Matt

Hague

NL-only leaguers may want to think about Hague as a late reserve pick. It’s doubtful he’ll be the Pirates’ long-term first baseman, but he’ll warrant a look if neither Garrett Jones nor Casey McGehee gets the job done in Pittsburgh this year.

Hague had an RBI single in the first inning and two-run blast off Kevin Gregg in the third. The 26-year-old batted .309/.372/.457 with 12 homers, 75 RBI and an .829 OPS with Triple-A Indianapolis last season, but he’ll need a really strong spring to win a bench job.

The 21-year-old has hit safely in eight of his past nine games, lifting his batting average to .295. He is tied with the Pirates’ Matt Hague with seven spring bombs.

It wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense for the Pirates to carry four corner infielders in Garrett Jones, Pedro Alvarez, Casey McGehee and Hague, so unless they change their minds and stick Alvarez in Triple-A where he belongs, Hague remains likely to be the odd man out. Of course, if they do drop Alvarez, Hague would immediately become a pretty interesting sleeper in NL-only leagues.

He took Doug Fister deep today. With Pedro Alvarez playing his way back to Triple-A, Hague could well make the Pirates as a backup at first and third. He qualifies as a deep sleeper in NL-only leagues.

Hague had been serving as depth on the bench behind Garrett Jones, Casey McGehee and Pedro Alvarez, but will be better served playing every day at Triple-A. The move was made to clear a roster spot for Charlie Morton.

Hague will start at first base and hit fifth. Neil Walker drops to sixth in the order. Jose Tabata replaces Alex Presley at the leadoff slot.

Hague, 26, earned a spot on the 40-man roster by batting .309/.372/.457 with 12 homers, 75 RBI and an .829 OPS over 594 plate appearances this season at the Triple-A level. He could be a factor at the major league level in 2012 depending upon how they address first base this offseason.

Hague batted .309/.372/.457 with 12 homers, 75 RBI and an .829 OPS over 594 plate appearances this season in a breakout year at Triple-A Indianapolis. The 26-year-old isn’t much of a prospect and would be on the short end of the platoon, but he could carve out some NL-only value with enough at-bats. The Pirates also have Jake Fox and Nick Evans as possible platoon mates for Jones.

He was sent down to make room for Alex Presley’s return from the disabled list. Hague is hitting .229 (16-for-70) with two doubles and seven RBI in 30 games at the major league level this season. He should be back later this summer.