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Williams: The Pirates Need to Maximize Their Shortstop Options For 2019

I could see an argument for using Adeiny Hechavarria as the shortstop this year, and seeing if he can be a starting shortstop option for 2019.

It’s happened before. He was a 2.6 fWAR player in 2015. He had a 1.4 fWAR last year in 348 plate appearances. He’s been an 0.7 fWAR player this year in 262 plate appearances.

There’s not a lot of upside there. Last year there were 32 shortstops with 350+ plate appearances. The 2.6 WAR would have ranked 13th, although I don’t think anyone should be counting on that. The 1.4 WAR ranked 21st, just behind Jordy Mercer, and I think that’s a reasonable expectation for Hechavarria going forward.