OnlyBucs

Dexter Fowler in an interview on why he went back to Cubs said this:



Fowler explained. One reason for Fowler’s struggles on the open market last year, he says, was a perception of his defense. “They said I was a bad outfielder, and I kind of took offense to that,” he explained. “So I just moved back a few steps. I didn’t really do anything too different.”



Now he is part of best defense in league.



The Pirates have said their analytics of team in 2015 may have been an issue in making defensive changes for 2016 as the pitching staff was so different. The Bucs are going to somehow fine tune how they look at their stats. Seems to me this would have been going on during season and probably was. Not sure what answer is to having different pitchers than the previous season and how you handle defensive alignments.

I didn't like McCutchen in. I don't feel he made many outs coming in that would have normally dropped in. I do think too many balls landed on the warning track.



Is this why Fowler didn't sign with the Orioles? Something fishy went on with him last off season. The Orioles reported they signed him and then he was a Cub the next day.

Aren't the Orioles the team that signs people pending a physical and then dumps them a few days later, claiming some issue with the physical? If it is them, they've done that a number of times. Usually the player ends up signing somewhere else for less, suggesting buyer's remorse on the Orioles part.

46445E584E2B0 wrote: Aren't the Orioles the team that signs people pending a physical and then dumps them a few days later, claiming some issue with the physical? If it is them, they've done that a number of times. Usually the player ends up signing somewhere else for less, suggesting buyer's remorse on the Orioles part.
The Orioles have done that but AFAIK, that was not the case with Fowler. The Orioles were already talking about him as their lead-off hitter and were very surprised when he didn't sign after agreeing to terms.