Liover Peguero enters critical 2025 with future of shortstop position up for grabs
Peguero faces an important season plus a look at the future of the shortstop position on the 40 man roster
After acquiring Isiah Kiner-Falefa in a trade at the deadline, he’ll be in line to be the team’s starting shortstop for the 2025 season.
The future of the shortstop position beyond the following season is more of a toss-up.
Pittsburgh has multiple shortstops on their 40-man roster, but none have distinguished themselves as potential options come the 2026 season.
Now, that’s some time away, and there are more pressing needs, like winning as many games as possible this upcoming season. Still, one of the more interesting subplots in 2025 will be if anyone takes a step toward being a potential option at shortstop.
While IKF will head into 2025 as the starter, this will be a big year for Liover Peguero. Acquired in the Starling Marte trade, the promise and upside has always been there for Peguero, it’s been a struggle to put it all together.
Between repeating Double-A or putting together an underwhelming 2025 season in Triple-A, Peguero has struggled to gain momentum toward making a case to get another extended look in the majors.
He played 59 games during the 2023 season, batting .237/.280/.374 with seven home runs and six stolen bases. When you factor in his minor league numbers, he put together a 20/20 season.
Still, in 2024, he played in three games with the Pirates, spending the rest of the season in Triple-A Indianapolis, where he collected over 500 plate appearances and hit .257/.319/.410 with 13 home runs and 14 stolen bases (88 wRC+).
It was the same case for Peguero in previous years; he’s a free swinger who doesn’t walk often and has struck out over 30% of his plate appearances in the majors (in over 200 PA). He’s made strides defensively but hasn’t hit enough to this point.
Peguero could enter the upcoming season with an opportunity to claim a bench spot as the backup middle infielder but could get squeezed out depending on who else makes the team.
He was granted a fourth option, so starting in Triple-A is more likely. Regardless, with no apparent option beyond this season, there’s a big opportunity to be had for Peguero, even if it begins in Triple-A.
Other option on the 40-man roster
Alika Williams
The Pirates love his glove, but the bat hasn’t come around in the majors, as he put up a wRC+ of 47 in 96 plate appearances last year. He has a couple of options left, so he isn’t a bad option for depth and if you need someone to sit on the bench for a couple of days if a regular is banged up—but that’s about it.
Tsung-Che Cheng
I thought Termarr Johnson would be the easy answer for ‘Best Strike Zone Judgement’ in the Pirates’ system on Baseball America, but it went to Cheng. Although he finished the year with Indianapolis, he still hasn’t done enough to show he’s mastered Double-A.
Although he’s probably the second-best defensive shortstop on the 40-man right now (Williams being the best), he still has much to prove on the offensive side.
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I've seen Peguero plenty of games in person, which includes Bradenton, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh. At times, it seems he is bored or not concentrating. Bad plays in the field and silly swings with little approach at the plate. When locked in, he appears to be a major league hitter and a major league fielder. Just my analysis, but could be totally wrong.
Peguero had a one month stint for Licey in the DWL that ended in late November. Batted around .265/.270 and played 2B in every game. He's been a VG fielding MI at SS and 2B for the Pirates.
His developmental path was interrupted at age 22 when Oneil Cruz suffered a broken ankle. Peguero had started 2023 at Altoona and after around 50 games and 285 AB he had posted a 260/333/453/786 OPS. Promoted to AAA he was able to play all of 7 games (889 OPS) before being promoted to MLB. I thought he did well at the MLB level as a 22 year old hitting for a 654 OPS and fielding 960 in 39 games at SS, and 1.000 in 33 games at 2B.
Peguero is entering his age 24 season and I had hoped that the Pirates would have included Nick Gonzales, 26, in a trade with pitching, for a bat. He did well for the Bucs, but we need the bat, and Peguero could start at 2B opposite IKF and they could have rotated during the first 4 months. Then at the trade deadline IKF would be traded, Peguero moved to SS full time, and Nick Yorke, 23, moving to 2B full time.
I thought it was a nice plan. As is, they could trade both Peguero and Gonzales and still have a quality MI going into ST (Horwitz/Yorke can both play 2B).