Lynchburg Hillcats promote versatility with lineup variations

With a Carolina League playoff berth already secured, Lynchburg is quickly becoming a breeding ground for experiments. Just take one look at the Hillcats’ defensive alignment for Tuesday night’s game at City Stadium, a 13-4 loss to the Salem Red Sox.

Jordy Mercer was in his traditional spot at shortstop, but the players flanking him were completely unfamiliar with their positions. Chase d’Arnaud, a recent callup from Low-A West Virginia, played second base for the first time since he was a 10-year-old Little Leaguer. Jose De Los Santos, the everyday first baseman, played third base for the first time, well, ever.

Expect the trend to continue. D’Arnaud will split time between second, short and designated hitter. Mercer will play short, third and DH. And De Los Santos is being groomed not only at third, but in center field as well.

“This is beneficial for those guys; there’s value for them and value for the organization,” Hillcats manager P.J. Forbes said. “The more positions they can play, and play effectively, the better.”

D’Arnaud had little trouble fielding his position Tuesday. Two balls were hit directly at him. One, he fielded cleanly and threw to first for an out. The other he was a touch slow reacting on, and it bounced past him into center field for a single. It would have taken a spectacular play to stop the ball, however. D’Arnaud was also the middle man in a double play.

De Los Santos’ learning curve is a bit steeper, as the difference between playing in the middle and on the corner is vast.

“The big adjustment is going to be the speed of the ball getting to him, and reading hops,” Forbes said. “That comes along with knowing who’s running, who’s hitting, whether or not you have time or if you have to come get a ball. We’ve stressed to him taking leads off a bat in BP (batting practice), taking angles, footwork, all that.”

The bigger adjustment will be in the outfield. De Los Santos has plenty of speed, but possessing pure speed and knowing the best angles to track a fly ball are completely different things.

“That’s a work in progress,” Forbes said. “We’ve had him out for fungos, taking fly balls, doing power shags during BP. That’s step one as we go through the process with him.”

Expect another defensive adjustment today when Eric Fryer arrives in Lynchburg. Fryer was one piece of the trade that sent outfielder Eric Hinske from Pittsburgh to the Yankees, and though he played mostly left field for the Tampa Yankees in the Advanced-A Florida State League, the Pirates intend on converting Fryer to catcher.

The Hillcats already have a Carolina League All-Star at the position in Kris Watts, so expect some shuffling with Fryer and Watts between catcher and DH. Pirates director of player development Kyle Stark, who was in town for Tuesday’s game, said he doesn’t expect Watts to play any field position other than catcher.

“We’ll be creative, just like we were with Jordy and Chase,” Stark said.

Tuesday’s game was a bumpy one for the Hillcats’ 20-year-old starting pitcher, Jeff Locke, who was part of the trade that sent Pirates OF Nate McLouth to Atlanta. It was Locke’s first truly poor start in Lynchburg, as he lasted just three innings, allowed eight hits, eight runs (five earned) and walked two in 60 pitches. Salem’s 13 runs were the most scored by an opponent against the Hillcats this season.

“His stuff was flat and up (in the zone), and not real aggressive,” Hillcats pitching coach Wally Whitehurst said. “You should be aggressive every time out. But games like this happen, and you’ve got to come back to work tomorrow.”