The Pittsburgh Pirates enter spring training with several candidates competing for playing time in the outfield. Which one emerges as the Pirates right fielder?
Bryan Reynolds, the Pirates’ best player, is firmly entrenched in left field. Center field is certain to be anchored by Jack Suwinski, their best power hitter, once again. Conversely, there are a host of candidates who could man right field in Pittsburgh in 2024. Many of these could find their names on the lineup card as the designated hitter as well.
Who Emerges as the Pirates’ Right Fielder
Can Henry Davis catch on?
How the outfield shapes up largely depends on whether Henry Davis is used as a catcher in 2024. Davis, 24, was the Pirates’ first pick in the June 2021 Amateur Draft. He was drafted as a catcher and used there in the minors until being given a crash course in the outfield before being called up to the big club last year. Fellow catcher Endy Rodriguez was called up around the same time. Manager Derek Shelton paid lip service to the notion that both would see playing time behind the dish.
But it was Rodriguez who saw most of the action there. The primary backup was Austin Hedges, until he was traded, and then Jason Delay. Davis, on the other hand, was back there for two meaningless innings. Meanwhile, Davis was used in right field, where he showed a strong arm but often looked uncomfortable. In 49 games there, he registered -17 Fielding Runs Above Average and -9 Defensive Runs Saved.
Power Hitting vs. Pitch Framing
With Rodriguez out for the season, general manager Ben Cherington is on record saying Davis will get every opportunity to be the catcher next year. We’ll see about that. Last season, the organization clearly favored Rodriguez and Delay at that position. Delay would eventually become the personal catcher for Mitch Keller during the latter’s run of success. The analytically hip Pirates brain trust has shown they clearly place a premium on pitch-framing skills. Delay has them. Davis will need to develop them to garner any serious playing time behind the plate. Davis, whose power-hitting potential is sorely needed (he has 25 minor-league home runs in 122 games over three seasons, about the equivalent of a full major-league season for a catcher) could be the one who emerges from the crowded outfield as the Pirates’ primary right fielder. Or could he?
The Return of Andrew McCutchen (Again)
Veteran Andrew McCutchen, one of the Pirates’ better hitters in 2023 at .256/.378/.397, 12 HR, and 43 RBI, is back under another one-year contract. He was used primarily as a designated hitter last season, appearing in only eight games in the outfield, and none after May 30. There is speculation that he’ll be the main go-to as the designated hitter in 2024 as well. Not so fast. Last year, an injury to his throwing arm prevented him from playing in the field after May. He returned to Pittsburgh in 2023 wanting to see significant time in the outfield, and the Pirates wanted that, too.
.@jacksuwinski dishes on @Pirates legend Andrew McCutchen
▶️ https://t.co/gSMO9JmM9O pic.twitter.com/EMmp8JQOyP
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) January 11, 2024
“Cutch” is not the same outfielder he was in his salad days, but he’s still a good one. Because the Milwaukee Brewers used him in the outfield in only 50 games in 2022, somehow the baseball press is under the impression that he can’t play there anymore. That’s not true. In those 50 games, playing all three outfield positions, he was worth seven Fielding Runs Above Average and five Defensive Runs Saved and did not commit an error. McCutchen can easily man the short right field in PNC Park. At this point in his career, he may need the occasional day off from the outfield. But he has enough left in the tank to where he may be the one who emerges as the Pirates right fielder. That could push Davis into the designated hitter role if he’s not the starting catcher.
Enter Edward Olivares
An intriguing entry into this mix is Edward Olivares, acquired from the Kansas City Royals in a trade last month. The 27-year-old is now with his fourth organization after signing with the Toronto Blue Jays as an amateur free agent in 2014. He hung around the Toronto organization until a 2018 trade to the San Diego Padres. Cherington would have been familiar with Olivares from his time as Blue Jays vice president of baseball operations from 2016-2019. Cherington has shown an inclination to reach back into his Toronto days and bring in prospects with whom he’s familiar. He’s had some notable success there with, for instance, Joshua Palacios (more on him in a bit) and Ryan Borucki.
Olivares was a curious acquisition who didn’t seem to fill a pressing need. Yet, he was clearly brought to Pittsburgh to play an important role. Last season was the first during which he saw significant major-league action. With the Royals, he slashed .263/.317/.452 with 12 HR, 36 RBI, and 11 stolen bases. Don’t go to the refreshment stand when Oilvares is at bat, because chances are he’ll put the ball in play. He doesn’t strike out or walk much. In 2019, his best full season in the minors, he hit .283/.349/.453, 18 HR, 77 RBI with 35 SB. There’s a lot of offensive potential there.
On the negative side, he’s not much of an outfielder. Playing all three spots last year, he recorded -16 Fielding Runs Above Average and -11 Defensive Runs Saved. If he emerges from the crowded Pirates outfield as a regular right fielder, perhaps it will be because of the short right field of PNC Park, where a weak fielder can often be hidden. Eventually, though, the ball finds you.
No Ordinary Joe
Connor Joe, a 2014 Pirates draftee who came full circle when he was reacquired in a trade with the Colorado Rockies late in 2022, saw significant time last year in right field and at first base. If his .247 batting average excited nobody, his .339 OBP was just what the Pirates were looking for. The 31-year-old right-handed batter was much better against left-handed pitchers, off whom he hit .265/.368/.452. Whether Joe emerges as a regular in right field remains to be seen. Currently, he is regarded as a platoon option at first base with the newly acquired Rowdy Tellez. His opportunities to play the outfield, then, would come against right-handed pitching, where the Pirates have better options.
“I was happy with my power numbers, but I think there’s more in the tank.” … Also wrote about Connor Joe coming out of PiratesFest and what he hopes to accomplish in 2024: https://t.co/7Iqb0mnFW7
— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) January 11, 2024
The Secret Weapon
Palacios, 28, hit just .239/.279/.413 in 91 games last season. But those 91 games also included 10 homers and a flair for the dramatic that made him a fan favorite. There was his seventh-inning homer in St. Louis on June 2 to add an important run in a 7-5 win. There was the 10th-inning game-winning home run vs. the Philadelphia Phillies on July 30. As if Palacios hadn’t caused Cardinals fans enough grief, there was then his ninth-inning two-run shot to give the Pirates a 7-6 win at Busch Stadium on September 2.
Finally, there was his September 21 pinch-hit three-run homer in the ninth inning at Wrigley Field that sucked the air out of a Chicago Cubs comeback and was the eventual margin in an 8-6 win. He was 8-for-22 with two home runs as a pinch hitter in 2023. Because Palacios is so much better as a secret weapon off the bench, the crowded outfield may not have much room for him as a starter.
The Rest
Canaan Smith-Njigba, 24, went north with the team out of spring training in 2023 but was sent to the minors after appearing in 15 games due to the inability to find him playing time in the crowded outfield. It’s even more crowded now with Olivares and Palacios in the mix. Smith-Njigba has the on-base skills the Pirates covet. His OBP in Triple-A in 2022 and 2023 was .387 and .366, respectively. But he needs a Ruthian spring just to make the team, let alone see significant time in the outfield.
The Pirates picked up Billy McKinney in a trade with the New York Yankees last month. The well-traveled 29-year-old plays all three outfield positions well, but over parts of six major-league seasons has hit merely .209/.284/.309. It’s hard to imagine him emerging from the outfield competition with a spot on the team. For now, he’s likely nothing more than an organizational depth option.
The prediction here is McCutchen will be in right field most of the time, with Davis as the designated hitter and Delay as the catcher. McCutchen and Davis would switch roles once or twice a week to preserve McCutchen for the long season.
Photo Credit: “PNC Park, Home of Pittsburgh Pirates” by daveynin is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
