Tucupita Marcano fit was always a tricky one
Sought after prospect never found footing within organization
The Pirates didn’t wait long to start making moves during the offseason, as the day after the Texas Rangers closed out the World Series, we got work of several moves by the organization.
One of the most notable moves was that Tucupita Marcano was claimed on waivers by his former team, the San Diego Padres.
It’s an interesting ending to his time in Pittsburgh, especially considering how he was acquired originally.
Ben Cherington initially wanted him in the Joe Musgrove trade, but the Padres balked at including him. Then, when the two sides met again for the Adam Frazier trade, the Pirates paid the remainder of his salary to ensure that Marcano would be included in the deal.
So, it was clear that the Pirates wanted Marcano, and having it end this way shows how far things have gone.
Marcano, to his credit, had his moments in a Pirates jersey, and if he hadn’t gotten hurt, this probably wouldn’t have happened, but it highlights a point that was always the case with him - there wasn’t much of a fit on the major league team for him.
He was limited defensively, mainly as a second base/left-fielder, which was the two least ideal spots for him to specialize in based on how the organization is built. Even then, he had an -6 Outs Above Average (OAA) on Baseball Savant, which was in the ninth percentile in the league.
The Pirates have many options at second base, and despite being a little more experienced than them, Marcano hasn’t done much to stand out above any of the others. Maybe you can argue that he hit off-speed pitches reasonably well (.625 slugging), which some of the other younger players struggled with.
His whiff and strikeout rate were elite last year, but everything else was poor.
Then, when shifting to the outfield, Bryan Reynolds is in left field, so that’s not an option.
One thing I always liked about Marcano was his hustle, especially on the basepaths. He was one of the more aggressive base runners I’ve seen in the minors, but it only translated to an ‘average’ mark on Baseball Savant.
Ultimately, the trade worked out, even if Marcano never became the headliner they thought he’d be. The Pirates got Jack Suwinski in the same deal, and he’s hit 45 home runs in his first two years in the majors.
Even if the other two players in the trade don’t work out, they got one of their few sources of power in the lineup in that same deal.
Marcano always seemed to do the little things right which Anthony referenced. If we were so lucky to be a world series contender and all we wanted was the last man on the bench who could passably (or slightly worse) play a lot of positions, get a bunt down, steal a base etc. then he seems like he could be that player. For where the Pirates are, there just isn't a need to take up that roster spot with that type of player. There are still too many positions that we will still be rotating / trying out players although I do feel the upside of those players feels better each year. (ie. Triolo > Castro).
Sources saying Bae and Roansy to the Blue Jays for Varsho and Manoah