A few years ago, the Pittsburgh Pirates didn’t have a shortstop of the future on the horizon. They drafted Chase d’Arnaud and Jordy Mercer in the third and fourth round of the 2008 draft, respectively, but there was no guarantee one of them would start. Mercer didn’t have the defense coming up through the minors to make you think he could start at the position, while d’Arnaud had the defensive tools, but lacked consistency.
The Pirates gave d’Arnaud the first chance, but he didn’t work out. Then, Mercer improved his defense in the majors, working closely with Clint Barmes, and finally emerged as a starting option for the Pirates.