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Pittsburgh Pirates: 2021 Center Field Options Entering the Off-Season
Entering the off-season the Pittsburgh Pirates will face plenty of question marks. One of these question marks will be who will be in center field in 2021. Let’s take a look at some possible options.
The 2020 Pittsburgh Pirates left a lot to be desired. After finishing the season 19-41, the posted the worst record in baseball and have locked up the top pick in next summer’s MLB Draft.
As you would expect for a team coming off a season in which they post the worst record in baseball, the Pittsburgh Pirates will face plenty of questions this off-season. One of these question is who will be in center field on Opening Day 2021?
Well, today, we will take a look at some of the potential options to be manning center field when the Pirates kick off their 2021 season at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs on April 1st. Internally, the Pirates have more than one option they could turn to for center field. This includes some intriguing options that could be a part of the team’s new core moving forward.
With all of that said, let’s dive into looking at potential center field options for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2021. We will start with a player who made his MLB debut in 2020, and is one of the top outfield prospects in the organiza109 tion.
Jared Oliva
In the final week of the 2020 regular season Jared Oliva made his MLB debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Oliva had 16 plate appearances with the Pirates in the final week of the season. In these 16 PAs he went 3-for-16 with six strikeouts and a stolen base.
This came on the heels of a 2019 season that Oliva spent completely with Double-A Altoona. With the Curve, Oliva hit for a .277/.352/.398 slash line to go with a 123 wRC+ in 507 plate appearances. Had there been a minor league season in 2020, odds are, Oliva would have gotten plenty of quality at-bats at the Triple-A level.
Oliva has elite speed in center field and can be a plus defender. That goes without mentioning his potential above average offensive output. In 2018 he posted a 124 wRC+ at the High-A level. At Low-A in 2017, his wRC+ was 109. League average wRC+ is 100, so, in each of his three seasons in the minor leagues Oliva was an above leage average hitter.
What could hurt Oliva more than anything in spring training 2021 is the fact he still has minor league options remaining. We will get into this more with our next candidate, but minor league options could be a big factor here.
Anthony Alford
Another option is a player the Pittsburgh Pirates added via waivers in August. This player is Anthony Alford.
The Pirates claimed Alford off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays on August 27th. Being a former Blue Jay prospect, he is a player that Pirate general manager Ben Cherington is very familiar with. Also, Alford is a player with a very high ceiling. After all, he is a former top-100 prospect.
Prior to suffering a season-ending elbow injury that required surgery on September 5th, Alford has flashed with the Pirates. In five games with the Pirates, Alford was 3-for-12 with a home run, a triple, a walk, and just one strikeout in 13 plate appearances.
He also scored a run on a wild pitch that only rolled a foot or two away from the catcher. It was more a steal of home than scoring on a wild pitch. As he displayed on that play, Alford has elite speed and can be a plus defender in center field.
Prior to his injury, the Pirates appeared committed to giving Alford an extended look in center field during the month of September. Had he not gotten injured, Alford may have soldiifed himself as the clubhouse leader to be the Opening Day center fielder in 2021. Personally, when weighing the internal options, he would be my pick.
Bryan Reynolds
Following Alford’s injury, fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates saw a lot of Bryan Reynolds in center field down the stretch. While Reynolds has expressed a desire to play in center field for the Pirates, the question is – should he?
Well… probably not. Reynolds had an Outs Above Average in center field of 0 in 2020. This came after posting an OAA of +1 in center field in 2019. While these numbers are not bad, they are not good either. They are about as average as you can get.
In left field, where Reynolds has mostly played in his MLB career, he owned a -1 OAA in 2019 and a +1 OAA in 2020. So, Reynolds is essentially the same defensive player in center field as he is in left field.
Due to this, it would make more sense to have Oliva or Alford in center field over Reynolds. Especially since if Reynolds is in center field, odds are, Oliva or Alford would end up playing in left field. If you’re going to have the the same gorup of players manning LF/CF, you may as well have the best defensive player(s) of the group roaming center field. Most likely, Reynolds will be in left field on Opening Day 2021
Free Agent Options
Last off-season the Pittsburgh Pirates addressed center field in free agency. This occurred when they signed veteran Jarrod Dyson to a one-year contract. The team then traded Dyson to the Chicago White Sox for international spending money in August.
Could they turn to the free agent market again this off-season? It’s possible.
Prior to signing Dyson, the Pirates were reportedly interested in Kevin Pillar last off-season. Well, Pillar will be a free agent once again. Jackie Bradley Jr. could be a name to watch as well, especially with Cherington’s ties to him from his time as general manager of the Boston Red Sox.
If the Pirates are looking to go speed and defense only in center field the way they did with Dyson, than a long time Pirate killer that fits that bill will be on the free agent market. Who is that player? Billy Hamilton. Yeah… no thanks.
Next. 3 Off-Season Goals for the Pirates. dark
Who will be in center field on Opening Day 2021 will be a storyline to follow for the Pittsburgh Pirates throughout the off-season. In fact, it’s a storyline that could carry into spring training. It will certainly be something for Pirate fans to watch the next few months.