There isn't a position on this year's Pirates team that will be scrutinized as much as third base. There probably isn't one as important as it either.
Pedro Alvarez holds a huge key to how this team fairs in 2012. If he reaches his potential and hits the 25+ bombs he's capable of, this team could compete. If he's a dud like last year, the team probably isn't going anywhere fast without some seriously good pitching. Let's take a closer look.
Alvarez was bad last year, but that's behind us. You see the projection systems have him with pretty decent 2012 seasons. I don't think anybody would complain about the .245/.323/.447 that ZiPS is giving him, although this guy is definitely capable of a lot more than that. You can tell there that I'm pretty high on Alvarez. I just think he's too talented to have another horrible year. What we've seen from him this spring thus far is encouraging, and I really think he's going to start to turn the corner this year. A slow start is definitely something you shouldn't be surprised to see, but eventually he's going to get it going... at least I hope.
It would be absolutely huge to have the bat that a performing Pedro Alvarez would have in the lineup. The Pirates have some talented hitters and some good speed guys, but what they lack is power.
Garrett Jones should hit 15-20 home runs, and McCutchen will probably clear 20 easily, but they really need another power bat to really get their offense going. Alvarez is not going to hit left-handers well, I don't think he ever really will. However, he should be able to put up some nice numbers on righties.
A lot of his problem may be mental, which is tough to deal with. Success fuels confidence, so it's tough for Alvarez to have that confidence after a tough 2011 season. If the coaches can get him to really buy into his ability and start performing, the sky is the limit - well maybe just the Allegheny River is the limit.
I don't really think
Josh Harrison is going to make the team out of spring training. THe team already has a back-up third baseman in
Casey McGehee, but he's going to primarily a first baseman this year. Therefore they don't really need to bring anybody up to strictly back Alvarez up. Harrison is competing for the backup shortstop position, a battle which I think he'll lose to
Yamaico Navarro, so it's looking like Harrison will start in Indianapolis (to me at least). I've been wrong before, believe it or not, so Jay-Hay could definitely be on the roster come April.
Harrison is a great clubhouse guy and can be a real spark plug for an offense from time to time with great work ethic and some nice speed. However, he just lacks the tools to be a real effective big league player. He had some success last year when he was filling in, but the Pirates do not look at him as a possible starter. His versatility is nice to have, he can play all over the field, so the Pirates will almost certainly use him at some point in the season, but I just don't see it happening on Opening Day.
Grade: C
You can read the rest of this series here, or click the links below:
Catcher
First Base
Second Base
Shortstop
Outfield
