Prior to the Pittsburgh Pirates optioning Jose Tabata to Triple-A Indianapolis, it seemed inevitable that he would eventually be replaced on the roster by the Pirates’ top hitting prospect Starling Marte. However, when Tabata was ultimately demoted management elected to recall Gorkys Hernandez to take his place on the active roster.
Marte is currently on a tear at AAA and, according to Dejan Kovacevic, the team believes that his bat is ready. The current plan is to get Marte more time at the corner outfield positions prior to calling him up as he has spent the vast majority of his minor league career in centerfield (just six games in left and four in right above low-A ball in 2009). Nonetheless, I am sceptical as to whether experience outside of center is the real reason why Marte is still in the minor league – as I believe that the new rules from the Collective Bargaining Agreement regarding Super-Two status is playing a big part.
For clubs to avoid players obtaining Super-Two status prior to this season, they waited until early-to-mid-June to call up prospects to the major leagues. The new CBA will allow more players than ever to qualify as a Super-Two player, which enables a player to reach arbitration earlier (having four years of arbitration rather than three, so consequently one less year for a club to pay a player close to the league minimum). The top 22% of players with between 2 and 2.171 years of service time will now be eligible for arbitration as a Super-Two – increased from the previous figure of 17%. It has further complicated the dilemma of competitive clubs – especially from small markets – when keeping highly-touted prospects in the minors even though they are big-league ready, and I believe that it is this that is affecting Starling Marte at this point – rather than defensive concerns.
With Alex Presley placed on the DL today, it has left the Pirates with just two actual outfielders (Andrew McCutchen and Hernandez – who profiles best as a fourth outfielder due to his bat) along with two converted outfielders (Garrett Jones and utility infielder Drew Sutton). Sutton, in fact, has had very little experience playing in right field himself, so with Presley’s injury it would have made sense to call up Marte now rather than Jordy Mercer. However, the team is hitting well at the moment so when the potential Super-Two cost of Marte coming up and sticking with the Pirates now is considered, it’s understandable that he’s kept in the minors for a little longer.
It’s not just the Pirates being cautious either – Yasmani Grandal of the Padres and Trevor Bauer of the Diamondbacks were only called up last week and Wil Myers of the Royals finds himself in the same situation as Marte. The early-to-mid-June time frame for potential call ups of top prospect was always going to be pushed back as a result of the new CBA, and the potential Super-Two cut off of when Marte could be eligible is largely unknown at this point. Nonetheless, Starling Marte will soon be called up to the majors – it will just be when the Pirates are comfortable that it will not be a costly decision further down the road.
Marte is currently on a tear at AAA and, according to Dejan Kovacevic, the team believes that his bat is ready. The current plan is to get Marte more time at the corner outfield positions prior to calling him up as he has spent the vast majority of his minor league career in centerfield (just six games in left and four in right above low-A ball in 2009). Nonetheless, I am sceptical as to whether experience outside of center is the real reason why Marte is still in the minor league – as I believe that the new rules from the Collective Bargaining Agreement regarding Super-Two status is playing a big part.
For clubs to avoid players obtaining Super-Two status prior to this season, they waited until early-to-mid-June to call up prospects to the major leagues. The new CBA will allow more players than ever to qualify as a Super-Two player, which enables a player to reach arbitration earlier (having four years of arbitration rather than three, so consequently one less year for a club to pay a player close to the league minimum). The top 22% of players with between 2 and 2.171 years of service time will now be eligible for arbitration as a Super-Two – increased from the previous figure of 17%. It has further complicated the dilemma of competitive clubs – especially from small markets – when keeping highly-touted prospects in the minors even though they are big-league ready, and I believe that it is this that is affecting Starling Marte at this point – rather than defensive concerns.
With Alex Presley placed on the DL today, it has left the Pirates with just two actual outfielders (Andrew McCutchen and Hernandez – who profiles best as a fourth outfielder due to his bat) along with two converted outfielders (Garrett Jones and utility infielder Drew Sutton). Sutton, in fact, has had very little experience playing in right field himself, so with Presley’s injury it would have made sense to call up Marte now rather than Jordy Mercer. However, the team is hitting well at the moment so when the potential Super-Two cost of Marte coming up and sticking with the Pirates now is considered, it’s understandable that he’s kept in the minors for a little longer.
It’s not just the Pirates being cautious either – Yasmani Grandal of the Padres and Trevor Bauer of the Diamondbacks were only called up last week and Wil Myers of the Royals finds himself in the same situation as Marte. The early-to-mid-June time frame for potential call ups of top prospect was always going to be pushed back as a result of the new CBA, and the potential Super-Two cut off of when Marte could be eligible is largely unknown at this point. Nonetheless, Starling Marte will soon be called up to the majors – it will just be when the Pirates are comfortable that it will not be a costly decision further down the road.
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