The Pirates are on a roll and it’s mostly thanks to their young players who are coming up from the minors.
Bucs manager Derek Shelton tells Cook & Joe during his weekly show that he will continue to play his young players as they come up.
That will include outfielder Travis Swaggerty, who will make his Major League debut on Tuesday night against the Detroit Tigers at PNC Park.
In 35 games at Triple-A Indianapolis this season, Swaggerty is batting .280, four home runs, 22 RBI and an OPS of .801.
Swaggerty says he’s not nervous about making his debut.
“At the end of the day it’s just baseball, you know I’ve been playing this my whole life and what I’ve been working for my whole life, so just being here, I don’t feel anxiety, I’m just more excited,” said Swaggerty before Tuesday’s debut.
Swaggerty did admit, it may be a different story when he’s out there on the field for real.
Shelton also talked about how what’s happening is part of General Manager Ben Cherington’s design.
“There’s a plan and there’s going to be young kids that are coming and we’re starting to see that,” said Shelton.
He also warned that these are still young players and that there “will be bumps in the road, these kids are still developing here . . . but I do think they bring a little bit of energy to the club.”
Shelton adds it’s a challenge to be able to include all of the young players in the lineup but it’s a good problem to have, noting that players like Bryan Reynolds will continue to play most games.