Ji Hwan Bae possesses elite speed, but used it too recklessly in loss to Texas Rangers
Bae has made a name for himself as one of the MLB’s fastest players, but his need for speed was a little too much in the Pirates’ 6-1 loss to the Texas Rangers on Tuesday.
Bae made a couple of costly base running errors during the contests, starting with Rangers’ starter Nathan Eovaldi picking him off first base in the bottom of the third inning, a play manager Derek Shelton unsuccessfully challenged.
The second, and perhaps more notable of the two, occurred in the bottom of the eighth inning. Bae reached first on an infield single where he utilized his MLB-best home-to-first speed in a way that made Rangers’ third baseman Josh Jung eat the ball instead of attempting to throw him out.
After pinch hitter Rodolfo Castro flew out to center field, Andrew McCutchen drove a ground ball through the right side of the infield. Bae rounded second, but stopped halfway en route to third and attempted to turn back, where he was tagged out sliding into the base to end the inning and one of the Pirates’ few offensive threats.
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“Because there were two outs, I thought I had to go to third [base],” Bae said, translated by Daniel Park. “But I didn’t read the play properly, so it ended up in an out.”
McCutchen’s hot shot went to right field, which would have required Rangers’ right fielder Adolis Garcia to throw across the entire field to beat Bae to third. Garcia lofted a throw to second base instead, right as Bae was turning around upon realizing he didn’t want to make a cardinal sin in the final out at third.
Whether Garcia meant to throw Bae out at second or not is unclear, but he succeeded in getting the Rangers out of the inning.
From the looks of it, Bae probably would’ve made it to third base given his speed. Instead, it ended the inning.
“Once he commits to going, he’s got to go with his speed,” manager Derek Shelton said. “I think we saw that Garcia was coming up and throwing the ball to second [base]. But once he commits he’s going to go, he’s got to go.”
Bae hasn’t stolen a base since May 5 against the Toronto Blue Jays, yet he still remains tied for third in the MLB with 14 stolen bases so far in 2023.
During the month of May, Bae has stolen three bases and has been caught stealing four times. In March and April, Bae burst onto the scene by swiping 11 bags and being caught stealing just once.
Of course Bae, a rookie, has a bit of a learning curve adjusting to MLB, considering he played in just 10 games last year. But after a spectacular beginning to the 2023 season, Bae’s base-running struggles presented Shelton with a coachable moment.
“It's a matter of a young player learning what he’s going to do at the Major League level and a young player with a really elite tool,” Shelton said. “It’s part of our job just to continue to coach him on what’s the right opportunities, and what’s not.”
Bae is essentially a runner in scoring position from first base on most balls to the outfield, as his top sprint speed clocks in at 29.5 feet per second, tied for the 15th-fastest mark in baseball.
The score was 2-0 when Bae was picked off at first base. In the ensuing at-bats, McCutchen was walked before a Bryan Reynolds’ double drove the former in for the Pirates’ sole run of the game. If Bae had still been on base, the score would’ve been tied by the inning’s end.
The Pirates were in a 6-1 hole at the time of Bae’s second mishap, which the Bucs couldn’t come back from in the end. With the score being as lopsided as it was, Bae tried too hard to make something happen.
“When I look at the score, and when we're losing, I definitely want to help my teammates,” Bae said. “I feel like I'm doing a little bit too much."
Bae will have a chance to redeem himself quite quickly as the Pirates face the Rangers in Wednesday’s matinee series finale. After Tuesday night, Bae is aware he has work to do in order to bounce back after the league’s adjustments to his game.
“I think the biggest homework for me right now is really just reading the situation of the game and knowing when to use my speed and when to not.”
First Published: May 24, 2023, 3:00 a.m.
Updated: May 24, 2023, 3:01 a.m.