The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Polcovich in the 30th round of the 1992 MLB Draft.[1] He made his Major League debut on May 17,1997.[1]
Polcovich is most remembered for his key role as a member of Pittsburgh's 1997 "Freak Show" team. Prior to the season,new ownership had dismantled the team and launched a team rebuild. The team's opening day payroll was $9 million,by far the lowest in the major leagues.[5][6] Expectations were very low for the Pirates,but perhaps none were lower than for Polcovich,who was bagging groceries to help support himself during spring training. When the Pirates' starting shortstop was injured in May,Polcovich got his call-up to the majors,and the former bag boy was now the new starting shortstop. He quickly became the anchor of the Pirates infield and helped the team compete for the NL Central Division until the final week of the season,when they were finally eliminated by ultimate division champions,the Houston Astros.[7]
Polcovich only played one more year of major league baseball.[1]
1 2 2009 Florida Gators Baseball Media Guide, HistoryArchived October 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine , University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 89, 96, 104, 115 (2009). Retrieved November 29, 2010.
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