Pirates Trying to Convert JB Shuck Into Rare Two-Way Player

Veteran outfielder JB Shuck is about to begin a new journey in his MLB career. His overall success or lack thereof after seven major league seasons has left him in an essentially ineffective position. So what do the Pirates do? Change the position.

The Pittsburgh Pirates announced that they will attempt to make Shuck a two-way player. Will it work? Only time will tell. But he has some work to do first.

The Pirates director of player development announced that Shuck will be working on his pitching skills at Triple-A Indianapolis. There he will also have to make ten more appearances with at least three plate appearances as a position player and play 20 innings as a pitcher to become eligible for the two-way designation for next season.

Shuck is not opposed to the job either, especially if it means more for his career. He also hopes that with the possible success of this experiment, two-way players will become more of a trend in the major league.

The Pirates' goal is not to leave him in the minors, but to make him a useful two-way player for the Pirates further down the line.

The good thing is that the position won't be completely new for Shuck since he has experience on the bump in high school and college. Hopefully some of those old experiences will kick in and help him adjust quickly.