Jose Osuna's Future in Pittsburgh: Where the Young Utility Player Stands
Last night, the Pittsburgh Pirates recalled another one of their top prospects as #10 Jared Oliva got the promotion. Oliva made his MLB debut, pinch-hitting for Colin Moran in the ninth inning and going down on strikes. With the call-up, another outfielder will be vying for playing time over the final six games of the season. The odd man out this season has seemed to be utility man Jose Osuna, making three different trips between the Major Leagues and the Minor Leagues. Osuna is a guy who has performed well in spurts but has never had a consistent approach at the plate to get the job done every time.
In parts of four seasons with the Pirates, Osuna is a career .238 hitter with 22 home runs and 85 RBI. The 27-year-old has never appeared in more than 104 games in a season, and that came during his rookie year in 2017. He has proven a solid bat off the bench, but when it comes to playing the field every day, his stats come a little more down to Earth. During his rookie season, he managed to hit just .233 with seven home runs and 30 RBI while playing primarily in the outfield over his 104 games. Defensively, he isn't a liability but he is not a defensive wizard of any sort with a career .969 fielding percentage as an outfielder, .990 at first base (497 inn), and 1.000 at third base (175 inn). Today, we look at Osuna's future and whether it is with the Pirates or someone else.
Power Hitter Off the Bench
One of the most successful roles that Jose Osuna has ever played with the Pirates is being a reliable power bat off the bench. He did this for the Majority of the 2019 season and put up career numbers hitting .264 with 10 home runs and 36 RBI. He quickly turned into one of the best pinch hitters in baseball going 10-29 (.344) with a National League-leading five pinch hit home runs. Osuna had a knack for coming through when the Pirates needed him most, and he benefitted staying in the Major Leagues for a majority of that 2019 season. He came mostly off the bench while filling in at first base, third base, and in the outfield when he was needed.
The reason Osuna was so successful was his ability to hit the ball when the game was on the line. To go along with his successful pinch-hitting numbers, he was also clutch in close games and late-game situations when his team needed him. In those situations during the 2019 season, Osuna hit .333 with no home runs and three RBI, while drawing four walks and striking out six times in 27 at-bats. Having success in crucial situations is a key factor in not only keeping Osuna in the Major Leagues but possibly earning him a starting spot on the field. Osuna has shown an ability to play multiple positions on the field and he is an average fielder at every position.
His best position defensively is the one he has seen the least time at and learned the latest. Osuna had just started playing third base last season and has seemed to pick it up well over his first 175 innings at the position. He has a 1.000 fielding percentage during that short sample size while picking up 12 outputs and 33 assists over that time. His next best, and probably his best position in the long-run, is at first base where he has a .990 fielding percentage. He has logged almost 500 innings at the position and committed just five errors while picking up 443 putouts. Finally, his work in the outfield has been solid, with a .969 career fielding percentage and one career outfield assist. He is a solid fill-in at all three positions and could benefit the Pirates in the long-term.
Jose Osuna's Future in Pittsburgh
If Jose Osuna wants an everyday starting spot on this team in the future, he is going to have to fight for it. With exciting young prospects popping up left and right, the spots for Osuna on the field are dwindling. Osuna is going to have to compete for playing time with the likes of Ke'Bryan Hayes, Colin Moran, Will Craig, Jared Oliva, and Bryan Reynolds. At least looking on paper, Osuna doesn't really have a chance at beating out any of those players for playing time. This is where his diversity and ability to be a successful pinch hitter will play an important part in his future role with the Pirates.
If Osuna can continue to be a solid pinch hitter and come through in clutch situations, he can be a very valuable aspect of the Pirates bench. As Pirates fans have witnessed all too often this season, strikeouts in big situations are not easy to swallow. Guys like Josh Bell, Gregory Polanco, and Bryan Reynolds have all failed in big situations for this team. This season has been somewhat of an anomaly but Osuna is also struggling, going 0-11 with a walk and a strikeout in close game situations. This is something Osuna is going to have to improve upon if he wants a spot on this team now and in the future.
However, if Osuna is not able to be that pinch hitter he was in 2019, his future in Pittsburgh does not look very bright. You have to be able to hit in clutch situations to earn your keep, and that is even more important for Osuna. He might not be able to replicate his .333 five home run performance that he had in 2019, but he has to be better than his 0-11 this season. Osuna has the chance to be a quality Major League player in Pittsburgh, but he also has the chance to turn into a player who kind of fades into the distance. Personally, I am a fan of Jose Osuna and I hope he can be a big part of the Pirates bench moving forward.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (15-39) continue their four-game series with the Chicago Cubs (32-22) tonight at 7:05 pm. After throwing his first career complete game last time out, Steven Brault (1-3, 4.04) looks to keep the success going for the Pirates against Jose Quintana (0-0, 6.00) for the Cubs. You can watch the game live on AT&T Sportsnet or listen on 93.7 The Fan as the offense looks to get going and back the strong pitching performance the Pirates have had over the last several weeks.
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