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Prospect Highlights: Gregory Polanco Moves to Lead-Off Spot

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Gregory Polanco moved to the lead-off spot last night for Indianapolis, which led to speculation that he will bat lead-off for the Pittsburgh Pirates when he comes up. That is probably a safe assumption and the move gives him about ten days to get used to batting in the top spot. Polanco already has a solid approach at the plate and the speed to make things happen once he gets on base. He eventually will hit for more power, so he isn’t a long-term solution at the top spot, but for now, he fits the mold of a lead-off hitter.

The only problem I see with the move is what you see in the video below, another RBI hit. This season, he is hitting .467 with runners in scoring position and because of that, Polanco leads the International League and all Pirates minor leaguers with 46 RBIs. Sure he fits the lead-off mold now with speed and ability to get on base, but he also fits the mold(and need) of a middle of the order hitter. The homers will eventually come and six already this season isn’t bad, so the decision to move him to the top spot is going to take away some of that strength. In reality, wherever you put him, there is going to be a hole somewhere else and until they clone Polanco, you just have to fill the biggest need.

You could compare Polanco to what happened with Barry Bonds. He started as a lead-off hitter, but once he became too good for the spot, his bat fit better in the middle of the lineup. That kind of career path in the lineup could be the same for Polanco. We should see that path lead to Pittsburgh very soon.

The second video was the only other highlight video uploaded, which isn’t hard to believe when the four Pirates affiliates combine for six runs. The Hit Collector does what he does best, driving in his 30th run of the season with this sixth inning single

John Dreker
John Dreker
John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball. When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.

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