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Gregory Polanco Still Open to Extension With the Pirates

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Ever since before he arrived in the majors, there has been one topic that has surrounded Gregory Polanco: Will the Pirates extend him?

There were reports before he came up that the Pirates had offered him a deal that would have been worth up to $75 M over ten years. That deal obviously never happened, and there have been off and on rumors about extension possibilities since then.

Polanco was at Pirate City for mini camp today, and the topic of an extension came up when he met with reporters. He said that he hasn’t heard anything lately, but that he’s still open to an extension.

“I’m open for anything. Whatever they bring, I’ll check it out,” Polanco said. “I’m just for right now focusing on getting my body right, getting my mind right, getting ready, and be more consistent, be smarter in the game, and [getting] established in the Major Leagues.”

Polanco is here hitting and checking out his knee after receiving a Platelet Rich Plasma injection this off-season. He had been dealing with soreness in his left knee throughout the season, and that caused him to miss a game in July and slump a bit down the stretch. Polanco said the soreness was difficult, and that he had issues pushing off the knee when running and hitting.

“I feel a lot better. I’ve been working out. I don’t feel anything right now,” Polanco said of his recovery.

He rested for all of October and November, and just recently started working out in December. Polanco described the experience as something that made him tougher, since it made him feel like he could play in the majors without being 100%.

The 2015 season wasn’t a total loss for Polanco. He picked up his hitting in the second half, with a lot of hard hit contact. In fact, Polanco probably should have been better, as he had some unlucky numbers when it came to hard hit balls not going for hits.

“Where it goes? I don’t have control over that. I understand that,” Polanco said of the unlucky stretch, which really hit him in September and the Wild Card game. “I keep trying to hit the ball hard and keep trying to make good swings, and whatever happens, happens.”

Polanco’s numbers were better in the second half, and he attributed that to more confidence, thanks to a talk with Clint Hurdle after a slump in May.

“In May I had a slump, so I lost my confidence,” Polanco said. “Clint called me to his office and he told me ‘You aren’t playing like you’ve always played.'”

Hurdle said he noticed Polanco was worrying, and wasn’t smiling. He told the outfielder to play like he always plays and not to worry about the results, instead focusing on having a good at-bat every time. That seemed to have worked, as Polanco’s three best months for hard hit contact were July, August, and September.

That second half success and a healthy knee both lead to hope that Polanco could finally break out in 2016 and become the impact player he was projected to become. Polanco is hoping that this will be the year that all happens.

“This year is good for me,” Polanco said. “I want to be more consistent, and this is the year I want to play like I had been playing in the minor leagues, like a star player.”

I’ve written already this off-season about how Polanco could be the most important Pirate in 2016, with the biggest chance for the team to make up for lost offense or see a boost in offense over the 2015 season. A breakout would be a huge thing for this offense, not just now, but for the entire time he’s under control. He’s already under team control through the 2020 season, and if they can find a way to work out an extension, then a breakout could pay dividends for years to come.

Tim Williams
Tim Williams
Tim is the owner, producer, editor, and lead writer of PiratesProspects.com. He has been running Pirates Prospects since 2009, becoming the first new media reporter and outlet covering the Pirates at the MLB level in 2011 and 2012. His work can also be found in Baseball America, where he has been a contributor since 2014 and the Pirates' correspondent since 2019.

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