PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) - It’s one of the most popular topics when we are discussing Pirates baseball on 93.7 The Fan. Bucs GM Ben Cherington on Friday addressed why they still have Gregory Polanco in the lineup.
“We have felt and still feel to this point that he is a really talented player who is still not that old,” Cherington said. “We think finally healthy. We think is still capable of being a good Major League player.”
Not that batting average is everything, but Polanco coming off a career-worst .242 in 2019, followed that up with a .153 average in 50 games in 2020. As of pregame on Friday, Polanco hitting .199 with 21 extra base hits in 93 games this year.
“We are not blind to the performance,” Cherington said. “If you think about the last several years for Gregory, whether it was injuries or a short season. Up until this year, he just simply didn’t play a lot of baseball for a while. I think we’ve had some desire to give him every chance to play a lot of baseball and find himself again.”
He has not, the longest hitting streak this year is four games. The 29-year-old has nine multi-hit games all season.
“Shelty is making a lineup with the best chance to compete,” Cherington said. “There is an awareness of playing time, but he’s not writing a lineup out thinking about next year.”
Cherington said there is a balance of ‘not just calling players up’ to give them experience. He needs to continue to set a standard that playing time is earned.
“We have those conversations, so there is awareness, but it’s not driving decisions over who is in the lineup every night,” Cherington said. “We want guys to think they need to earn it.”
Has Polanco earned it?
On the surface, it wouldn’t appear so. There is a team option for $12.5 million next season, seems unlikely the Pirates would pick that up.
Are they doing Polanco a solid for being such a good teammate and always willing to do whatever the organization asked of him? Do they truly not have other options that could be a part of their future in the outfield who are ready for the majors?
While questions, or maybe better said, comments persist. Polanco continues to play.