Alex

Presley

Presley tripled off J.J. Putz with one out, nearly spoiling a masterful effort from Diamondbacks starter Ian Kennedy, who notched his 20th win this evening. The three-bagger was his sixth in just 183 at-bats this season. Batting .295/.340/.459 to go along with 18 extra-base hits, 16 RBI and eight stolen bases through just 45 games, Presley has very much made himself a part of the Bucs’ 2012 plans.

Jose Tabata opened the spring as the Pirates’ leadoff hitter, with Presley batting second, but those two have switched roles recently. It shouldn’t make a whole lot of difference for either the Pirates offense or for fantasy leaguers, as both are expected to be full-timers regardless. Presley is having a terrific spring so far, having hit .429 with two homers in 28 at-bats.

Presley has been highly useful in the early part of the season, with tonight’s two-hit effort raising his average to .303. He’s already scored nine runs on the season, which is impressive considering that the Pirates as a team have only scored 46 times all season. Presley appears locked in and secure as the Pirates’ lead-off hitter, and should be a solid source of average, runs and stolen bases all season long.

The Pirates brought back Nate McLouth, but Presley will be the regular left fielder unless he has a terrible spring training. The 26-year-old batted .298/.339/.465 with four homers, 20 RBI and nine steals over 215 at-bats for the Bucs in 2011. He’s better suited as a fourth outfielder, but, with regular playing time, he has enough ability to help NL-only leaguers.

Presley collected an RBI infield single in the second and an RBI triple to the right-center field gap in the fourth. The 26-year-old outfielder batted .298/.339/.465 with four homers, 20 RBI, nine stolen bases and an .804 OPS over 52 games last season and could make for a sneaky sleeper in NL-only and deeper mixed leagues.

Presley finished the game 1-for-4, with his inside-the-parker accounting for all of the Pirates’ scoring. He’s hitting a respectable .275 (14-for-51) to start the year and is doing a good job setting the table at the top of the lineup. Now the heart of the order just needs to do a better driving him in, as he’s only scored four times thus far.

Presley has just three hits in his last 28 at-bats, so he may continue to lose playing time if his struggles persist. Yamaico Navarro will make the start in left field Wednesday and bat sixth against left-hander Ross Detwiler.

Presley showed well with the Bucs in 2011 after being called up from Triple-A, batting .298/.339/.465 with four homers, 20 RBI and nine steals over 215 at-bats. Ideally, though, the 26-year-old would be the team’s fourth outfielder. Andrew McCutchen and Jose Tabata are locked into the other two starting outfield spots.

Willingham will likely be out of their price range, but this is an indication that the Pirates might not be completely sold on Alex Presley as an everyday player. As it stands now, the Pirates figure to have Presley in left field, Andrew McCutchen in center and Jose Tabata in right field next season. We see better fits for both sides elsewhere.

Presley went 4-for-8 with a walk and two strikeouts in two rehab games with Triple-A Indianapolis. The 26-year-old has been sidelined since July 3 with concussion symptoms caused by an attempted diving catch. Matt Hague was sent down to the minors in a corresponding roster move.