Tom hoping to fit in Pirates' outfield puzzle

PITTSBURGH -- Can Ka'ai Tom be the third starting outfielder the Pirates have been looking for this season? They’re about to find out.

On Tuesday the Pirates activated Tom, who was claimed off waivers by the club last Wednesday, ahead of a five-game homestand. Rodolfo Castro, who made his MLB debut on Thursday, was optioned to the alternate training site in a corresponding move.

Tom was not in the starting lineup for Pittsburgh’s series opener against Kansas City on Tuesday, but he took outfield reps before the game and was available off the bench.

“I think the big thing is just getting his legs underneath him, because of being claimed off waivers and then having to go through the protocols,” manager Derek Shelton said. “We just want to make sure for full games that he's in a [good] position leg-wise, so you'll see him pinch-hit, pinch-run or play defense initially, but he's gonna get on the field.”

? Ka'ai Tom's journey from Hawaii to the Majors

Tom enters the Pirates’ system with a great opportunity to establish a role in the outfield. Anthony Alford and Dustin Fowler were given the majority of reps in center in the first three weeks of the season, but Pittsburgh has designated both for assignment. Though both were solid defensively, Alford hit 2-for-24 with 16 strikeouts, and Fowler hit 7-for-41 with 20 strikeouts.

Tom plays all three outfield positions, and he played more than 100 games at each over his Minor League career in Cleveland’s system. Shelton said that Tom will initially get looks at the corners, but he will also have the chance to play center, where Bryan Reynolds is seeing time right now -- and where Tom is most comfortable.

“I just like how it’s very open, and I can just run and catch balls and make plays,” Tom said. “Ultimately, I’m just focusing on being prepared for my opportunities, getting better. Wherever they put me in the lineup, it doesn’t matter to me.”

The difference at the plate between Alford/Fowler and Tom is noticeable: The first two take longer strokes, whereas Tom has a shorter, more Adam Frazier-esque compact swing, with the ability to go to all fields. Sometimes it can be more difficult for that type of stroke to produce home runs -- especially given Tom’s 5-foot-9, 185-pound frame -- but he hit 23 home runs in 2019 during a breakout season split between Double-A and Triple-A.

However, that power didn’t come easy. Tom hit .185 with one homer that April before he sat down with Akron’s hitting coach, Justin Toole, to talk through his disappointments and frustrations. Toole didn’t offer a magic pill for Tom’s swing, but the discussion allowed Tom to get the headspace he needed to work through his swing, which led to a breakthrough in his timing and rhythm at the plate.

“With this hand rhythm, I was able to put all of that together, and if I needed to just slap the ball the other way, or if a pitcher made a mistake, I was able to drive it out of the park,” Tom said. “Just little minor adjustments. It didn't need to be so big.”

Tom’s Major League career began quite differently from most players, and not simply because he was a Rule 5 Draft pick by the A’s in December. The 26-year-old was called upon to pitch on April 4 in a 9-2 loss to the Astros before he collected his first MLB hit in the next game.

“It’s definitely an unusual circumstance,” Tom said.

Now, after being let go by the A’s after a 1-for-16 start, Tom will get the time to try to make an impression with a new club, and he’ll get the time and reps to prove himself.

“It kind of felt like the same feeling of relief or excitement, joy, like the first time I got claimed as a Rule 5 [draftee] with Oakland,” he said. “Just having a team out here believe in me and thinking that I can make an impact to get some wins, and ultimately, I’m going to take what I learned in Oakland my first time around and, hopefully, really contribute to this team.”