Pittsburgh Pirates: What to do in Right Field With Gregory Polanco Out

With Gregory Polanco testing positive for COVID-19, the Pittsburgh Pirates must now decide what to do in right field. The correct answer is one that may be a bit outside of the box.

Friday afternoon, fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates learned that right fielder Gregory Polanco has tested positive for the coronavirus. As a result, he will not be ready for Opening Day on Friday in St. Louis. Due to this, the team will need to find an alternative plan for right field.

So, with Polanco out, what should the team do in right field? The obvious answer would appear to be to have fourth outfielder Guillermo Heredia play in Polanco’s place. If not Heredia, then potentially Socrates Brito who now figured to have an increased chance of making the Opening Day roster. However, neither of these players are who the Pittsburgh Pirates should turn to in right field.

The player the Pittsburgh Pirates should turn to in right field is Adam Frazier. Now, you may be asking yourself, isn’t Frazier the team’s starting second base man? Well, yes. That said, moving Frazier to right field would give the Pirates the best team they could have with Polanco out.

In his MLB career, Frazier owns a +7 Defensive Runs Saved as an outfielder and a +1 Outs Above Average in the outfield. So, Frazier is an above average defender in the outfield. Throw in his career .279/.342/.420 slash line and 103 wRC+, both of which are superior to that of Heredia and Brito, and Frazier is the best option for right field.

By moving Frazier to right field, the Pittsburgh Pirates can also then assemble their best defensive infield. This would be Kevin Newman moving from shortstop to second base, and Cole Tucker being inserted as the team’s shortstop.

While Newman was an offensive stand out as a rookie in 2019 hitting for a .308/.353/.446 slash line to go with a 110 wRC+ and 2.4 fWAR, he struggled defensively at shortstop. In 1007 MLB innings at shortstop the past two seasons, Newman owns a -10 DRS and -10 OAA. At second base, however, he owns a +2 DRS and a -2 OAA. So, it goes without saying that Newman is a far superior defender at second base than shortstop.

As for Tucker, he likely remains the Pirates’ shortstop of the future. The new front office thinks very highly on him, and he could be a potential Gold Glove Award winner in his future. Last season, he posted a +2 DRS and 4.6 UZR/150 at shortstop.

Without a minor league season for Tucker to play in, it is in his best interest to play as regularly as possible at the MLB level. Also, despite poor overall offensive numbers at the MLB level in 2019, Tucker showed signs for optimism. His 36.5% hard contact rate was 2% higher than league average, and his 87.9 MPH exit velocity was league average. Ultimately, if a hitter makes quality contact more often than not they’re going to collect their share of hits.

Tucker also finished the season strong. In his final 69 plate appearances of the season, he hit for a .286/.348/.492 slash line to go with a 118 wRC+ and a 14.5% extra base hit rate. It is time to see what Tucker can do.

With Polanco out, the Pittsburgh Pirates should shift Frazier in right field. They should then slide Newman to second base, and make Tucker their starting shortstop. Not only would this be the team’s best possible defensive make up, it could also give Tucker the opportunity he needs to prove if he is the team’s shortstop of the future or not.