Pirates' Tommy Pham Talks Smack to Yankees Fans During Game
PITTSBURGH — Outfielder Tommy Pham is known for making his feelings known to others and he's doing it early on in his tenure with the Pittsburgh Pirates in Spring Training.
The Pirates faced the Yankees in a Grapefruit League game, which ended in a 12-3 loss on the road in Tampa, Fla.
Pham, playing left field, got into it with a Yankees fan and shouted out to them, "I bet you got a little dick too."
Pittsburgh signed Pham to a one-year, $4 million deal, that has $250,000 in incentives.
The Pirates showed interest in Pham, who is now 37 years old, prior to last season, but he would eventually sign a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox.
Pham slashed .266/.330/.380 for the White Sox in 70 games, before they traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals, prior to the trade deadline. Pham slashed .206/.286/.368 in 23 games for the Cardinals, who then designated him for assignment on Aug. 30.
The Kansas City Royals eventually signed him off waivers on Aug. 31, where he hit .228/.250/.337. in 23 games. He also played in their postseason run, with 5 hits in 15 at-bats for a .333 batting average with two RBI.
Pham came up through the Cardinals minor league system, as they took him in the 16th round of the 2006 MLB Draft, with a $325,000 signing bonus, forgoing his college commitment to Cal State Fullerton.
He eventually made it to the MLB on Sept. 7, 2014 and spent the majority next four seasons with the Cardinals, 2015-18.
His best season in the MLB came in 2017, where he slashed .306/.411/.520, with 22 doubles, 23 home runs, 73 RBI, 25 stolen bases, 71 walks to 117 strikeouts in 128 games.
The Cardinals traded Pham to the Tampa Bay Rays on July 31, 2018 during the trade deadline, where he spent the rest of that campaign and the 2019 season.
The Rays then traded Pham to the San Diego Padres on Dec. 6, 2019, where he played the next two seasons, but never hit above .230.
Pham then spent the 2022 season with the Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox, plus the 2023 season with New York Mets and the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Pirates will serve as Pham's 10th team that he's played for in his MLB career. He has slashed .258/.346/.427, possesses an OPS of .773 and has 985 hits, 183 doubles, 24 triples, 139 home runs, 470 RBI, 126 stolen bases and 489 walks to 1,028 strikeouts.
Pham will likely have a platoon role with the Pirates, alongside other outfielders in All-Star Bryan Reynolds, Andrew McCutchen and Oneil Cruz.
