Pittsburgh Pirates: Pitcher Johnny Barbato Claimed on Waivers

News: The Pittsburgh Pirates offseason has been very quiet thus far.  A lot of rumors have floated around, but no significant roster move has been made.  With that, a waiver move occurred.

Last week the Pittsburgh Pirates made one of their few offseason acquisitions.  They claimed pitcher Shane Carle off waivers from the Colorado Rockies.  Carle may be a familiar name to Pittsburgh Pirates fans.  He was a drafted in the 10th round of the 2013 draft out of Long Beach State.  The right hander was dealt to the Colorado Rockies in 2014 for reliever Rob Scahill.  Carle is known for his power stuff and his big frame, standing at 6’4” and weighing 210 pounds. His fastball tops out at 95-96 miles per hour.  His best secondary offering is his slider which sits around 86 miles per hour.  Here is what Rum Bunter’s Marty Leap wrote about Carle last week:

“The 26-year-old Carle is a four-pitch pitcher. He throws a fastball, slider, curveball, and a changeup. Carle’s best pitch is his fastball which possesses arm side run to it.”

Carle has had limited big league experience so far.  Last season he appeared in three games and did not have a good first go at things.  He pitched four innings posting a 6.75 ERA, including giving up a home run. Although he did strike out four in those innings.  He most likely will be used as Triple-A relief depth.

Meanwhile, to make room for Carle the Pittsburgh Pirates had to designate a player for assignment.  The Bucs decided to place right handed reliever Johnny Barbato on waivers.  The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Barbato early in the 2017 season from the New York Yankees for cash considerations.

Next: More on Shane Carle

Barbato spent his time in the Bucs organization between Triple-A Indianapolis and the big league club.  He did not have a lot of success in his time with the Pirates.  He pitched to a 4.08 ERA in 24 games, and his FIP was even worse at 5.46. These numbers came across 28.2 innings.  Furthermore, in those innings, he gave up 18 walks and four home runs.  His stuff looked pretty flat most of the time as he did not have much bite on any of his secondary pitches.  With that being said, the Detroit Tigers claimed Barbato off of waivers yesterday.  While Shane Carle has not posted great numbers by any means, there at least maybe is some upside with him due to his size and stuff.  Barbato will not be missed by the Bucs in the 2018 season.

*All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference