By now, the reader knows of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ plans to move their All-Star Bryan Reynolds to right field. Recently acquired Tommy Pham was believed to have been signed to fill the right field vacancy. Instead, it will be Pham, soon to be 37 years of age, patrolling PNC Park’s vast left field expanse, where Reynolds has spent most of his Pirates career.
Very interesting note from Derek Shelton — He said the plan is to play Tommy Pham in left field, and have Bryan Reynolds in right.
— Noah Hiles (@noahhiles.bsky.social) February 12, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Bryan Reynolds to Right Field: A Deep Dive
Late last season, Reynolds was seen working out at first base, although he didn’t see action there during a game. There was speculation that he could move to first base to start the 2025 season as Spencer Horwitz recovers from his wrist injury. That would open left field to the usual suspects seen in the Pirates outfield in the recent past.
Right field isn’t new to Reynolds. He opened the 2024 season there when the Pirates signed Michael A. Taylor to play center field, bumping their 2023 center fielder, Jack Suwinski, to left field. However, Suwinski didn’t hit. By May 22, Reynolds was back in left field to stay.
According to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette beat reporter Noah Hiles, manager Derek Shelton explained this recent move thusly: “Bryan had, what, 11 outfield assists last year? [That’s correct, Shelty.] And now we’re going to shorten up where he’s at. I think we can take advantage of his full skill set by [Reynolds] being in right.” That assist total led the National League. It included seven assists from left field and four from right field.
The Numbers
Measuring a player’s worth on defense can be tricky. We’ve come a long way from the days when all that was available were fielding percentage and total errors, which were unreliable indicators in that they didn’t account for balls a player never got to because of the lack of range or the subjectivity involved in charging errors. There are now metrics that account for these things, although they’re not perfect either. Sometimes the results don’t pass the eye test. For example, in 2016, Andrew McCutchen’s -26 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) indicated he was the worst outfielder in baseball. The worst in baseball? Worse than J.D. Martinez and Matt Holliday? Give me a break. That didn’t pass the eye test or even the common sense test. It seems that DRS doesn’t account for the fact that the Pirates ordered “Cutch” to play shallower than normal in 2016.
With that in mind, let’s see what the metrics say about Reynolds and Pham defensively. They’re unkind to both outfielders. In 2024, Reynolds was charged with -14 Fielding Runs Above Average and -5 DRS. Pham was once considered a strong enough defensive outfielder that he saw considerable playing time in center field with the St. Louis Cardinals from 2015-18. He no longer enjoys that kind of reputation. Last year with three teams, Pham was “worth” -8 FRAA and -10 DRS in the outfield. However, he was better when he joined the Kansas City Royals for the season’s final month. With KC, he was worth 3 FRAA and 4 DRS. Pham told Andrew Destin of the Post-Gazette, “I know this game more than the analytics. I know how to be a plus defender.” Then again, what would one expect him to say?
How Not to Handle a Position Switch
Shifting Reynolds to right field won’t be the first time the Pirates have moved a star outfielder to another spot. Before the 2017 season, there were rumors that the Pirates were on the verge of trading McCutchen. Nothing materialized until the next offseason when McCutchen was traded for Reynolds. However, Pirates general manager Neal Huntington did nothing to dispel the rumors. It seemed this failure had the potential to damage the relationship between McCutchen and the team.
Worse yet was a telephone call from manager Clint Hurdle informing Cutch that he and his -26 DRS would be moved from center field to right field for 2017. Starling Marte, who won a Gold Glove Award for his play in left field in 2015 and 2016, would move to center. There was baseball logic behind the idea. Even so, the sensitive McCutchen was reportedly hurt that it was communicated to him as an order, not a request, with no input from the franchise icon. After McCutchen played 13 games in right field, however, Major League Baseball suspended Marte for 80 days for a violation of its PED policy. McCutchen then returned to center field. Hurdle announced that he’d remain there when Marte returned. Crisis averted – well, except that Marte’s suspension brought about a new crisis.
How to Handle a Position Switch
Forty years earlier, it was handled better when new Pirates manager Chuck Tanner moved Al Oliver from center field to left field to make room for speedy rookie Omar Moreno. Oliver and other Pirates, but especially Oliver, chafed at the lack of recognition for their accomplishments while dominating the National League East Division for most of the 1970s. Tanner’s predecessor, Danny Murtaugh, was quiet and reserved. He didn’t regale the press at length or engage in hyperbole. Meanwhile, his players seethed as Sparky Anderson in Cincinnati and Tommy Lasorda in Los Angeles constantly talked up their players. (On your next trip to PNC Park, stop by Manny’s BBQ and see former Pirates catcher Manny Sanguillén. He’s still sore over Johnny Bench starting the 1976 All-Star Game behind the dish when Bench was hitting .232. Ask him about it.)
Tanner knew what Oliver needed to hear. Twelve minutes into his first press conference, Tanner said, “Al Oliver is one of the finest players in the game” and kept piling on the praise throughout spring training. Oliver ate it up. “All these years and a guy comes in and tells people what I’ve been trying to tell them for years,” he told the Post-Gazette’s Phil Musick. “Here’s a man who comes in here and at his first press conference, mentions my name. . . How would I react to him? I don’t really know. But I might go out and ram my head through a wall for him.” As the uninitiated reader might surmise, the move to left field was no problem.
The Last Word on Reynolds and Right Field
In light of the above, one senses a bit of Tanneresque psychology from Shelton. As noted, often the defensive metrics don’t match the eye test. That seems to be the case here. To these eyes that have seen more Pirates baseball than some might consider rational, Reynolds has been a fine left fielder. But it’s the opinion of Pirates management that will matter. Shelton is an analytics disciple. The numbers say Reynolds is a below-average left fielder. My guess is Shelton agrees with the metrics and is shifting him to right field because there’s less ground to cover there at PNC Park. The talk of Reynolds’ strong throwing arm may be a smokescreen.
Reynolds, on the other hand, has the same regard for analytics as does Pham. “Apparently, my arm sucks, based on metrics. Apparently, I have a below-average arm,” Reynolds joked to Kevin Gorman of triblive.com. “I think I’ve got a good arm. I think that playing right field is setting me up for more assists.”
As for Pham, Shelton might be encouraged by his improved metrics with the Royals last year. In any event, Pham’s contract is only for one year. If the Bucs follow their usual modus operandi with players under expiring deals, Pham may not even last past the trade deadline. Looking at the big picture, it makes sense that the outfield would be aligned to place Reynolds, who’s under a long-term contract, in a position where he’s more likely to succeed.
Photo Credit: © David Banks-Imagn Images
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