Tommy Pham is ready to prove himself in Pittsburgh.
Joining his ninth team since 2021, Pham said Monday morning that he had a few different options in free agency, but, ultimately, the Pirates seemed like a great landing spot for him.
They provided an opportunity to play, a young pitching staff that is loaded with talent and after experiencing what PNC Park was like while playing for the Cardinals, he thought it was an intriguing opportunity.
“The fans are very proud of this team,” Pham said. “I remember playing against them early in my career in St. Louis and it was sold out, and I just remember talking to Waino (Adam Wainwright) like 'Man, it's like this here?' And the stadium's beautiful, of course, with the backdrop and everything. There's a lot to like just as a guy in baseball."
Here's Pham's media availability from this morning:
Pham officially signed his one-year, $4.03 million deal yesterday and Dauri Moreta was placed on the 60-day injured list as he continues to rehab from Tommy John surgery he underwent in March.
As a soon-to-be 37-year-old outfielder, Pham is coming off a season where he hit nine home runs and tallied 39 RBIs and slashed .248/.305/.368 with a .674 OPS. He hit a home run off Braxton Ashcraft today in live batting practice that landed on the roof of the indoor batting cages in left center, which was close to 400 feet.
But, Pham said he believes it's more than just his hitting that he needs to build on, it's his defense.
"I'm out to prove myself that I'm better than what I showed last year defensively," he said.
Pham played for the White Sox, Cardinals and Royals a year ago and started to play better defensively after he joined the Royals. In left field, Pham recorded a -1 Outs Above Average and -2 Defensive Runs Saved for the White Sox while recording a -2 OAA and -2 DRS in right field. His numbers in St. Louis weren't much better. But, with the Royals, he was worth +2 OAA and 1 DRS in left and +1 OAA and 3 DRS in right field.
When Pham joined the Royals he said he played shallower which allowed him to cut off more baserunners and get to balls quicker than he was in St. Louis or Chicago.
"I know what to do, man. I know this game more than the analytics," Pham said. "I know how to be a plus defender. Sometimes, like last year, I was playing deep. When you're deep, you don't really put yourself in a position to throw out guys when they're on the bases. You're getting to the ball late, you're throwing from a longer distance ... there's a lot of familiarity with me playing more shallow. And based off the last month of the season, that's clearly what I'm good at."
There are also intangibles that Pham brings to the clubhouse that both Ben Cherington and Derek Shelton have spoke about since spring training started last week and they all relate to winning. Pham has been a part of winning ball clubs for most of his career and adding that experience to the clubhouse is valuable in Shelton's eyes.
"That's exactly what we wanted," Shelton said. "We wanted Tommy Pham. He was the guy we targeted. He was the guy we liked for a long time. I think the biggest thing you can say about Tommy Pham is he's a winner. He drives not only himself, but he has an expectation for his teammates to win. That was important to put in our clubhouse."
With a smile and a laugh, Pham admitted that he might not be able to bring much leadership wise, but he's a "pros pro" and has learned from the likes of Yadier Molina, Adam Wainwright and Matt Holiday throughout his career.
Picking up things from those three has allowed Pham to learn what he needs to do on a day-to-day basis. He believes that will be valuable in the Pirates' clubhouse.
"It was lucky for me to have such good leaders early in my career that taught us well," Pham said. "There's a lot of guys in the game who, we came up in '14, '15 who are still in the game, and just how we go about our business is strictly because of that."
THE ASYLUM
Pham: 'I'm out to prove myself'
Tommy Pham is ready to prove himself in Pittsburgh.
Joining his ninth team since 2021, Pham said Monday morning that he had a few different options in free agency, but, ultimately, the Pirates seemed like a great landing spot for him.
They provided an opportunity to play, a young pitching staff that is loaded with talent and after experiencing what PNC Park was like while playing for the Cardinals, he thought it was an intriguing opportunity.
“The fans are very proud of this team,” Pham said. “I remember playing against them early in my career in St. Louis and it was sold out, and I just remember talking to Waino (Adam Wainwright) like 'Man, it's like this here?' And the stadium's beautiful, of course, with the backdrop and everything. There's a lot to like just as a guy in baseball."
Here's Pham's media availability from this morning:
Pham officially signed his one-year, $4.03 million deal yesterday and Dauri Moreta was placed on the 60-day injured list as he continues to rehab from Tommy John surgery he underwent in March.
As a soon-to-be 37-year-old outfielder, Pham is coming off a season where he hit nine home runs and tallied 39 RBIs and slashed .248/.305/.368 with a .674 OPS. He hit a home run off Braxton Ashcraft today in live batting practice that landed on the roof of the indoor batting cages in left center, which was close to 400 feet.
But, Pham said he believes it's more than just his hitting that he needs to build on, it's his defense.
"I'm out to prove myself that I'm better than what I showed last year defensively," he said.
Pham played for the White Sox, Cardinals and Royals a year ago and started to play better defensively after he joined the Royals. In left field, Pham recorded a -1 Outs Above Average and -2 Defensive Runs Saved for the White Sox while recording a -2 OAA and -2 DRS in right field. His numbers in St. Louis weren't much better. But, with the Royals, he was worth +2 OAA and 1 DRS in left and +1 OAA and 3 DRS in right field.
When Pham joined the Royals he said he played shallower which allowed him to cut off more baserunners and get to balls quicker than he was in St. Louis or Chicago.
"I know what to do, man. I know this game more than the analytics," Pham said. "I know how to be a plus defender. Sometimes, like last year, I was playing deep. When you're deep, you don't really put yourself in a position to throw out guys when they're on the bases. You're getting to the ball late, you're throwing from a longer distance ... there's a lot of familiarity with me playing more shallow. And based off the last month of the season, that's clearly what I'm good at."
There are also intangibles that Pham brings to the clubhouse that both Ben Cherington and Derek Shelton have spoke about since spring training started last week and they all relate to winning. Pham has been a part of winning ball clubs for most of his career and adding that experience to the clubhouse is valuable in Shelton's eyes.
"That's exactly what we wanted," Shelton said. "We wanted Tommy Pham. He was the guy we targeted. He was the guy we liked for a long time. I think the biggest thing you can say about Tommy Pham is he's a winner. He drives not only himself, but he has an expectation for his teammates to win. That was important to put in our clubhouse."
With a smile and a laugh, Pham admitted that he might not be able to bring much leadership wise, but he's a "pros pro" and has learned from the likes of Yadier Molina, Adam Wainwright and Matt Holiday throughout his career.
Picking up things from those three has allowed Pham to learn what he needs to do on a day-to-day basis. He believes that will be valuable in the Pirates' clubhouse.
"It was lucky for me to have such good leaders early in my career that taught us well," Pham said. "There's a lot of guys in the game who, we came up in '14, '15 who are still in the game, and just how we go about our business is strictly because of that."
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