VanMeter brings bevy of gloves to utility role

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- One minute, Josh VanMeter was relaxing in his Arizona apartment; the next, he was on a plane bound for Florida.

Cactus League one day and Grapefruit the next; such is the life of a ballplayer, VanMeter said Saturday morning. While many of his things will be shipped to Florida -- if they can arrive quick enough -- or up to Pittsburgh, the Pirates’ newest acquisition made sure to fill his immediate travel bag with the most important tools of his particular trade: Gloves.

Yes, plural. All of them, in fact. Four, at least, although …

“I think I've got more than that,” VanMeter said with a chuckle. “I'm trying to break some new ones in. I’ve got plenty. That's for sure.”

VanMeter’s jam-packed travel bag was one of the reasons the Pirates dealt for the versatile defender on Wednesday. Baseball Reference lists the 27-year-old as a second baseman, pinch-hitter and left fielder, although he’s also played first base, third base and right field at the Major League level, and he spent 99 games at shortstop in the Minors.

Having just joined the team on Saturday, it’s unclear where exactly VanMeter will slot in or how his arrival affects any roster plans the Pirates already had in motion. Manager Derek Shelton said right away that he expected VanMeter to break camp with the big league club, and added prior to Saturday afternoon’s 7-2 win over the Red Sox at JetBlue Park that the late-spring get was a big one.

“Versatility is huge for us,” Shelton said. “I think we have everybody, with the exception of maybe one guy on our roster, that can play multiple positions, and my conversation with Josh this morning was brief, but the other night after we acquired him, I mean, he was up for everything.

“So we've just got to get him back and getting back to the baseball stuff, because he hasn't done anything for a few days.”

What was once an anomaly saved for the Ben Zobrists of the MLB world has become increasingly popular as teams and players alike realize the upside of having a guy they can plug into a number of spots … or being the guy who’s being plugged in.

It’s a sticky situation for the Pirates who, as the clock winds down, appear to have one open bench spot available and four guys -- VanMeter, Michael Chavis, Hoy Park and Diego Castillo -- vying for it. Each has logged time at at least three infield spots.

Shelton also mentioned that, while the roster and lineup are still in flux, the Pirates wanted to see a few things before making final decisions. One of those was Park playing in the outfield, where he spent about a quarter of his 43 games last season.

Park led off and started in right field against Boston on Saturday, and he was kept busy by Boston’s pesky bats in his seven innings on the field. The 25-year-old fielded four singles cleanly, caught a pair of routine flies and finished 1-for-4 with a double at the plate.

So what could set VanMeter apart from the pack? Ideally, the Pirates would like to see his bat come back around as well. He slashed .270/.348/.419 across eight Minor League seasons, with 144 doubles, 13 triples, 57 homers and 290 RBIs across those 640 games. VanMeter has yet to replicate that success at the big league level, hitting just .212 in parts of three MLB seasons.

A lot of that is lack of consistent opportunity, as VanMeter has so far profiled more as a versatile tool off the bench than an everyday starter, hitting .237 as a rookie across 95 games in 2019 before dipping into sub-Mendoza territory in ‘20 (.129 in 26 games) and nearly so in ‘21 (.212 in 112 games).

“I hate to make excuses, because I was taught from a young age that they all stink,” VanMeter said, “but I do think that getting consistent ABs is a big factor into success. And hopefully, I can get some of those here.”

For now, VanMeter is content in getting his feet wet in his new surroundings and meeting his new teammates. He said that Saturday’s plan was to stay behind in Bradenton and work out on the field, take live batting practice and get a workout in the weight room. After that, just five days remain before Opening Day, so the next few days are as likely to be a whirlwind for VanMeter as the last few have been.

“It's good; it's exciting,” he said. “And it's a good opportunity. Like I said, can't wait to get going.”

“They haven't really told me a whole lot yet,” he added. “So it’s still kind of early, but I brought all my gloves just in case. I always have them ready.

“So you know, I just do whatever, do whatever the team wants me to do, and try to help the team win. And we'll see what happens.”