He's playing so well, but the biggest concern is whether to select PIT or Bae Ji-hwan. There are four games left
Mar 21, 2025
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It is known that he is agonizing over whether to include Bae Ji-hwan, who is wielding a hard hit in the exhibition game, in the opening roster. Considering that the roster is composed of 13 pitchers and 13 catchers and fielders, the only role that Bae can play is outfield backup. Bae Ji-hwan can also see a second baseman, but this year he will play only as an outfielder.
The three main outfielders are left fielder Tommy Pham, center fielder O'Neill Cruz and right fielder Brian Reynolds. The fourth outfield candidates are Bae Ji-hwan, Zach Swinsky and Joshua Palacios. That is, a competition ratio of one to three.
If you look at the performance of the exhibition game alone, Bae Ji-hwan should be selected, but considering his major league career, power heating, and minor league options, Swinsky or Palacios are likely to be selected.
Local media generally positively evaluate the medium. 'Pittsburgh Baseball Now' is a spring training session for Bae Ji-hwan, who posted a slash line of 0.444/0.474/0.694, in 17 games, saying that Bae continued his pressure to enter the Pirates' opening roster on the 20th. He has the No. 1 batting average, hit, and double in the team, and has one home run, four RBIs and three steals. Last year, he didn't meet expectations because of injuries, but he's playing couldn't be better in this spring training session,' he said.
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Bae Ji-hwan has a batting average of 0.444 (16 hits in 36 at-bats), one home run, four RBIs, 12 points, three steals, two walks, six strikeouts and an OPS of 1.168 in 17 spring training games. Bae Ji-hwan, who has played in the last 10 consecutive games, has played in nine games as a starter and eight as a substitute, and in the last eight games, he has four games each as a starter and a substitute.
In other words, it is highly likely to be included in the 26-man opening roster with this method of hiring. But we have to think about relativity.
Another media outlet 'Newsbreak' analyzed the Pittsburgh club's concerns on the 21st, saying 'It's very difficult for the Pirates to decide on the fourth outfielder'
The media reported 'Bae Ji-hwan has performed better than anyone else in the exhibition games. He used his fast feet to steal three bases and made a single into a double. 'Swindski never trailed with a .355 batting average, one home run and nine RBIs. Palacios, who was rested due to left knee pain, is batting .211 in nine games, while Billy Cook is sluggish with a batting average of .160, comparing his performance in exhibition games. The nuance is that Bae Ji-hwan or Swinsky is advantageous.
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Another important consideration is the minor league option. Bae Ji-hwan and Swinsky have two and one minor league option left, respectively, but Palacios has exhausted all options. In other words, if you send Palacios to the minor leagues, you can become an FA. It is questionable whether Pittsburgh will be able to take this and exclude him from the big league roster.
However, it doesn't seem unreasonable to say that the weight is on Bae Ji-hwan and Swinsky, who are hitting hard in the exhibition game. Pittsburgh will take a day off on the 21st and end the exhibition game with four games from the 22nd to the 25th.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
