The Pittsburgh Pirates have moved Gregory Polanco back to right field for the foreseeable future. Not only was this the right move, it may have been the only move.
The Pittsburgh Pirates find themselves cornered, and, unlike Baby, circumstances have conspired to put them there.
Those circumstances have been covered ad nauseam by many different outlets – this one included. To rehash them would be a sadistic exercise against Pirates fans who are searching for a glimmer of hope right now.
They may finally have the beginning of something positive to hold onto with the announcement that Gregory Polanco will be moving back into his role as the team’s everyday right fielder.
A Quick Hook
The move back to right field for Polanco may have come as a shock to Pittsburgh Pirates fans.
[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The Pittsburgh Pirates find themselves cornered[/perfectpullquote]If they have learned anything from observing the club over the Neal Huntington era, they would know that a move such as position changes for its three outfielders would be backed by solid data supporting it.
The flip side of that approach is that a move of such magnitude has historically been given every chance to succeed or fail, with a built in guard against small sample size. A prime example of this would be the 278 plate appearances that Andrew McCutchen received at the second spot in the order last season before returning to his customary third slot.
One can only wonder what McCutchen’s 2016 season would have looked like if Clint Hurdle made that move sooner.
There will be no such wonder with Polanco, who moves back to the familiar confines of right field after 27 starts in left. As Hurdle relayed to Stephen Nesbitt of the Post Gazette, Polanco has been every bit of average in left defensively. The move was borne out of necessity more than striving for improvement. As Nesbitt points out, the Pittsburgh Pirates have used 29 different defensive lineups, and part of that was due to having to play John Jaso and Jose Osuna in right field.
The woeful defense shown in the right field black hole forced the team’s hand, but the benefits will likely extend to the plate as well.
Anyone Got A Jump?
The Pittsburgh Pirates are also hoping that the move back to familiar territory will jump start Polanco at the plate. It can be argued that the team might desire this more than any improved defensive numbers.
[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]If they have learned anything from observing the club over the Neal Huntington era, they would know that a move such as position changes for its three outfielders would be backed by solid data supporting it.[/perfectpullquote]They certainly need it.
Though Polanco has not shown up much in the run creation department – he has but six RBI to go along with a .248/.345/.347 slash – he has quietly been having a patient season at the plate if not a productive one.
As of this writing, the left-handed hitting Polanco carries a 12 percent walk rate against a 14.5 percent strikeout rate. Though both will likely regress, they currently represent career highs. With figures like that, it is no wonder that Hurdle prefers to stick with Polanco at the cleanup spot in hopes that something clicks.
It is actually pretty easy to point out what has been holding Polanco back from greater heights in 2017. As per Fangraphs, Polanco is only making hard contact 20.2 percent of the time. With a BABIP of .298 (not great, but not horrible), more well struck swings will of course result in more hits.
And that is where a move to right field can help Polanco. Despite their best efforts, players often bring their troubles in the field to the plate and vice versa. That can happen with any player, regardless of stature.
But if we look at Polanco specifically – a 25 year-old multi tool player who has been asked to learn a tough position and hit behind the team’s “best hitter” – the taxation that the position change is likely taking on Polanco at the plate amounts to theft on his offensive output.
A more relaxed and less taxed Polanco can do wonders for the Pittsburgh Pirates offensively, and moving him to right field will only help in this regard. And it will jump start the team defense as well. Polanco does carry a +12 DRS in right field for his career to go along with 27 assists. Certainly that would be an improvement over their other options at this point.
Photo Credit – Bryan Green – Flickr Creative Commons
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