Pittsburgh Pirates: How Will The Outfield Shape Up Next Season?

Gregory Polanco

Gregory Polanco must be a huge Katy Perry fan because his 2016 season was pretty hot and cold. The fact that he was moderately inconsistent is a bit striking, though, seeing as he still finished off the season with some pretty nice stats. He ended with 22 home runs, 86 RBIs, 17 stolen bases, a .463 slugging percentage, and a .786 OPS.

Honestly, though, it really seems like the sky is the limit for Polanco. At just 25 years of age, he has not touched his peak yet and still has a few years before he’ll get to that point. The kid’s swing is effortless. I was at PNC Park on June 4, 2016, when Polanco whacked a Fernando Salas changeup off of the Allegheny Health Network advertising board above the Clemente Wall in right field. It legitimately looked like he gave up on hitting the pitch halfway through his swing. That’s how smooth the swing was.

If he can keep working on his plate discipline (119 strikeouts in 2016), Polanco could be a deadly weapon for the Buccos for seasons to come. It doesn’t help that of the 28 times Polanco struck out looking last season, 21 of those pitches were outside of the strike zone. Yikes.

The Dominican youngster’s most pressing issue going into Spring Training could be on the defensive side of the game. Just as he was starting to master the unpredictability of the Clemente Wall, he might get moved to left field. If that’s the route Clint Hurdle decides to go down (please be the route he decides to go down), I hope Polanco embraces his new role. Moving to a new position can be hard, but I’m sure Polanco’s talent can carry him as long as his attitude follows.

We might even be able to see a big season out of Polanco in 2017.

Starling Marte

Starling Marte was probably the most pleasant surprise of the Buccos’ 2016 season. There’s not much I can say about him that I haven’t said already. He’s good. He’s really good. Remember when he hit a home run on the first pitch in his career, and Pittsburgh Pirates fans (myself included) were already preparing to erect a statue in front of PNC Park because he was gonna be the next superstar? Well, he’s actually that good.

Marte finished the year with a .311 batting average, nine home runs, 46 RBIs, 47 stolen bases, and a 4.9 WAR. Even as good as Marte was last year, there is still potential for so much more. Marte only played in 129 games in 2016, and he seemed even more injury-prone than usual. Also, nine home runs isn’t exactly the type of power production you’d expect from a man with the sheer physical gifts that Marte has. Staying healthy and working on driving pitches for extra-base hits will be key for him in 2017.

I hope he gets a shot to play center field this year. Statistically speaking, Cutch was one of the worst centerfielders in baseball last season. But Marte is one of the best outfielders around. He came in second in the MLB in outfield assists with 17. He has some serious range, too, and can get to a lot of line drives that most outfielders can’t. Even if his routes can sometimes be atrocious, he is a fantastic defender, and center field is where your best outfielder should be in my opinion.

He’s got to be better than Cutch. He just has to be.

Andrew McCutchen

Oh, Cutch. How I miss you. Please come back soon. But don’t come back as 2016 Cutch, because he made me really sad sometimes. Maybe come back as 2013 MVP Cutch. He could hit, run, and play defense, and most importantly he could keep the boo birds away from PNC Park. I’ll always respect Cutch for the way he orchestrated the turnaround of the Pirates and of Pittsburgh as a baseball city, but my patience is wearing thin.

More from Rum Bunter

• Pittsburgh Pirates Podcast: Rum Bunter Radio Talks Winter Meetings Fallout
• Pittsburgh Pirates: Potential Leadoff Hitters in 2023
• Pittsburgh Pirates: The Rotation is not being Improved
• Pittsburgh Pirates Make Vince Velasquez Signing Official
• Pittsburgh Pirates: Bob Nutting, Please Sell the Team

On the surface, Cutch’s 2016 fielding stats don’t seem that bad. But once you start peeling back the layers, it gets ugly. Now, bear with me, because these are some pretty advanced stats, but trust me. They’re not great.

McCutchen finished 2016 with a -4 RTOT, only six outfield assists, and so many advanced stats about his poor route efficiency that would make your head spin. My point is this: Andrew McCutchen gave the club a few great years in center field, but his time there is finished. Or, it better be, if the Pirates want to win.

So, my solution is basically to hide him in right field. With such a short distance between home plate and the Clemente Wall, I figure that that gives him fewer opportunities to mess up. I know the chain link parts of the wall can make for some obscenely strange and unforeseeable bounces, but those don’t happen enough to deter me from getting him out of center field.

I believe in McCutchen’s abilities at the plate. He can’t suck there forever. But maybe he just sucks in center field, which is fine. We just need to stop putting him out there.

Next: Top 100 Prospects: Pirates

What do you think? Will this outfield shake-up actually happen? Should it? Will McCutchen ever be himself again? Let me know in the comments below!

Go Bucs.