Pirates Add to Outfield Depth With Goodwin Signing
On Thursday, the Pittsburgh Pirates made two Minor League signings as they looked to add to their 2021 roster. With outfield being one of the key holes on this team, General Manager Ben Cherrington made an effort to fill that hole by signing five-year Major League veteran Brian Goodwin to a Minor League deal with an invite to Spring Training. Goodwin has spent the last five seasons with the Washington Nationals, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, and Cincinnati Reds, and has solid career numbers hitting .250 with 42 home runs and 129 RBI. Last season, he split time between Los Angeles and Cincinnati and put together a .215 average with six home runs and 22 RBI over 50 games played.
Goodwin is a guy who brings some power off the bench, but with that power comes strikeout ability as well. While he is not a lock to travel north with the Pirates after Spring Training, he is a strong candidate to compete for the starting centerfield job with Anthony Alford. Goodwin can play all three outfield positions and should have fun with the 21-foot short porch in right field. Throughout his career, Goodwin has thrived with more playing time, and if he can prove that he can consistently hit, he should find his way into the Pirates lineup. Plus, if he performs well, he can be flipped at the trade deadline for more prospects like he was last year in Los Angeles. Today, we look at Goodwin and see what he brings to the 2021 Pittsburgh Pirates.
Veteran Presence With Power
Throughout his Major League career, Goodwin has been a consistent performer based on playing time. It seems that the more playing time he received, the better he did with each team. During his first two seasons, he played 70 games each and had batting averages of .250 and .239, which are a bit lower than you would like to see from a bench player. However, fast-forward to 2019 when he played 136 games with the Angels and he put up an impressive .262 average with 17 home runs and 47 RBI. With the Pirates, he comes into Spring Training with a chance to earn playing time as he battles Anthony Alford for the starting centerfielder job. The better he performs, the more of a chance he will have to shine in the Pirates lineup and show off for other teams.
Perhaps the biggest asset that Goodwin brings to the Pirates is his ability to hit for power. With the loss of Josh Bell this off-season, the Pirates lineup is yearning for some power and that is something Goodwin can bring. He has hit double-digit home runs twice in his career, with his career-high being the 17 he hit in 2019. Even last season, his power ability shined through even though he hit just six home runs. He had a home run per fly ball rate of 15.8%, equalling the second-highest number of his career. The short porch in right field will be calling Goodwin's name all season long, and he will be looking to use that short porch to his advantage and drive in some runs for the Pirates.
However, to be a truly great fourth outfielder, you have to show an ability to play all three outfield positions, and play them well. Goodwin has shown that ability, playing all three positions in his career, with most of his work coming in center field and left field. He has a career .981 fielding percentage in the outfield and has shown a strong arm from the corners and a decent arm from center field. Over his career, he has six outfield assists from left field, three from center, and one from right field. He isn't a trailblazer by any means, but he has the speed necessary to make all the plays in the outfield. He has made several strong defensive plays against the Pirates last year, including robbing Colin Moran of a home run, but now he looks to help the Pirates in the field.
Goodwin's 2021 Impact
In all likelihood, Brian Goodwin is going to make the Pirate's Opening Day roster as a fourth outfielder. He will battle with Anthony Alford for the starting job in center, and may even be used in a platoon situation throughout the season. His presence helps the Pirates twofold, as he brings experience to the Major League level while allowing some of the younger guys to continue to develop in the Minor Leagues. Before the Pirates signed Goodwin, the fourth outfielder battle was between Jared Oliva, who hasn't played above Double-A, and Troy Stokes Jr., who only has 95 games of Triple-A experience. Now with Goodwin, both of these guys can head to Triple-A, where they are going to be guaranteed full playing time as they develop their skills.
As for the Major League club, Goodwin becomes one of the elder statesmen on the team and a leader in the clubhouse. He, Richard Rodriguez, and new Pirate Chasen Shreve enter the season as the oldest Pirates, each at 30-years-old. With the rest of the team in their low to mid-20s, these are the guys they are going to be looking to lead the way this season. In Goodwin's case, he will help guys like Alford, Oliva, and Stokes Jr. as they develop into Major Leaguers. Goodwin can give them tips on outfield play, and how to approach at the plate. Goodwin has had success in both areas and looks to bring some of that success here to Pittsburgh.
When all is said and done and the 2021 season begins, I think Goodwin will be primarily the fourth outfielder but will start in a platoon role with Anthony Alford. The Pirates likes what they saw from Alford in a small sample size, and the centerfield job seems to be his to lose as the team enters camp. However, if Alford struggles, Goodwin is there to step in as an experienced starter at the position. However, I think Goodwin will get more playing time than your average bench player, due to the fact that he is a good flip candidate at the trade deadline. Look for him to play all three outfield positions this year, as he tries to show his power and defensive ability to the Pirates and other teams that may be watching.
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