With Polanco Headed to IL, Pirates Outfield Picture Becomes Less Clear
If there is one position group with the biggest question mark on the 2021 Pittsburgh Pirates, it is their outfielders. Bryan Reynolds is back to his old self, but the other two positions have been a rotation of guys trying to find their way. Gregory Polanco has been out to his usual slow start, and the rotation of Dustin Fowler and Anthony Alford in centerfield ended up failing miserably as both players were DFA'd. The Pirates have tried moving Phillip Evans out to the outfield to keep his bat in the lineup, but ever since the move, both his offensive and defensive game have struggled mightily. The Pirates outfielders were dealt another blow yesterday when the Pirates announced that Gregory Polanco was heading to the IL with an undisclosed injury. To replace him, the Pirates called up infielder/outfielder Hunter Owen from Triple-A Indianapolis.
While it may be good for Polanco to have some time away as he tries to get back on track, it leaves the Pirates with two pretty big holes in their defense. Reynolds is fine in centerfield, but the question of who plays next to him may change every night. Last night, the duo was Phillip Evans in right field and Ka'ai Tom in left field. Both players have had their share of struggled this season and are more than likely not considered the everyday starters in Polanco's absence. There are also guys like Wilmer Difo, Erik Gonzalez, and even the newly recalled Owen who will get a shot to show what they can do in Polanco's absence. Today, we look at guys who might see more outfield playing time as the Pirates try to answer their questions of who will man the outfield in 2021.
Wilmer Difo
The most veteran option for the Pirates to use as a fill-in outfielder is 29-year-old utility man Wilmer Difo. Difo has been putting together a decent year at the plate, hitting .242 with a home run and three RBI, but most of his success has come as a pinch hitter rather than a starter. When he is in the starting lineup, he is hitting just .187 with no home runs and no RBI. Compare that to his pinch-hitting numbers and you will see a vast difference as he is hitting .287 with a home run and three RBI when being used as a pinch hitter. However, while his offensive game has struggled throughout his career, one area where he has been really reliable is on the defensive side of the ball.
Difo has played three different positions for the Pirates this season, appearing at third base, centerfield, and right field. Most of his work this season has come in right field, but that work has been shaky at best at times. He has not yet committed an error in the outfield, but he has had a couple of instances where he miss played balls in right field that ended up costing the Pirates. Difo has plenty of experience out in the outfield, however, most of it has come in right field. He has played 11 total games in the outfield during his career with five in right field, four in center field, and two in left field. It isn't a long-term solution, but having Difo out there might do the veteran good and get him back on track offensively.
Hunter Owen
When the Pirates called up utilityman Hunter Owen yesterday, it wasn't so he could sit on the bench. Owen is one of the Pirate's most versatile players in the system as he has played every position on the field except for pitcher. At 27-years-old, he is one of the older guys to get the call this season, but his ability to play all over the field gives him a leg up on the other prospects. While third base is his primary position, Owen has logged 58 career Minor League games in the outfield, 38 in left, and 18 in right. He has a strong arm, with two career outfield assists, and hasn't committed an error yet in his short time working in the outfield. He has been a solid fielder at every position he has worked at, with his lowest fielding percentage being .937 at second base. However, he has some power in his bat and has been a consistent hitter throughout the Minor Leagues that could give the Major League roster a boost.
Owen has hit double-digit home runs in each of the last three seasons and put together his most successful season to date in 2019. The utility man hit .261 with 19 home runs and 53 RBI while setting a new career-high in home runs and tying his career-high with 27 walks. Normally with a power hitter, you don't see a high number of walks, but Owen is trying to break that stigma. The 27-year-old utility man has walked 6.6% of the time in 2019 and tied his career-high from 2017. However, with the power also comes the strikeouts, and Owen has plenty of those to show. He struck out 120 times in 2019 for a strikeout rate of 25.8%, just a little under the rate set by Polanco last season. Owen appeared in 20 Spring Training games for the Pirates this season and hit .176 with a home run and two RBI. He is hoping to take advantage of his opportunity and bring some power and contact ability to the lineup.
Ka'ai Tom
The absence of Gregory Polanco is a huge opportunity for newest Pirate Ka'ai Tom to show what he can do. With the Pirates trying to fill right field, Tom should now have a permanent spot as the team's left fielder moving forward. Tom has put together some good at-bats since joining the Pirates, as he has drawn four walks and has gone 2-11 at the plate. He went 1-4 with a single in last night's 2-1 win over the Padres and is hoping to use this opportunity as a chance for him to break out at the plate. Tom has been a strong hitter throughout his Minor League career and is trying to show it in his first year at the Big League level. Overall, Tom has hit just .111 in 27 Big League at-bats, but as he has seen more time, he is working the count and putting together better at-bats.
He has upped his pitcher per plate appearance to 4.22 in recent weeks and has shown a good eye to lay off pitches in the zone. In his first two at-bats last night, he put a good swing in pitches in the zone and had a hit and a sharp groundout. He ended the day 1-4 but put together four pretty strong at-bats. On the defensive side of the ball, he had a few hiccups early on but has also made a few very nice plays in the field. His best so far was his leaping catch at the wall to end last night's 2-1 win over the Padres. He tracked the ball all the way to the wall and leaped up to make the catch and secure the win. If Tom can take advantage of this increased playing time now, he could be a guy who reaps long-term benefits in the Pirate's outfield.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (13-16) look to start a new streak of series wins when they take on the San Diego Padres (17-14) in game three of their series tonight at 8:10 pm. JT Brubaker (2-2, 2.63) is looking to get back in the win column after back-to-back losses against Yu Darvish (3-1, 2.13) 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.
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