Jake Elmore Looks to Plant Roots With the Pirates in 2020
Baseball players have to be ready for change at a moment's notice both on and off the field. Whether that be a momentum change with one swing of the bat or a change of scenery via an unexpected trade. Veteran Jake Elmore knows all about moving around as it has been a fixture throughout his Major League career. In 12 years of professional baseball, Elmore has been a part of 10 different organizations. From being drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2008 to signing with the Pirates prior to the 2019 season, Elmore has picked up experiences at each turn and now he is trying to plant his roots in the Pirates organization.
He appeared in 20 games with the Pirates in 2019 and hit .213 with no home runs and four RBI. He was called up to the Big League level on May 13th and went just 1-20 in his 11 games played. Elmore would end up being designated for assignment on May 26th, but cleared waivers and was sent to Triple-A Indianapolis. He would be called back up to the Major Leagues on September 17th and had a much better second stint with the team. He hit .333 (9-27) with four RBI in nine games played while walking twice and striking out five. Elmore would elect for free agency at the end of the season, but the Pirates would once again sign the infielder to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training.
Elmore was drafted in the 34th round of the 2008 MLB Draft and rose through the Diamondbacks Minor League system in just four and a half years. He made his MLB debut on August 11th, 2012, and spent the rest of that season in a Diamondbacks uniform. However, it would not go well as he hit just .191 with seven RBI in thirty games played. He liked to swing early in counts and wasn't very patient with just five walks and six strikeouts in 68 at-bats, but his BABIP sat at a measly .210. After battling his way through the Minor League system and not producing in the MLB, the Diamondbacks gave up on Elmore and ended up designating him for assignment by seasons end.
The Houston Astros would be the next team to take a chance on Elmore signing him off waivers prior to the 2013 season. After starting the year down in Triple-A, Elmore got the first of his two calls to the MLB level on May 14th, 2013 but that one only lasted three games. However, he made an impression going 4-11 (.365) in those three games and earned another call to the Big Leagues in June. This one lasted the rest of the season and he would set a career-high 52 games and his average jumped to .242. He hit his first professional home run and ended the year with six extra-base hits, including two home runs and six RBI. His on-base percentage jumped to .310 and his strikeout numbers continued to stay low with 20 in 120 at-bats.
However, the success wasn't enough as he was once again DFA'd and moved on to the Chicago White Sox. He would not play a single game in the organization as he was flown to the Oakland Athletics in February of 2014 for cash. 2014 would be an injury-filled season for Elmore as he missed the first two and a half months of the season due to a strained left quad. He returned to Triple-A Sacramento halfway through June and hit .282 with no home runs and 18 RBI in 47 games with Sacramento. It would lead to Elmore being DFA'd for the third time that season, and the Cincinnati Reds would claim him off waivers. He started with Triple-A Louisville and would be called up by September.
He would appear in just five games at the Big League level that season and hit .182 with four strikeouts in 11 at-bats. It would be another active off-season for Elmore as he was once again designated for assignment and claimed by the Pirates. However, a month later the Buca needed to make room on their 40-man roster and Elmore was the odd-man-out. He would sign in with the Tampa Bay Rays and saw a lot of action to start the 2015 season appearing in a career-high number of games. After a short stint in Triple-A, Elmore would get the call to Tampa on April 25th to start his run.
He appeared in 51 games for the Rays and hit .206 with two home runs and 16 RBI in 51 games played. He filled in for injuries throughout the season and was the team's starting shortstop during the months of June and July. While his defense played well, his offense would never come around as he hit just .219 in June and .111 in July. As a result, he was sent down to Triple-A where he finished out the 2015 season. There has never been a question about Elmore's defense, as he has routinely posted effortless seasons, but his bat has not been able to follow suit at the professional level.
His next stop was Milwaukee as he signed a Minor league contract and received an invite to Spring Training. He would once again start the 2016 season in Triple-A but made his way to the Brewers by the end of June. He would once again set a new career-high appearing in 59 games. He would up his offense slightly hitting .218 with no home run and four RBI. However, many of those appearances we're as defensive replacements or substitutions as he only had 78 at-bats that season. He served as a super-utility man for the Brewers that season appearing in all three outfield spots as well as second base and third base. This helped Elmore hit a milestone as he had now officially appeared at all nine positions at the MLB level.
Elmore elected free agency at the end of the season and, though he jumped around between organizations again, he did not make it to the MLB level in 2018 or 2019. He played in Triple-A for both the Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago White Sox, but couldn't find a way to get to the MLB with either organization. That is when he signed with the Pirates for the second time and returned to the MLB for 20 games last season. He earned his second straight invite to Big League Spring Training in 2020. His bat still hasn't found a way to come around as he went just 2-22 (.091) in 13 games while driving in a run.
One of the positives of having Elmore in Triple-A is that you have a reliable defensive option who can come up and play any position on the field. He has appeared in all nine positions for at least an inning of a Major League game, although his primary positions are shortstop and second base. He has a .950 fielding percentage or higher at every post in except third base, where his fielding percentage sits at .833. He has the most experience at shortstop, with 352.1 innings played, but his best play has come at second base. In 176 innings as a second baseman, Elmore has committed just one error while turning 11 double plays.
With middle infield position kind of crowded in Pittsburgh, Elmore saw more time in the outfield last season than at any other position. The majority of his playing time came in left field where he played 41 innings and committed zero errors. Elmore did a nice job of covering ground in the spacious PNC Park left field and complimented the defense nicely with several sliding and leaning catches. Overall, he played 63 innings in the outfield without committing an error as he served as a primary fourth outfielder after Jason Martin went down with an injury in September.
The thing that is keeping Elmore from a permanent spot on a Major League roster is his lack of offensive prowess. His career average sits at just .215 in 465 career at-bats with four home runs and 37 RBI. He sees an average of just over four pitches per plate appearance and he is not a very patient hitter. He has a walk percentage well below league average at 4.1% but he doesn't strikeout that much either at just 16.3% of the time. So, he is putting the ball in play but it is just not finding the holes like he wants. He doesn't hit the ball hard very with a hard-hit percentage of 15.4% leading to a lot of easy outs.
For Elmore, if he can't up his offensive ability he is more than likely going to be a career defensive player. He has already jumped around 10 different organizations and, as he enters his age 32 season, he is looking to settle down and try to make it with one organization. His defensive versatility is un-matched across the Minor League system and is one of the strengths of having Elmore in the system. He can come up and provide relief to any player on the roster and provide depth at any of the eight positions on the field. Elmore seems to be more of a role player and will most likely continue that role for the Pirates.
Prediction: .210, 0 HR, 14 RBI
Jake Elmore will once again fill a defensive back-up role in 2020 but filling in primarily as an outfielder. He showed strong defensive abilities in the outfield last season and could help provide depth to the Pirates outfield. Offensively, I think it is too late in his career to have a breakout season so I look for his numbers to start right where they have been throughout his career. Elmore will also help some of the younger middle infielders in the Pirates system passing down his experiences from his 12 years of professional baseball. While he might not be a household name, Elmore will be more of a role player helping the Pirates where he can.
It is still uncertain as to when the 2020 MLB season is set to begin, but we at Buccos Cove are determined to continue to bring you strong content. Until the 2020 season begins, we will continue looking at the players who make up the 2020 Pirates organization and how they will impact the organization this season.
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