Hayes Return Brings Tough Decisions, And Thats Not A Bad Thing
With all the success the Pirates offense has been having as of late, they are about to get a big piece back in their lineup. After being out since April 3rd with a wrist sprain, rookie third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes was eligible to come off the 10-day Injured List yesterday. Pittsburgh Pirates Director of Sports Medicine Todd Tomczyk said that all signs are encouraging in Hayes's recovery as he is fielding groundballs, swinging a bat, and running the bases. However, he ruled out a return for the Padres series but did not say whether or not Hayes could return to the team in Milwaukee. The Pirates haven't suffered as bad as some thought since Hayes's absence, going 4-6 during that time, but will only benefit from getting a key piece back in their lineup.
However, Hayes coming back also leaves the Pirates with some tough decisions to make in the very near future. Hayes is obviously going to slip right back into his spot at third base leaving the Pirates with two main questions. Who do you Designate For Assignment and where do you place Phillip Evans? With the 40-man roster being full, someone is going to have to be removed to make room for Hayes. There have been some players who have really struggled in the early going, and these are some of the prime DFA candidates. Also, Phillip Evans has been on an absolute tear hitting .342 with three home runs and five RBI through his first 38 at-bats of the season. Today, we answer both of these questions as we try and solve a good problem for the Pirates to have early in the year.
Looking At The DFA Candidates
When you look at the candidates to be Designated For Assignment upon Hayes's return, there are three guys who stand out. Anthony Alford, Dustin Fowler, and Wilmer Difo all have been bad to start the season, but which has been bad enough to DFA? One of these guys is going to have to go to make room for Hayes back on the 40-man roster. Just looking at the list, my instincts tell me it is going to be Difo. Aside from one good start and a couple of clutch pinch hits, Difo has been bad at the plate. He got the start on Monday after those two pinch hits and went 0-5 with four strikeouts. And, the normally sure-handed fielder has had a rough go of things in the field with a .667 fielding percentage at third base. Being that he is a veteran, he is probably the most likely DFA candidate.
However, nobody on this team has had a worse start to the season than Anthony Alford. I'll admit I had high hopes for Alford at the beginning of the season, but those hopes have quickly faded over these first 12 games. Alford has gone 0-19 with 15 strikeouts while reaching base just three times via the walk. After hitting .250 with two home runs and four RBI, Alford looked like the front-runner for the Pirates centerfield job. However, something just hasn't transferred to the regular season, and now Alford is in serious danger of losing his spot on the roster. The only redeeming thing about Alford so far this season has been his defensive play. However, as an outfielder defense can only take you so far, and if Alford continues to be a big offensive liability, his days with the Pirates are numbered.
The final candidate to be designated for assignment is fellow outfielder Dustin Fowler. At the beginning of the year neither Fowler nor Alford were hitting so I would have said take your pick. However, 12 games into the season, Fowler is at least getting on more than Alford is. Entering play Thursday, Fowler is hitting .185 with two RBI and 12 strikeouts. The power potential for Fowler is there, but he just hasn't been able to find his stroke yet. He has seemingly won the starting centerfielder job, for now, and he had a big hit that helped put the game out of reach last night. Fowler's starting job is not safe by any means, but I believe for now his roster spot is secure when Hayes makes his comeback.
Finding A Spot For Evans
Right now, the Pirate's best hitter is Phillip Evans as he has started the year hitting .342 with three home runs and five RBI through 11 games. He has been a nice fill-in for Hayes during his absence, but now the Pirates are going to have to find a spot for Evans to keep him in the lineup. The good thing is, Evans is a versatile player who can move all over the field if the Pirates need him to. He has played five different positions throughout his career, and could easily rotate between these positions by giving guys nights off. However, like so many great utility guys before him, Evans is looking to cement down one spot on the field that he can call his own. Having a hot bat will earn you playing time, and for Evans, he needs to be in the Pirates lineup.
The first option the Pirates could do is use Evans as the super-utility guy he is, and rotate him through the positions. While third base is the position he has played most, 177 innings, he has a career fielding percentage of just .942 at the hot corner. His best work has actually come in his short time at first base, where he has a .944 fielding percentage in 22 innings of work. If the Pirates are to go with the other option of playing Evans in the outfield, he has to be a corner outfield guy due to his lack of great speed. If this is the route the Pirates take, I would shift Gregory Polanco to left, Bryan Reynolds to center, and play Evans in right. Polanco and Reynolds have the speed to cover the big left-center field at PNC Park, and Evans has enough speed to handle the short porch in right.
The second option, and my personal favorite, would be to move Evans back to his natural position at second base. When he was signed by the Mets as an international free agent in 2011, shortstop was his natural position. He eventually moved over to second base and logged over 1200 innings at the position in the Minor Leagues. It was also his best defensive position, as he had a career .962 fielding percentage at the position. If the Pirates did end up doing this, this would allow Adam Frazier to move back to left field, a position he filled a lot at the end of last season. It keeps both players in the lineup and moves Reynolds to center, a position he has played throughout his career. There are a lot of possibilities open to the Pirates with Hayes return, and all of them point to the team getting better.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (5-7) look to take this four-game series from the San Diego Padres (8-5) this afternoon at 12:35 pm. Mitch Keller (1-1, 4.50) looks to build off of his best start as a Pirate last time out against Chris Paddack (0-1, 5.63) for the Padres. You can watch the game on AT&T Sportsnet, listen on 93.7 The Fan, or follow along with us on Twitter at @Buccos_Cove.
Good article. I really like that you didn't suggest putting him in left field which I have seen a lot of people recommend. He just doesnt have the speed to cover that big left field. I really don't like the option of second base while Frazier is hitting.
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