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Friday\u2019s announcement that the Pittsburgh Pirates had signed<\/a> Michael A. Taylor<\/a> 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\u2019s buyer\u2019s market. Taylor, who received a World Series ring in 2019 with the Washington Nationals, will turn 33 later this month.<\/p>\n Pirates general manager Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton<\/a> have not publicly spoken about the team\u2019s plans for Taylor. Is he coming to Pittsburgh as a regular or a fourth outfielder\/defensive replacement?<\/p>\n 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\u2019ll improve the Pirates\u2019 outfield defense dramatically. He\u2019s 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\u2019s verdant expanse.<\/p>\n Taylor\u2019s presence in the regular lineup will allow Jack Suwinski<\/a> 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<\/a> took over in center. In 2021 and 2022, center field belonged to Bryan Reynolds<\/a>, who wasn\u2019t much better than Suwinski statistically. In 2020, they had tried Cole Tucker<\/a>, a failed shortstop who was the Pirates\u2019 No. 1 draft pick in 2014, and Anthony Alford<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n The case against Taylor as an everyday player is based on his offense. Over ten seasons, he\u2019s hit .239\/.294\/.389, 95 HR, and 332 RBI to go with 108 stolen bases. He\u2019s hit home runs in double digits four times, including 21 last year as a Minnesota Twin<\/a>. Those were years in which he got consistent playing time. However, with his low OBP, he doesn\u2019t fit the profile of the type of everyday player the Pirates prefer.<\/p>\n One stat affecting his OBP is his high strikeout total. He\u2019s 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 \u201cimpact the baseball,\u201d in the parlance of today\u2019s TV analysts.Why Taylor?<\/h3>\n
Why Not Taylor?<\/h3>\n
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