John Nogowski Earning His Keep at First Base

The Pittsburgh Pirates lineup was dragging, but they got a big boost from first baseman John Nogowski. It has been just six games, but Nogowski has already written himself in the Pirates history books and is finding his swing in his new city.

Last week, the Pittsburgh Pirates were I'm serious trouble at first base. Colin Moran was already on the Injured List and then both Erik Gonzalez and Phillip Evans ended up having to head to the IL as well. This left the Pirates with no experienced first baseman, and Ben Gamel being the only player with any experience at the position. That is when they went out on a limb and made a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals, sending cash considerations in exchange for infielder John Nogowski. Prior to his time in Pittsburgh, Nogowski had been used solely as a pinch hitter in St. Louis and was hitting a dismal .086 in 18 at-bats, most of those coming in pinch-hitting situations.

However, with more consistent playing time, Nogowski has flourished and given a boost to the middle of the Pirates order. In his first six games with the Pirates, Nogowski has gone an impressive 12-23 (.522) with four RBI over 23 at-bats, including a combined 2-7 effort in the two games of yesterday's doubleheader. Nogowski tied the record for the most hits by a Pirate in their first four games with the team. With Nogowski getting a full-time opportunity in Pittsburgh, he is using his short swing to put the bat on the ball consistently. At 28-years-old, Nogowski is one of the older rookies you will see, but he is looking to make the most of his opportunity. Today, we look at Nogowski's hot start and what his future in Pittsburgh looks like moving forward.

Making His Mark

When Nogowski was initially signed, he had a lot of adversity to overcome. Many people were questioning the signing, writing it off as another pick-up off the scrap heap. However, right from the get-go, Nogowski showed why he was signed going 2-4 with his first Pirates RBI. His RBI came in the bottom of the sixth as he lined an RBI single to left that pushed the Pirate's lead to two, and started a four-run bottom of the sixth inning. In his first six games with the Pirates, Nogowski has had four multi-hit games and a total of two extra-base hits. He capped off his hot start with a ringing two-RBI double in the first game of yesterday's doubleheader that clinched the Pirate's 6-2 victory.

The big thing that has led to Nogowski's success in a Pirate uniform is his great eye at the plate. With the Cardinals, Nogowski averaged just 3.4 pitches per plate appearance but was having a lot of those plate appearances as a pinch hitter. However, since coming to the Pirates, Nogowski has had a competitive at-bat every time and is averaging just over 4.3 pitches per at-bat with the Pirates. Not only is he seeing a lot of pitches, but he is also showing a great sense of the strike zone. He has a chase percentage of just 11.8% this season and, on the rare occasion that he does chase, he usually makes contact with a Chase Contact Rate of 62.5%.

The only question with Nogowski's success is will he be able to keep it up long-term? One thing going for him in this regard is that he does make a lot of contact. He has a zone contact percentage of 93.3% meaning that he is showing that he can consistently put the bat on the ball. Couple that with his career strikeout percentage of 11.6% and more often than not Nogowski is going to get a pitch to hit. The thing going against Nogowski in whether or not he can keep up this success is that he doesn't hit the ball hard a lot of the time. He has a hard-hit rate of 26.7% this season and has an average exit velocity of just 89 mph. He is finding holes early in his Pirates career, and it is paying off with a .522 batting average.

Nogwoski's Future in Pittsburgh

The saying goes that no player has ever lost his starting role because of an injury, but Nogowski's success has put the future of first base in question. On one hand, Colin Moran has had a good season when he isn't injured, hitting .280 with four home runs and 23 RBI. He was just establishing himself as the everyday starting first baseman, but then he took a fastball to the left hand. Now, Nogowski is stepping in and showing that he can hit the ball consistently early on. The question becomes when Moran comes back from the Injured List, who gets more reps at first base? A couple of factors go into this, but I feel there is room for both players in the Pirate's future.

When Moran first comes back, I feel you have to give him the start at first, but because Nogowski has been so good you can slowly work Moran back into the lineup. Initially, I see the two splitting reps at the position with Moran getting about four starts a week and Nogowski getting three. You have to keep in mind that Nogowski has only had a short-sample size, but he has come through for the Pirates offense when they needed him most. The other thing to consider is Nogowski's versatility on the field and whether or not both bats can be in the lineup. Nogowski has already shown he can play outfield at PNC Park, so there is a possibility he could get more reps out there when Moran does return to the lineup.

There is no denying that Nogowski has been a big pick-up for the Pirates and practically saved first base. Without him, the Pirates would have no experience at the position and he has taken the reigns and run with the opportunity. Because of this, he has earned a spot on this team moving forward, and it will be interesting to see how he progresses. Obviously, he won't be hitting at a .522 clip for the at of the season, but if he can keep his batting average between the .270-.290 mark and can show a little bit of that pop he had in the Minor Leagues he could be a key piece for the Pirates moving forward. With Mason Martin still being at least a year away, Nogowski and Moran can hold down the position for now and help bridge the gap for the Pirates while raising their own value at first base.

The Pittsburgh Pirates (33-56) wrap up the first half of their season when they face the New York Mets (47-39) today at 1:10 pm. Chase De Jong (1-3, 5.08) looks to build off the momentum from his first MLB win in three years while the Mets haven't yet named their starter. You can watch the game live on AT&T Sportsnet or listen live at 93.7 The Fan.

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