff is on point. In two appearances against Atlanta & Tampa Bay, Fleming went 5 innings, allowing just 1 run, while striking out 4. Fleming showed elite ball placement especially in the lower quadrant of the strike zone. 

Cold Hitter: Joe Perez

Last season, Joe Perez was a midseason pickup to the minor league roster and looked solid overall with the Altoona Curve. So far this spring, the bat has not looked very good. He has only gotten one hit in 24 at bats. He has walked four times but has also struck out 11 times. Although he is not a top prospect, he is a guy that will start with one of our higher minor league teams, so his struggling bat is a concern.

Cold Pitcher: Bailey Falter

What can we say, Falter has been a pretty big disappointment this spring when his ceiling wasn’t set that high coming into the year. This past week, Falter did have an exceptional outing against Boston where he went 3.2IP allowing just 1 hit and striking out 4 batters. However, 5 days later, Falter ended up facing Detroit and got shelled. Falter went 2.2IP allowing 7 hits and giving up 5 runs. With Falter, his arsenal is not elite enough to get hitters delayed in terms of swing timing. Falter has shown inconsistency with his command and when Falter has that command problem, his stuff just simply can’t get past batters which normally leads to a lot of hard contact.