Gregory Polanco, Outfield


Date of Birth: 9/14/1991
Birthplace: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Nickname: El Coffee

Gregory Polanco, outfielder, was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in March, 2009. He played in the Pirates' minor league system from 2009 through half of 2014. During that time, he batted .285 with 504 hits, 90 doubles, 143 stolen bases, 289 RBIs, and 312 strikeouts to 190 walks in 479 games. Defensively, he played 249 games in center field, 194 games in right field, and 8 games in left field.

Polanco joined the Pirates for 89 games in 2014. He struggled in his first year in the major leagues, batting just .235 with 65 hits, 14 stolen bases, and 33 RBIs. Defensively, he played 83 games in right field.

In 2015, his first full season in the major leagues, Polanco batted .256 with 152 hits, 35 doubles, 27 stolen bases, and 52 RBIs in 153 games. Defensively, as a right fielder, he made 247 putouts and 8 errors in 144 games. In the postseason Wild Card game, he had two strikeouts in four at-bats.

Polanco had a good season in 2016, batting .258 in 144 games. He finished the season with 136 hits, 34 doubles, 22 home runs, 17 stolen bases, and 86 RBIs. Defensively, as the Pirates' right fielder in 111 games, he made 203 putouts and 5 errors.

In 2017, Polanco batted .251 in 108 games. He finished the season with 95 hits, 20 doubles, 11 home runs, 35 RBIs, and 60 strikeouts to 27 walks. Defensively, he played 25 games in left field, 6 games in center field, and 68 games in right field.

Polanco finished the 2018 season with 117 hits, 32 doubles, 23 home runs, 81 RBIs, 117 strikeouts to 61 walks, and a .254 batting average in 130 games. Defensively, as a right fielder in 124 games, he made 229 putouts and 2 errors.

Polanco spent time on the DL in 2019 with shoulder issues. He batted .242 with 37 hits in 42 games.

Polanco played in 50 games in 2020. He finished the season with 24 hits, 6 doubles, 7 home runs, 22 RBIs, 65 strikeouts to 13 walks, and a .153 batting average. Defensively, he played 39 games in right field. He was the Pirates' DH in 8 games.

After being designated for assignment by the Pirates on August 28, 2021, Polanco signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on August 31st. He finished the 2021 season with 79 hits, 14 stolen bases, 36 RBIs, 104 strikeouts to 36 walks, and a .208 batting average in 107 games with the Pirates. He played only in the minors with the Blue Jays.

Polanco became a free agent on November 7, 2021.

Career batting statistics for Polanco through 2021 include:

  • 823 games played
  • 696 hits
  • 156 doubles
  • 96 home runs
  • 98 stolen bases
  • 362 RBIs
  • 694 strikeouts to 287 walks
  • .241 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Polanco as a right fielder through 2021 include:

  • 697 games played
  • 1,273 putouts
  • 25 errors
  • .981 fielding percentage

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Gregory Polanco
ESPN - Gregory Polanco
Baseball Reference - Gregory Polanco