Pirates taking non-traditional approach at shortstop by focusing on flexibility, future
BRADENTON, Fla. — When the Pittsburgh Pirates made a move at shortstop by switching Oneil Cruz to center field, they believed they had his replacement at the ready in Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
Ironically enough, it was a move from shortstop to center field while playing for the New York Yankees in 2023 that revived Kiner-Falefa as an infielder. The pressure of playing the game’s premier position was taking a toll on Kiner-Falefa, who won an AL Gold Glove at third base for the Texas Rangers in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
For Kiner-Falefa, the field felt huge and throws to first base seemed longer at shortstop. He found himself taking choppy steps, failing to finish throws and landing everything underneath. Kiner-Falefa now realizes he was trying to be quick, instead of focusing on fluidity.
“I felt like I tried so hard to be someone I wasn’t,” said Kiner-Falefa, who committed 15 errors but still posted 10 defensive runs saved in 2022, just as he had the season before with the Rangers. “I tried to be perfect. I tried to play the position instead of being an athlete out there.”
In center, Kiner-Falefa found the freedom to open his arm over the top and let loose on throws to third base and home plate – throws he didn’t know he could make. When Kiner-Falefa returned to the infield, he was hitting the first baseman square in the chest with his throws.
“I felt like it freed me up a bunch,” said Kiner-Falefa, who has 28 DRS in 3,021 career innings at shortstop, compared to 24 DRS in 1,561 1/3 innings at third base. “I’m excited to take that mentality out there. The biggest thing to remind myself is I don’t have to be a traditional shortstop out there.”
As much as Kiner-Falefa believes his value is in his versatility — he came up as a catcher before moving to second base, then third base and shortstop and has played all three outfield positions — the Pirates are counting on him to be their starting shortstop this season.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said at PiratesFest in January that the club’s internal metrics grade Kiner-Falefa as an “above-average defensive shortstop,” but allowed that they don’t have to take a traditional approach to the position.
“It’s a critical position. We’re confident IKF can do it at a high level,” Cherington said during a Q&A session. “It’s also a position we’ll keep looking at in the future, in terms of who’s playing that down the road.”
The Pirates prefer their middle infielders to be able to play on both sides of the bag, so this spring training has served as a possible preview of how much they prefer flexibility at second base and shortstop.
Kiner-Falefa, who turns 30 on March 23, is one of a handful of players to start games at shortstop this spring training, starting eight Grapefruit League games. Liover Peguero has three starts at shortstop, Nick Gonzales two and Jared Triolo and Alika Williams one apiece. Top-20 prospect Tsung-Che Cheng has been a late-inning replacement at shortstop six times, Williams four times and Peguero three times.
“I think IKF for most of spring training will stay on that side of the field and will get a lot of his reps,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said, alluding to Kiner-Falefa playing more games at second base (40) and third base (39) than shortstop (15) for the Toronto Blue Jays before his trade at the deadline last July. “I think it’s been since the year he was in New York that he got a predominant amount of work at shortstop so we’ve talked about just keeping him there.
“You’ll see Nick play short a bunch in spring training for two reasons: No. 1, we need somebody else that can play there and, No. 2, I think for second basemen, when they play shortstop, it helps them move their feet and work on things. So, getting him over there is also something that helps in that way, also.”
The 25-year-old Gonzales had five errors in 85 games at second base and two errors in only eight games at shortstop last season. He has worked in the past on his defense with former Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson and his son Jacob, a 2023 first-round pick who also plays the position for the Athletics, so Gonzales feels more comfortable there.
“Whatever the team needs is where I’ll be. I don’t care where that’s at,” said Gonzales, who started at shortstop against the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies this past week. “To be in the big leagues is a privilege for me, to be a starter in the big leagues especially. That’s what I want to be. I want to be an All-Star. Playing short or second, wherever it may be, I just put in the work in the offseason to get the arm strong and come in ready for spring strong.
“It’s easier for me, at least, to go from working at short to go play second as opposed to working at second and go play short just because the throw is longer, you have more space (to cover). I’m taking reps at shortstop as much as I can. Shortstop is a premier position, and playing there every day is a tall task for anybody. To do that is difficult but I’m excited for any type of challenge like that. I love playing shortstop. It’s a lot of fun for me.”
Peguero once was viewed as a potential shortstop of the future when the Pirates acquired him as a 19-year-old from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Starling Marte in January 2020. But he proved error-prone at Double-A Altoona, committing 23 errors at short and eight at second.
When Cruz was out with a fractured left ankle, Peguero played 59 games for the Pirates in 2023. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound right-handed hitter had seven home runs and 26 RBIs but committed five errors in 33 starts at shortstop. Peguero spent the majority of last season at Triple-A Indianapolis, working to improve his defense and demeanor.
“I think I’ve always been good. The only thing that’s changed is my consistency with the routine plays,” Peguero said, adding that he’s working on his pre-pitch positioning to better sync with hitter’s swings. “It’s about staying present in the moment.”
Defensively, Williams might be the best of the bunch. The former Tampa Bay Rays first-round pick started 33 games at shortstop for the Pirates in 2023, then beat out both Gonzales and Peguero for a spot on the Opening Day roster as the backup middle infielder.
But Williams struggled with not getting consistent plate appearances, batting .207 in 37 games, and was designated for assignment in early February when the Pirates signed left-handed reliever Tim Mayza. This time, Williams is in camp as a non-roster invitee — and a longshot.
“I feel like nothing changes. I’m going to go out and compete, play my (butt) off and see what happens,” Williams said. “I know what I can do on the field. I know I can help this team still. I’ve struggled at the plate a little bit, but it’s a learning process. I’m still learning … but I still feel I add value to this team.”
Add to that mix Triolo, who can play every infield and outfield position and won an NL Gold Glove as a utility player last season. Triolo started 57 games at shortstop in the minors and was errorless in nine games (eight starts) at shortstop for the Pirates last season. But he might be needed to play first base early this season with Spencer Horwitz out following surgery on his right wrist.
Kiner-Falefa, in the final year of a two-year, $15 million contract, also plans to remain flexible even though the Pirates have him pegged to start at shortstop. He lost his starting job with the Yankees to Anthony Volpe, who won an AL Gold Glove as a rookie in 2023, so Kiner-Falefa knows it’s a possibility he could move to another position again.
“Wherever the team needs me, that’s where I’ll play,” Kiner-Falefa said. “That’s what makes me real valuable. If there’s someone coming up, if I have to move somewhere else to make the team better, that’s what makes me valuable. There was an opening there, and that’s where I’m going to play this year until I’m told otherwise. For the most part, it’s just going out there and being an athlete rather than being perfect.”
Kevin Gorman is a TribLive reporter covering the Pirates. A Baldwin native and Penn State graduate, he joined the Trib in 1999 and has covered high school sports, Pitt football and basketball and was a sports columnist for 10 years. He can be reached at kgorman@triblive.com.
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