This is week one of a series of a series of six giving a grade to each of the Pittsburgh Pirates position groups in 2016. Our first week takes a look at the Pirates outfield who as a group endured some great highs and some all-time lows as well. However, as a whole, they were still the leaders of the 2016 Pirates team.
Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte, and Gregory Polanco. Hearing these three names as the Pirate starting outfield prior to the 2016 season made many Pirates fans very optimistic. McCuthcen was a five time all-star, Marte was coming off a career year, and Polanco was due for a break-out season. This trio was considered by many to be the best outfield in baseball coming into the 2016 season.
Marte would build upon his fantastic 2015 season in 2016 for the Pirates. He finished the year hitting a team leading .311 with nine home runs and 46 RBI while spending most of the season in the number six or seven spot in the order. The .311 average was a career high for Marte and he was a much more patient hitter at the plate as the season moved on.
Strikeouts have plagued Marte throughout his career, however, in 2016 he struck out only 104 times in a total of 489 at-bats. That is the lowest number of strikeouts in a season for Marte since he became a full-time starter for the Pirates in the 2013 season. Marte has found a home in the middle of the Pirates order. He started his career hitting in the number two hole behind Polanco, but he tried to do too much to get on base and it would cost him.
One thing that did not go down with Marte's movement to the middle of the order was his stolen base numbers. Marte stole a career high 47 bases in 2016 in 59 chances. Marte has been known for his speed his entire career stealing at-least 30 bases in each season he has been named a starter. That speed helps him in the field as well as he is able to run down many balls that other outfielders can't get to. He posted a .982 fielding percentage in 2016, four errors in 217 chances. His efforts last year in the field earned him the 2015 Wilson Defenisve Player of the Year award and he will look to win it again in 2016.
Among Marte's other accomplishments was he being named to his first ever all-star game in 2016. He, along with Mark Melancon, were the Pirates representatives for the all-star festivities in San Diego, California. He did get into the game playing center field and went 1 for 1 at the plate with a single.
For as good of a season as Marte had, Polanco had that and much more. Polanco was a prospect who was struggling offensively and defensively for his first two years in the league. However, he put it all together in 2016 and set career highs in every offensive category including average, .258, home runs, 22, and RBI, 86. He finally grabbed a stronghold on the right field position and proved that he belonged at the major league level.
Prior to this season, Polanco had only had over ten home runs twice in his professional career, his professional baseball high was formerly 16 home runs hit in 2012 at the single A level. As a corner outfielder, you expect a little pop in the bat, and Polanco delivered on that this year. I dont know if the power is something we can expect from Polanco in the future, but it would be an added plus to his game.
Polanco is another Pirates who benefited from a move down in the order. Early in his career, he was a guy who was routinely on top of the Pirates lineup. However, this year he hit sixth or seventh, wherever Marte was not, and drove in a career high and a team high 86 RBI. Polanco is a guy the Pirates are counting on for the future to lead this team to the promised land.
Out of the three names mentioned early in the article, nobody expected McCutchen to be the worst of the three in 2016, but that is just what happened. McCutchen struggled through the worst year of his career hitting a career low .256 with 24 home runs and 79 RBI. McCutchen had struggles in the field as well with a .991 fielding percentage, the lowest of either of the other three Pirates outfielders.
McCutchen had carried this Pirates team on his back ever since his call-up to the major league level. The five-time all star routinely lead the Pirates in every offensive category and was a big part of all three Pirates playoff teams. His power numbers were still up in 2016 as he hit over 20 home runs for the sixth consecutive season.
McCutchen just did not look like himself at the plate this season striking out a career high 143 times at the plate and walked the a career low 69 times. Usually one of the most patient hitters in baseball, McCutchen swung at a lot of bad pitches this season and it cost him some stats at the plate. McCuthcen is going into his age 30 season, so the age is something to keep in mind as you evaluate this season.
Outfield 2016 Grade: A-
Despite the struggles of its star Andrew McCutchen, the Pirates outfield gets an A- this year in my book due to the breakout seasons of both Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco. Both had career highs in average and Polanco had a career high in RBI. Both played an integral part in the middle of the Pirates order and look to stay there for years to come. Even with rumors circling about the Pirates shopping Andrew McCutchen, this outfield looks poised and ready for another great season in 2017.
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