New outfielder Ka'ai Tom hoping to make quick impact on Pirates

Ka’ai Tom doesn’t hesitate to help enunciate his Hawaiian first name — it’s pronounced kuh-EYE — and the newest Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder even offered a bit of advice to their broadcasters.

“Think of the apostrophe as a pause,” Tom said, “like a hiccup.”

That’s the perfect analogy for Tom’s arrival, as the Pirates pressed pause on the center field platoon of Anthony Alford and Dustin Fowler after their hiccups at the plate. They were designated for assignment a day apart last week after combining to hit .138 (9 for 65) with 36 strikeouts and seven walks, with Bryan Reynolds shifting from left to center. Now, Tom is hoping to make an impact on the Pirates as quick as a hiccup.

After claiming Tom off waivers last week from the Oakland A’s, the Pirates activated the 5-foot-9, 185-pounder in time for their five-game homestand starting Tuesday at PNC Park. They optioned infielder Rodolfo Castro to make room on the 26-man roster.

Tom was selected in the first round of the Rule 5 Draft by the A’s but was designated for assignment after going 1 for 16 in nine games, including three starts in right field and one in left. So he is excited about joining the Pirates and getting a new opportunity in the majors.

“It kind of felt like the same feeling of relief or excitement, joy, like the first time I got claimed,” Tom 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.”

Tom appeared to be on a major league trajectory in 2019, when he led Cleveland’s farm system in total bases (244) and tied for extra-base hits (60) by hitting 27 doubles, 10 triples, 23 home runs and 86 RBIs across Double-A and Triple-A.

“Short swing, can spray the ball around the field,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said of Tom. “The thing that stands out, even watching him take BP, is just it’s a really short and compact stroke.”

Tom’s path to the majors was nothing like his swing. After playing baseball and football at St. Louis High School in Honolulu — where he was a teammate of future Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota — Tom didn’t have any offers until Fort Scott (Kansas) Community College came calling.

“I had nowhere to go,” Tom said. “I wasn’t recruited at all, and it was to the point that I actually, me and my mom were thinking I don’t know if I’m going to go to college. Luckily enough, the community college texted me, got in contact with me, and from there I just worked my tail off. … I’ve always been thankful for the journeys. Going from Hawaii to Kansas, there’s not much there, but honestly I take everything and every place that I go to as an experience for me.”

Tom attended Fort Scott for one year before getting a scholarship to Kentucky, where he batted .352 in two seasons. A fifth-round pick in 2015 by the Indians, he hit .270 in five minor league seasons. But the Indians didn’t keep him in their 60-man player pool last summer and didn’t protect him on their 40-man roster last fall.

With the A’s, Tom made the Opening Day roster after hitting .321 with a home run and six RBIs in spring training. He made his major league debut as a pinch runner and actually pitched in relief before getting his first major league hit, an RBI single off David Price of the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 5. But the A’s took a risk by letting Tom go through waivers, and the Pirates claimed him to add a fourth outfielder.

They had an inside advantage, as Pirates hitting coach Rick Eckstein was an assistant at Kentucky when Tom played there. Upon being claimed by the Pirates, Tom went onto the team’s website and was “pretty excited” to see Eckstein on their coaching staff.

“It was a great time when he was at Kentucky,” Tom said. “I love the way he goes about his coaching. It’s very energetic. He really tries to connect with the guys. I remember some road trips, he would pull some guys together and come up with a gameplan or see what they can do to better improve their hitting. Just mentality as well. It’s not always physical. You have to approach the mental side as well. I’m very excited to be working with Eckstein again.”

Before joining the Pirates, Tom had to arrange travel from Oakland to Pittsburgh, then go through MLB’s intake process through the covid-19 health and safety protocols. Although Tom’s preference is to play in center field, Shelton said he likely will play in the corner outfield spots first.

“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,” Shelton said, “but he’s gonna get on the field.”