Position Preview: Indy’s Projected Outfield Features Power and Speed

The Indianapolis Indians could have speed roaming the Victory Field outfield in less than a week with a group led by Cal Mitchell and Travis Swaggerty, Pittsburgh’s Best Defensive Outfielder according to Baseball America.

Matt Gorski: The former Indiana (Bloomington) University outfielder is projected to rejoin the Indians in 2023 after making his Triple-A debut late last season. Gorski opened the campaign with High-A Greensboro and was promoted to Double-A Altoona on May 24 He launched 12 home runs in 18 May games and cranked five more homers in 24 June contests before being placed on the injured list with a quad injury on June 30. When he landed on the IL, he was tied with Mike Trout, Kyle Schwarber, Yordan Alvarez, Kerry Carpenter (Tigers farm system) and Moises Gómez (Cardinals) for the second-most home runs in all of professional baseball (23) behind only Aaron Judge (29). In 81 games across four levels, Gorski hit .280 (80-for-286) with 11 doubles, four triples, 24 home runs, 66 RBI, a .598 slugging percentage and .956 OPS. He was named as Pittsburgh’s Willie Stargell Slugger of the Year following the season – an award given to the best hitter in the Pirates minor league system – and comes into the 2023 season as the organization’s No. 16 prospect_._ He was selected by Pittsburgh in the second round (57th overall) of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft.

Cal Mitchell: In 2022, Mitchell was one of the most dependable hitters for the Indians. He began the season in Indianapolis and led the team in batting average (.306) and hits (38) in 34 games before having his contract selected by Pittsburgh on May 24. He made his major league debut that night against Colorado and hit .226 (48-for-212) with five home runs and 17 RBI in 69 games with Pittsburgh. Over three stints with Indy, he played in 63 games and hit .339 (80-for-236) with 18 doubles, two triples, nine home runs, 49 RBI and a .938 OPS. He was selected by Pittsburgh in the second round (50th overall) of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of Rancho Bernardo (San Diego, Calif.) High School.

Josh Palacios: Palacios was selected by Pittsburgh from Washington in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 7, 2022. He spent most of last season with Triple-A Rochester and hit .298 (82-for-275) with 19 stolen bases in 76 games. He was recalled by Washington on Aug. 2 and hit .213 (10-for-47) in 29 games through the end of the season. He was originally selected by Toronto in the fourth round (132nd overall) of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of Auburn (Ala.) University.

Canaan Smith-Njigba: Smith-Njigba is another familiar face from Indy’s 2022 squad that could return to the Circle City. He began last season in Indianapolis and hit .277 (51-for-184) with 15 doubles, a .387 on-base percentage and .795 OPS in 52 games. He logged a career-high 28-game on-base streak from April 22-May 26 and reached base safely in 40 of his last 41 games with Indy before making his major league debut on June 14 in a doubleheader at St. Louis. On June 15, in only his third career big league game, a collision in the outfield with Bryan Reynolds resulted in a fractured wrist that sidelined Smith-Njigba for the remainder of the season. He comes into 2023 as Pittsburgh’s No. 20 prospect. The Pirates acquired Smith-Njigba along with right-hander Roansy Contreras, shortstop Maikol Escotto and right-hander Miguel Yajure from the Yankees in exchange for right-hander Jameson Taillon on Jan. 24, 2021. He was originally selected by New York (AL) in the fourth round (122nd overall) of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of Rockwell-Heath (Heath, Texas) High School.

Travis Swaggerty: Swaggerty flashed speed and an impressive arm in the Victory Field outfield last season. In 107 games with the Indians, he hit .254 (101-for-398) with 15 doubles, a team-leading eight triples (third-most in the International League) and 20 stolen bases. He served as Indianapolis’ starting center fielder for 56 games and registered a .984 fielding percentage (two errors in 122 total chances) with five of his seven outfield assists. His Triple-A showing earned him a short three-game stint with Pittsburgh, and he was the club’s starting center fielder in his major league debut on June 7 vs. Detroit. Swaggerty was selected by the Pirates as the 10th overall pick in the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of South Alabama (Mobile).

Ryan Vilade: Vilade was claimed off waivers by Pittsburgh from Colorado on Nov. 9, 2022. Last season, he played in 99 games with Triple-A Albuquerque and hit .249 (92-for-369) with five home runs and 38 RBI. He showcased plate discipline, drawing the second-most walks among team leaders (52) with just 69 strikeouts. The 24-year-old was originally selected by Colorado in the second round (48th overall) of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of Stillwater (Okla.) High School.

Chavez Young: Pittsburgh acquired Young from Toronto in exchange for right-hander Zach Thompson on Jan. 10, 2023. Injuries slowed him in 2022, and he appeared in 70 games with Triple-A Buffalo (65) and High-A Dunedin (five). With Buffalo, he stole 20 bases in 21 attempts while hitting .234 (50-for-214). He represented Great Britain in the 2023 World Baseball Classic and hit .308 (4-for-13) with five stolen bases in four games. The 25-year-old was originally selected by Toronto in the 39th round (1,182nd overall) of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of Faith Baptist (Ludowici, Ga.) High School.