After tearing up Class AAA last year and having one of the best offensive seasons for any Pirate prospect, Ji Hwan Bae has finally gotten his call to the majors.
On Friday, the Pirates selected the contract of the utility player, who is ranked as their No. 11 prospect by MLB Pipeline. He would go on to single, draw a walk and steal a pair of bases in his debut, a 6-5 loss to the Cubs.
"I’ve dreamed of it all my life," Bae said through interpreter Young Choe. "I’m so excited. I’m ready to go."
Bae's family watching him make his Major League debut 💛 pic.twitter.com/jZW3zVOTIh
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 24, 2022
From a results standpoint, Bae has been more than deserving this year, batting .289/.362/.430 with eight home runs and 30 stolen bases. While he profiles as a leadoff hitter, finding some extra power in the second half of last season has greatly helped his prospect status and contributed to his rise to the majors.
With the 2022 season nearing its end, the Pirates felt they had reached a point that Bae could get as much playing time in the majors as he could with Class AAA Indianapolis, so they made the call. Bae, 23, would have been eligible for the Rule 5 draft this winter had he not been added to the roster by the November deadline.
And since he can play second base, shortstop and left and center field, there will be plenty of ways to get him into the lineup. It's expected that he will get looks at each position in the final two weeks of this season.
"That was one of the reasons why we decided to bring him up now, was now we feel like he have the opportunities for those at-bats to move him around a little bit," Derek Shelton said. "That versatility's huge. We've talked about it I think since I've got here. There's only nine spots in the order, and the more spots you can play, it gives you more opportunity to get at-bats. His versatility is very helpful there."
"There'll be a transition at the major league level for most young players, but we look forward to seeing his skills come out," Ben Cherington said. "He's an exciting player to watch because he can do a lot of things on the field."
His speed is perhaps the best tool at his disposal, stealing 81 bases at a 75% success rate since the start of the 2019 season.
The Pirates are in the middle of the pack with stolen bases, swiping 78 as a team, they lack a bona fide threat on the base paths. Ke'Bryan Hayes leads the team with 18 on the season, but nobody else has double digits steals.
"If I get a chance, I definitely will," Bae said with a smile about the possibility of getting that first steal during this call up.
He would end up stealing two, including one in the ninth to move into scoring position as the potential tying run.
"He didn’t let the game speed up on him," Shelton said. "Overall, [in his] debut he brought some excitement and did some really good things."
While Bae's promise as a player is exciting, there was controversy in his personal life. On New Years Eve 2017, Bae choked and kicked then-girlfriend Seul-Gi Kim. Kim levied accusations against Bae in April of 2018, and Bae was found guilty in a South Korean court and suspended 30 games in 2019 for violating the Minor League Baseball Player Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy.
Bae signed with the Pirates for $1.25 million in March of 2018, before the allegations were made public.
On Friday, Bae was asked if he had a message for fans about his past.
"Luckily for me, I’ve met so many people who have influenced me to a better side," Bae said. "Those people have taught me to be a better person and better player. They’ve helped me and supported me. Especially for me, I came from Korea, I was alone by myself. I don’t speak English. I don’t speak any other language. My teammates helped me. They’ve supported me. The clubhouse feels like home. It has influenced me to be a better person and a better player."
Cherington, Shelton and much of the front office were not with the Pirates at the time of Bae's incident with Kim or suspension. When asked if he viewed the matter as resolved, Cherington pointed to Bae's continued improvement as a person.
"Ji Hwan has had an opportunity to keep growing as a player and also as a person," Cherington said. "From what I've seen over the last three years, there’s continued growth — first at the alt site in 2020, then Altoona last year and Indy this year. We've seen him continue to grow as a person, continue to see him make better choices. We’ve also gotten good feedback from his teammates. One of the strongest signals you can get on a player and what kind of person he is, is how his teammates interact with him and how they are drawn to him and, and what you hear from them. That's been consistently positive in the time that I've been with Pirates.
"Of course, he understands he has a responsibility to continue that — just continue growing in a positive direction as a person. That's what we've been looking for. We’ve been working to support him and feel that he's in a good spot and ready to come up and play in the major leagues."
Continuing to grow as a person and player will be beneficial for all parties. When it comes to the latter, a chance to prove himself in the majors is invaluable.
"There are only two weeks left, so I’m going to try hard for two weeks and try to prove it," Bae said. "Try to learn from the best players."
JUSTIN BERL / GETTY
Ji Hwan Bae.
• All five of the pitchers the Pirates used Friday issued at least one walk, nine in total. Four of those came in the sixth inning, where three walks and three runs were charged to Wil Crowe.
Yohan Ramirez was the pitcher who took the loss though after failing to come through with two outs in the eighth on a hanging sinker to Esteban Quiroz.
“We’ve been really inconsistent over this stretch," Shelton said of the bullpen work of late. "Because of it, we’ve had some games where we’ve had some leads and given them back. It’s something we definitely have to clean up, not only in the short term but in the long term.”
• Bryan Reynolds was named the Pirates' winner of the Heart and Hustle award pregame and then launched his 25th home run in the seventh inning to tie the game. That's a new career high in homers for the center fielder.
• All five of the pitchers the Pirates used Friday issued at least one walk, nine in total. Four of those came in the sixth inning, where three walks and three runs were charged to Wil Crowe.
Yohan Ramirez was the pitcher who took the loss though after failing to come through with two outs in the eighth on a hanging sinker to Esteban Quiroz.
“We’ve been really inconsistent over this stretch," Shelton said of the bullpen work of late. "Because of it, we’ve had some games where we’ve had some leads and given them back. It’s something we definitely have to clean up, not only in the short term but in the long term.”
• Bryan Reynolds was named the Pirates' winner of the Heart and Hustle award pregame and then launched his 25th home run in the seventh inning to tie the game. That's a new career high in homers for the center fielder.
• Before the game, the Pirates placed Tyler Heineman to the concussion injured list. After being hit by a foul ball Saturday, he started to experience symptoms Sunday night that did not get better. José Godoy is on the taxi squad, and Zack Collins will get reps behind the plate.
• With the loss -- their eighth straight -- the Pirates fell to 55-96 on the year. They need to go at least 8-3 down the stretch in order to avoid their second straight 100-loss season.
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
• Live file
• Standings
• Statistics
• Schedule
• Scoreboard
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE INJURIES
• 7-day concussion injured list: C Tyler Heineman
• 15-day injured list: RHP JT Brubaker (right arm inflammation), LHP Eric Stout (low back discomfort)
• 60-day injured list: Yerry De Los Santos (lat), OF Canaan Smith-Njigba (wrist), RHP Colin Holderman (right shoulder), RHP Blake Cederlind (elbow), RHP Max Kranick (elbow), C Roberto Pérez (hamstring)
THE LINEUPS
Shelton's card:
1. Oneil Cruz, DH
2. Bryan Reynolds, CF
3. Rodolfo Castro, 3B
4. Cal Mitchell, RF
5. Kevin Newman, SS
6. Jack Suwinski, LF
7. Michael Chavis, 1B
8. Zack Collins, C
9. Ji Hwan Bae, 2B
And for David Ross' Cubs:
1. Zack, McKinstry, SS
2. Esteban Quiroz, 2B
3. David Bote, 3B
4. Ian Happ, LF
5. Patrick Wisdom, RF
6. Alfonso Rivas, 1B
7. P.J. Higgins, C
8. Jared Young, DH
9. Michael Hermosillo, CF
THE SCHEDULE
Johan Oviedo (3-2, 3.69) will take the bump for the Pirates Saturday against Wade Miley (1-1, 3.48). First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. I've got your covered.
THE CONTENT
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