Seventy-seven times during his decade-long MLB career, Clint Hurdle pinch hit. His .243 average during those at-bats translates into simple advice to his players.
“My expectations,” the Pittsburgh Pirates manager said, “are to let them know that they can’t do bad.”
The Pirates are doing anything but bad when pinch hitting this season. Heading into Saturday, the Pirates led the National League in batting average (.299) and are second in on-base percentage (.379), hits (23, tie) and OPS (.860) while pinch hitting.
“It sometimes speaks to your talent pool and your bench composition,” Hurdle said of pinch-hitting success. “We have had benches here in the past that were dynamic. We have had benches in the past that didn’t prove a whole lot of help. It’s hard (for example) when they are all younger players. Pinch hitting is one of the toughest jobs in baseball.”
Adam doing pinch hitter type things. pic.twitter.com/QVpC0m5MXr
— Pirates (@Pirates) May 12, 2019
Having a veteran such as Melky Cabrera, who has more than 1,900 career hits, is a good start for a quality bench. He is 5 for 9 with four walks and five RBIs as a pinch hitter this season.
Colin Moran, who has regained the primary third baseman job since the start of the season, has reached base five times and has two home runs in 14 plate appearances as a pinch hitter. In 52 career pinch-hitting appearances, Moran has a 1.035 OPS.
“(Moran) showed the ability last year to hit off the bench,” Hurdle said. “There’s a point in time when I would talk to coaches about pinch hitters. They would say, ‘Who you got?’ and I would say, ‘Give Moran the at bat,’ and they look, and I just say, ‘I don’t know, I got a feel.’
“Maybe you got have to been one to know one, what you look for.”
Jose Osuna improved the Pirates’ pinch-hitting numbers even more when he hit a go-ahead, two-run homer to deep center in the fifth inning Saturday.
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