There have been a lot of rumblings recently among Pirates fans about Indianapolis first baseman Matt Hague, who currently has a .331 batting average after a remarkable string of seven straight multi-hit games.
↵I hadn't thought much of Hague as a prospect before this year - he's been old for his levels, and he has never had great power. What he does do is hit for decent averages and draw some walks. The .331 batting average this year is probably an aberration - batting averages tend to swing up and down without much rhyme or reason - but he probably legitimately can hit .280 or so in the majors, with a few walks and a hint of power.
↵That's not great, but it should be enough, at this point, to earn him at least a time-share with Lyle Overbay, who continues to play regularly at the big-league level despite hitting .230 with a .306 on-base percentage and a .356 slugging percentage this season. Overbay did have three hits Sunday, but that isn't nearly enough. The Bucs desperately need offense right now, and it's a wasted opportunity for them to have gotten so little out of their first baseman. If Hague continues to hit over the next few weeks, expect the calls for his promotion to get louder.