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

Analysis: As Baseball Christmas approaches (only 14 days until pitchers and catchers report!), many questions about the Pittsburgh Pirates still hang in the balance. Among those questions, perhaps the most intriguing is: How will the Pirates line up in the outfield next season?

It’s hard to judge the Pittsburgh Pirates’ outfield from 2016. Starling Marte was a revelation, Gregory Polanco was good, if not inconsistent, and Andrew McCutchen was bad. He was very bad. But now the outfield just needs a bit of a shakeup in order for the operation to run more smoothly for the 2017 campaign.

In short, the center field grass needs to file a restraining order on Andrew McCutchen, because the Pittsburgh Pirates are wasting their time if he steps foot in center field this season. He can move to right field, pushing Polanco to left. Marte is a godsend, and could probably play all three outfield positions by himself if he wanted to, so I’m sure he’ll succeed in center field.

As the new season is swiftly approaching, let’s look at the outfielders’ 2016 seasons while also taking a look at what to expect during the 2017 campaign.

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.