Jordy Mercer's Growth Continues To Impress
BRADENTON (93-7 The Fan) -- While everyone is seemingly overcome with Jung Ho Kang intrigue and the amazing potential that he has, Pirates' shortstop Jordy Mercer simply plans to keep doing what he does best– produce.
Without much fanfare, without much flash, without much self-promotion, and without many headlines, Mercer has laid the foundation for a long, productive career as a Major League shortstop with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Will he one day be enshrined in Cooperstown? I'm betting safely that's an "uh, no."
Will he ever head to a mid-summer classic? Perhaps – if the stars correctly align.
Mercer has always struck me as the type of guy for whom those kind of accolades would be awfully nice, but would much rather choose to be a consistent cog in the wheel for the greater good of his team's success. Many players pay lip service to that type of baseball lifestyle. Fewer execute it.
Mercer has been a part of two minor league championship teams - the 2009 Class-A Lynchburg Hillcats and the 2010 Double-A Altoona Curve. On those teams, he was a solid, important piece, yet never the headliner.
And yet guys like Mercer don't grow on trees, and every championship caliber team seems to have someone just like Mercer. It's like it's a prerequisite.
Mercer is simply what he is– pretty darn solid.
Mercer experienced severe growing pains when handed the keys to the everyday shortstop duties for the Bucs in 2014. He hit .175 in April, .225 in May, and his OPS figures in both of those months were sub-.600. Many called for his release and starting job.
The Pirates stood by him. His teammates stood by him.
"Not a lot of people understand it," Mercer said. "And it took me a while to understand it, but eventually you have to learn from your mistakes and setbacks. Ultimately, it makes you better. I learned so much in that two-month span. It was my first full season breaking camp with the team being the Opening Day guy. I wanted to get off to a hot start and prove everybody right that I was the right guy for the job."
Mercer responded with a .753 post-All Star break OPS, and he was more than formidable against left-handed pitching, often times hitting in the number two spot against southpaws. Not to mention, his defensive metrics rate out fairly high and that MLB Network recently named him as the sixth best shortstop in the majors.
Oh, and regarding Kang's misplaced, ill-timed and not-so-savvy January comments to the media in his native land (they're worth a Google if you're unaware) about being able to have a more productive year than the Bucs' starting shortstop, Hurdle responded by paying Mercer the ultimate compliment.
"He handled it like a 10-year big league veteran," Hurdle said.
You can tell. The comments of Kang rubbed Mercer the wrong way. Yet, he refused to fuel the flames of the fire. No engaging in a war of words. No drawing lines in the sand. Instead, Mercer threw water on the story, nipped it in the bud and turned his attention to the team and the greater good of its success.
"It obviously gives you some kind of a competition edge," Mercer said. "Competition, ultimately, brings out the best in you. When you see [those reports] you've got to like the confidence that he brings and he's going to help us out."
Not many would take the high road there.
My bet: Mercer simply puts his head down, smiles big and continues to be an undervalued, underappreciated keystone of a championship caliber infield.
Listen to Dan's entire conversation with Mercer here:
