{"id":95977,"date":"2025-02-19T18:16:59","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T23:16:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=95977"},"modified":"2025-02-19T18:16:59","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T23:16:59","slug":"pirates-bryan-reynolds-right-field","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2025\/02\/19\/pirates-bryan-reynolds-right-field\/","title":{"rendered":"A Deep Dive into the Pirates&#8217; New Outfield Alignment"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By now, the reader knows of the Pittsburgh Pirates&#8217; plans to move their All-Star Bryan Reynolds to right field. <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2025\/02\/07\/pirates-tommy-pham-pros-cons\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Recently acquired<\/a> Tommy Pham was believed to have been signed to fill the right field vacancy. Instead, it will be Pham, soon to be 37 years of age, patrolling PNC Park\u2019s vast left field expanse, where Reynolds has spent most of his Pirates career.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"bluesky-embed\" data-bluesky-uri=\"at:\/\/did:plc:d5jtv5b7ezmpfg2ai65o2vi2\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3lhyot44ook2k\" data-bluesky-cid=\"bafyreifqxocc4cvzo5o76jnx2ki7lx56xqopkza4aocapvvggiyc7mg4hu\">\n<p lang=\"en\">Very interesting note from Derek Shelton \u2014 He said the plan is to play Tommy Pham in left field, and have Bryan Reynolds in right.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Noah Hiles (<a  href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:d5jtv5b7ezmpfg2ai65o2vi2?ref_src=embed\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@noahhiles.bsky.social<\/a>) <a  href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:d5jtv5b7ezmpfg2ai65o2vi2\/post\/3lhyot44ook2k?ref_src=embed\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 12, 2025 at 12:23 PM<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/embed.bsky.app\/static\/embed.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Bryan Reynolds to Right Field: A Deep Dive<\/h2>\n<p>Late last season, Reynolds was seen working out at first base, although he didn\u2019t see action there during a game. There was speculation that he could move to first base to start the 2025 season as Spencer Horwitz recovers from his <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2025\/02\/12\/pirates-horwitz-wrist-surgery\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">wrist injury<\/a>. That would open left field to the usual suspects seen in the Pirates outfield in the recent past.<\/p>\n<p>Right field isn\u2019t new to Reynolds. He opened the 2024 season there when the Pirates <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/03\/15\/michael-a-taylor-signs-pirates\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">signed<\/a> Michael A. Taylor to play center field, bumping their 2023 center fielder, Jack Suwinski, to left field. However, Suwinski didn\u2019t hit. By May 22, Reynolds was back in left field to stay.<\/p>\n<p>According to <em>Pittsburgh Post-Gazette<\/em> beat reporter Noah Hiles, manager Derek Shelton explained this recent move thusly: \u201cBryan had, what, 11 outfield assists last year? [That\u2019s correct, Shelty.] And now we&#8217;re going to shorten up where he&#8217;s at. I think we can take advantage of his full skill set by [Reynolds] being in right.&#8221; That assist total led the National League. It included seven assists from left field and four from right field.<\/p>\n<h3>The Numbers<\/h3>\n<p>Measuring a player\u2019s worth on defense can be tricky. We\u2019ve come a long way from the days when all that was available were fielding percentage and total errors, which were unreliable indicators in that they didn\u2019t account for balls a player never got to because of the lack of range or the subjectivity involved in charging errors. There are now metrics that account for these things, although they\u2019re not perfect either. Sometimes the results don\u2019t pass the eye test. For example, in 2016, Andrew McCutchen\u2019s -26 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) indicated he was the worst outfielder in baseball. The worst in baseball? Worse than J.D. Martinez and Matt Holliday? Give me a break. That didn\u2019t pass the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.safeeyesamerica.org\/home-eye-test\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">eye test<\/a> or even the common sense test. It seems that DRS doesn\u2019t account for the fact that the Pirates ordered \u201cCutch\u201d to play shallower than normal in 2016.<\/p>\n<p>With that in mind, let\u2019s see what the metrics say about Reynolds and Pham defensively. They\u2019re unkind to both outfielders. In 2024, Reynolds was charged with -14 Fielding Runs Above Average and -5 DRS. Pham was once considered a strong enough defensive outfielder that he saw considerable playing time in center field with the St. Louis Cardinals from 2015-18. He no longer enjoys that kind of reputation. Last year with three teams, Pham was \u201cworth\u201d -8 FRAA and -10 DRS in the outfield. However, he was better when he <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/08\/31\/royals-claim-tommy-pham-waivers\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">joined<\/a> the Kansas City Royals for the season\u2019s final month. With KC, he was worth 3 FRAA and 4 DRS. Pham told Andrew Destin of the <em>Post-Gazette<\/em>, \u201cI know this game more than the analytics. I know how to be a plus defender.\u201d Then again, what would one expect him to say?<\/p>\n<h3>How Not to Handle a Position Switch<\/h3>\n<p>Shifting Reynolds to right field won\u2019t be the first time the Pirates have moved a star outfielder to another spot. Before the 2017 season, there were rumors that the Pirates were on the verge of trading McCutchen. Nothing materialized until the next offseason when McCutchen was <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2018\/01\/15\/giants-acquire-andrew-mccutchen\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">traded<\/a> for Reynolds. However, Pirates general manager Neal Huntington did nothing to dispel the rumors. It seemed this failure had the potential to damage the relationship between McCutchen and the team.<\/p>\n<p>Worse yet was a telephone call from manager Clint Hurdle informing Cutch that he and his -26 DRS would be moved from center field to right field for 2017. Starling Marte, who won a Gold Glove Award for his play in left field in 2015 and 2016, would move to center. There was baseball logic behind the idea. Even so, the sensitive McCutchen was reportedly hurt that it was communicated to him as an order, not a request, with no input from the franchise icon. After McCutchen played 13 games in right field, however, Major League Baseball <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2017\/04\/18\/starling-marte-suspended\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">suspended<\/a> Marte for 80 days for a violation of its PED policy. McCutchen then returned to center field. Hurdle announced that he\u2019d remain there when Marte returned. Crisis averted \u2013 well, except that Marte\u2019s suspension brought about a new crisis.<\/p>\n<h3>How to Handle a Position Switch<\/h3>\n<p>Forty years earlier, it was handled better when new Pirates manager Chuck Tanner moved Al Oliver from center field to left field to make room for speedy rookie Omar Moreno. Oliver and other Pirates, but especially Oliver, chafed at the lack of recognition for their accomplishments while dominating the National League East Division for most of the 1970s. Tanner\u2019s predecessor, Danny Murtaugh, was quiet and reserved. He didn\u2019t regale the press at length or engage in hyperbole. Meanwhile, his players seethed as Sparky Anderson in Cincinnati and Tommy Lasorda in Los Angeles constantly talked up their players. (On your next trip to PNC Park, stop by Manny\u2019s BBQ and see former Pirates catcher Manny Sanguill\u00e9n. He\u2019s still sore over Johnny Bench starting the 1976 All-Star Game behind the dish when Bench was hitting .232. Ask him about it.)<\/p>\n<p>Tanner knew what Oliver needed to hear. Twelve minutes into his first press conference, Tanner said, \u201cAl Oliver is one of the finest players in the game\u201d and kept piling on the praise throughout spring training. Oliver ate it up. \u201cAll these years and a guy comes in and tells people what I\u2019ve been trying to tell them for years,\u201d he told the <em>Post-Gazette<\/em>\u2019s Phil Musick. \u201cHere\u2019s a man who comes in here and at his first press conference, mentions my name. . . How would I react to him? I don\u2019t really know. But I might go out and ram my head through a wall for him.\u201d As the uninitiated reader might surmise, the move to left field was no problem.<\/p>\n<h3>The Last Word on Reynolds and Right Field<\/h3>\n<p>In light of the above, one senses a bit of Tanneresque psychology from Shelton. As noted, often the defensive metrics don\u2019t match the eye test. That seems to be the case here. To these eyes that have seen more Pirates baseball than some might consider rational, Reynolds has been a <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/01\/27\/top-5-left-fielders-2024\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">fine left fielder<\/a>. But it\u2019s the opinion of Pirates management that will matter. Shelton is an analytics disciple. The numbers say Reynolds is a below-average left fielder. My guess is Shelton agrees with the metrics and is shifting him to right field because there\u2019s less ground to cover there at PNC Park. The talk of Reynolds\u2019 strong throwing arm may be a smokescreen.<\/p>\n<p>Reynolds, on the other hand, has the same regard for analytics as does Pham. \u201cApparently, my arm sucks, based on metrics. Apparently, I have a below-average arm,\u201d Reynolds joked to Kevin Gorman of triblive.com. \u201cI think I\u2019ve got a good arm. I think that playing right field is setting me up for more assists.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As for Pham, Shelton might be encouraged by his improved metrics with the Royals last year. In any event, Pham\u2019s contract is only for one year. If the Bucs follow their usual <em>modus operandi<\/em> with players under expiring deals, Pham may not even last past the trade deadline. Looking at the big picture, it makes sense that the outfield would be aligned to place Reynolds, who\u2019s under a <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/02\/28\/largest-contracts-pirates-history\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">long-term contract<\/a>, in a position where he\u2019s more likely to succeed.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Photo Credit: \u00a9 David Banks-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By now, the reader knows of the Pittsburgh Pirates&#8217; plans to move their All-Star Bryan Reynolds to right field. Recently acquired Tommy Pham was believed to have been signed to fill the right field vacancy. Instead, it will be Pham, soon to be 37 years of age, patrolling PNC Park\u2019s vast left field expanse, where [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5010,"featured_media":95995,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26,1071],"tags":[610,1374,5263,28324,3160,2074,28715,28345,612,1087],"class_list":["post-95977","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pirates","category-mlb","tag-andrew-mccutchen","tag-bryan-reynolds","tag-chuck-tanner","tag-danny-murtaugh","tag-derek-shelton","tag-johnny-bench","tag-manny-sanguillen","tag-spencer-horwitz","tag-starling-marte","tag-tommy-pham"],"modified_by":"Lewis Masella, Site Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95977","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5010"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95977"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95977\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":95996,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95977\/revisions\/95996"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/95995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95977"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95977"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95977"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}