For a former Rookie of the Year and a two-time All-Star, Jason Bay is something of an unknown for many fans in New England. His Pittsburgh Pirates seldom appear on national TV and the Pirates haven’t made a post-season appearance since 1992.

Two National League talent evaluators offer their perspective on the newest member of the Red Sox.

•NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOUT:

“He’s not a superstar, so people need to remember that. But he’s a pretty solid player, a pretty good hitter. To say he’s an All-Star is a stretch; he was an All-Star because the Pirates needed to be represented.

He likes the ball out over the middle of the plate. I project him as a 25-homer, 90-RBI guy, but he’ll probably be a little better than that in that (Boston) lineup. He hits a lot of flyballs, so he’ll take advantage of that wall in Fenway. He can be pounded in; how he adjusts to that will determine if he’s a good player or a really good player. If you make a mistake to him in Boston, he can hit it out.

He’s patient at the plate and likes to extend his arms. You can get him out by pounding him inside, and throwing soft stuff away. He makes nice adjustments as two-strike hitter and can go the other way in those situations.

Defensively, he’s an average outfielder with an average arm, but certainly, he’ll be better out there than Manny.

•NATIONAL LEAGUE ASSISTANT GM:

“He had a bad season last year because he had sore knees. But before that, he was one of the better offensive players in this league. He has a unique swing — he kind of drops his hands to his belt and swings uphill. But he’s capable of good offensive production and he runs better than you think. He’s not Manny Ramirez, but he can hit balls to right-center, and he can pull. I would label him primarily an offensive player, but he’s adequate in the field.

He’s not a dynamic personality or a leader. He might be a little bland, but he’s a good guy, certainly not any trouble.”

—SEAN McADAM