The outfield the Pirates are going to field in 2009 is a far cry from the one that entered the 2008 All-Star break as possibly the best hitting outfield in the National League. That’s how life is for a rebuilding club like the Pirates, but the outfield this year could be particularly hard to watch with the available assets the Pirates have to open 2009.
Right field
This one is pretty straightforward, as the Bucs look like they’re going to give the starting job in right to Brandon Moss. This hinges on Moss recovering completely from the knee surgery he had late in the 2008 season, but things look good right now and all signs point to him being the starter on Opening Day. Giving Moss this spot isn’t a terrible idea; he’s got decent minor league numbers that improved as he advanced and he flashed a bit of pop in his short stint with the Pirates last year. The team say they see a lot of Nate McLouth in Moss, but Moss probably strikes out a little bit too much and doesn’t quite get on base enough for that comparison to hold. Still, he does have enough talent that there’s a glimmer of hope that he’ll be more than a fourth outfielder and he’s got the ability to take aim at the short right field wall at PNC, so the Pirates could do worse than giving him a chance to play and show what he can do this year.
In the end, Moss and Steve Pearce may end up platooning in an outfield spot and that’s likely not a bad option to get more production out of an outfield spot, but before that happens Pearce has to prove he can consistently hit at a Major League level and Moss has to prove he can’t. The Pirates don’t have much to play for in 2009, so Moss will get his chance now.
Topics: Brandon Moss, Steve Pearce
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I hope Brandon Moss can become the right fielder we need with pop in his bat. Steve Pearce, on the other hand, has showed very little in call ups the last 2 seasons.