Which Non-Roster Invitee Could Make the Pittsburgh Pirates Opening Day Roster?

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(Photo by Vincent Laforet/Getty Images) /

Who are some non-roster invitees that could break Spring Training as part of the Pittsburgh Pirates active 26-man roster?

One week from today, Pittsburgh Pirates‘ pitchers and catchers will report to Bradenton, Florida. With that, Spring Training will be underway for the 2020 edition of the Pittsburgh Baseball Club.

A part of Spring Training for every Major League Baseball club each season is following along to see what each team’s Opening Day roster will look. For the first time in MLB history active rosters will consist of 26 players this season, instead of the traditional 25. This adds a bit of intrigue to these spring battles as there will now be an extra spot to be had.

Part of the battle for roster spots each spring is which non-roster invitee players will crack an Opening Day roster. Typically, these players consist of on the rise prospects or veterans looking to re-establish themselves at the Major League level.

For the 2020 Pittsburgh Pirates, there are currently 21 non-roster invitees set to participate in Major League Spring Training. This number could always change, however. But out of these 21 players, who are some that have a legitimate shot at cracking the team’s Opening Day roster?

SAN DIEGO, CA – MAY 19: Robbie Erlin #41 of the San Diego Padres pitches during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Petco Park May 19, 2019 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images) /

Left-handed pitcher Robbie Erlin

Last week the Pirates signed a pair of veteran left-handed pitchers to minor league contracts. One of these pitchers was six-year MLB veteran Robbie Erlin.

Erlin has pitched all six of his MLB seasons with the San Diego Padres. He has been in the Majors since 2013, and he missed the entirety of the 2017 season due to Tommy John Surgery.

With the Padres Erlin pitched in 106 games with 38 of them being starts. With the Pirates, Erlin is expected to factor into the team’s left-handed reliever equation. To be honest, barring injury in Spring Training Erlin should be all but a lock to make the Opening Day roster.

While Erlin’s career 4.57 ERA leaves something to be desired, his 3.59 FIP paints a different picture. He has also been very effective in his career as a reliever. In his 73 career relief appearances Erlin owns a 3.86 ERA, 3.33 FIP, 3.9% walk rate, and a 21.1% strikeout rate.

Last season Erlin’s fastball and curveball both had above league average spin rate. His fastball was in the 64th percentile while his curve was in the 66th percentile. Not only should fans expect Erlin to be part of the Pirates’ Opening Day roster, if he does pitch solely out of the bullpen, fans should also expect him to pitch well which in turn could make him an attractive trade chip for contending teams in July.

DENVER, COLORADO – MAY 09: Starting pitcher Derek Holland #45 of the San Francisco Giants throws at in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on May 08, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

Left-handed pitcher Derek Holland

In addition to Erlin, the Pirates also signed veteran left-handed pitcher Derek Holland last week. Like Erlin, Holland was signed to a minor league contract. While Holland could be in competition for the team’s fifth starter, it makes more sense to give those starts to Chad Kuhl, so, odds are, Holland will also work out of the bullpen.

After a tremendous 2018 season that saw Holland post a 3.57 ERA, 3.87 FIP and a 2.2 fWAR in 36 appearances (30 starts) for the San Francisco Giants, he fell off a cliff in 2019. After being designated for assignment by the Giants, he was picked up by the Chicago Cubs. Overall, he posted a 6.08 ERA, 6.10 FIP, and a -1.0 fWAR in 51 games (8 starts) between the Giants and Cubs.

For his career Holland owns a 4.54 ERA and a 4.53 FIP in 295 games, 222 of which were starts. Holland has also struggled mightily against right-handed hitters in recent seasons, which may make his best role moving forward as a LOOGY which is a dying need out of a bullpen with the new minimum batters rule.

Unlike Erlin, Holland making the Opening Day roster is not as much of a slam dunk. Between his recent struggles, inability to retire right-handed hitters with any sort of consistency, and his lack of any quality pitches, the team may be better off giving a young pitcher such as Geoff Hartlieb or Clay Holmes a bullpen spot over Holland.

That said, Holland will undoubtedly be in contention for a roster spot until the end of Spring Training.

PHOENIX, AZ – JUNE 01: John Ryan Murphy #36 of the Arizona Diamondbacks reacts after hitting a two run home run in the fifth inning of the MLB game against the Miami Marlins at Chase Field on June 1, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images) /

Catcher John Ryan Murphy

An under-the-radar minor league signing the Pirates made recently was veteran catcher John Ryan Murphy. To be perfectly honest, it is a bit of a surprise that Murphy was unable to land a MLB contract with a team due to how valuable catching is at the MLB level.

Right now the Pirates have just two catchers on their 40-man roster. They are Jacob Stallings and Luke Maile. Last year, Stallings started to emerge as a legitimate MLB catcher, even if it is just as a backup. As for Maile, the defensive wizard has always struggled offensively and signed a two-way contract which means he could start the season at the minor league level.

Murphy has played in 259 MLB games with four teams since 2013. He has slashed just .219/.265/.357 with a wRC+ of 65 in these 259 games. However, he has always been a plus defender behind the plate.

As Spring Training carries on it is possible the Pirates could decide to keep Murphy around. In this scenario, Maile would start the year with Triple-A Indianapolis while Stallings gets the bulk of the starts at the MLB level.

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It is also a possibility that Murphy has an out in his contract that would allow him to become a free agent if he does not make the MLB roster out of Spring Training, or by a certain date. If this is the case, in order to have better catching depth, taking him north to start the season would make sense.

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Who are some non-roster invitees that could break Spring Training as part of the Pittsburgh Pirates active 26-man roster?

Left-handed pitcher Robbie Erlin

Left-handed pitcher Derek Holland

Catcher John Ryan Murphy

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