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Pirates center fielder Guillermo Heredia leaps to pull in a fly ball against the Yankees on Monday, Feb. 24 at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla. (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)
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Guillermo Heredia making positive impression on Pirates

Matt Freed/Post-Gazette

Guillermo Heredia making positive impression on Pirates

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — When the Pirates signed Guillermo Heredia as a reserve outfielder this offseason, it didn’t take new manager Derek Shelton long to gain a little intel.

He simply called a few of his former coworkers, relying on the Tampa Bay Rays to offer a scouting report on the 29-year-old Cuban defector, who spent 2019 with the small-market club.

What Shelton heard excited him back then, and he’s seen nothing thus far in the spring to change his mind on what Heredia can offer the Pirates.

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“He brings a ton of energy,” Shelton said of Heredia, who started in center field Sunday, as the Pirates tied the Rays, 2-2, at Charlotte Sports Park. “He brings life to a dugout, which is really nice to see. And he’s a pretty good player.”

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Sunday was a intriguing day for Heredia, who managed to catch his manager’s attention despite going 0-for-3 at the plate. The biggest reason was a throw he made from the outfield, a strike to nail Rays right fielder Hunter Renfroe in the bottom of the fifth inning.

With Sam Howard scuffling — he walked two and hit one — the Pirates needed some sort of break. Heredia provided it, one-hopping a throw home for the third out of the inning.

“Off the bat I was thinking, ‘No chance.’ Then I saw how he was charging the ball, then I was like, ‘He might throw it to me here.’ ” Jacob Stallings recalled. “It was the perfect throw. Kind of skipped up on me a little bit. He made a perfect long hop. Luckily I was able to kind of trap it on my body and get him. He charged it perfectly and made a perfect throw. Pretty impressive. Good first one.”

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Heredia has not produced nearly enough at the plate, as his 0-for-3 day dropped his spring training average to .150 (3-for-20). However, Heredia is probably a matchup play against left-handers and a potential defensive replacement late in games; he’s not an every-day guy.

The Pirates also need Heredia to provide some stability, to fit in, give them some professional innings, stay healthy, help a young clubhouse jell and do a bunch of stuff that doesn’t necessarily include driving balls to the gaps.

Again, so far it’s been exactly what Shelton expected.

“I think he can,” Shelton said when asked whether Heredia can function as a late-inning defensive replacement, something the Pirates lacked last season. “I didn’t see the one catch he made in Philly, but he went into the gap and made a really good catch. He made a good catch the other day. The fact that he can play all three spots, too, I think provides us with some flexibility.”

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Riddle time

JT Riddle continues to do everything possible to earn a bench job with the Pirates. On Sunday that included playing in left field, where he battled some serious wind, made a pair of catches and hit a ball on the nose — one that was eventually swallowed up by the wind.

Outfield isn’t where the Pirates need Riddle the most; he’s an experienced infielder who can bounce around. His quickness has also been noticeable this spring. But if Riddle can survive the wind that he encountered Sunday, that’s definitely a good sign.

“He was good,” Shelton said. “[Sunday] with the conditions that he had — he’s done some good work with [first-base/outfield coach] Tarrik [Brock] — we know how good of an athlete he is, but [Sunday] was not an easy day. This is not an easy place to play left field. From being in spring training, this and Bradenton are probably the two hardest places to play left field. There were some balls that were challenging, and he made it look pretty effortless.”

What’s left?

Keep an eye on the Pirates’ left-handed pitchers. It’s been an interesting group.

Derek Holland has the inside track on a job in the starting rotation because he’s pitched well, and Steven Brault — another lefty — is hurt. Howard, Williams Jerez and Robbie Erlin have struggled.

Nik Turley, meanwhile, has been practically unhittable. In 3 1/3 innings, Turley has allowed an unearned run on a hit and a walk. Of the 10 outs he’s recorded, seven have come via strikeout. Turley’s curveball has looked especially good, as he used it to get one of his two strikeouts against Tampa.

“Really good,” Shelton said of Turley. “Really consistent pounding the zone. Stayed in his delivery. Yeah, that was a really positive sign to see him [Sunday].”

Turley missed all of 2019 due to Tommy John surgery. He also missed 80 games in 2018 after testing positive for Ipamorelin, a performance-enhancing substance.

A bullpen job with the big club was probably a long shot at the start of spring training, but Turley remains someone to watch in the days and weeks ahead.

Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.

First Published: March 8, 2020, 10:15 p.m.

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Pirates center fielder Guillermo Heredia leaps to pull in a fly ball against the Yankees on Monday, Feb. 24 at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla. (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)  (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)
Matt Freed/Post-Gazette
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