There were three balls hit by the Dodgers on Tuesday night that were pretty indicative of how the season has gone for the Pirates’ outfield.
The first was a Gavin Lux rope that received the matador treatment by Gregory Polanco in the right-center field gap and rolled all the way to the wall for a single and a two-base error. The other two were cutting and tailing fly balls that sent Bryan Reynolds into a full-extension dive in both outfield gaps.
All three landed in the fifth inning. None led to outs. And the Dodgers scored the first three runs to eventually defeat the Pirates, 5-3, at PNC Park.
It’s easy to understate the impact Reynolds has had on the Pirates through the early part of their season. But the image of him helplessly soaring through the air in both directions like a soccer goalie trying to stop penalty kicks illustrates how he really stands alone among the Pirates’ outfield group.
Despite all that running around, Reynolds managed to bash his team-leading ninth homer and collect his Pirates-best 28th RBI in the final inning, opening a rally that actually forced the Dodgers to turn to their closer, Kenley Jansen, after Michael Perez’s pinch-hit, solo shot brought the game to its final score.
Reynolds’ .286 batting average is nearly 70 points higher than the next best outfielder on the team. And to even make that distinction, it would have to include Phillip Evans, who the team has said will be used in more of a super-utility role, among the group. Evans is batting .217, Polanco is at .204 while Ben Gamel and Ka’ai Tom are batting .213 and .186, with the Pirates respectively.
With this in mind, the first question is: Can one of these guys seize the very obvious opportunity presented to them?
“No doubt. Whatever it looks like. If I'm playing every day, if I'm coming off the bench, you know, whatever it looks like,” was Gamel’s response when this very question was posed in the first on-field media availability since the pandemic.
In reality, the best way to attack this problem is not with a one-man solution. Evans, Tom, Gamel and Erik Gonzalez will have to see cover at-bats, but, most importantly, not at the same pace as an everyday hitter.
“We'll just see flexibility in when they play,” Derek Shelton said. “The fact that we have versatile guys is important.”
This is a good attitude to have when constructing a bench. But they’ve put themselves in a position where they need to cover at least one regular spot. Not because of injuries. But this is just a hole on their roster.
While Ke’Bryan Hayes was out and the Pirates scrambled to fill outfield spots after the departure of Anthony Alford and Dustin Fowler, Gonzalez and Evans saw plenty more at-bats than what was probably expected at the start of the season.
Unsurprisingly, they were overexposed. After a roaring hot start in which his average climbed to .406 at the start of the season, Evans went 11 for 79 (.139) over the final 23 games, in which he was starting pretty much every day, before hitting the injured list.
In his rehab, the Pirates opted to first use him off the bench to get him used to a pinch-hitting and fill-in role. He got a hit in four at-bats in his return to the lineup Tuesday, but there isn’t much to indicate that role would be consistent, let alone permanent.
“At the end of the day, if you're hitting, you're going to be in the lineup,” Evans said. “So, that's where my mentality is at. Whether it be pinch hits or starting. It's not going to change.”
None of these guys should have anything resembling 20-25 at-bats per week. They should all be used to fill that quota in the starting lineup. And maybe if guys like Evans, Gamel and Gonzalez are in their more familiar bench roles, something might click at the plate.
On top of all this, it might even be a good idea to cycle Polanco into this rotation. Something needs to be done there.
If having the most expensive salary is keeping him on the team, a lack of competition has given him continuous chances he certainly has not earned. At this point, showcasing him long enough to maybe get a decent prospect for him at the deadline seems like an absolute pipe dream. And a more lively crowd of more than 9,000 at PNC Park, even after a 30-minute rain delay, seems to have lost patience with him as well.
Even though the numbers aren’t much different, it really does seem like the Pirates are in a better position with this particular group than the one that broke camp. Namely, the center-field platoon of Alford and Fowler. And, based on their roster moves over the first eight weeks of the season, they certainly seem more comfortable with what Gamel and Tom can provide.
When Evans was activated off the injured list Tuesday after being out since May 12 with a left hamstring strain, the Pirates faced another roster crunch. Rather than ridding themselves of one of these struggling outfielders, the club designated Wilmer Difo for assignment. Difo, the major-league leader in total pinch hits, was a switch hitter that filled in at times in center.
It’s important to note these are not the names that will have much, if any, consequence on the long-term direction of the franchise. And when they’re being bandied about in this context, it’s a signal that the present situation is in dire straits.
But this is what they’re going to roll with. Nobody else is returning from injury or coming up from the minors to save the Pirates from the wreckage on the grass. They’re going to have to figure out the best way to make the most of this dreadful situation.
