With Alford's Elbow Uncertain, The Outfield Picture is Shifting
During the course of the off-season, one of the big questions for the Pittsburgh Pirates was who will be playing in centerfield? With an initial look at the roster, the question seemed to be answered by Anthony Alford, who the Pirates had picked up off waivers from the Blue Jays during the 2020 season. Alford played five games for the Pirates and hit .250 with a home run and four RBI before smashing into the centerfield wall and fracturing his elbow. He had surgery to repair the fracture during the off-season and carried his offensive momentum into the first Spring Training game of the year when he went 1-2 with a solo home run against the Blue Jays on Monday.
However, the reason he wasn't in the outfield was because reports are that he has had a setback in his recovery. His elbow is causing him problems throwing the ball which have limited his time on defense. If it becomes a case where Alford is not ready to go, the Pirate's outfield alignment may shift a little bit. Newly acquired Dustin Fowler and Brian Goodwin are both candidates if Alford isn't ready to go or the Pirates could move Reynolds into that position and have one of the two aforementioned players in left field. Unlike years past, the Pirates have some depth options if Alford isn't ready to go. Today, we look at what that outfield alignment may look like if Alford has to head to the DL.
Dustin Fowler in Center
The easiest solution if Alford has to miss time at the beginning of the season is to put Dustin Fowler in centerfield. The Pirates acquired Fowler on February 24th, 2021, from the Oakland Athletics for cash. Once a prominent prospect in the New York Yankees system, a Ruptured Patella Tendon in 2017 knocked Fowler off course. He was initially traded from the Yankees to the Athletics and hasn't really got a full-time shot yet. His one extended look for the Athletics came in 2017 when he hit .224 with six home runs and 23 RBI over 69 games played. He did not end up seeing any Major League time in 2019 or 2020 as he worked in Triple-A and then at the Athletics alternate training site last season. He has the power potential, and speed to go with it, but his task will be to put it all together if he wants to make the Pirates Opening Day Roster in 2021.
He showed promise in the Minor Leagues in 2019 when he hit .277 with 25 home runs and 89 RBI over 130 games played. It was the third time in his career that he hit double-digit home runs and the first time that he hit more than 20 in a season. He also set a career-high with 89 RBI and was able to steal 12 bases to go along with that power. However, his big problem was strikeouts as he went down 145 times over 606 plate appearances, a 23.9% strikeout rate. As long as his power stays in the Major Leagues you can live with the strikeouts. However, if the power disappears, those strikeout numbers are going to look a lot worse for the 26-year-old.
With no Minor League options left, Fowler is the most likely player to take over in center field should Alford be put on the injured list to start the season. Fowler has spent the majority of his career in centerfield and has shown he can handle the position with a .991 fielding percentage in 2018 with the Athletics. He has a decent arm with one outfield assist and has the speed to be able to track down balls in the gaps. That speed will be tested in the vast Pirates centerfield as Fowler will have to show that he can run down balls in the North Side notch. It will be a competition between Fowler and Alford for that starting job even if Alford is healthy, but the power and speed make Fowler an intriguing option if Alford can't go.
Brian Goodwin in Center
If the Pirates want to go the more veteran route, we could see Fowler on the bench and Brian Goodwin gets the Opening Day start in center if Alford is hurt. Goodwin is a five-year veteran who has played with the Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Angels, and Cincinnati Reds and has established himself in the Big Leagues. Throughout his career, he has shown some power and that came to the forefront in 2019 with the Angels. He played in 136 games that season and hit .262 with 17 home runs and 47 RBI. Power is something the Pirates lineup is desperately searching for, and Goodwin brings that lefty power with him.
Goodwin showed the power in spurts last year between the Angels and Reds, combining to hit six home runs and drive in 22 RBI. The Pirates got a glimpse of Goodwin at the end of the year when he played for the Reds and hit .163 with two home runs and five RBI. Goodwin also offers the Pirates some versatility as he has played all three outfield positions, and has done it at a high level. Most of his work has come in left and centerfield, where he has a .968 and a .987 fielding percentage respectively, but he has also spent time in right. Golden has a decent arm that plays better from the corners as he has six outfield assists in left and five in center. He is a veteran option for the Bucs that can help guys like Bryan Reynolds, Fowler, and Alford in their development, but he may get an opportunity to play every day if Alford isn't ready.
Bryan Reynolds Shifts Over to Center
Speaking of Reynolds, the third, and most unlikely, option is that Bryan Reynolds shifts to center and Fowler or Goodwin alternate in left field. Since his call-up in 2019, Reynolds has spent most of his time in left field, but he came up through the Minor Leagues as a centerfielder. We know about Reynold's abilities at the plate, but 2020 was a down-year for the then 25-year-old outfielder as he hit .189 with seven home runs and 19 RBI. Reynolds doesn't have blazing speed, but he uses a good jump and great closing speed to track down balls in PNC Park's vast left field. He was worth one out above average for the Pirates last season and has made some of the most improbable catches in the MLB.
Last season, Reynolds burst speed ranked right about in the middle of the pack at -0.2, but he made up for it by taking great routes. His route rate was a 0.8, which ranked in the top ten percentile of all the MLB. As a result, he made six five-star catches in 2020 according to Baseball Savant. With the ability to run down the ball consistently, that would help Reynolds should he be called on to move over to centerfield. At the beginning of Spring Training, manager Derek Shelton named Reynolds as the starting left fielder. With a spot on the Opening Day roster firmly locked down, Reynolds just needs to focus on improving and roll with the punches whether he be in center or left to start 2021.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (1-1-1) are back on the road today when they take on the Tampa Bay Rays (1-2) today at 1:05 pm. Steven Brault (0-0) makes his spring debut on the mound for the Pirates against Shane McClanahan (0-0) for the Rays. You can follow along with the game on MLB.com, or by following Buccos Cove on Twitter at @Buccos_Cove.
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