Battle For Center Rages On In Regular Season
The Pirates have been known for their centerfield play, from Andrew McCutchen to Starling Marte, even as far back as guys like Omar Moreno and Andy Van Slyke. However, in 2020, the position took a step backward when the Pirates signed outfielder Jarrod Dyson to man the position. While his defensive play was good, he could not hit to save his life. Thankfully, the Dyson experiment lasted just half a season as Ben Cherington was able to trade him to the Chicago White Sox for International Poll money. However, that move left the Pirates without a long-term option in center field. However, two of the newer additions to the Pirates are vying to take over that position long-term.
Over the first three games of the season, the battle for the Pittsburgh Pirates' starting centerfielder job has raged on. Anthony Alford has made two starts and Dustin Fowler has made one start, while both players appeared in all three games of the series against the Cubs. Neither player had any Minor League options left, so both made the team as the Pirates evaluate which is the better option for their long-term plans. Both players have had similar results to this point with Alford hitting .000 and Fowler hitting .000. Defensively, they have a similar skill set, so this battle is ultimately going to come down to which one performs better offensively. Today, we look at each player's credentials and what they bring to the team long-term.
Anthony Alford
Anthony Alford got a taste of what it was like to be the Pirates centerfielder last season when he appeared in five games. However, that all came to an end when he went crashing into the centerfield wall, fracturing his elbow and ending his season. It took a long off-season of recovery, but Alford was back in Spring Training. Initially, Alford had a setback at the beginning of spring where he was unable to throw the ball, but after that, he was back and making strong defensive plays all spring long. He showed some power with two home runs at the beginning of spring, and he finished the month of March hitting .250 with two home runs and four RBI.
Because of his decent showing at the plate, Alford earned the starting centerfielder job on Opening Day. However, that bat from spring hasn't yet come north with him for the regular season. He has yet to pick up his first hit of the season but has reached base with three walks and a stolen base so far this season. However, the biggest thing that Alford has going for him is his strong defensive ability. Throughout the spring, you saw him making diving catches and getting all around the outfield. In his very short stint in the Major Leagues, Alford has yet to commit an error in Centerfield in 68 innings played. Defense is something the Pirates have focused on this spring and may have been one of the things that won Alford the job.
However, the Pirates need some guys who can hit the ball, and help bring runners home, and Alford hasn't shown much success in that area so far. Last year, he got a couple of big hits for the Pirates, but so far this season hasn't been able to generate anything. Over his parts of four seasons in the Major Leagues, he has hit just .161 with three home runs and nine RBI. However, in eight Minor League seasons, that average is a much more respectable .265. He has never shown much power, but his ability to get on base and then use his speed to get into scoring position are what made him valuable. His defense is without a question deserving of a starting outfield job, now his bat needs to equal it and help him solidify his spot in the Pirates outfield.
Dustin Fowler
The newest addition to the Pirates this off-season was outfielder Dustin Fowler, who the team acquired in a trade with the Oakland Athletics for cash. Fowler played part of the 2018 season with the Athletics but has found trouble finding his footing at the Major League level. In his only campaign with the Athletics, he hit .224 with six home runs and 23 RBI in 68 games played. However, since then he has been unable to get a permanent spot in the Major Leagues. He spent all of the 2019 season down in the Minor Leagues and put together a good campaign hitting .277 with 25 home runs and 89 RBI in 131 games played. However, the Athletics had too many outfielders on the roster they decided to trade him to the Pirates.
Fowler has been a center fielder throughout his career but has the ability to play all three outfield positions. Centerfield is his best of the positions, with a fielding percentage of .979 in over 3,800 innings played at the position. With his power at the plate comes a power arm that he puts on display in the field. Over his Minor League career, he has picked up 24 outfield assists in centerfield and has been a part of seven double plays. His career-high in outfield assists came in 2019 when he recorded 12 outfield assists combined between all three positions. With PNC Park's vast outfield, this arm could come in handy when he has to make a throw from the deep part of centerfield to make a play at the plate.
With Fowler, you seem to have a guy with a lot more power potential, but the downfall of a high strikeout ability. Although he hit 25 home runs during that 2019 season, he also struck out a career-high 145 times for a strikeout rate of nearly 24%. While it is not as bad as it could be, anything over the 20% mark is way too high. He has already shown that strikeout ability this season as he has gone down once swinging in five at-bats with the Pirates. Now with Fowler, he has already picked up his first hit of the season hitting .200 over his first three games played. That hit came in the opener against the Cubs on Thursday as a pinch hitter. This battle will likely go on throughout the month of April as the Pirates try to set their center field for the future.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (1-2) continue their season-opening road trip when they take on the Cincinnati Reds (2-1) tomorrow at 6:40 pm. JT Brubaker (0-0, -.--) takes the hill for the first start of his first full Big League season as he takes on Jose De Leon (0-0, -.--). You can watch live on AT&T Sportsnet, listen live on 93.7 The Fan, and follow along with us on Twitter by following @Buccos_Cove.
These guys are a long way from McCutchen, Marte or Van Slyke. Or for that matter, Oliver, Alou or Virdon. Alford was acquired when Toronto waived him. The Pirates bought Fowler's contract from Oakland, where he hadn't played in the majors since hitting .224 as a rookie in 2018. Far from appearing to stabilize CF for the Pirates, Alford and Fowler are marginal major leaguers just trying to stay on a roster. It would be great if they exceeded expectations and became assets. But more likely, they are placeholders until someone better comes along.
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