Pittsburgh Pirates 2021 Previews: IF Ji-Hwan Bae

In his first Big League camp, Ji-Hwan Bae has made an impact appearing in 15 of the team's 20 games so far. He is looking to continue his climb through the Minor League system as he makes the jump to Double-A Ball in 2021.

If there is one thing the Pittsburgh Pirates are really focusing on this Spring Training, it is their future. That was evident when the team invited 26 players on the Non-Roster Invitee list, including each of the top five prospects on the Pirates Prospects list according to MLB Pipeline. While the big names are Nick Gonzalez, Quinn Priester, and Travis Swaggerty, there are other names in camp who figure to be a big part of the Pirate's future. One of those new happens to be infielder Ji-Hwan Bae who is taking part in his first official Big League camp in 2021. He has performed well so far and showed some versatility playing all over the infield.

He has appeared in a majority of the games so far this spring, making an appearance in 15 of the team's first 20 games played. During that time, he has gotten 16 at-bats so far and has hit .250 (4-16) with an RBI and a walk so far. At just 21-years-old, Bae is one of the younger players in camp and will be looking to make that all-important jump to Double-A Altoona in 2021. He participated in the Pirates Alternate Training site last season and was in Low-A Greensboro the year before. He is currently ranked as the #14 overall prospect in the Pirates system according to MLB Pipeline and is looking to show off his skills in Double-A. Today, we look at Bae's 2019 and 2020 seasons and how he impacts the Pittsburgh Pirates' future.

From Raw Rookie to Flourishing Prospect

Ji-Hwan Bae's path to Pittsburgh nearly didn't happen in the winter of 2018. He was all set to sign a deal with the Atlanta Braves in 2017, but when that deal fell through he ended up signing with the Pirates for 1.2 million. Bae got started right away that season, heading to the rookie league and he impressed with his single ability. During that first season, he hit .271 with 13 RBI in 35 games, using his approach of hitting the ball on the ground and using his speed to reach base consistently. Once he succeeded there, the Pirates were prepared to move Bae to full-season ball, but an off-the-field issue forced Bae to serve a 30-game suspension.

Once he served his time, he joined the Greensboro Grasshoppers and went on to have another career season. He hit .323 for the Grasshoppers in 86 games played with 38 RBI. He may not have shown any power, but his speed and his ability to rack up singles earned him the South Atlantic League batting title during his first year at full-season ball. He hit the ball on the ground over 50% of the time, and his speed would be the big factor in getting him on base. Once he was there, he used his speed to cause havoc for the opposing pitcher. He ended up leading the Grasshoppers with 31 stolen bases over 42 attempts during the season.

While Bae was mostly a singles hitter throughout the year, he did show an ability to pick up the extra-base hit when he needed to. He finished the 2019 season with a total of 30 extra-base hits and finished tied for the team lead with 25 doubles with Fabricio Macias. As one of the youngest guys not only on the Greensboro Grasshoppers but in the South Atlantic League, it was an impressive start for the Korean-born infielder. He was all set to make the jump to Advanced-A Bradenton in 2020, but the canceled season would instead send him to the Pirates alternate training site. There, he continued to work on his hitting ability and added both shortstop and third base to his defensive repertoire as he works on becoming more versatile to help his growth.

Bae Back to Altoona in 2021

With Bae entering his age 21 season and performing well at the alternate training site last season, look for Ji-Hwan to join the Double-A Altoona Curve infield this season. He was one of the few Pirates prospects to not play winter ball somewhere, but he continued his training back in his hometown of Daegu, South Korea. Bae will join many of his fellow top prospects in Double-A which is turning out to be one of the teams to watch in the Minor League system this year. Bae is not going to give the Curve a lot of power in the lineup, but his ability to find holes in the infield will be a big plus at the top of the Curve lineup.

While power is not a big part of Bae's offensive game, he did show an ability to hit the ball hard in Altoona last season. During the exhibition intrasquad games, Bae had an average exit velocity of 95 miles per hour and made a lot of hard contact throughout the summer. He is looking to now bring that to real game situations as he focuses on hitting line drives and using his speed to be a force at the top of the lineup. The one killer to good speed is a high strikeout ability, but that is something that Bae started to do in 2019. He struck out 77 times in 380 at-bats for a 20% strikeout rate during his first year in full-season ball. However, he balanced that out with a walk rate of 11% from the top of the lineup, and if he can lower the strikeout rate and raise the walk rate, he could be a strong top-of-the-lineup option.

The big challenge for Bae in 2021 at Altoona is going to be the battle for playing time. It is very likely that the Pirates could start Gonzales at Double-A Altoona as well, creating a log jam at second base. If this is the case, Bae is going to have to use his versatility if he wants to find his way into the lineup on a daily basis. Both players look to factor into the future of the Pittsburgh Pirates, but it is going to come down to who is hot as to who gets playing time. With Bae being able to play all over the infield, look for him to be an everyday part of the Curve lineup. It will be a big jump for Bae, but one that will determine how he fits into the Pirate's plans moving forward.