RIDDLE BRINGS VERSATILITY
The start of spring training will feel like first day at a new school for J.T. Riddle.
The 28-year-old spent the first seven years of his pro baseball career with the Miami Marlins. Friday, he became a Pirate.
“I’ve always heard good things about the organization and how well it’s ran,” Riddle said. “There’s a lot of new faces around, so it’s going to be nice to be a part of the organization. So far, it seems like everything is run well. They’ve got a lot of good guys in their system.”
Not everything, however, will be
new for Riddle.
He’ll spot a few familiar faces when he gets to Bradenton later this month. Riddle and catcher Luke Maile were teammates at the University of Kentucky. Trevor Williams and Colin Moran also were drafted by the Marlins in 2013.
If those connections aren’t enough, Pirates bench coach Don Kelly was a player in the Marlins system in 2016. Oh, and first base coach Tarrik Brock was the outfield and base-running coordinator for the Marlins from 2007-13.
But the Marlins were ready to move on after 2019, a season that ended early for Riddle due to a forearm strain in July. He is excited to know where he’ll be in 2020 and, of course, he is equally excited to have a major league contract.
“Last year, it was a tough year for me. I’ve been through some injuries and learning some new positions and trying to do all that at the big league level,” he said. “It was tough, and so I’m ready to get a fresh start.”
Riddle spent most of his career playing shortstop and some second base. In 2019, the Marlins asked him to learn center field, and he made seven starts at shortstop and 26 in center last season. The first start at center led to a funny exchange with Riddle’s former teammate and Milwaukee Brewers star Christian Yelich. He knew Riddle was inexperienced at the position and hit a blooper over the shortstop.
“He tried to stretch it into a double on me, and I came up and threw him out at second,” Riddle said. “That’s how my center field days started. It was Yelli trying to stretch it into a double on me. That was kind of funny.
We talked about it the next day, and it was all good.”
Riddle expects his versatility to be the key to his future with the Pirates. “I guess it’s going to be a lot of infield stuff, more of a utility role,” he said.
“Basically, I know coming in that I’ve played right field before in the past, a little while ago, and then, of course, I got some time in center field last year . ... Being that utility, if that’s the role that everybody wants me in, then I’m going to be able to help the team out.
“Playing short, playing second, playing third, playing center, anywhere else in the outfield. If that’s the role they want me in, then that’s what I’ll do to help out the team.”
Riddle will be competing for playing time with guys such as Erik Gonzalez and Jose Osuna. He also is hoping that he has figured why those injuries kept him off the field in part of 2019.
“I moved to the outfield, and I started throwing the ball a little different than I normally would being on the infield, a lot less throws honestly,” Riddle said. “On the infield, you’re throwing a ball around, so you’re staying loose all the time. [If there is a] strike out, you’re throwing the ball around. If there’s an out, you’re throwing the ball around the infield. You’re always throwing the ball.”
Those injuries are also helping Riddle to keep his goals for 2020 simple.
“Just don’t go on the IL. That’s definitely a goal, to stay healthy for a whole season and be able to play a full season,” Riddle said. “I know injuries happen and you can’t predict the future ... It’s a long season, but just be healthy and just stay positive, stay consistent. “That’s the big thing.”