PIRATES OUTFIELD ONE OF THE BEST
Marte, Polanco soar while McCutchen struggles at plate
Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco — the talented troika that make up the Pittsburgh Pirates outfield — recently stood along the third-base line at New York’s Citi Field and posed for a photo. They smiled, laughed and dabbed. Even here, they collaborated in unison.
That trio has been the bright spot for Pittsburgh this season. After three consecutive playoff appearances, the Pirates were sitting below .500 entering the week, in the middle of the wild-card race but double digits behind the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central. Pirates ace Gerritt Cole was on the disabled list, and Pittsburgh was in the bottom half of the NL in rotation ERA. Its reputation and development into a pitching rehabilitation factory under the tutelage of pitching coach Ray Searage has failed the Pirates to some degree with Jon Niese and Juan Nicasio floundering.
But that outfield continues to rake. And the picture? It captured what just might be the best outfield in baseball.
“If you’re talking about an offensive outfield, just take the numbers,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle says. “Where do they match up with everybody else’s outfield? I imagine they’re in the top five. Match them up defensively — I believe that our outfield is one of the best in the game.”
Entering the week, only the Cubs outfield has a higher collective WAR (Wins Above Replacement), according to FanGraphs. No one has a higher wRC+ (Weighted Runs Created Plus) — a catch-all statistic that measures offensive production.
Most surprising of all, perhaps, is that Pittsburgh has done this with McCutchen — its best player and an annual MVP contender — having, by far, the worst year of his major league career. His struggles have been diminished by the continued ascent of Polanco, 24, and Marte, 27.
“It’s one of the most athletic outfields that I’ve seen,” says Neil Walker, the Mets second baseman and a former teammate. “All three guys are true center fielders. They all run. They’re athletes. They’re gifted. They’re all four-, five-, six-tool guys.”
After two rocky seasons to start his time with the club, Polanco is harnessing his immense talent. Entering the week, he was hitting .297 with 10 home runs and nine stolen bases. Marte was third in the National League with a .327 average and, according to Walker, might “have the best arm in baseball.”
They are also examples of the Pirates’ long-term approach to roster building. The organization signed Marte to a five-year extension in 2014 after just 182 games in the majors. This April, they agreed a similar deal with Polanco.
“Whenever we talk about extensions, we’re talking about obviously players that have the talent to be what we think they can be,” says Kyle Stark, the Pirates assistant general manager. “But ultimately we are betting on the people. We felt like both of those guys were guys to bet on and were going to continue to get better.”
McCutchen was the original model for this. He signed a six-year, $51.5 million deal in March 2012, then helped usher in a new era of prosperity in Pittsburgh, winning the MVP award in 2013 as the Pirates returned to the playoffs. But after he had four consecutive top-five finishes in the NL MVP voting as he blossomed into a superstar, McCutchen’s .732 on-baseplus-slugging percentage this year is nearly one hundred points lower than any he has posted over a full season.
Surprisingly, he has become a question mark. His walk rate is down and his strikeout rate has spiked, both by significant degrees. While he told reporters recently that a thumb injury has caused difficulty for him, he said it arose in late May.
If McCutchen can return to his redoubtable form, then the Pirates might just make the playoffs again. For now, they can still claim the best outfield in baseball.