Wilder Difo Taking Advantage of Second Chance After Being DFA'd
The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the New York Mets for the third time in their last five games last night with a 4-1 win. It was a big night for the Pirates as a whole, but the guy leading the charge was utility man Wilmer Difo. Difo went 2-4 in the game with a home run, a single, and an RBI, and helped give the Pirates a big insurance run in the bottom of the sixth. However, earlier in the year a night like tonight didn't look possible for the 29-year-old infielder. On June 8th, Difo was hitting just .244 and was really only succeeding in pinch-hitting situations. The Pirates ended up Designating him for assignment, and it looked like it would be the last time we saw Difo in a Pirates uniform.
However, he ended up clearing waivers and was sent down to Triple-A Indianapolis on June 12th. He took the demotion in stride, and did what he needed to do, hitting .244 with two RBI in 12 games played. When Gregory Polanco had to go on the Injured List with a hip injury, it was a chance for Difo to come up again and show what he can do. The Pirates already knew that he could be a successful pinch hitter, but now he was going to get everyday starts. He has taken the opportunity in stride, playing in every game for the Pirates since his call-up. He has hit .381 in the month of July with a home run and three RBI. Difo is making the most of his opportunities right now and is showing he deserves a spot on the Pirates roster during the 2021 season.
Difo Getting Hot
While it had been a hot month of July for Difo, a lot of that success was still coming as a pinch hitter. However, over his last three games, he has finally begun to show that he can succeed as a starter as well. Over his last three games, Difo has made two starts and hit .667 (6-9) with a home run and two RBI. Two of those hits were really big hits for the team as well, with a home run and two RBI. Both of those RBI came in big situations as he had the game-winning hit in the series finale in New York and had the big insurance hit in the sixth inning last night. With a guy like Difo who can play multiple positions, the more he hits the more he will get to be in the starting lineup every day.
The big thing that has changed for Difo between his first stint in Pittsburgh and his current stint is his eye at the plate. Over his first two months in a Pirates uniform, Difo walked just five times. However, in his 10 games since being recalled a second time, Difo has already drawn five walks and has an on-base percentage of .500 in July. This newfound patience has also led to a downtick in strikeouts, as he has gone down swinging just four times so far this month. Because he is seeing the ball better, he is getting more pitches to hit, and it is giving him better opportunities to produce. In his 21 at-bats in July, he has put the ball in play 17 times, and when you put the ball in play, good things can happen.
The other thing that has helped Difo in this second stint is the fact that he is getting more consistent at-bats. During his first tenure in Pittsburgh, his playing time was very sporadic. The fact that he was used mostly as a pinch hitter made it very uncertain when he would come to the plate. As a result, he couldn't get into any sort of groove hitting .267 in April and .217 in May. Because of the declining performance and the fact the Pirates were getting key players back from injury, Difo was sent down. Now that he is getting more consistent playing time, he has found his groove and gotten that July average up to .381. If you hit, you will have an opportunity here, and Difo is relishing the chances he has been getting during the month of July.
Difo Moving Forward
Wilmer Difo is an interesting case in terms of what his role on the Pirates will be the rest of the way. He signed a Minor League contract this off-season, so the Pirates don't have control of him past this season. However, with Gregory Polanco's hip injury sidelining him, it is unlikely he gets traded, and even more unlikely he is a Pirate next season. So, in the immediate future, you have to go with the hot bat, and that means giving Difo a majority of the time in right field until he starts to cool down. However, with defense being the Pirate's main focus this year, that might not be the best move as right field is Difo's worst defensive position.
He has played seven games in right this season, totaling 49.0 innings of work, and he has a fielding percentage of just .857 out there. As a right fielder, Difo is worth -2 Outs Above Average and has a success rate of only 60%. When you calculate that with his estimated success rate, he has a success rate added of -18%. What that means is he is way underperforming what the stats say he should be doing out in right field. His route grading is a -3.2 and his burst rating is an even worse -4.1. Add that with the fact that he is covering 8.5 feet of ground less than the competition, and it puts the Pirates at a severe disadvantage in the outfield. His bat may be hot, but his work in right field is definitely below par.
Because of this, the best solution in my opinion is to have Difo start in right for now, and use Jared Oliva as a defensive replacement. This was the move manager Derek Shelton made last night, and it worked out as the Pirates won 4-1. While Difo is the better offensive player of the two, Oliva's defense in the outfield is far superior to Difo's. By doing this, you keep Difo's hot bat in the lineup, and you allow Oliva to get some playing time. While doing this, Difo can also mentor Oliva, and give him tips to improve his offensive game. Overall, Difo has helped the Pirates tremendously here in July and looks to continue to contribute all season long.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (35-56) and New York Mets (47-41) play game two of their three-game series tonight at 7:05 pm. Wil Crowe (1-5, 6.05) looks to get his second half started on the right track as he takes on Tylor Megill (0-0, 3.50) for the Mets. You can watch the game live on AT&T Sportsnet or listen to 93.7 The Fan.
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