Dyson a bit of fresh air in clubhouse
BRADENTON, Fla. — Two things we learned about the Pirates’ newest player, Jarrod Dyson, on Thursday afternoon: The 35-year-old outfielder places an enormous amount of emphasis on his defense, and he’s also brutally honest.
Time will tell which of those matters more to the Pirates, but it should be fun to watch it all play out.
Hours after the Pirates made official their one-year, $2 million deal with Dyson — they opened up a spot on the 40-man roster by transferring Jameson Taillon to the 60-day injured list — the McComb, Miss., native
strolled into Pirate City and met with the media for the first time.
Dyson cracked jokes. He pumped his own tires a bit. And he didn’t lie about his reason for signing with the Pirates late in free agency.
“Ain’t too much out there right now,” Dyson replied when asked why he signed with the Pirates. “You would love to explore, but at the same time, you have to take what you can, take the good with the bad and roll with it. Make the most of it.”
While that quote might read like Dyson showed up with cartons of eggs and started chucking them at the outside of the building, think about what he’s saying for a second.
It’s the second week of February. Dyson didn’t have a job. The Pirates won 69 games last year. What’s he supposed to say, that he and his .657 career OPS have been shooing away teams all winter, hoping and praying this opportunity would come to fruition?
Heck, no.
Dyson needed work. The fix-on-the-fly Pirates needed a center fielder for a reasonable rate, someone who can play a little defense, and Dyson will give them that. He might offer them a little brutal honesty, something they could probably use as well.
“Guys always tell me what I bring to the table,” Dyson said. “That’s energy and my clubhouse presence. It’s going to be always known around the league because I’m a loud guy. I don’t mind speaking my mind. I try to do everything at the right time, just try to be a leader everywhere I go.”
At times last season, the Pirates were noticeably young and inexperienced. As Joe Musgrove said last month during PiratesFest, they got kicked in the teeth — and didn’t have anything resembling a proper response.
Dyson may not have much of a filter and he may lack some pop in his bat, but you better believe that he’ll have a response. Probably a few of them.
Like when Dyson was asked about playing in the Grapefruit League for the first time. He wound up ripping the lengthy travel and joking about how playing baseball for six weeks down here will be “a good experience to put on the resume.”
“I couldn’t care less about the Florida league when I had it so good over there in Arizona,” Dyson said of the Cactus League. “But now I’m here, so I gotta experience it.”
Next came PNC Park, where Dyson has enjoyed playing … but with a catch.
“I love the fans,” Dyson said. “They got on me every time I was out there, but I was making some plays. I actually played pretty well in the ballpark last year. It was a great experience for me.”
Dyson was also entertaining when talking about what it would mean to set the table for Josh Bell. Although he’s averaged 25 steals per season throughout his 10-year career, Dyson doesn’t seem to mind that number going down some if Bell gets hot.
“I can be walking around the bases just like him,”
Dyson said.
On the bases, Dyson comes to Pittsburgh with the reputation for being aggressive. Five times he’s stolen 30 or more bases, including exactly 30 last season with the Diamondbacks. He loves the “cat-and-mouse” game baserunners play with pitchers, and he loves generally being a pain in the backside for the other team.
Center field is where the Pirates expect Dyson to help the most. General manager Ben Cherington spoke earlier Thursday about improving the Pirates’ defense and said he thought Dyson, along with other offseason additions, will help to that end.