It was a hot spring for Pittsburgh Pirates' Bae Ji-hwan (26). He showed a remarkable growth rate, and can he bear fruit including being part of the opening roster?
Pittsburgh area media outlet Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published an article concluding the 2025 spring camp. Now, Pittsburgh will finish its exhibition games with a match against the Minnesota Twins on the 25th and prepare for the opening game against the Miami Marlins on the 28th.
Reporters Noah Hyles and Andrew Destin, covering Pittsburgh, summarized the settlement of account for the spring camp. In this process, reporter Destin identified Bae Ji-hwan's growth as the most surprising performance of this year's spring camp. Destin noted, "To be honest, I admit I didn’t include Bae Ji-hwan in the opening day roster when spring camp started, but considering what Bae Ji-hwan showed in spring camp, it will be hard not to include him in the opening day roster."
He continued, "Bae Ji-hwan performed impressively at the plate and handled various defensive positions appropriately. And the speed that made him attractive when he was recruited from Korea continued to shine," adding, "Although he still has minor league options left, based on his performance in this spring camp, the possibility of him entering the opening day roster as a backup outfielder is large."
However, another reporter, Noah Hyles, selected Jack Suwinski, who is Bae Ji-hwan's direct competitor, as the most surprising player. Hyles said, "I had no idea what Suwinski would show. Last year, he was impressive in both hitting and defense. So, by signing Tommy Pham, we put significant competitive pressure on Suwinski," and added, "Suwinski delivered crucial results in this spring camp. He consistently maintained good power and contact while keeping a good eye for the pitchers' pitches. He fouled off tough pitches and frequently made solid contact. Of course, this performance needs to carry over into the regular season to be meaningful, but he has ample qualifications to be included in the opening roster."
Bae Ji-hwan and Suwinski are competing for the fourth outfield spot. Left fielder Tommy Pham, center fielder O’Neill Cruz, and right fielder Bryan Reynolds are fixed. Another outfielder is "Captain Pirate" Andrew McCutchen, who is expected to serve as a designated hitter. Ultimately, only one outfielder can be included in the opening day roster, and Bae Ji-hwan and Suwinski are in the final competition.
First of all, Bae Ji-hwan recorded a batting average of .400 (16 hits in 40 at-bats), 1 home run, 4 RBIs, and 12 runs with an OPS of 1.054 over 19 games. He received opportunities that were practically equivalent to a regular player in spring camp. Among hitters who recorded more than 40 plate appearances, he ranked first in batting average. He was also the player with the most hits on the team during spring camp exhibition games.
However, Suwinski also recorded impressive numbers. In 14 games, he had a batting average of .375 (15 hits in 40 at-bats), 1 home run, 9 RBIs, 4 runs, with an OPS of 1.022. While Suwinski is regarded as having higher power and hitting ability, Bae Ji-hwan also showed power production in the spring camp that matched Suwinski. Instead, Bae Ji-hwan has an advantage in speed. Depending on what abilities Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton emphasizes while forming the opening day roster, the fates of the two players may differ.
However, the trend seems to be leaning toward Suwinski. Both Destin and Hyles predicted Bae Ji-hwan would be excluded from the opening roster. They forecasted that Suwinski would be included in the opening roster. Reporter Destin, who acknowledged Bae Ji-hwan's remarkable growth, also leaned towards Suwinski.
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