![]() ![]() In a move that’s becoming a trend among teams with hot-shot prospects, the Pirates tried to lock up Polanco long-term even before he made his major league debut, offering a seven-year deal that Yahoo! Sports reported was worth just under $25 million. McCutchen and Marte are signed to contract extensions through 20, respectively, with team options. There are times when you’re not going to hit well, but a good catch or a steal can win a game for your team.”Īnd the trio figures to do it for a long time. Marte, who often goes over pitchers and at-bats with Polanco, declined to speculate which of the three fleet-footed outfielders would win a race, but said: “We cover a lot of ground in the outfield. Reigning NL MVP Andrew McCutchen, a 2012 Gold Glove winner in center field, is flanked by Polanco and Starling Marte, who also used to play center in the Dominican winter league. ![]() With Polanco’s promotion, Pittsburgh may have the game’s most athletic outfield. “For a young guy coming into the big leagues with all the expectations, everybody looking at you, the way he’s been able to carry himself, put that aside and have fun, that’s how you know he’s ready to play in the big leagues.” “He’s very mature for his age,” said first baseman Gaby Sanchez, one of the Pirates who has taken Polanco under his wing. Polanco worked on improving his English while in the minors, and his joy and enthusiasm came through clearly to the crowd. I just had to think first so I could say things correctly.” “It felt a little uncomfortable at first, but once I started talking, it was fine. “I had the microphone on me and the entire ballpark was listening,” he recalled. Flashing a wide smile, he reflects on the high points of his rookie ride so far, and on challenges like being interviewed live on the field in front of the PNC crowd after a Pirates win. “Sometimes, if you can, take a step back and try to look at it as you did when you were younger.” “Put your blinders on, put your nose to the grindstone and enjoy it,” Posey said. He said talented young players come in with high expectations of themselves and shouldn’t change them just because they reach the game’s highest echelon. As opposed to Polanco, Posey benefited from the experience of playing in front of sizeable crowds at Florida State and in the College World Series. San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey, the fifth pick in the 2008 draft, was a similarly acclaimed prospect when the club called him up for good in late May of 2010. 945 OPS, leading to accusations that the Pirates were only keeping Polanco down to keep him from accumulating major-league service team and moving closer to a big pay-day. His status only rose when he tore up Class AAA pitching the first two months of the season, hitting. 1 prospect and one of the top 10 in the game, according to Baseball America. The lessons include figuring out how to play the 21-foot fence in PNC Park’s right field, which can be daunting, and handling the expectations that come with being the team’s No. You learn year by year and never stop learning.” Nobody arrived in the big leagues as a veteran. I always try to stay the same no matter what’s happening,” Polanco told USA TODAY Sports in Spanish. 911 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) in 44 games.īut Polanco is finding out just how tough it is to succeed at the major-league level, and he’s trying to counter the adjustments major league pitchers have made to him while staying even-keeled. He can steal bases and has enough defensive skills to play center field, which he did in winter ball back home in the Dominican Republic, where he won MVP honors last season after batting. At 6-4, 220 pounds, the 22-year-old rookie runs like a gazelle and is still growing into his power. 338 average for the Indianapolis Indians. 188 against them, after punishing Triple-A lefties to the tune of a. (He went 3-for-4 Friday night.) Teams learned how to attack him and soon discovered big-league left-handers give him trouble. 221 since June 24 entering Friday’s play. The second-guessing has since tapered off, as Polanco was hitting. 344, prompting rampant questioning of the Pirates for not promoting him before June 10. Through his first 14 games, Polanco was batting. ![]() The highly touted outfielder became the first Pirate ever to hit safely in his first 11 games, and that streak included a game with five hits - one of them his first home run - all witnessed live by his mother, Apolonia Linares. The reality of life in the majors didn’t hit Gregory Polanco until a couple of weeks into his tenure with the Pittsburgh Pirates. ![]()
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