Friday’s announcement that the Pittsburgh Pirates had signed Michael A. Taylor could impact the Pirates in many ways. The Pirates signed the 10-year veteran center fielder to a one-year, $4 million deal, thanks to this spring’s buyer’s market. Taylor, who received a World Series ring in 2019 with the Washington Nationals, will turn 33 later this month.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton have not publicly spoken about the team’s plans for Taylor. Is he coming to Pittsburgh as a regular or a fourth outfielder/defensive replacement?
Why Taylor?
Taylor still has plenty of speed and plays a strong center field defensively. He won a Gold Glove Award as recently as 2021 with the Kansas City Royals. This is a position where the Pirates were below average in recent years. If Taylor is in the lineup every day, he’ll improve the Pirates’ outfield defense dramatically. He’s worth 46 Fielding Runs Above Average and 69 Defensive Runs Saved in center field for his career. The numbers are even better when one considers all three outfield positions. Since Starling Marte was traded, Cherington and Shelton have been looking for a good defensive center fielder to man PNC Park’s verdant expanse.
Taylor’s presence in the regular lineup will allow Jack Suwinski to move to a corner spot, which suits him better. According to the Fielding Bible, in 2023, Suwinski rated -10 Defensive Runs Saved, ranking him next-to-last in all of baseball. Late in games with the Pirates ahead, he was moved to right field and Ji Hwan Bae took over in center. In 2021 and 2022, center field belonged to Bryan Reynolds, who wasn’t much better than Suwinski statistically. In 2020, they had tried Cole Tucker, a failed shortstop who was the Pirates’ No. 1 draft pick in 2014, and Anthony Alford, a former college football player and amazing athlete who excelled at everything but making contact with the bat and staying healthy. Neither had the same impact for the Pirates that is expected from Taylor.
Why Not Taylor?
The case against Taylor as an everyday player is based on his offense. Over ten seasons, he’s hit .239/.294/.389, 95 HR, and 332 RBI to go with 108 stolen bases. He’s hit home runs in double digits four times, including 21 last year as a Minnesota Twin. Those were years in which he got consistent playing time. However, with his low OBP, he doesn’t fit the profile of the type of everyday player the Pirates prefer.
One stat affecting his OBP is his high strikeout total. He’s whiffed in 29.9 percent of his plate appearances, well above the major league average during his career. On the plus side, Taylor has a career with a .319 BABIP, which is also well above average. Pirates hitting coach Andy Haines will look to cut down on the strikeouts and take advantage of Taylor’s ability to “impact the baseball,” in the parlance of today’s TV analysts.
Regardless, it should also be noted that nobody has seized the right field position so far in spring training. With Andrew McCutchen as a full-time designated hitter and Henry Davis as a full-time catcher, right field looked to be a battle between Edward Olivares and Joshua Palacios. Neither has been satisfactory in the exhibition games. As of the close of Monday’s action, Olivares is 8-for-41, and Palacios, who has battled injuries, is 0-for-11. Based on these admittedly small sample sizes, the Pirates are no worse off with Taylor in their batting order.
Offensive Outlook
Moreover, given the Pirates’ futility of recent years, strange as it may sound, they may have enough offense without looking to their center fielder. McCutchen, Reynolds, and Suwinksi have good track records as hitters. Oneil Cruz, who played in only nine games in 2023, is back from injury. He and Davis are mashing the ball in the spring training games. Ke’Bryan Hayes showed great improvement with the bat late last season. A solid hitter, Jared Triolo seems poised to win the second-base competition. At first base, Rowdy Tellez and Connor Joe should be a formidable platoon combination. The Pirates should be able to enter the 2024 season considering center field a defense-first position.
We can’t discuss his impact without noting that Taylor gives the Pirates a third player with a World Series ring. Somebody who has been through the grind is often invaluable to a young, up-and-coming team.
The Fallout
The prediction here is that Taylor will be the Pirates’ Opening Day center fielder and will remain there every day, subject to Shelton’s tendency to schedule periodic days off for his regulars. One tell-tale sign is Taylor’s salary. On some teams, $4 million might be chump change, but for the Bucs, it’s the salary of a regular. However, more telling is how Shelton has been deploying his outfielders since Taylor was signed.
Specifically, Shelton is looking at different alignments. For the last three games, Reynolds played right field, a position he hasn’t played since 2019. On Friday, Suwinski was in left field. Shelton wouldn’t consider these position shifts unless Taylor was in the mix.
Furthermore, Taylor’s presence on the team will squeeze another outfielder off the final roster. Non-roster players Gilberto Celestino and Billy McKinney were invited to spring training to audition for center field. Each remains in camp and is seeing playing time in the corner outfield spots and even at designated hitter, perhaps further indicating dissatisfaction with Olivares and Palacios. Suddenly, the fourth outfielder competition has become very interesting.
Equally as fascinating will be where Taylor is placed in the batting order. The fact that he’s fast and has stolen as many as 24 bases in a season doesn’t automatically place him in the leadoff spot. This isn’t your father’s baseball anymore. We might find Taylor at the bottom of the order, where his speed is in front of the hitters at the top.
The Last Word
Pirates fans may be forgiven for being a bit underwhelmed by the signing of an aging outfielder who remained on the market for so long. However, a scenario could unfold where Taylor would positively impact the Pirates. The guess here is that Taylor will give the Bucs what they’re looking for.
Main Photo Credits: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
