One Notable Problem With Pirates’ Outfield Construction (+)
On paper, it looks like the Pittsburgh Pirates will be receiving plenty of offensive contribution from their outfield in 2024.
Left fielder Bryan Reynolds is coming off of yet another solid season at the plate and has been the Pirates’ most consistent producer since his All-Star campaign in 2021. This past season, Reynolds led the Pirates in RBIs (84), hits (151), was tied for first in doubles (31) and was second in home runs (24) and OPS (.790).
To his left, Jack Suwinski showcased his power potential while manning center field the majority of the time. The 25-year-old led the Pirates with a .793 OPS and his 26 home runs. With his first full season in the big leagues under his belt, the Pirates are hoping Suwinski will take another step forward and be a more consistent threat.
The third outfield spot is still up for grabs, but the Pirates recently acquired Edward Olivares in a trade with the Kansas City Royals. Olivares played in a career-high 107 games last season and recorded 39 extra-base hits, 12 of which were home runs.
General manager Ben Cherington said they feel there is even more potential yet to be unleashed when it comes to the 27-year-old Olivares.
“He’s obviously not a household name but since he’s gotten some opportunity in the major leagues the last couple years with Kansas City, he’s produced at a pretty solid level offensively,” Cherington said. “In fact, some of the underlying numbers that we look at suggest that he may have even been a little better in 2023 than the surface-level numbers suggest. We think this is a bona fide major league hitter who has a chance to deepen our lineup.
Andrew McCutchen is back for another season in the black and gold and he’s not ruling out the possibility of seeing some time in the outfield.
“I definitely still think I can be able to help out there in the outfield,” McCutchen said upon the announcement of his return. “The little bit of time that I was out there this past season, I think I was able to handle my own. I was able to go out there, play good defense.”
While Reynolds, Suwinski, Olivares and McCutchen are all varying levels of producers at the plate, none of them grade as good defenders.
Last season, the Pirates defense as a whole was one of the worst in the league. The Pirates’ outfield defense combined for minus-24 defensive runs saved, which was ahead of only the Miami Marlins (-28) and New York Yankees (-26).
Suwinski was tasked with center field duties in 120 games last season. He finished the year with minus-10 DRS and was also in the minus-side in his brief time in both corners.
Olivares, while appealing thanks to his bat, was a lousy defender with the Royals last year and had minus-14 DRS in only 54 games as a left fielder. The struggles forced Kansas City to use Olivares more as a designated hitter.
Reynolds was the best of the bunch with plus-two defensive runs saved in his primary spot in left field, but was minus-three in outs above average. McCutchen hardly played the field at all last year due to nagging injuries.
As 2023 draws to a close, the Pirates have yet to try and remedy their outfield woes from last season. With the being said, there are still options in free agency and through trades that could be obtained to improve upon their disastrous showing in 2023.
Michael A. Taylor and Harrison Bader both have a Gold Glove on their resumés and are coming off of expectedly-strong seasons in the field. Both remain on the free agent market. Adam Duvall is another logical player worth considering, though he’s probably better suited for a corner spot.
On the trade market, it might behoove Cherington to call the Houston Astros about Jake Meyers.
Regardless of who the Pirates target, outfield defense is quietly a big area of concern that will need addressed between now and the start of spring training.
Offense matters, but it can’t come at the expense of harmful defense.
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