BRADENTON, Fla. – Jake Mangum had a pair of strikeouts in a game that was scoreless, so he saw an opportunity when the Baltimore Orioles left third base open and decided to run with it.
With two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning Friday, Mangum dropped a bunt by pitcher Brandon Young and sprinted to first for a single. When Brandon Lowe followed with a single, Mangum raced to third.
That sequence explains why Pittsburgh Pirates manager Don Kelly described Mangum as a “fierce competitor, baseball player, willing to do anything and everything to win a baseball game.”
Acquired along with Lowe and left-handed reliever Mason Montgomery from Tampa Bay in a three-team trade in December, Mangum has made a strong impression on the Pirates in spring training with everything from his aggressive approach at the plate to his speed on the basepaths and in the outfield and even with his improved arm strength.
The 6-foot, 191-pound switch hitter is trying to make an impact, whether he’s batting at the top or bottom of the order. On Thursday, Mangum hit a leadoff double to center and scored on a Spencer Horwitz double to give the Pirates a 1-0 first inning lead against the Minnesota Twins.
“It’s a lot of fun. He brings a lot of energy,” Kelly said. “We talked about that grit, that toughness that we need, he brings it every day. He’s consistent with it. It’s a lot of fun to watch.”
But Mangum’s best play came in right field, when he made a good read on Alan Roden’s shot down the line that bounced off the wall, spun and fired a laser to shortstop Nick Gonzales to throw out Roden at second.
That throw was the result of an offseason where Mangum and his father, John — who spent nine seasons in the NFL as a defensive back for the Chicago Bears — long-tossing six days a week in an emphasis to build up his arm after making his major league debut at age 29 last season.
After the throw, Mangum signaled a throwing motion to his father, who was sitting with his wife, Stacy, behind home plate at LECOM Park.
“Was happy I was able to have the opportunity to use it and see how it is,” Mangum said. “And the things me and my dad worked on seemed to seem to go well. When you’re a rookie in the league, there’s a lot of things you’ve got to learn. I know I was an older rookie last year, but you’ve still got to learn things. And a lot of things I took in and went to work on this offseason, I’d say my arm was a big one.”
Mangum batted .296/.330/.368 last season, when his 32 infield hits were tied for the MLB lead with Trea Turner of the Philadelphia Phillies. He doesn’t draw many walks but made a habit of stealing bases when he reached base, with 27 last season. Mangum plays with a relentless style that teammates love and opponents can’t stand.
“Mangum’s just a ballplayer, man — in every sense of the word,” Lowe said. “He’s an older rookie, an older young guy to be in the league. But I would be hard pressed to find somebody with more heart and more drive to want to give you everything that he has than Mangum. He’s going to run hard on every single play, doesn’t matter if he chops it back to the pitcher or if he hits it off the wall. It feels like he’s going to give you the same amount of effort on everything.
“And he’s going to play an unbelievable outfield when he’s out there. If last year was any cue to what he’s going to do, that means he’s going to hit .300, he’s going to steal a lot of bags, and he’s going to be a heck of a piece in this lineup.”
Mangum is working to change his reputation as a “no-strike, chase weak contact” hitter by using what he calls his “A swing” and showing his ability to drive the ball. In four Grapefruit League games for the Pirates, Mangum is batting .333/.385/.583 with a double, a triple, two RBIs and three runs scored.
“It’s a game plan thing,” Mangum said. “Some at-bats, I might go to a ‘touch-it’ mode. There might be some at-bats where I’m taking some shots. But I’m not talented enough not to run hard and touch the baseball, so I need to do that to the best of my ability and see if I can start driving the ball a little bit more to help us slug some. We’ve got some big boppers on this team. So I think if I touch it and run, I think we’ll be OK.”
Mangum has shown the ability to play all three outfield positions, which makes him an ideal candidate to be the fourth outfielder. But Mangum is making a case to fight for a starting role because of what he can bring to the lineup as a leadoff hitter or No. 9 hitter who turns over the lineup the way Isiah Kiner-Falefa did for the Pirates last season.
Kelly called Mangum a “huge weapon” in that sense.
“Just the way that he approaches an at-bat, grinds out at-bats, sees pitches when he gets on base, creates havoc on the bases,” Kelly said, indicating that Mangum could bat leadoff or in the Nos. 8 or 9 holes. “Last year we did that with Isiah a lot. Izzy was in the nine and did a really good job down there because it is like a second leadoff, if you get a guy with speed that can get on base and create some havoc, too. If you get a guy in the leadoff spot and the nine, having two guys back-to-back that can run can be really impactful.”
It makes no difference to Mangum where he bats in the lineup or which position he plays, as long as he has a chance to make an impact on the Pirates.
“I’ll be whatever DK and this team needs me to be. If that’s fourth outfield, fifth outfield, starting left, starting center, starting right, don’t care,” Mangum said. “I’m here to help win baseball games, and whatever I need to do to do that, I’ll do it to the best of my ability. Whether I’m leadoff, nine hole or on the bench, I’ll be ready to roll.”