Pittsburgh Pirates: Scouting New Pitcher Ashton Goudeau

Taking an in depth look at relief pitcher Ashton Goudeau, who the Pittsburgh Pirates claimed off waivers from the Colorado Rockies last week

Last week, the Pittsburgh Pirates made a roster move. The team claimed reliever Ashton Goudeau off waivers from the Colorado Rockies. To make room for Goudeau on the 40-man roster, the Pirates designated former first-round pick Will Craig for assignment.

The 28-year-old righty made his MLB debut with the Rockies during the 2020 season. Goudeau pitched 8.1 innings with the Rockies last season. He allowed seven earned runs on 15 hits, three home runs, two walks, and just two strikeouts. So, it goes without saying that Goudeau’s first taste of MLB action did not go well.

Throught the minor leagues, the results for Goudeau were better. He posted a 3.56 FIP in his minor league career and he struck out 20.4% of batters faced. He also posted a strong 6.3% walk rate in his minor league career.

Goudeau throws a four-seam fastball, change up and a curveball. Goudeau just recently started to rely on his curveball more. This move came in 2019 when the Rockies had him scrap his largely ineffective slider, and had him begin to throw his curveball more often.

With the Rockies last season Goudeau threw his fastball 47.0% of the time. The pitch averaged 93.3 MPH and generated a 2155 spin rate. He threw his change up 27.8% of the time, and his curveball 25.2%. The curveball had a healthy spin rate of 2398.

Unlike a lot of players who are calimed off waivers, Goudeau still has two minor league options. Due to this, Goudeau does not have to start the 2021 season on the active roster. This increases his odds of surviving the offseason as a member of the Pirate 40-man roster.

Goudeau looks like a pitcher the Pittsburgh Pirates will look to stash away at Triple-A when the 2021 season begins. This will allow them to work with Goudeau to bring out what they believe are his best traits. It would not be a surprise to see Goudeau pitch for the Pirates at some point during the 2021 season.