McLouth Signs With Pittsburgh

After accumulating -1.0 WAR over the past two years in Atlanta, the Braves declined their 2012 option on outfielder Nate McLouth and allowed the former Gold Glove center fielder — yes, Gold Glover, seriously — to reach the free agent market.

A sizzling market never materialized for the 30-year-old, but the Pittsburgh Pirates are reportedly poised to sign McLouth to a one-year deal. It will bring McLouth back to his old stomping ground in his glory days, when he was considered a breakout star after slugging 26 home runs and posting a .369 wOBA with the Pirates in 2008.

He will not be returning to Pittsburgh in the same capacity as when he left, though. Andrew McCutchen now patrols center field. Jose Tabata and Alex Presley have the inside track at the corner outfield spots. It seems McLouth was brought back to Pittsburgh to serve as the fourth outfielder and mentor the young kids.

McLouth is simply not the hitter that he once was. He still boasts a walk rate consistently north of 11% — it was 13.7% in 2011 — and he still runs the bases exceedingly well, but the wheels have fallen off at the plate after two straight seasons of declining ISO numbers and sub-.700 OPS. Consider the fact that his defensive numbers continue to be well below-average, and it’s perhaps surprising he even garnered a major-league deal.

The good news is that Pittsburgh now have an improvement over Xavier Paul, who served as the fourth outfielder for the Pirates in 2011. His .286 wOBA and questionable defense has led to a career -0.3 WAR over 183 games in three seasons. McLouth will get on base more than Xavier Paul, and he will likely hit for more power. So, at least the move is an upgrade as a whole.

Some speculation abounds that this McLouth deal could mean Garrett Jones gets non-tendered to save a couple million dollars. That would be an unfortunate result, as Jones hits for more power, posts similar walk rates, and can (kind of) play both corner outfield positions.

McLouth, on the other hand, has the advantage that he can serve as McCutchen’s backup in center field. Jones cannot function in that capacity whatsoever. That’s really the only thing that Nate McLouth has over Garrett Jones. Well, that and baserunning. McLouth had a +4.2 BsR in 2011, while Jones was below-average at -4.3 BsR.

It should also be noted that neither McLouth nor Jones can handle left-handed pitching with any consistency, which could also lead the Pirates to non-tender Jones. The organization would be wise to pair McLouth with another reserve outfielder with a right-handed bat; perhaps Gorkys Hernandez — who hit .283/.348/.392 in Triple-A Indianapolis — is ready to make his big-league debut.

Whatever happens with Garrett Jones and the other backup outfield position, though, Nate McLouth is back in Pittsburgh. He will hope to find a bit of the magic that helped him become one of the more exciting young outfielders in the game just four years ago.