Ka'ai Tom vs. Ben Gamel: A Battle for Left Field
The Pittsburgh Pirates have many players on the Injured List who are currently working their way back into the lineup. The first of those players made their return on Sunday as Ka'ai Tom came off the 10-day Injured List as the Pirates 27th man in the doubleheader against the Colorado Rockies. Tom got the start in left field in game two, and ended up contributing, going 1-3 with a home run on 27th birthday, in a 4-0 win that less to a sweep of the doubleheader. Tom's overall average isn't that impressive, at .169, but he has done some good work during his time in a Pirates uniform. However, with the Pirates, that average is slightly better at .209 with two home runs, eight RBI, and an on-base percentage of .364.
Being that Tom is a Rule 5 Draft guy, he would have to stay on the Major League roster all season long to remain with the Pirates. Personally, I think he has shown enough to earn a chance to stay in the organization, at least for a while longer. This means that there will now be some competition in left field between Tom and the recently hot hitting Ben Gamel. Both players are new to the Pirates this season, and came to Pittsburgh looking to find their way in the Big Leagues. In a small sample size for both players, each has done that to some degree. Neither batting average is going to jump out of the page at you, but after very slow starts are a lot better than where they were. Today, we look at what both players have done and see how the two will battle it out for the left field spot.
Ka'ai Tom (.209, 2 HR, 8 RBI)
The Pirates acquired Ka'ai Tom off waivers from the Oakland Athletics back on April 21st. At the time he was acquitted, Tom was a Rule 5 guy in his first MLB season that looked lost at the plate. The Hawaii native was hitting just .063 with an RBI and had struck out six times in his first 16 at-bats. With five outfielders plus Tom already on the active roster for Oakland, they had no room for Tom and decided to Designate him for Assignment. When he came to the Pirates, he saw an opportunity to play in left field after the struggles of Anthony Alford and Dustin Fowler, and ran with it. He walked four times over his first two games, and developed a reputation for having a great eye at the plate. He has used that to his advantage and found a groove at the plate in Pittsburgh.
In his first 17 games with the Pirates, Tom has hit .209 with two home runs and eight RBI. He has used this newfound patience at the plate to put together good at-bats, and average four pitches per plate appearance. He started to see better pitches in the Pirates lineup and has begun to show an ability to drive the ball. He showed pretty good pop in the Minor Leagues, with 23 home runs in 2019, and is starting to show some in the Major Leagues as well. He has homered twice so far with the Pirates and his short-compact swing has awarded him three total extra-base hits, all with the Pirates. Strikeouts have been a problem for Tom throughout his career, and while they are still a problem in Pittsburgh, he has taken steps to improve in that aspect.
So far in his first 43 at-bats with the Pirates, Tom has struck out 11 times, compared to nine walks. This puts him at a strikeout rate of 18.9%, which is considerably lower than his 37.5% rate he was at with Oakland. Strikeouts have been a problem throughout Tom's Minor League career, with a career strikeout percentage of 19.4%. It is not dire like some Minor Leaghers, but it is something he is going to have to work on if he wants to be successful. With a short and compact swing like Tom has, he could be a similar hitter to Adam Frazier who makes a lot of contact, but has that power element. That is what he is working towards and now that he is seeing more playing time with the Pirates, he is taking steps in the right direction to get there.
Ben Gamel (.222, 0 HR, 2 RBI)
Unlike Ka'ai Tom, outfielder Ben Gamel was no stranger to the MLB when he joined the Pirates on May 10th. He was known more by Pirates fans as the Milwaukee Brewers outfielder who batter .395 against the Pirates in 2020. However, overall Gamel had not had much success recently. He had batting averages of .248 and .237 in the two previous seasons with Milwaukee, and he was off to a .071 start to the 2021 season with the Cleveland Indians. He was looking to turn things around, and the Pirates were in desperate need of outfield help. Tom went on the 10-day IL to make room for Gamel and he actually made his Pirate debut at first base coming off the bench. Despite that, he was always going to be an outfielder with the Pirates and he has done well with his new opportunity.
He started his time with thr Pirates batting in the seventh and eighth spot of the order, and wasn't really getting anything going. It wasn't until recently, when he moved up to the #2 hole that he really got going. Since being put in the number two spot in the lineup, Gamel has hit .416 with two RBI, a double, and two walks. With the Pirates missing their normal number two hitter Ke'Bryan Hayes, the Pirates were looking for someone to step up. It was Gamel who would answer the call with three extra-base hits and, when hitting behind the MLB hits leader Adam Frazier, has been a big part of the Pirates offense recently. His familiarity with the NL Central gave him a leg up in Pittsburgh, and he has been taking full advantage of his opportunity with the Pirates.
Now, neither Gamel nor Tom are likely part of the Pirates future, but right now they are both playing a key role in the outfield. With Bryan Reynolds and Gregory Polanco manning center and right field, left field is the one that is left up for grabs. With both Gamel and Tom hitting the ball well as of late, it is likely that both will see some playing time out in left. But, the question is who should get more playing time? Gamel has more Major League experience, while Tom is the younger of the two players and could have a longer impact should the Pirates keep him. Personally, I would like to see more of Tom in left field with Gamel still getting three of four starts a week as the fourth outfielder. Both have played well as of late, and for the Pirates sake hopefully both continue their success into the middle of the season.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (20-31) are looking for their first sweep of the 2021 season when they take on the Colorado Rockies (19-33) today at 1:05 pm. The Pirates have not yet named their starter for today's game that will go against Kyle Freeland (0-0, 2.25) for the Rockies. Buccos Cove will be live at PNC Park with full coverage for the first time this season and you can follow along on our Twitter page, @Buccos_Cove. You can also watch the game live on AT&T Sportsnet or listen on 93.7 The Fan.
Comments
Post a Comment