Evans produces hot start
He fills a big role with Hayes injured
Phillip Evans is almost spoken about with a wink and a nod.
The Pirates signed the utility man to a minor league deal before the 2020 season. At that point he hadn’t done much, playing in a total of 34 MLB games and slashing .241/.328/.278 with the New York Mets in 2017 and 2018 combined.
Since he has arrived in Pittsburgh, all he has done is rake in small sample sizes. He went .359/.444/.487 in 11 games in 2020. In spring 2021, he was .362/.442/.389 in 15 games.
When Evans stepped to the plate for his final at-bat Saturday night against the Chicago Cubs, Pirates fans in the upper deck gave him “M-V-P” chants. Evans responded with a sharp single to right field, raising his 2021 numbers .391/. 462/. 882 in seven games for this season. That came after a sixth-inning solo homer through the driving rain to give the Pirates their eighth and final run of an 8-2 victory.
His stats seem far too high to be sustainable for the long haul, but when third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes went down with his injury, Evans has slid in and produced as well as any player in the lineup. After going 2 for 5 in Sunday’s win, he now is hitting .393 with an 1.202 OPS.
And at a certain point, if Evans keeps producing, this run of play will have to be reckoned with in the discourse surrounding him. At
a certain point, this has to be a real thing more than a nice story of a player enjoying a hot spell with his new team.
“Just preparation,” Evans said of his ability to capitalize on playing time. “Going over the pitcher, going over the starters, going over the bullpen. Who they have in there. Taking it an at-bat at a time. I mean, it is cliche to say, but that’s what you have to do.”
Evans was perhaps a surprise to even make the roster out of spring training. He ostensibly edged out veteran toand former all-star Todd Frazier, because, in manager Derek Shelton’s words, he brings a level of versatility to the roster. That much is true. He already has played four positions for the Pirates — both corner outfield spots and third base, plus he even threw a fivepitch, shutout inning against the Cincinnati Reds last Tuesday when the Pirates lost, 14-1.
It should also be noted that he produced the lone run of that game, too, with a tape-measure, 450-foot bomb to left center.
We would have a fuller picture of Evans’ capabilities had 2020 gone better for him. His season ended when
he crashed into Gregory Polanco, suffering a concussion and a broken jaw on a bloop down the right-field line.
Though that derailed his 2020, it clearly didn’t cool off his bat.
“Last year, before he got hurt he had really consistent at-bats, and he’s just carried on and continued,” Shelton said. “He hit the home run [Saturday], he had the base hit, even the double play ball he hit, he hit right on the nose. He’s taking good swings.”
The double play ball Shelton referenced came in the fourth inning and was the hardest-hit ball of the night, according to Statcast, at 108.6 mph. Obviously more impressive were the home run and the single.
It was just another good night at the plate for Evans. He has strung a few of those together now. Saturday’s game, along with the home opener Thursday, were played in front of some of Evans’ family members. He said Saturday was the first time his brother, Michael, had seen him play in the major leagues.
Heartwarming as that is, it also paints a picture of just how little experience Evans
has in MLB games. It’s the reason that it feels like the other shoe is going to drop at any moment, that this will end soon and Evans’ numbers will level off.
But it’s notable that the production has come over three different, distinct timelines — the 2020 season, 2021 spring training and now this season. The ability to carry success over year-to-year, locationto- location must mean the approach is good. Evans looks free in the box, and the flashes of power are a welcome development since his arrival.
So, the Pirates are going to keep Evans in the lineup as frequently as possible until his bat cools, assuming it ever does.
“Like I said early in spring, I treat every day like it’s a new day,” Evans said. “I’m preparing for every position, wherever they want to put me out there. Knowing I’ll get some more at-bats during Key’s downtime, it’s definitely confidence building me. Like I said, every day I’m coming to the ballpark with the same attitude, same mentality every night.”