Osuna begins to make most of his opportunity
When Jose Osuna had his exit interview last fall, the instructions were relatively simple. Although Osuna has plenty of raw power, the result of his 6foot- 3, 240- pound frame, he wasn’t elevating the ball enough. So Osuna set off over the winter to fix his approach and swing, believing a couple tweaks would yield better results.
While there’s still a little less than two months to go in the 2019 season, the strides Osuna has made are worth noting.
“He’s been on a mission from the first day of spring training all the way until now about improving himself and being a force at the plate,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said before Monday’s game against the Brewers at PNC Park.
With Corey Dickerson now a member of the Philadelphia Phillies and Jung Ho Kang having been designated for assignment, there appears to be plenty of opportunities ahead for Osuna, who’s still only 26. The native of Trujillo, Venezuela plans on taking advantage, whether that means playing third base, left field, right field or even first base, his natural position.
“I want to play,” Osuna said. “I’ll be ready.”
Osuna is hitting .351 ( 27for- 77) over his past 38 games with six doubles, seven home runs and 18 RBIs.
Over his past nine, Osuna has been even better, hitting .450 ( 9- for- 20) with two doubles, three home runs, eight RBIs and an OPS of 1.522.
While he has been an excellent pinch- hitter — Osuna has an MLB- best five home runs off the bench, two shy of trying Craig Wilson’s franchise record from 2001 — Osuna has been productive when starting, too. In 16 starts spread across those four positions, Osuna is hitting .293 ( 17- for- 58) with two home runs and 10 RBIs.
There are a few things that have fueled Osuna’s breakout this season. One involves making sure he’s ready to go a little bit earlier, specifically with his hands.
The other involves the swing itself. In that exit interview, Osuna and the Pirates talked about increasing his launch angle and exit velocity.
In 2017, when Osuna had an OPS of .697 in 227 plate appearances, his average launch angle was 7.5 degrees. This season, with Osuna posting a 1.022 OPS across 104 plate appearances, his launch angle has ballooned to 13.0.
Meanwhile, Osuna’s average exit velocity has gone from 87.2 mph in 2017 to 90.3 this season.
Osuna said another change has been him trying to stay inside the ball and hit everything back up the middle, instead of pulling it or going the other way.
The interesting thing will be to watch where this goes. Osuna probably isn’t going to supplant Colin Moran at third base, and Ke’Bryan Hayes should be here soon enough. The Pirates would like to get Gregory Polanco healthy, while Melky Cabrera is the perfect fourth outfielder.
But for now, while the opportunities are there, the affable Osuna wants to do all he can to try and make a good impression, one where he’s showcasing a different version of himself.
“I’ve been working to try and get more opportunities,” Osuna said. “That’s happening right now. I have to keep working and keep pushing to help the team.”
Around the horn
Hurdle said the Pirates expect Richard Rodriguez ( paternity leave) to return Tuesday. … With Yefry Ramirez and Parker Markel making their debuts on Sunday, the Pirates have now used 48 different players this season, matching their 2018 total. The club record is 55, set in 2016.