Pittsburgh Pirates 2021 Previews: IF Colin Moran
Last season, the Pittsburgh Pirates were a team desperate for offense, and that included a lack of power. They tied for 27th in the league in home runs (59) and tied for 28th in the league in doubles (79). Coupled together, that is a recipe for not scoring many runs, and that is exactly what happened as the Pirates ranked dead last in the league with 219 runs scored, five runs fewer than the next closest team. If the Pirates are going to improve from their .316 winning percentage last season, they are going to have to find a way to score more runs in 2021. To do it, they are going to rely on a man who had a breakout season in terms of run production a year ago.
Colin Moran has always shown power potential in the Minor Leagues but has never been able to put it together at the Major League level. His career-high in home runs was 13 over a 162-game season back in 2019. However, Moran looked like he was ready to turn the corner in the power department last season when he hit .248 with 10 home runs and 23 RBI. He accounts for nearly 30% of the doubles hit last season and 17% of the team home runs. His batting average dropped nearly 30 points from his .270 pace, but the power made up for what was lost in contact. Over a 162 game season, Moran was on pace to hit 31 home runs and drive in 71 RBI. While Moran will probably not hit 30 home runs in a season, he is looking to develop into a power guy that can become an asset for the Pirates in 2021.
Breakout Campaign
At the beginning of the 2020 season, there was no one hotter at the plate than Colin Moran. He had shown an ability to drill the gaps at PNC Park, with a career-high 30 doubles the season before, but he hadn't quite been able to put the ball over the wall like he wanted. However, he came out swinging on day one and went 2-4 with a double in the team's opener against St. Louis. His first home run would come two days later, and he continued his mantra of being Mr. Opening Day, going 2-4 with two home runs in the team's first home game against the Milwaukee Brewers. All-in-All, Moran hit .333 over his first seven games of the season while leading the National League with four home runs and driving in five RBI. With the rest of the offense struggling, Moran was the one bright spot in the lineup that the Pirates could count on.
However, as is the case with almost every player around the league, a down period was coming and it hit Moran in the beginning of August. Over his first six games of the month, Moran managed to hit just .111 (3-27) and only had one extra-base hit, a home run, during that span. With his newfound power, or seemed as though Moran was trying more to hit the ball out of the Ball Park, and as a result, his strikeout numbers went up. He struck out 10 times in that stretch, with his worst outing coming on August 7th when he went 0-6 with two strikeouts. August was not the most productive month overall for Moran, who hit just .220 during the month with two home runs and six RBI.
However, it isn't about how you start, but how you finish, and for Moran his most productive month was September. He got back to what made him so successful in prior seasons, knocking off six doubles during the month and in turn drove in 12 of his 23 RBI during the month of September. He still struck out at a good clip, with 29 strikeouts during the month, but he was showing more plate discipline at the plate. He walked 10 times and had an on-base percentage of .318 during the month. As Moran gets ready to transition into the clean-up hitter role in 2021, that patience will be key as he will start seeing worse and worse pitches to hit. If he can start patient and wait for his pitch, it will lead to a lot more success for the 28-year-old infielder in the future.
Starting First Baseman
For the first time in Colin Moran's career, he will be the starting first baseman in the Major Leagues on opening day. With the departure of Josh Bell, the position is almost certainly Moran's to lose, with a possible platoon with Todd Frazier as well. He showed he was more than capable of playing the position last season, and he did not commit an error in 146.1 innings at the position. It requires less range, which plays into Moran's strengths, and allows Ke'Bryan Hayes to be the team's everyday third baseman moving forward. With less defensive pressure on him, Moran can settle back and focus on the most important thing he brings to the team, run production.
In his first three seasons with the Pirates, Moran has been at or near the top of the leaderboards in terms of RBI. The key to that success has been his ability to drive the ball to the gaps, and that continued last season. However, last season we saw more home run power from the infielder, and that came from his increased hard-hit percentage. His 2020 hard-hit percentage was 47.2%, a 13% increase from where it was the year before. Because he was making harder contact, the ball was carrying more than in the past, and finding its way over the wall. A majority of Moran's home runs went out to right field, but it wasn't a result of the short porch. His shortest home run hit to right field last year was 375 feet, which well exceeds the 320 mark of the right-field wall.
That power is going to be key for Moran in 2021, as he is the guy the Pirates will rely on to generate a lot of it. Look for Moran to get the majority of the time at first base, with Todd Frazier seeing some time as well throughout the season. In terms of his batting average, the Pirates would like to see it back around the .270 mark but will take less if it means he can be a guy to hit 20-25 home runs throughout the season. It is a big year in determining the future of Moran's career, and he is trying to establish himself as a run producer. Last season, he had the philosophy of swing early and swing often, and that same philosophy may lead him to another power surge for the Pirates in 2021.
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