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This is one in a series of stories breaking down members of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 40-man roster.
On July 2, 2019, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed infielder Tsung-Che Cheng as an amateur free agent. Cheng signed with the Pirates for a signing bonus of $380,00.
A native of Pingtung County in Taiwan, Cheng stands 5 foot 7 and is listed at 173 pounds.
Since entering into the Pirates’ system, Cheng has been a consistent hitter with a plethora of speed. Cheng’s slash line through three years of play sits at .279/.375/.445 with an OPS of .820.
Given Cheng’s profile, you can guess he isn’t much of a power hitter, but he does possess some sneaky pop in his bat. I like to quantify it as “gap power.” Often, Cheng has turned singles into doubles and doubles into triples with his quick lighting speed. In addition, FanGraphs gives Cheng’s speed a 60 grade.
During the 2023 season, the 22-year-old started in High-A Greensboro. Over the course of 57 games and 214 at-bats, Cheng showcased good bat-to-ball skills.
Cheng slashed .308/.406/.575 with an OPS of .981. In addition, Cheng drove in 56 runs, stole 13 bases, knocked 12 doubles, legged out nine triples, and hit nine homers. The nine homers may have been a bit of an outlier for Cheng as the hitter-friendly confines in Greensboro have a tendency to make home runs happen that shouldn’t happen.
On June 22, Cheng was promoted to Double-A Altoona. In Altoona, I was able to observe Cheng personally and get a chance to watch how he operates on a day-to-day basis.
One of the most impressive things I witnessed with Cheng was his defensive ability. Playing the shortstop position isn’t easy, and Cheng made it look effortless.
Talking with Double-A manager Callix Crabbe, he elaborated on Cheng’s defensive ability.
“His feel for the defensive side is outrageous,” said Crabbe. “It’s like he has four or five options that he thinks about beforehand, and then he cancels them immediately when the ball is hit. He is a special talent when it comes to decision making and tactical component on the field, that’s really impressive for the age that he is. He has the instincts of a big leaguer that’s been around for at least five years. I did not realize the type of carry he has on the ball when he throws it.”
With his advanced knowledge of the shortstop position, Triple-A shouldn’t give Cheng any issues from the defensive side. Where Cheng will be challenged is at the plate.
If he maintains his consistent approach and strikes out a bit less, Cheng’s speed should make a difference.
The Pirates added Cheng to their 40-man roster earlier this offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. He’s one step closer to reaching the big leagues.
More must-reads:
- Brewers' Jacob Misiorowski continues to set radar gun on fire at unprecedented rate
- Red Sox pitcher sounds off on disgruntled sports bettors
- The 'MLB All-Star Game MVPs' quiz
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Report: Two MLB All-Star trade candidates are off the market
The number of available MLB stars on the trade market appears to be dwindling. Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy will not be available for trade ahead of the July 31 deadline, Buster Olney of ESPN reported on Tuesday. Additionally, Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan is unlikely to be moved as well, Olney added. The 30-year-old Murphy, an All-Star in 2023, is batting .240 with 16 home runs and 38 RBI this season for the Braves. Meanwhile, the 27-year-old Kwan is batting .288 with six home runs, 32 RBI and 11 stolen bases for the Guardians — numbers that were good enough for Kwan to make his second career All-Star appearance this year. A common thread for both players is that their respective teams have underperformed in 2025. The Braves are a miserable 44-55, and the Guardians are only slightly better at 49-50. Those underachieving records have given rise to trade speculation surrounding both teams. However, both Murphy and Kwan are under contract for multiple more years at very reasonable salaries. Murphy is set to make $15 million in each of the next three seasons (with the Braves holding a $15 million team option on him in 2029 as well). As for Kwan, he still has two more years left of arbitration eligibility before potentially becoming a free agent after the 2027 season. There could still be a lot of movement ahead of this year’s trade deadline, particularly with some marquee teams looking to buy. But those teams will probably be out of luck if they are eyeing a potential move for Murphy or Kwan before July 31.
Is Giants' Joe Schoen already having second thoughts about Jaxson Dart, Shedeur Sanders decision?
The New York Giants were routinely linked with quarterback Shedeur Sanders leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft, but the Giants ultimately traded back into the first round to select Ole Miss signal-caller Jaxson Dart at pick No. 25. For a piece published on Monday, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News revisited how Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll ended up with Dart instead of Sanders earlier this year. "Members of the Giants’ staff had fawned over Shedeur Sanders," Leonard wrote. "Giants brass had spent a lot more time with Sanders during the fall. Then, Daboll’s increased participation after the NFL season steered the process in a different direction." Sanders allegedly had a rough visit with Daboll ahead of the draft, and a report from early May revealed that "Sanders openly acknowledged during the predraft process that he didn't hit it off with Giants coaches." A different story claimed that Schoen "shifted his preference to Dart this spring as head coach Brian Daboll warmed to Dart as a player and person and Schoen rounded out his own evaluation" before the draft got underway. That said, Schoen raised some eyebrows when he said during a May interview that he knew the club would select Dart over Sanders as of "the week of the draft." Schoen also said the decision was the result of a "collaborative process." According to Leonard, those comments were seen by some as "not exactly a firm endorsement of a player standing out above the rest" as it pertains to the quarterbacks. "...Schoen’s lukewarm rhetoric and reluctance to stick his neck out about Dart caught the attention of some people around the league," Leonard added. "And it has put the rookie in a strange position: trying to validate support that almost sounds conditional." Meanwhile, Sanders fell to the draft's fifth round before the Cleveland Browns traded up to grab him at selection No. 144. As of Monday afternoon, FanDuel Sportsbook had Sanders (+870 odds) and Dart (+1060 odds) as significant betting underdogs to serve as Week 1 starters in September. Cleveland is expected to go with Joe Flacco or Kenny Pickett for its regular-season opener, while Russell Wilson is on track to start for the Giants against the Washington Commanders on Sept. 7. In short, fans may have to wait a long time to learn if Schoen has any buyer's remorse about possibly being talked into drafting Dart when Sanders was on the board.
Caitlin Clark drops mic on Kelsey Plum's Instagram post
Caitlin Clark might be the most popular figure in women's basketball right now, but she continues to draw shots left and right, both on and off the court. The Iowa product has stayed even keeled and mostly unrattled, but that doesn't mean she won't fight back. That's why, in the light of Kelsey Plum's recent comments, she decided to take matters into her own hands and clapped back at her with a simple, six-word message. Plum shared a picture of her during the WNBA's All-Star Weekend, which showed half of a Nike logo in the background. Clark was quick to spot it and just wrote "Thank u for the Nike ad." This happened just hours after Plum seemingly took a shot at Clark and her Team Clark teammates for reportedly not getting involved in their pre-game protest. “The T-shirt was determined this morning. Not to tattletale, but zero members of Team Clark were very present for that,” Plum revealed. “That really needed to be mentioned,” Sabrina Ionescu added while both laughed. WNBA All-Stars warmed up with a T-Shirt that read 'Pay us what you owe us,' ahead of their new CBA agreement, which is expected to be signed in the offseason. WNBA players get around 9 percent of the league's revenue, and they're asking for a bigger share since most of them also have to play overseas during the offseason because of the salary disparity. Plum is the vice president of the WNBPA, so it's not surprising to see her so involved in the protest and the demands. Then again, it's hard to understand the reasoning behind the tattle telling, as not only does it show that there might not be a united front ahead of these negotiations, but it also drives attention away from where it should be.
Celtics Expected to Make Another Trade After New Comments From Executive
The Boston Celtics' priorities were already apparent before making the trades they did. Because they wanted to get under the NBA's second tax apron, the Celtics were willing to downgrade some of their players to get under it. That's why the Celtics traded Jrue Holiday for Anfernee Simons and Kristaps Porzingis for Georges Niang. It is a talent downgrade, but it helped Boston achieve their goals of getting under the second apron, even if those players aren't as good as Holiday or Porzingis. However, those trades only helped Boston get closer to being under the NBA's second tax apron, but it didn't get them under completely. Boston signed a few more players this offseason, including Luka Garza, Josh Minott, and Hugo Gonzalez. While these players are on inexpensive contracts, combined, they are enough to keep the Celtics above the NBA's second tax apron. That's why Boston isn't done making moves. Spotrac's Keith Smith revealed in an interview with a Boston Celtics executive that more trades will follow because they are still above the NBA's second tax apron. “Still figuring it all out. As you’ve noted, we’re still above the second apron. We won’t finish there," the Celtics exec told Smith. As far as how the Celtics will do that is anyone's guess. They may trade Anfernee Simons for someone who makes less than him. They may trade Niang's contract to a team that can absorb it via trade exception. They may even trade Sam Hauser or Payton Pritchard to do it. Regardless, more moves are coming for the Celtics.
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