Pirates GM: 'We really like Jordy Mercer'

Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Neal Huntington is making sure that Jordy Mercer doesn't feel like the forgotten man in the Steel City. 

Mercer appeared in 144 games at shortstop for the Pirates last season, but that didn't stop the team from going out and signing Korean infielder Jung-ho Kang to a four-year deal earlier this month. 

Huntington spoke on MLB Network Radio on Wednesday to talk about the team's plan for Kang, but made sure not to ignore Mercer. 

"We really like Jordy Mercer," Huntington said. "Probably the one mistake I've made throughout this process is to not just come out and say how much we like Jordy Mercer." 

Mercer struggled through the first three months of last season, hitting .227/.261/.340, but adjusted in the second half, hitting .282/.346/.432 in the final 75 games. 

"I get that you look at the surface numbers and you don't get real excited about him," Huntington said," but here's a guy who dug himself a pretty deep hole in the month of April... and ends up a league average bat."

The Pirates have yet to settle on a position for Kang, with Huntington saying that the team plans to work him out at a number of different spots throughout the spring.

"He's most comfortable at shortstop. We're going to get a better evaluation of the speed of the game and his ability to adjust to the speed of the game at short. He's going to play third as well in spring training, that's his second most comfortable position. 

"As he gains comfort, our hope is to get him over at second base as well. Just like any player the more positions you can play, the better you play, the more often you get in the lineup."