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Clint Hurdle Announces New Defensive Alignment in the Outfield

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The Pittsburgh Pirates announced a new defensive alignment via press release today, with a quote from Clint Hurdle about the move. It wasn’t unexpected, as it has been mentioned in the past, and the defensive metrics have pointed to Andrew McCutchen being the worst defensive center fielder in baseball during the 2016 season. The new move puts two-time Gold Glove winner Starling Marte in center field, Gregory Polanco in left field and McCutchen in right field. This possible move being discussed was mentioned back in early November. Here is the full quote from Hurdle.

“After a detailed evaluation, various considerations and many conversations, we have discussed with each of our outfielders the defensive alignment that we will employ. That alignment will be Gregory in left field, Starling in center and Andrew in right. We believe this alignment will maximize our outfield production. Our men were very professional and respectful of the team and each other throughout the process, and are selfless in helping us strengthen our team defensively.”

Tim Williams has discussed the position change multiple times this off-season, if you would like to read more on the move prior to it happening.

One Way or Another, Andrew McCutchen Needs to Move

The Best Outfield Positioning for the Pirates

Center Field Recap

John Dreker
John Dreker
John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball. When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.

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