Offseason Questions: Who Mans First Base in 2021?
Entering the 2020 season, there was no question as to who the Pirate's first baseman was going to be. Josh Bell was coming off a career-year and looked like he was going to be a real face of the franchise. However, he fell flat on his face in 2020, hitting just .226 with eight home runs and 22 RBI. His struggles were even worse at the beginning of the year as he looked really uncomfortable at the plate. However, Colin Moran, who was on a Major hot streak at the beginning of the year, showed he could handle first base and took over part-time for Bell. With the designated hitter implemented in the National League, it allowed the more defensive sound Moran to play first while Bell worked his way through the struggles as a DH.
However, the Designated Hitter is leaving the National League for 2021, and the emergence of Ke'Bryan Hayes leaves no opening at third base. So, which one will get more of the reps at first base next season? It is likely that the Pirates try and trade either Bell or Moran, narrowing down who would get the role, but if both men are back in 2021, they are going to have to battle for the spot. Moran had a strong 2020 campaign, but Bell has shown the ability to be the guy for the Pirates in the middle of the order. Today, we break down these men's qualifications and anyone else who might be able to step in and take over first base full-time in 2021.
Josh Bell
If you would have asked me this question entering Spring Training last season, the answer was hands down Josh Bell. He hit .277 with 37 home runs and 116 RBI, all career highs, and was by far the offensive leader for the Pirates. However, 2020 was a different story as he hit just .185 in the month of July and had a batting average under .200 as late as September 7th. As one of the worst defenders on the field, it was his offense that was keeping him in the lineup. Once he struggled offensively, he was becoming more of a liability for the Pirates rather than a top player. Hopefully, we can chalk up Bell's struggles to the weirdness that is 2020, and he can bounce back in 2021.
His strikeout rate was concerning at 26.4% and he wasn't drawing nearly as many walks as he had in the past at 9.8%, down 5% from the year before. When Bell comes to the plate, he is looking to swing the bat and that has gotten him in trouble from time-to-time. Teams want to work around him because of his home run ability, and it can have Bell chasing out of the strike zone. However, when Bell is locked in, he can be lethal at the plate. His best stretch of the season came from September 6th through September 16th when he hit .466 (14-30) with three home runs and four RBI. He showed just what he can do when he is fully locked in at the plate.
If everything stays the way it is now, given his history, Josh Bell will most likely be the Opening Day first baseman for the Pirates. However, there are rumors swirling that the Pirates are shopping Bell while others say they are looking to extend him. If Bell can return to his 2019 form, it would be a much-needed power boost to a lineup that was pretty much void of power in 2020. Looking at Bell's career as a whole, it has been pretty underwhelming aside from a three-month stretch in 2019. However, he has a chance to turn things around and be the true first-round pick level talent that the Pirates drafted number two overall in the 2011 draft.
Colin Moran
Another guy with a guaranteed starting spot in 2020, who is on the fence in 2021 is Colin Moran. Moran was one of the hottest players not only for the Pirates but across Major League Baseball at the start of last season. He hit .333 with four home runs and five RBI in the month of July and led the MLB with five home runs in early August. He finished the year hitting .247 with 10 home runs and 23 RBI and was the only Pirate to reach the double-digit home run mark. Projecting his numbers over a full 162 game season, Moran was on pace for 31 home runs and 71 RBI. He started the year as the team's third baseman, but when Josh Bell started to struggle, he flipped across the diamond to play some first base.
After being a defensive liability at third base, with a .923 fielding percentage, the move to first significantly raise Moran's value. He ended up playing 166 innings at first base last season and committed just two errors for a .988 fielding percentage. He was a part of 16 double plays last season and had 15 assists to go along with 152 putouts. He helped secure the right side of the infield defensively playing next to Adam Frazier. With Hayes emerging as the third baseman of the future for the Pirates, it looks like Moran will stay a first baseman. However, he does have experience playing both corner outfield positions and second base if the Pirates need him to.
His versatility might just be what keeps Moran in the lineup every day in 2021. If Bell struggles again or gets traded, Moran will step in as the starting first baseman. He showed that he has the power that the Pirates expected when they traded for him in 2017 and if he can continue that into 2021, that has the potential to give the Pirates two power threats. Moran will most likely still see time as a third baseman when Hayes needs off, but will likely circulate around his other five positions as well. Moran has been known as Mr. Opening Day for his success in the Pirate's home openers, but this year he might be fighting for a spot in that Opening Day lineup come April 1st in Chicago.
Will Craig
Over the last couple of seasons, we have heard about 2016 first-round draft pick Will Craig, but we have only seen him in two Major League games. He has been blocked by Bell and Moran for the last two seasons and looks to be stuck once again in 2021. If either Bell or Moran are moved this off-season, it opens a spot and we could see Craig in the Big Leagues in 2021. At 26-years old, Craig is a little older but has shown power potential at Triple-A. In 2019, he hit .249 with 23 home runs and 78 RBI with the Indianapolis Indians but felt he slowed down at the end of the year. He slimmed down almost thirty pounds for 2020 but was stuck at the Pirates satellite camp.
Craig made his Major League debut last season as the 29th man for a doubleheader against St. Louis on August 27th. He appeared in game one of the doubleheader and went 0-3 with three groundouts in the game. Craig is a guy who has been an interesting case as he has performed well but just been blocked. The Pirates have been trying to work Craig out in the outfield to get him some more playing time, but Gregory Polanco has blocked him from playing there as well. For Craig's sake, hopefully, 2020 will be the year that Craig will finally break through and show his power potential at the Major League level.
First base is a position where the Pirates are looking for someone to take the reigns. The plan is for that guy to be Josh Bell, but if he ends up struggling again, the Pirates will have to go with their plan B option. Moran is the next best option and he has shown the power that the Pirates have been looking for. The Pirates have a lot of questions still to answer this off-season and General Manager Been Cherrington is going to be the one making the decisions as to what direction the Pirates go. Come April 1st, we will have the answer as the Pirates kick off their 2021 season against the Chicago Cubs.
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