![\"Jake](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Mangum.jpg\")
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Jake Mangum had to wait a while to reach the big leagues for the first time.<\/p>\n
The new Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder is a strong defender with experience at all three outfielder spots and is likely the leading candidate to be the Pirates\u2019 starting left fielder on Opening Day against the New York Mets in Citi Field.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s also part of the improved lineup that pushed the Pirates\u2019 futures betting<\/a> to 77.5 projected wins, even as the betting research<\/a> is still primarily based on last season. <\/p>\n Mangum, who attended Jackson Prep in Mississippi \u2014 the same high school as Pirates top prospect Konnor Griffin \u2014 was selected by the New York Mets in the fourth round of the 2019 draft out of Mississippi State University.<\/p>\n Mangum grinded through five minor-league seasons with three different teams \u2014 the Mets, Miami Marlins, and Tampa Bay Rays \u2014 before ever getting called up to the big leagues.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s weird, I was in Triple-A for a while. My first full season as a pro baseball player was 25 years old, so I had a late start,\u201d said Mangum. \u201cBut you know, when you\u2019re playing in Triple-A and having some success, you think like, \u2018Man, just give me a shot. I feel like I can do it.’\u201d<\/p>\n Mangum finally received the call he\u2019d been waiting for on March 29 when the Rays promoted him just after Opening Day. Other than a month-long stint on the injured list due to a groin strain, Mangum remained on the active roster the rest of the season.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like I had a hot start when I first got [called up] and I got hurt [in late April]. I had a great April, I got hurt and I\u2019d just say sometime in April while I was rolling a little bit I was like, \u2018Man, I can do this. I can help the team win in a bunch of different ways,\u2019\u201d Mangum said when asked when it started to feel real.<\/p>\n Mangum concluded his rookie season having finished fourth on the Rays with 118 games. He ended the year with a .296 batting average, which ranked 10th in baseball among players who recorded at least 400 plate appearances. He totaled 18 doubles, one triple, three home runs, 40 RBI, 27 stolen bases and finished with a 96 OPS+.<\/p>\n Mangum played to his strengths by putting the ball in play and using his speed to put pressure on opposing pitchers and defenses. He struck out in only 15% of his plate appearances and hustled down the line when he made contact.<\/p>\n \u201cLast year, when I got up as a 29-year-old rookie, my goal was to survive,\u201d he explained. \u201cI knew my ability to survive was best with touching the baseball and running as fast as I can to first base.\u201d<\/p>\n Having one year in the big leagues under his belt, Mangum is looking to do more damage in his second big-league season and his first with the Pirates. Pittsburgh acquired Mangum from the Rays as part of a three-team trade<\/a> that also included the Houston Astros.<\/p>\n Mangum, who turns 30 in March, has been focused on other ways to try to impact the game this offseason.<\/p>\n \u201cI was able to stay up all last year, so now I\u2019m just trying to progress as a baseball player, whether that be driving the ball in the gaps better, whether that be working more walks, lowering the chase rate,\u201d he explained. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of different ways to do it.<\/p>\n \u201cThis offseason is kind of a mix of that. It\u2019s trying to be a little more selective at the plate, understanding when to take shots, understanding when to take an a-swing as I call it to try to do damage, and understanding whenever I just need to tone it back down and do what I\u2019ve always done, which is kind of touch the baseball and get on base.\u201d<\/p>\n Now with his fourth different organization over the last five seasons, Mangum is looking for a little more stability with the Pirates now that he\u2019s established himself as a big-leaguer. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very grateful to be a part of this and am gonna give it everything I got.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMentioned in this article: Jake Mangum<\/a> Pittsburgh Pirates<\/a> <\/p>\n