Pirates A to Z: Ji Hwan Bae showed off speed, paving way for possible move to center field

During the offseason, the Tribune-Review will offer Pirates A to Z: An alphabetical, player-by-player look at the 40-man roster, from outfielder Miguel Andujar to pitcher Miguel Yajure.

Player: Ji Hwan Bae

Position: Second base/center field

Bats: Left

Throws: Right

Age: 23 (July 26)

Height: 6-foot-1

Weight: 185 pounds

2022 MLB statistics: Batted .333/.405/.424 with three doubles and six RBIs in 10 games.

Contract: Pre-arbitration.

Acquired: Signed an international free agent deal with a $1.25 million bonus in 2018.

This past season: Bae was days away from being named MVP of the Indianapolis Indians when the Pirates rewarded him with a Sept. 23 call-up, much later than anticipated.

Bae didn’t disappoint.

The South Korean star promised to showcase his speed on the basepaths — “If I get a chance, I definitely will,” Bae said — and wasted no time in his debut. After recording a single to right for his first major league hit in the ninth inning, Bae promptly stole second base.

“He gets a pitch to run on and steals a base pretty easily. Yeah, he brought some excitement,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “When you’re on the bases and able to disrupt like that, pitchers spend time with you. … It can definitely lead to how pitchers attack and what they throw.”

It was the first of three steals for Bae with the Pirates — including one against St. Louis Cardinals great Yadier Molina — after swiping 30 bags in a strong season for Indianapolis. Bae batted leadoff in his second game and had a two-run double in a 6-0 win over the Chicago Cubs.

Ji Hwan #Bae’s 2-run double !! #Pirates ????‍☠️ pic.twitter.com/NsfE0485BV

— Joseph Kim (@blackwings2011) September 25, 2022

Ranked the club’s No. 11 prospect by MLB Pipeline (and No. 23 by Baseball America), Bae did his best to put himself on a fast track after a long road to the majors.

After Bae signed with the Atlanta Braves in 2017, MLB voided his contract because of the fraudulent nature of the negotiations. The Pirates signed Bae for $1.25 million in March 2018, only to be suspended for 30 games the following season after he was convicted of assaulting a former girlfriend.

Bae was contrite for the incident and grateful to the Pirates for their support in helping him learn from the ordeal.

“Luckily for me, I’ve met so many people who have influenced me to a better side,” Bae said. “Those people have taught me to be a better person and better player. They’ve helped me and supported me. Especially for me, I came from Korea, I was alone by myself. I don’t speak English. I don’t speak any other language. My teammates helped me. They’ve supported me. The clubhouse feels like home. It has influenced me to be a better person and a better player.”

Bae shined at Indianapolis, slashing .289/.362/.430 with 23 doubles, six triples, eight home runs and 53 RBIs in 108 games. He also showed versatility by playing 57 games at second base, 24 at shortstop and 20 in center field.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington pointed to how Bae can impact games in multiple ways — with his bat, on the bases and several spots in the field — as part of his “uniqueness.” Cherington also said he received plenty of feedback about Bae from Pirates players who returned from Indianapolis, giving glowing reports about his ability.

“He can do a lot of different things on the field,” Cherington said. “There’ll be a transition at the major league level for most young players, but we look forward to seeing his skills come out. He’s an exciting player to watch because he can do a lot of things on the field.”

The future: Bae spent most of his minor league career as a middle infielder but his speed in center intrigues the Pirates.

The Pirates were curious enough to find out that they shifted 2021 All-Star Bryan Reynolds to left in the final week of the season to give Bae an extended look in center. With the glut of middle infielders on the 40-man roster, Bae’s future might be in the outfield. He dropped a Paul Goldschmidt fly ball against the St. Louis Cardinals but also chased down a couple in the final week.

“I don’t know how much time we’ll need,” Cherington predicted. “He’s a terrific athlete. He’s made (defensive) adjustments really quickly. We’ve talked about the value at PNC (Park) of having a center field-quality defender in both center and left. We do think that’s important. The team we’re trying to build needs that. He’s got the capability of doing that at PNC. I don’t think it will take him long to adjust, if he’s asked to do that.”