Jared Oliva: A Breakdown of His First Week in the Big Leagues

Pittsburgh Pirates outfield prospect Jared Oliva has been in the Major Leagues for five days now after his call-up on September 21st. Today, we look at his impact so far through his first four games as a Big Leaguer.

With the Pittsburgh Pirates clearly out of the playoff race, and in a race for the worst record in baseball, fans have gotten to take a glimpse into what the future holds for the team. We have seen the promotion of top prospects JT Brubaker and Ke'Bryan Hayes while also seeing exciting young players like Blake Cederlind and Cody Ponce all make their MLB debuts. The Pirates continued that excitement on Monday when they recalled their #10 overall prospect, 24-year-old outfielder Jared Oliva. After appearing as a pinch hitter during his first game on September 21st, Oliva has started every game since then appearing in both left field and centerfield so far for the Pirates.

Last season, Oliva made the move to Double-A Altoona and had a solid season hitting .277 with six home runs and 42 RBI while appearing in 123 games for the Curve. With the 2020 Minor League season being canceled, Oliva didn't have a chance to play in Triple-A this season but was assigned to the satellite campus in Altoona. Satellite camp Manager Brian Esposito and his staff reported that Oliva was performing well both at the plate and on the field and, after sitting on the taxi squad a couple of times during the year, Oliva finally got the call to the active Big League roster. Today, we look at his time in the Big Leagues so far, and how he can end his season with some confidence going into the off-season.

Showing Promise on Both Sides of the Ball

A quick glance at Jared Oliva's stats so far are not going to jump off the page for you. In his first four big-league games, he is hitting .182 (2-11) with two singles to this point. However, he is doing one of the key things any Major Leaguers has to do to be successful and that is putting the bat on the ball. He has only struck out three times in his first 11 plate appearances and is making some sort of contact just over 72% of the time. The more you put the ball in play, the more likely you are to get a hit, and, with Oliva's speed, he can beat out some of those average groundballs that would go as outs. It was this "put the bat on the ball" mentality that helped Oliva secure his first two Major League hits yesterday against the Chicago Cubs.

Olivia collected his first Major League hit in the second inning of yesterday's game after Bryan Reynolds lifted a solo home run to center. After falling behind in the count 1-2, Oliva fought back to even things at 2-2 before hitting a high chopper back over the mound. Cubs second baseman Jason Kipnis fielded the ball behind second base but threw wildly to first. Oliva had already beaten the throw for his first hit and was awarded second base when the ball went into the stands. Unfortunately for the Pirates, Oliva was stranded in scoring position and the inning was over. Oliva's second hit of the day came in the bottom of the fourth on another ground ball to third base and he finished the day 2-4 with two singles.

On the defensive side of the ball, Oliva hasn't been tested much but has made all the necessary plays. He has yet to commit an error in 27 innings played between left field and centerfield this season. He has four outputs and a 1.000 fielding percentage in his early career, using his speed to get to the ball. He did provide us one funny moment during Wednesday night's game when he was heading out to center field. When he was making a catch on a routine fly ball, his lineup notes fell out of his pocket and he spent several minutes covering the Pirates dugout before reliever Derek Holland retrieved them for him. Oliva has always been a solid defender, with a career fielding percentage of .998 in over 2200 innings logged in the outfield in the Minor Leagues, and should have no problem transitioning that to the Big Leagues.

Oliva in the Big Leagues to Start 2021?

With the number of early promotions we have seen with prospects this season, the question on everyone's mind is which will stick around for 2021. With guys like Hayes, the answer is clear that he is here for the long-term, but for guys like Oliva, the picture gets more cloudy. Oliva has never appeared in a game above Double-A and is now facing Big League pitching, and is showing he can keep up with the heat. If he does stay up in the Big Leagues, he would have to be guaranteed playing time on a consistent basis so he can continue developing into the outfielder that he has the potential to become in a couple of years.

Looking at the Pirates outfield picture right now, it isn't a very crowded field and should see some more openings soon. If I had to make an early guess at who the starters will be based on the current roster, I would say the only two locks would be Bryan Reynolds and Gregory Polanco. That third outfield spot is up for grabs and how ready Oliva is for the Majors might determine which way General Manager Ben Cherrington goes with things. He could go the route he did last off-season, signing an aging veteran like Jarrod Dyson, or he could trust the young talent and let Oliva develop in the Major Leagues.

With so much uncertainty surrounding the Minor League season next year, Oliva might get the fast track to his first Opening Day roster. He has shown he can play well down in the Minor Leagues and so far has put together good at-bats in his limited time in the Majors. Having not played in Triple-A at all scares me a little bit because he is missing a major developmental milestone, but he is still facing similar talent just at the Big League level. The other question that must be asked is where will Oliva play in the outfield. Of the three options, he has the best speed, and therefore I would put him in center field. Have Reynolds move back to his home in left field and Gregory Polanco continue to assume the reigns in right field. The future looks bright for some of Pittsburgh's top prospects and Jared Oliva is looking to add himself to the list of success stories.

The Pittsburgh Pirates (18-39) kick-off their final series of the 2020 season when they take on the Cleveland Indians (33-24) at Progressive Field in Cleveland. Mitch Keller (1-1, 3.24) makes his final start of the season for Pittsburgh looking to end on a high note against Carlos Carrasco (3-4, 2.90) for the Indians. You can watch the game live on AT&T Sportsnet or listen on 93.7 The Fans as the Pirates look to make it four wins in a row!