Pirates shortstop Jared Triolo turns a double play over the Reds’ Tyler Stephenson on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025, at PNC Park.
After years of being blocked at third base for the Pittsburgh Pirates by top-of-the-line defenders in baseball, Jared Triolo considered the commerce of Ke’Bryan Hayes as a bittersweet alternative.
Though Triolo is a Gold Glove winner, he’s additionally somebody who research the sport and its finest gamers. Triolo watched intently from the house dugout as 10-time NL Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado took grounders when the St. Louis Cardinals had been on the town, one thing he obtained to do every day whereas being teammates with Hayes.
“You get to look at top-of-the-line third basemen within the recreation simply take floor balls and go about his day,” Triolo mentioned Hayes. “Hopefully, I can attempt to implement what I’ve been looking ahead to the final two to a few years and go on the market and produce like he did.”
So, it was a little bit of a shock to see Triolo beginning 5 of the previous six video games at shortstop and Isiah Kiner-Falefa switching from quick to 3rd base for six of the previous seven video games for the Pirates.
Their place change is by design, Pirates normal supervisor Ben Cherington mentioned, in order that they decide whether or not Triolo is an choice at shortstop subsequent season. The 2024 NL Gold Glove utility defender, Triolo has began extra video games at shortstop (17) this season than he has at third base (14), first base (12) or second base (10). However shortstop is the place Triolo has performed the least in his three seasons with the Pirates.
“We all know he’s an important defender,” Cherington mentioned Sunday on his weekly radio present on workforce flagship 93.7 The Fan. “He’s performed lots of third, he’s performed lots of second prior to now. He’s had just a little little bit of a chance at quick. He’s obtained extra this yr, and I feel he’s actually answered the query: Can he play quick? The reply is sure. That doesn’t imply he’s going to be the shortstop subsequent yr. However what it means is we now have some extra confidence within the participant.”
The important thing will probably be whether or not Triolo can discover consistency on the plate. He’s batting .178 with a .553 OPS this season however has a .267\/.371\/.333 slash line with two doubles and three RBIs within the 9 video games for the reason that July 31 commerce deadline handed.
“Personally, that’s what I wish to emphasize going ahead for the remainder of the season. I’m simply making an attempt to go up there and have constant at-bats, get on base and rating runs,” mentioned Triolo, who was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on Aug. 1 after three weeks within the minors. “Anytime you’re up right here, it’s a chance to search out your function with the workforce. That’s what I’ve obtained right here, so we’ll see what shakes out. I’m simply making an attempt to cement a job on this workforce going ahead … so I’ll make the most of the glove.”
Defensively, the Pirates haven’t any considerations about Triolo. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder is a plus defender who ranks within the 89th percentile in vary and 77th percentile in fielding run worth, per Baseball Savant. He had seven defensive runs saved – three every at second and third base and two at first base – however was minus-1 DRS in 154 innings at shortstop coming into Sunday’s recreation towards Cincinnati, per Sports activities Information Options.
Maybe the particular person most impressed by Triolo’s play at shortstop is his predecessor on the place.
“He’s obtained the scale, he’s obtained the arm power to play daily at shortstop,” mentioned Kiner-Falefa, who had one DRS in 815 innings over 93 begins. “I can do it at a excessive stage. I feel ‘Tri’ may do it a excessive stage. He has the pedigree of simply being a baseball participant. The dimensions and arm power is large. I feel that’s what separates him from different folks, his arm power.
“He’ll have extra worth, with the ability to play shortstop, to the Pirates. He checks all of the packing containers. He’s going to get some run to point out what he can do offensively. On the finish of the season, the Pirates are going to should decide. However I feel it is a good alternative for him to get that open run, see if his physique can deal with it and provides them open suggestions for going into subsequent yr.”
Regardless of buying and selling Hayes, who had an MLB-best 65 DRS since 2020, the Pirates had been uniquely positioned to switch him with their selection of Gold Glove defenders. They’ve used Kiner-Falefa at third base, the place he gained the American League Gold Glove in 2020 whereas with the Texas Rangers, in seven of the previous 11 video games.
“He’s obtained the Gold Glove there – him and Tri each have the {hardware},” Pirates supervisor Don Kelly mentioned. “They each have dominated within the infield and carried out rather well for us.”
Kiner-Falefa known as the midseason transfer from shortstop to 3rd base an opportunity to show the worth of his versatility within the remaining yr of a two-year, $15 million contract, given {that a} potential suitor might view him in his most well-liked function as a super-utility participant.
“It’s just a little bizarre, just a little funky — however that’s what I do finest. Nothing out of the atypical. I really feel like I’m again at house,” mentioned Kiner-Falefa, who hopes to enhance his .337 slugging share as his physique will get a break from the defensive calls for of shortstop. “I really feel like I profile as a complete completely different participant after I’m taking part in third in comparison with shortstop. I’m wanting ahead to the chance to showcase that.”
Cherington heaped excessive reward on the “above-average” play at shortstop by Konnor Griffin, the 19-year-old 2024 first-round draft choose who’s ranked the game’s No. 1 total prospect by Baseball America and MLB Pipeline. So the Pirates may very well be searching for somebody to function stopgap on the place till Griffin, who’s starring at Excessive-A Greensboro, is prepared for the foremost leagues.
With Triolo and Liover Peguero anticipated to get a lot of the taking part in time at shortstop, Kiner-Falefa is treating his time at third base as an audition for the beginning job vacated by Hayes being traded. Kiner-Falefa is open to staying with the Pirates, whether or not it’s at third base or elsewhere.
“That’s the place they want probably the most assist proper now,” Kiner-Falefa mentioned. “I can’t management that but it surely is smart for each side. You permit that as much as the agent and the overall managers. I see a vibrant future for this workforce. I’m going to do every thing I can the remainder of the yr to set them on the appropriate path. If I’m right here, nice. If not, I hope I helped them. I really feel like I’m an enormous a part of this clubhouse and I’ve taken lots of satisfaction in my relationship with these gamers. It will be good to succeed with them. … The match is there. That’s the largest factor, the match. We’ll see what occurs.”
Cherington believes Triolo’s versatility offers the Pirates an opportunity to be inventive with regards to addressing offseason additions, the place the precedence will probably be so as to add a run producer to baseball’s least productive offense.
“As we glance to construct the workforce in 2026, Triolo taking part in shortstop – or, not less than, as a part of a shortstop resolution – is not less than an choice that we will think about,” Cherington mentioned. “It opens up the choices we now have when it comes to we would add again to the infield roster within the offseason, not less than I’d count on we might. And it simply helps to know we’ve obtained these choices with Tri as a result of perhaps one of the best alternative we discover out there’s a third baseman, perhaps it’s a shortstop, perhaps it’s one thing else. That versatility with Tri can actually assist us out in that method.”
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Pirates shortstop Jared Triolo turns a double play over the Reds’ Tyler Stephenson on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025, at PNC Park.After years of being blocked at third base for the Pittsburgh Pirates by top-of-the-line defenders in baseball, Jared Triolo considered the commerce of Ke’Bryan Hayes as a bittersweet alternative.Though Triolo is a Gold Glove winner, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-382632","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n