Nogowski Bringing Depth at First Base For The Pirates

Earlier today, the Pittsburgh Pirates called one of their newest members John Nogowski up to the Big Leagues. Nogowski was acquired in a trade with the Cardinals and looks to add some much-needed depth at first base.

At the beginning of the season, one of the few positions for the Pirates that wasn't filled with question marks was first base. Colin Moran had established himself there last season and was ready to take over full-time after the trade of Josh Bell. However, Moran has found himself on the Injured List more than on the playing field, through no fault of his own, and it has left the Pirates high and dry. Phillip Evans has been his primary back-up, but other than him the only other player with first base experience was outfielder Ben Gamel. The Pirates tried Will Craig for a stint, but that stint did not go well, highlighted by "the play" earlier this season. Because of this, the Pirates were forced to go to the trade market to look for help at first base.

This led them to the St. Louis Cardinals, where they traded for 28-year-old first baseman John Nogowski. Nogowski has a very similar story to Will Craig but is looking for different results. He has had success in the Minor Leagues but was constantly blocked by Paul Goldschmidt. However, the little chances he has gotten in the MLB have not been good as he has a career .091 batting average through 22 Big League at-bats. However, over his seven Minor League seasons, he has hit .281 with 45 home runs and 289 RBI. He makes his Pirates debut tonight against the Atlanta Braves and is hoping that this Major League shot doesn't pass him by. We look at the newest Pirate and see what he brings to the table for the team here in 2021.

First Big League Chance

When he was in St. Louis, Nogowski was constantly blocked by Paul Goldschmidt at first base. However, as he progressed through the Cardinals system, he continued to perform. In 2019, Nogowski made it to Triple-A and put together a strong overall season, hitting .295 with 15 home runs and 75 RBI in 117 games played. It was the third straight season in which he posted a batting average of at least .290 and the second straight season where he hit double-digit home runs. To go along with this, he wasn't your typical power hitter who either hits it 400 feet or strikes out. He had a strikeout rate of just 13.2% and complimented that with an even more impressive walk rate of nearly 20%.

2020 was finally going to be Nogowski's year to break out and make the Major Leagues, but COVID quickly changed that. Instead of starting the year at Triple-A, he was sent to the Alternate Training site. After spending most of the season at the training site, he finally got to make his MLB debut on August 16th against the Chicago White Sox. He ended up going 1-4 with a single and a strikeout. Unfortunately, he was sent down after the game and never made it back to the Big Leagues the rest of the year. However, he continued to work at the alternate training site and was impressing the Cardinals coaches and front office. He ended up being invited to Spring Training in 2021 and was impressive hitting .333 with two home runs and 17 RBI.

Because of this, he made his first Opening Day roster in 2021 and served as a back-up to Goldschmidt in the beginning part of the season. However, he appeared in 19 games and was hitting .056 in 18 at-bats while walking once and striking out twice. He was placed on the Injured List on April 23rd and never made it back to the Big Leagues. The Cardinals ended up designating him for assignment on June 28th. Six days later, the Pirates made a claim on him and sent cash considerations for Nogowski's services. With Moran on the Injured List, Nogowski is finally getting his chance to show what he has at the Big League level.

If You Hit You Play

The key for Nogowski to stay in the Big Leagues is to hit the ball and play strong defense. If there is one thing the Pirates need more than anything, it is a strong bat in the lineup. If Nogowski can get back to where he was in 2019, he could find himself a full-time spot in the Big Leagues. The Pirates are a team that is full of opportunities right now, and even though Nogowski is a bit of a late bloomer, it is finally his time to take the chance and run with it. After a hot start, Phillip Evans has cooled off and his average dipped down to the Mendoza line and hasn't gotten back. If Nogowski can hit for average and show a little bit of that pop, he could be the new primary back-up at first base when Moran returns.

Another key to keeping Nogowski on the field is his ability to play strong defense for the Pirates. That is something he has been able to do throughout his career, with a .993 fielding percentage in just over 2200 innings played at first base. So far this season, he has committed just two errors in 256.1 Minor League innings and has yet to commit an error while playing at the Big League level. Pitching and defense have been the key to the Pirates development plan, and Nogowski fits right into that mold. He is as sure-handed as anyone over at first base, and has shown that he can handle the position in the Minor Leagues, but is looking to continue that in the Major Leagues.

While Nogowski may be just a fill-in until Moran comes back, there is a chance he could take off. He has shown all the tools in the Minor Leagues but hasn't put it together in his short Big League stint. He has only had more than one at-bat in a game one time and has been tasked with one of the hardest jobs in Baseball. Now that he will be given a chance to start, it will be his time to show what he can do when given a full-time shot. As a right-handed hitter at PNC Park, the left-centerfield gal should be his best friend as he racks up the extra-base hits. The Pirates aren't looking for Nogowski to be the guy in the lineup, just a guy they can turn to that will fill in a big hole for the time being.

The Pittsburgh Pirates (30-53) open up a three-game set with the Atlanta Braves (41-42) tonight at 7:05 pm. Chase De Jong (0-3, 5.65) takes the hill for the Pirates against Max Fried (5-4, 4.16) for the Braves. You can watch the game live on AT&T Sportsnet, listen on 93.7 The Fan, or follow along with us on Twitter by following @Buccos_Cove.

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