Stats Geek: Pirates don't hit in the pinch

Corey Hart hits a blast against the Tigers during the home opener at PNC Park. (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)

Remember when Pirates fans were excited by how good the bench was? Remember how Corey Hart’s pinch hit home run in the home opener, his third consecutive pinch hit in as many tries -- with four RBI, no less -- made the bench seem as solid as oak?

That was Hart’s last pinch hit. That was also the Pirates’ last pinch hit. In fact, Pirates not named Corey Hart are oh-for-30 this season.

Yeah. That really stinks.

Hart has gone hitless in five pinch hit AB since that April 13 home run. He has taken one walk. Andrew Lambo is 0-for-12 with two walks as a ph. Jung Ho Kang is 0-for-6 in the role and nine other pinch hitters also have come put empty, without so much as a base on balls. Collectively, the team is 3-for-38 with three walks. That’s an .079 batting average. That’s little better than half Pirates pitchers’ .143.

The pinch hitters’ slash line of .079/.146/.158/.304 is only the 27th worst in the majors, I was shocked to learn, but then American League teams don’t pinch hit nearly as often. The Red Sox are 1-for-16, the Twins 1-for-11 and the Royals 0-for-2. Among NL teams, the Reds (.326 OPS) and Mets (.383) have been likewise awful, just not as awful as the Pirates.

I’m going to say it. The trade of Travis Snider didn’t look very good when it was made and it looks even worse now. Snider is hitting .281/.369/.404/.773 as a corner outfielder and designated hitter for the Baltimore Orioles this season, and he performed very well as pinch hitter/fourth outfielder for the Pirates last season.  

Snider hit .250/.350/.404/.754 in 60 plate appearances as a Pirates pinch hitter in 2014. He wasn’t as good in 2013 -- .205/.239/.432/.671 in 46 pinch hit PA -- but he’d look like Manny Mota compared to the rest of the Pirates bench this year.

Fans need to hope somebody figures out this difficult task soon. Even Abraham Nunez was better than this.

(Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press)