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Tommy Pham is without doubt one of the many free brokers nonetheless with out a contract for 2022, and the lockout has solely added to the uncertainty dealing with Pham’s market following a pair of underwhelming seasons with the Padres. Nevertheless, Pham is seeking to improve his positional worth, with The Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin writing that the veteran outfielder is “open to enjoying first base if wanted.”
Particularly, Pham stated he could be excited about enjoying first base in a second stint with the Rays, as Pham performed in Tampa in the course of the 2018-19 seasons. The Rays are known to be searching for a right-handed hitting first base choice, and a reunion with Pham could be a inventive method of addressing that want. It stands to motive that if Pham is keen to tackle a brand new place with the Rays, he’s additionally keen to select up a primary base glove with different contenders who would possibly come calling, and maybe non-contenders as properly.
Pham took a frank view of his pending free company final September, saying that “I didn’t play properly sufficient” in 2021 and that he was “totally ready to take a one-year deal and reestablish my market.” Pham was nonetheless a barely above-average hitter within the view of wRC+ (102) and OPS+ (103), as he batted .229/.340/.383 with 15 house runs over 561 plate appearances with San Diego. That form of manufacturing and enjoying time is itself a powerful accomplishment contemplating that Pham was coming off a terrifying stabbing incident in October 2020 that threatened his life.
A case could be made that Pham was fairly unfortunate on the plate final 12 months, contemplating that his .354 xwOBA was considerably increased than his .318 wOBA. Between that obvious differential and his nonetheless stable hard-contact numbers, Pham might properly be a bounce-back candidate to look at in 2022. Actually, he appears precisely like the kind of comparatively cheap veteran the Rays would historically goal in free company, because the crew would guess {that a} wholesome Pham might match or higher the manufacturing of a participant with a heftier price ticket.
Pham performed 37 video games at shortstop in his very first season of professional ball, method again in 2006 with the Cardinals’ rookie ball affiliate. Since then, he has completely performed within the outfield, and largely in left discipline because the begin of the 2019 season. Among the many publicly accessible statistics for measuring protection, the Outs Above Common metric has been very down (-17) on Pham’s left discipline glovework over the past three seasons, whereas UZR/150 (-1.1) and Defensive Runs Saved (-3.3) are at the very least satisfactory, if trending downward.
With this in thoughts, a change in positions could be a logical pivot for a veteran participant seeking to prolong his profession. Pham turns 34 in March, and he’d want a giant 12 months on the plate (regardless of the place) to line himself up for a pleasant multi-year contract subsequent winter, if he does certainly go for only a one-year contract throughout this journey to the open market. Whereas well being points have hampered Pham over the past two years, he isn’t far faraway from a really sturdy five-year stretch of hitting .277/.373/.472 over 2110 PA with the Cardinals and Rays from 2015-19.
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