Pittsburgh Pirates 2021 Previews: OF Gregory Polanco
Since he made his Major League debut back in 2014, Gregory Polanco has come with his fair share of ups and downs. From mashing 23 home runs during the 2018 season to his lackadaisical outfield play at times, Polanco has had his share of praise and criticism. After undergoing shoulder surgery in 2018, Polanco just hasn't been the same player, hitting under the .250 mark in each of those seasons. Polanco is currently the highest-paid player on the team, being owed 11 million dollars in 2021, and is on the final year of his contract. However, after a down year in 2020, Polanco has left a sour taste in the mouths of Pirates fans and is trying to make amends in his final season.
He appeared in 50 games for the Pirates last season and hit .153 with seven home runs and 23 RBI. While his run production numbers we're on par with where he was before, but his batting average was worse than sub-par. He had a dismal .214 on-base percentage and because of that, he couldn't use his speed on the base paths. To make up for the slump, Polanco went to the Dominican Winter League and appeared in 21 games, and things didn't get much better from a batting average standpoint as he hit just .197 with two home runs and nine RBI. If Polanco wants to get back in the Pirate's good graces, he needs to put together a good season in the final year of his contract, and hopefully, the Pirates can get something out of him before he walks in free agency. We look at what went wrong for Polanco in 2020, and how he can improve in 2021.
Slump Year
After only playing 90 games during the 2019 season, and suffering a setback with his shoulder surgery, Polanco was looking for a bounce-back year in 2020. However, right from the get-go, you could tell things weren't going to go his way. He hit just .053 (1-19) over his first seven games of the season and simply wasn't making contact. His biggest problem was his strikeouts as, during that seven-game set, he struck out 10 times and drew just three walks. Polanco just didn't look comfortable at the plate, and his struggles continued throughout the month of August. His batting average was below the .100 mark through August 21st, and there looked to be no end to the struggling Polanco.
Then came the Pirates series against the Milwaukee Brewers from August 21st through August 23rd. For the first time all season, Polanco looked like the 2018 version of himself that hit 23 home runs and drove in 81 RBI. It was a series that saw Polanco go 5-10 (.500) with two home runs and five RBI over the three-game series. After the team won the first two games of the series, Polanco made a bold prediction saying that the Pirates were guaranteed to sweep the series. He would back up his words in the final game going 2-3 and leading his team to victory. He came up with two outs and a runner on with the Pirates down by one in the bottom of the eighth. He ended up smacking a two-run home run to give the Pirates the 5-4 lead and they would go on to sweep the series.
August would turn out to be Polanco's most productive month of the year as he hit five of his seven home runs and drove in 13 of his 23 RBI. The rest of the season was pretty uneventful for Polanco, as he hit just .118 over the month of September with two home runs and nine RBI. He did get a hit in two of his final three games but went into the off-season less than satisfied with his performance. That is when he went to the Pirates about playing in Winter Ball. Polanco thought it would help him make up for lost time and get back on track. However, he would hit just .197 with two home runs and nine RBI in 21 games and fractured his wrist at the end of the year.
Final Bow in 2021
The biggest thing for Polanco in 2021 is making amends to a Pirates fan base that had high hopes for him in 2014 when he began his career. Since signing his extension, he has had one good season back in 2018 when he hit .253 with 23 home runs and 81 RBI in 130 games played. At 29-years-old, Polanco is reaching the peak of his prime years and is looking to propel himself into his 30s. In order to do that, he has to turn it around and have a big season in 2021 to impress teams around the league. His bout in Winter Ball didn't work, but a strong showing during the first three months of the season could give him some more stock.
The big problem for Polanco over his last couple of seasons has been his strikeout numbers. They came to a height last season when he struck out in 37% of his plate appearances. It was a 10% increase from the year before and Polanco just didn't look comfortable at the plate. It was one of the things he tried to work on in the winter league. He lowered his strikeout rate slightly, going down 20.6% of the time, but it is still higher than you would like to see. There is no question that Polanco has the ability to hit the ball pit of the ballpark, but he has to put the ball in play more consistently if he wants to use that power.
As Spring Training 2021 gets underway, Polanco is focused on filling a hole in the middle of the Pirate's batting order. It is undoubtedly his last season in a Pirates uniform, but a strong performance could help Polanco get on a contender, and the Pirates add to their growing stockpile. He got the start in the team's first Spring Training game today and ended up driving in three of his team's six runs in the Pirates 6-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles. It was only one game, but it put Polanco on the right path to a year where he is trying to show that there is still some baseball left in him.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (1-0) continue their Grapefruit League schedule on Monday when they take on the Toronto Blue Jays (1-0) at 1:07 pm. Mitch Keller (0-0) makes his 2021 Spring Training debut for the Pirates going against Robbie Ray (0-0) for the Blue Jays. You can follow the game on MLB Gameday or by following us on Twitter at @Buccos_Cove for live coverage throughout the day.
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