Should the Pittsburgh Pirates pursue Bruce Rondon?

A pitcher that was designated for assignment by the Detroit Tigers on Friday could make sense as the next reclamation project for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

On Friday, the Detroit Tigers designated right-handed relief pitcher Bruce Rondon for assignment. At one point Rondon was one of the Tigers’ top prospects and seemed to be well on his way to being a key part of their bullpen for a long time. However, this did not work out.

The 26-year-old flamethrower is now looking for a new job. Bruce Rondon has all the makings of being the next reclamation project success for the Pittsburgh Pirates. So, should the Bucs pursue Rondon?

In short – yes, yes they should. Rondon possesses a power fastball and a wicked slider. However, he has always struggled with control during his time in the Major Leagues. Those control issues is where Ray Searage comes into the equation.

During the 2017 season, Bruce Rondon pitched just 15 2/3 Major League innings. Rondon allowed 21 hits, he walked ten batters, and he owned a 10.91 ERA. This was not indicative of how Rondon pitched though.

First off, he was victimized by a batting average on balls in play (BABIP) of .476. Secondly, he kept the ball in the park allowing just one home run and he still racked up 22 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings pitched. These factors led to Rondon owning a 3.29 FIP – which indicates he pitched much better than his ERA – and a 3.93 xFIP – which indicates that if he repeats the way he pitched last season he will get much better results.

In his Major League career Bruce Rondon has averaged 4.19 BB/9, but he has countered this with a strikeout rate of 10.72 K/9. He has also done a good job of keeping the ball in the park owning just a 0.89 HR/9 for his career.

Prior to last season’s disaster, Bruce Rondon averaged 3.94 BB/9 to go along with a 4.03 ERA and a 3.62 FIP in his career. He also averaged 10.41 K/9, while allowing hard contact just 27.7 percent of the time which is below league average.

With his power fastball that sits in the high-90s while touching 100 miles per hour and plus slider there is a lot to like about Bruce Rondon. This makes him a player that the Pittsburgh Pirates should pursue now that he is available.

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Bruce Rondon has all the makings of a Pittsburgh Pirates’ reclamation project success. He throws hard but has been victimized control issue and bad luck and/or poor defense.