The Bae Effect: How Ji Hwan Bae Could be a Game Changer for the Pirates
Ji Hwan Bae showed how some of the new rules in Major League Baseball can be used to generate runs. With his speed, he could prove to be a gamechanger for the Pirates in 2023 It was a strong start to the season for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1-0) as they won the opener on Cincinnati against the Reds 5-4. Amongst the ok start from Mitch Keller, the offenses inability to get a big hit, and the excitement of the first win of the season, one of the things I noticed was the Pirates ability to use small ball to their advantage. Of their five runs scored, four came by the Pirates showing patience at the plate and using small ball to generate runs. While most recap stories I have seen are gushing about Oneil Cruz's start to the season, the thing that stood out to me was the work of second baseman Ji Hwan Bae. He made his first career Opening Day start and went 2-3 with a double, a walk, two stolen bases, and two runs scored. He was a guy who I was hoping would make the trip north