Charlie Tilson Fighting for Bench Role with Pirates in 2020
The glue that holds every team together is not it's star players, but the role players who come in and do their part to help teams win ball games. Charlie Tilson has been a role player at the Major League level his entire career and brings that experience with him to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates needed some Major League ready outfield depth for the 2020 season, and Tilson brings that with strong defensive skills and average offensive production. He isn't going to be a household name by any means, but his ability to come in and play well could be the difference between the Pirates winning or losing a game.
Tilson has spent the last four seasons with the Chicago White Sox, making it to the Major League club in three of those four seasons. 2019 saw him play in a career-high 54 games, all in the outfield. He hit his first milestone of his professional career, hitting his first Major League home run, but his being average dropped to .229. However, he played strong defense, with just three errors committed, posting a .970 fielding percentage in 358.1 innings played. It was that defensive play that caught the Pirates eye and led to them signing the 27-year old to a minor league contract.
Tilson is currently with his third professional organization, and he started his career with the St. Louis Cardinals. He was drafted in the second round of the 2011 first-year player draft out of New Trier Township High School in Winnetka, IL. He would sign late in the season and only appeared in eight games in rookie ball for the Cardinals. However, he showed promise going 9-27 (.333) with two doubles and five RBI. He struck out four times in 27 at-bats while walking just three times. However, Tilson would not return to rookie ball during the 2012 season as he took a step away from the game.
He returned in 2013 and was sent to Class-A Peoria Chiefs as he looked to restart his professional career. His year off helped him as he hit .303 with four home runs and 30 RBI. Speed was a big part of his game both on the basepaths and for picking up extra-base hits. He collected 18 extra-base hits throughout the season, including eight doubles and six triples. A majority of his hits were singles and when he was on base he was able to cause havoc for opposing pitchers. He was able to steal 15 bases in 21 attempts for a 71% stolen base rate. At the end of 2013, he got the chance to move to Advanced-A Palm Beach for the final nine games of the season.
He once again had a strong showing going 10-34 (.294) with two extra-base hits in nine games played. He started the 2014 season back with the Palm Beach Cardinals and saw his offensive numbers continue to thrive. He upped his average to .308 and set a new career-high with five home runs and 36 RBI in 89 games played. However, he wasn't stealing as many bases, just 10 in 17 opportunities, and speed looked like it was starting to fade away from his game. On the defensive side of the ball, his numbers improved significantly as his fielding percentage jumped over 40 points to .983.
He would continue his way up the Minor League ladder in 2014 making the jump to Double-A Springfield. This is where his Cardinals career went on hold as he couldn't find his footing. He spent the next year an a half with the Springfield Cardinals, and couldn't get his average back into the .300 range and was seeing his speed and run production both drop. It was the beginning of the end of his Cardinals career as he would be traded to the Chicago White Sox during the 2016 season for relief pitcher Zach Duke. Tilson would be sent straight to the Major League club and made his MLB debut on August 2nd, 2016.
However, his 2016 MLB season would las just one day as he was suffered a strained left hamstring in his MLB debut and would go on the Disabled List for the rest season. After working his way back to full health in the off-season, he came back ready to compete for a spot on the MLB roster. The injury bug would strike again in Spring Training, as he suffered a stress reaction in his right foot. The injury would cause him to miss the entire 2017 season and put his development on hold. Tilson had not appeared in a professional game in over a year an a half he would start the 2018 season back in Triple-A.
Tilson was never the same offensive player after suffering his two major injuries and it showed that season. He hit just .244 that season with the Charlotte Knights and got the call to the MLB in May of that year. He appeared in 41 games with the White Sox and hit .264 with no home runs and 11 RBI. He struck out twenty times in 106 at-bats while walking just 10 times for a .331 on-base percentage. Tilson is a guy who makes a lot of contact and his .322 BABIP was a positive sign as he was converting his contact into hits. However, he served his role as a back-up outfielder and would finish the year in Triple-A.
The 2019 season was another year where Tilson flipped from the MLB to Triple-A as he continued to play the back-up outfielder role. However, his average dipped by more than thirty points to .229 while he hit just one home runs and drove in 12 RBI. When he did get on base, he was perfect on the base paths stealing four bases in four attempts. Defensively, his numbers were right around his career average as he posted a .970 fielding percentage while playing all three outfield positions. While the versatility was nice to see, the numbers were not enough to keep him in the Big Leagues. He was sent down to Triple-A for the final time on July 18th and finished the 2019 season there.
He elected for free agency in the off-season and that is when the Pirates came in and signed the outfielder. He tried to make a good impression, but offensively it wasn't there as he hit just .167 (3-18) in 15 games played before the shut down. As a result, Tilson was sent to Triple-A Indianapolis, where he will more than likely start the season. With rosters looking to be expanded this season, there is a chance Tilson sees some more major league action, but it will more than likely be as a back-up outfielder. His defense is average at best, and his offensive numbers have been on a steady decline the last couple of seasons.
Since suffering the hamstring strain and stress fracture in his foot back in 2016 and 2017, Tilson has not been the same player as he was before. He has not lived up to his second-round draft pick status and is looking to revitalize his career in Pittsburgh. He has been able to hit for a respectable average throughout his Minor League career, hitting .287 in eight minor league seasons, but that success has not translated to Major League success. Tilson mostly has to focus on that side of his game if he wants to be able to stick on an MLB roster. If he can raise his average and continue playing good defense, he could be a strong bench option for the Pirates this season.
Prediction: .214, 0 HR, 13 RBI
With expanded rosters topping out at nearly 30 active players, and 50 taxi players, per game, I think there is no doubt that Charlie Tilson will see time in the Major Leagues this season. However, I do not think that his average will get any higher than it has been in the Major Leagues as his playing time will more than likely be sporadic. If he is able to turn it around, Pittsburgh could be a stepoing stone for Tilson to continue his professional career. Role players are going to be as important now as ever with the peculiarity of the 2020 season, and Tilson will look to be the guy who steps up off the bench and helps the Pirates win ball games.
It is still uncertain as to when the 2020 MLB season is set to begin, but we at Buccos Cove are determined to continue to bring you strong content. Until the 2020 season begins, we will continue looking at the players who make up the 2020 Pirates organization and how they will impact the organization this season.
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