PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates realigned their outfield this spring, a change that was partially negated by Andrew McCutchen moving back to center field after Starling Marte's 80-game suspension. But they made another change that should stick.
After shifting in last season, the Bucs have moved their outfielders back a few feet. It's not a dramatic alteration -- not like their move in last year -- but it is a return to "more of a normal depth," outfield coach Kimera Bartee said.
The numbers, available through Statcast™ tracking technology, back up Bartee's assertion. In 2015, the Pirates lined up their center fielders an average of 316 feet from home plate. That ticked down to 307 feet last year, tied for shallowest in the Majors. So far this year, it's back to 316 feet.
The Bucs haven't changed as much in left field, playing roughly the same depth from 2015-17. They have taken a few steps back in right field, moving from 289 to 297 feet.
Manager Clint Hurdle said the decision was based on a variety of factors, taking into account the current pitching staff and the way last year's experiment worked out.
"I just think we factored everything in," Hurdle said. "We've used analytics, human analytics. We've talked to the players. Touch and feel for ballparks. We've decided that we'll drop it back a little bit."
Some of McCutchen's 2016 struggles in center -- he posted a minus-28 Defensive Runs Saved total, lowest in the Majors -- were attributed to his positioning. Seeking every possible advantage, the Pirates believed a shallower outfield would take away bloop singles and extra bases behind a ground ball-heavy pitching staff.
But the rotation struggled throughout last season, and more balls than expected wound up in the air. As the year went on, the Bucs gradually shifted their outfielders further back, according to Statcast™ data.
In his first two games back in center following Marte's suspension, McCutchen stood an average of 321 feet from home plate at Busch Stadium, 14 feet deeper than he lined up last year, and he made a handful of impressive plays to thwart potential extra-base hits.
"We're going back to a normal-type depth," Bartee said. "We're going to pick and choose points where we'll play shallow. There's been a little more analytical manpower put into it. We're going to pick our spots as opposed to a mass moving of the outfielders in."
When will they move? It depends on who's hitting and the game situation, and they have some freedom to make decisions based on their own feel for the game. If they see a batter simply trying to put the ball in play with a two-strike count, for instance, they might choose to move in.
"It also leaves [it up] to the baseball instincts of the outfielders to read what they're seeing," Bartee said. "It's analytics-based, but it has a baseball instinct flavor to it. We're working to get that sweet spot.
"We trust every outfielder we put out there. We have a base point to start them off. If they see something off that or feel a situation based on the homework they're doing -- watching our pitcher, watching the hitters' swings -- they have all the confidence in us to move and be beneficial toward putting away outs."