Forgotten Pittsburgh Pirates: Relief Pitcher Ryan Reid

The 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates had one of the best bullpens in baseball on their way to their first postseason appearance in 20 years. However, this reliever is one pitcher that many fans have likely forgotten was a part of that bullpen for a short period of time that summer.

The summer of 2013 was a magical one for fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates. It most certainly was much more exciting than most of the previous 20 summers, and a hell of a lot more exciting than the summer of 2020 has been thus far.

That summer, the team was in the thick of a pennant race and one their way to their first winning season and postseason appearance since 1992. A driving force behind the team’s success in 2013 was one of the best bullpens in franchise history.

When fans think of the 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen they likely think of players such as Jason Grilli, Mark Melancon, Tony Watson, and Justin Wilson, to name a few. However, one pitcher most fans have likely forgotten about is right-handed hurler Ryan Reid. But that summer, Reid spent a brief time as a member of the Shark Tank.

Reid was originally drafted in the 7th round of the 2006 MLB Draft by the then Tampa Bay Devil Rays. After spending nine seasons in their minor league system, Reid became a minor league free agent following the 2012 season and signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 2013, Reid would make his MLB debut with the Bucs.

Over the course of seven games From June 3 through July 4 that season, Reid pitched 11 innings for the Pirates. These would prove to be the only 11 innings of Reid’s ML career.

In his 11 innings of work Reid posted a sparkling 1.64 ERA. This ERA did appear to be a bit of a fluke, though. His FIP was 4.32, and while he walked just 6.4% of batters faced he also struck out just 14.9% of opposing batters. He allowed nine hits, one of which was a home run.

On July 7, Reid was optioned back to Triple-A when A.J. Burnett returned from the disabled list. While Reid would return to the Pirates on August 19, he would not log a single inning in his second stint with the club. After being left off the postseason roster, he was designated for assignment on December 13.

10 days after being DFA’d, Reid was claimed off waivers by the New York Mets and he spent the 2014 season pitching at the Triple-A level for the Mets. After missing all of 2015, he made a stab at a comeback in 2016 with the Miami Marlins. However, his career would come to an end after pitching in six games for the Marlins at the High-A level.

While Reid’s stint with the Pittsburgh Pirates may have been short lived, it was still one that helped the team win 94 games in 2013. In early June, the Pirate pitching staff was battling a ton of injuries and this is what led to Reid getting his first call up to the MLB level.

Reid may have only pitched in seven games with the Pirates over the course of the ensuing month, but he only allowed a run in two of those seven games. He also pitched multiple innings in five of his seven outings.