Pirates non-roster hitters standing out in camp
Which hitters not on the 40-man roster are standing out in Pirates camp?
With only a few weeks left in spring training, some non-roster players are reassigned to minor league camp.
For the Pirates, the majority of them have been prospects who have been cleared out to make sure the players competing for a roster spot get plenty of reps.
A few non-roster hitters have stuck around to this point, pushing for a potential roster spot on opening day. Whether or not they make it comes down to the opportunity at their position.
Here’s a look at a few non-roster players who have been getting plenty of hits this spring:
Matt Gorski, OF
Perhaps one of the most talked about non-roster player still in camp for the Pirates, Matt Gorski started his spring with a bang, hitting two home runs—one a grand slam—against the Baltimore Orioles.
His RBI single on Saturday was his first hit that didn’t go for extra-bases, and is currently 6-16 (.375/.389/1.063) with three home runs, two doubles, 11 RBI and a stolen base.
One of the better defensive outfielders in the upper levels, Gorski also has some experience at first base, a position the Pirates may have to cover at the beginning of the season with Spencer Horwitz currently on the mend from wrist surgery.
While Gorski is certainly off to a good start, the competition he’s faced isn’t exactly the best opposing teams have to offer. Most have been career minor leaguers, or pitchers with limited (and not great) success at the highest level.
His hit on Saturday was against Pierce Johnson, who had 67 strikeouts in 56.1 innings pitched last year with the Braves, winning six games, saving two, and posting 12 holds along with a 3.67 ERA.
Nick Solak, UT
The Louisville product Nick Solak has seven hits in 18 at-bats (.389/.400/.722) with a home run, four RBI, and three doubles. He’s played one game (five innings worth) at second base and the rest in the outfield.
His best game was on February 27th against the Minnesota Twins, in which he went 3-3 with three runs, two doubles, and an RBI.
Solak has played all over the field as a pro, but unless an injury occurs, there doesn’t seem to be much of an opening to make the opening day roster.
DJ Stewart, 1B/OF
If you had to pick a winner of the potential first base opening (depending on Horwitz’s injury), DJ Stewart has put himself in as good a place as any to be the guy.
He’s gone 8-22 (.364/.462/.636) with a home run, three doubles, five RBI, and a stolen base. He added two more hits on Saturday against the Braves, and has been seeing more time at first base recently.
The big thing with Stewart has been the strikeouts; he has seven already. He’s not going to hit for average, but he has power and is more of a known commodity among the candidates who could fill in at first base.
But if you need someone for only a couple of weeks (if that), Stewart has the potential to add some much-needed power to the lineup.
Bryce Johnson, OF
His numbers aren’t as eye-popping as the others, 5-18 (.278/.316/.333) with a double, but Bryce Johnson has had a solid spring so far in his own way. He’s played primarily in center field where he’s played about average defense (on Baseball Savant).
The odds aren’t great that he makes the roster, but he has been solid this spring, with a couple of key hits throughout.
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Of the NRI's written up, I cannot see the Pirates putting any of them on the Final 26 to start the regular season, unless the team decides to send all or many of our young, promising ballplayers to AAA. Soft spot for Gorski, but after putting up numbers in AAA last year, he never got a call-up for even a few AB, and was passed over in the R5. Therefore, I cannot see him making the team before Suwinski or Cook as an OF, or Cook and Endy as a 1B, or Yorke or Peguero as a hitter.