Connor Joe leading the way (literally) for Pirates’ red-hot offensive start to season
Share this post:
Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton could have gone several ways to begin the season when it came to picking his leadoff hitter.
He could have done a repeat of 2023, putting Oneil Cruz there.
Ke’Bryan Hayes, whose 45 games in the leadoff slot led the club last year, was another logical option. So was Andrew McCutchen, who batted leadoff earlier in his Pirates career and posted a .378 on-base percentage in 2023 before his season was ended in early September because of a partial Achilles tear.
Instead, Shelton turned to Connor Joe, who was coming off a modestly successful 2023 campaign with the Pirates in which he led the club with 31 doubles.
So far, that decision has paid off.
Through five games, all of which have featured Joe batting leadoff, the 31-year-old is hitting .348 (8 for 23) with five RBIs and a team-high four doubles.
“Really grateful for their confidence in me,” Joe said Monday on the SportsNet Pittsburgh postgame show in Washington, D.C., after the Pirates beat the Nationals, 8-4. “Looking at the top of the lineup, it’s really nice to be up there.
“Getting on base is something that’s been part of my game but also having the guys that I have hitting behind me gives me a little more confidence. I know if I get on base, there’s going to be some action behind me because there’s really good hitters.”
Joe is at the forefront of the Pirates’ early offensive surge, which has propelled them to a 5-0 start, their best since 1983.
He has multiple hits in three of the Pirates’ first five games and went 2 for 4 with a double, run and two RBIs on Monday.
“He’s played well,” Shelton said. “We get a stretch where Connor’s a guy that’s going to play against left-handed pitching. We’ve (faced) five in a row, but he’s had looks against right-handers, too.
“He plays good defense, but overall, he’s been a real catalyst for us as we’ve started the season.”
Connor Joe delivers again! pic.twitter.com/2FQ7L7QI98
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 1, 2024
In addition to Joe, the Pirates have benefited from the red-hot bats of Hayes (.391), Michael A. Taylor (.471), Bryan Reynolds (.333) and Cruz (.316).
Entering Tuesday’s games, the Pirates are third in MLB with 62 hits, fourth in team batting average (.302), second in doubles (16) and tied for second in runs (39).
“I think there’s significance in getting off to a good start,” Shelton said. “You come out of spring training, and all the things you talk about that you want to implement — and we’ve talked a lot about what our intent should be and how it should be — we’ve executed that in the first five games.
“Getting off to a good start and just playing good baseball, because you have guys that don’t play every day in spring training and it’s a little scattered, so for our group to come out for the first five days before an off-day and play the way they have, it’s been important for us.”
McCutchen certainly fits the bill of a player whose spring training was a bit “scattered.”
While McCutchen’s Achilles was a consideration for his light workload in the spring, he ultimately took just 19 at-bats before the regular season, the lowest spring total of his MLB career.
He went a combined 0 for 9 over the Pirates’ first two games, recording a four-strikeout game against the Marlins in the season opener.
After being out of the lineup for the final two games in Miami, McCutchen batted cleanup again Monday in Washington.
After striking out in his first two at-bats, McCutchen collected his first hit of the year in the sixth inning, a double off the center-field wall that was just short of leaving Nationals Park for his 300th career home run.
He then had an RBI single in the seventh and finished the game 2 for 4 with a walk.
It hasn’t been solely offense that’s powered the Pirates thus far.
The bullpen has taken on a big workload (24 ⅓ innings through five games) and has been steady for the most part.
Leading into Tuesday’s off day, the five-game season-opening stretch has also allowed a look at the starting rotation, an area of the team thought to be a weak spot entering the season.
There’s more to be desired from that group, but so far, the Pirates have been able to mitigate shaky starts and relief outings.
In two of the four games at Miami, the Pirates prevailed in extra innings, while Monday saw the club score five runs in the eighth and ninth innings after blowing a 3-1 lead in the seventh.
“It’s, obviously, really early, but it’s a great start,” Joe said. “It’s always good to hit the ground running. To see the whole team come together on all sides of the ball, everything’s been going well for us right now.”