It’s certainly nothing to hang your hat on, but there is something to be said for Mercer all but matching the Pirates 21-year bests during his first real look in the bigs.

For an encore, Mercer has silently solidified himself as the Pirates starting shortstop this season. In a contract year, his unexpected offensive output may force the Pirates to pony up some extra pennies this off-season, if they want him back in 2015. Some of that will depend on what the team plans to do with top prospect, Alen Hanson. Talks have recently surfaced around the organization about potentially shifting Hanson from shortstop to second base. However it unfolds, the 21-year-old is still a season or two removed from making the jump to the Majors, and isn’t an immediate threat to Mercer’s job security.

The offensive uptick this season has been great, no doubt about it, but more on that in a minute. The most impressive part of Mercer's game has been the improvement in the field. He’s currently ranked second in the league at 8.4 in SABR Defensive Index, which measures a players defensive runs saved relative to the league average at the position. He’s seventh at short in ratio of good plays to misplays at 1.86 and his fielding percentage has jumped 21 points this season with 300 more innings played. Mercer’s Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) leapt from -4.7 last season to -0.2 this season. All in all, he’s been worth six more runs above average in the field than he was a year ago.

In addition to his middle infield emergence, Mercer has unexpectedly put himself on the fantasy baseball radar – better late than never. And his value only intensifies with the recent string of injuries to hit the shortstop position. Tulo, Fantasy Pros.

This far into the season, we can’t solely depend on a yearly stat line for adequate projection. We need a sufficient sample that portrays recent trends, allowing us to more accurately predict future performance. Monthly splits seem like a good place to start.

You can see it hasn’t been all bells and whistles this season for Jordy. In response to the .190 average he posted through May 30th, Mercer insisted “I have no idea who that guy was.”

Nonetheless, his offensive output has been on the upswing since. Now, expecting a .400 average and 1.000 OPS line for September would be silly, especially given the BABIP noise that’s come along with his progressing numbers. But that continual improvement over the last five months speaks volumes. Let’s break it down a little further to set up some comps to his career line.

Since May 31st, Jordy has the highest average among all shortstops in the league. But can he sustain his current level of production?

There’s bound to be some regression ahead. Then again, most signs point to some legitimacy in what he’s doing. His walk and strikeout rate are above past rates and generally aren’t that bad for the early goings of his career. Given more experience at the plate, there should be some peripheral improvement down the road. His batted ball statistics are all in sync above his career standards as well. The only real concern is the bulky BABIP, but quantifying luck has never come easy.

Not found in the table are Mercer’s splits against righties and lefties this season. He’s slashing a sweet .326/.364/.467 line versus left-handers, in comparison to a .244/.297/.357 line against righties. With all the bumps and bruises in the Burgh, Mercer will continue to see his name appear near the top of the lineup card when opposing southpaws take the mound.

Combine the lingering injuries with some unsteady fielding from those who usually frequent the heart of the Pirates lineup – McCutchen, Walker, and Alvarez – and the door remains wide open for Mercer. Any way we slice it, he has a crucial role to play down the stretch if the Buccos dream of dressing in October. If he plays it right, and then resigns in Pittsburgh this winter, Mercer will have the opportunity to grow alongside Cutch, Polanco, Marte and Harrison amidst their primes and set a new standard for Steel City shortstops.