What to do with struggling first baseman Rowdy Tellez is an interesting dilemma for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The big left-handed batting first baseman was signed to a one-year, $3.2 million contract last December. Just two years removed from a 35-home run season with the Milwaukee Brewers, he was expected to provide that kind of power for the Pirates. However, he’s produced mostly strikeouts and pop-ups for the past month. With each failure at PNC Park, boos rain down from the stands.
So, the question is, what should the Pirates do with Tellez? The answer, of course, is to stick with him. Say what?
Pirates Have A Dilemma with Struggling Tellez
Tellez has been platooning with the right-handed hitting Connor Joe at first base in 2024. After Wednesday’s game, Tellez is hitting .176/.250/481, 1 HR, and 8 RBI. In mid-April, he looked like a good acquisition. One pundit who shall go unnamed even advocated extending him if he continued hitting as he was. Now, a month later, Tellez isn’t meeting expectations. On the other hand, Joe has been the Pirates’ best hitter. He’s hitting .286/.359/.867, 6 HR, 22 RBI. Joe leads the Pirates in RBI despite not playing full-time. He hit home runs in three consecutive starts from Saturday to Tuesday.
Manager Derek Shelton and general manager Ben Cherington see what the fans see. On Tuesday, Shelton benched Tellez and started Joe at first base against Brewers right-hander Joe Ross. Joe was in the lineup again on Wednesday afternoon when the Brewers started a lefty in Robert Gasser. Perhaps Shelton is giving Tellez some time off to get him back on track. It will be interesting to see whether Joe will be used as the first baseman every day going forward. Shelton has said they need to get Tellez going and will give him every opportunity. It’s the right course of action.
Pirates Need Left-Handed Hitting
In addition to Tellez, the Pirates have two left-handed batters in Oneil Cruz and Jack Suwinski. There are also two switch-hitters in Bryan Reynolds and Yasmani Grandal. As things stand now, there isn’t much to combat good right-handed pitching. Cruz has been a bright spot, slashing .266/.314/.763, 7 HR, and 18 RBI. Reynolds is hitting .250/.342/.755, 5 HR, and 19 RBI, which isn’t terrible, but it’s a bit off his career numbers. Suwinski is faring even worse than Tellez so far. Grandal’s recent history doesn’t suggest he will carry the team offensively. (There’s not much great right-handed hitting on the 2024 Pirates, but that’s another subject.)
The Pirates’ dilemma extends to all their struggling hitters, not just Tellez. For better or worse, the Pirates need to see whether Tellez can provide the power they need from the left side. It’s only mid-May, so it’s too early for any team to abandon its plans. An argument can be made that Joe is a better option at the plate than Tellez, regardless of what hand the pitcher is throwing with. Indeed, as the Pirates’ best hitter, Joe should be in the lineup every day, but he can be there in the outfield.
Who’s On First?
Those who clamor for Tellez to be sent to DFA land miss one important question: Who takes his place on the roster who has the same ceiling? In mid-May, no team will trade a major league-ready first baseman to the Pirates. At this point in the season, only the Miami Marlins are trading major league players. Their first baseman is switch-hitting former Pirate Josh Bell, who’s not hitting much better than Tellez. Bell wouldn’t be a significant upgrade and wouldn’t be worth a prospect while paying the remainder of Tellez’s contract. Besides, the Pirates bringing back the struggling Bell to solve the Tellez dilemma would be too much of a case of being there, done that.
Just as there isn’t a replacement on the trade market, Triple-A Indianapolis has little help. Their first baseman is major league veteran Jake Lamb, 33, who’s hitting .359/.452/.544, 3 HR, and 18 RBI. But despite good minor league numbers in 2022-23, he hit just .216/.297/.378 in three major league trials over that same period. His last great major league season was in 2017. It’s unlikely he’ll have a good one in 2024. The latest first baseman of the future, Malcom Nuñez, has been converted to third base and wasn’t even invited to spring training. He’s not a likely candidate to whom the Pirates would look. Let’s face it, if the Pirates were deep with first basemen in the organization, Lamb wouldn’t have been signed.
The Last Word
In 2021, the Pirates gave Yoshi Tsutsugo a $4 million deal to play first base in 2022. When he didn’t produce and didn’t generate any trade interest, he was released in early August. Thus, there’s precedent for Cherington moving on from a mistake. If Tellez is still hitting .176 with no power in mid-July, he’ll deserve the same fate as Tsutsugo. However, at this point, it’s too early. So just relax, Pirates fans.
Main Photo Credits: Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
