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Pittsburgh Pirates: Non-Roster Invitees Who Could Make Opening Day Roster
With the start of Spring Training just a few weeks away let’s take a look at three non-roster invitees to MLB camp who could crack the Opening Day roster for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Earlier this week the Pittsburgh Pirates announced 26 non-roster invitees to MLB camp. Which of these players could make the Opening Day roster? Let’s discuss!
Every MLB season teams see players who were non-roster invitees to Spring Training make the Opening Day roster. While it was a different situation due to COVID-19, Phillip Evans and Derek Holland did it with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2020.
Often times non-roster invitees are littered with top organizational prospects. This certainly applies to the Pittsburgh Pirates this spring, and this could lead to a fun spring for Pirate fans. That said, there will be a group of these prospects with the opportunity to make the Opening Day roster.
With the start of Spring Training right around the corner there are positions available on the Pirate roster. Especially in the bullpen and on the bench. Due to this, there will be opportunity to be had for non-roster invitees. Of these non-roster invitees, which are best positioned to take advantage and make a push to earn a spot on the team’s Opening Day roster?
Utility man Wilmer Difo
The most obvious and likely choice here is veteran utility man Wilmer Difo. While the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Difo to a minor league contract, odds are, it was with the intention that he would crack the Opening Day roster.
Difo is a 28-year-old switch hitting utility man. He has player primarily shortstop and second base in his MLB career, but he has seen time at third base and in the outfield as well. This positional flexibility helps to make Difo a valuable bench player.
In his MLB career Difo has logged 1060 plate appearances in 373 games, all of which came with the Washington Nationals. Difo owns a lifetime .247/.309/.348 slash line and a wRC+ of 70. He was also a member of the 2019 World Series Champion Nationals.
While, as of now, Adam Frazier is still a Pirate, this still seems likely to change by Opening Day. Assuming Frazier is traded, that would all but guruantee Difo a roster spot. With Cole Tucker and Kevin Newman then being the likely starters in the middle of the infield, Difo would join Erik Gonzalez as utility players coming off the bench for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Even if Frazier is not traded, Difo still seems like a safe bet to crack the Opening Day roster. The Pirates could always move on from Gonzalez, or have Tucker start the season at the Triple-A level. Regardless of how things shake out, Difo seems like a safe bet to make the Pirates’ Opening Day roster.
Left-handed reliever Blake Weiman
Blake Weiman is the top left-handed relief pitching prospect in the Pirate farm system. This spring, he will be in MLB camp with the Pittsburgh Pirates. With a good performance this spring, Weiman could crack the Opening Day roster.
The 25-year-old Weiman pitched 31.0 innings in 24 games between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis during the 2019 season. In these 31.0 innings of work Weiman pitched to the tune of a 2.90 ERA, 3.79 FIP, 6.3% walk rate, 27.0% strikeout rate, and he allowed four home runs (1.16 HR/9). Outside of his home run rate, which was not all that bad, all of these numbers were better than league average.
Had the 2020 season not been impacted by COVID, then Weiman would have started the season back with Indianapolis. However, at some point during the season he would have made his MLB debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Sam Howard and Austin Davis are the only left-handed relief pitchers on the Pirate 40-man roster. This could create an opportunity for Weiman to potentially seize an Opening Day roster spot. Even if he does not, Pirate fans will see Weiman make his MLB debut at some point in 2021.
Right-handed reliever Clay Holmes
The final player of this trio is a familiar face for Pirates fans – right-handed reliever Clay Holmes.
During the 2020 season Holmes looked primed for a breakout season. All signs pointed toward manager Derek Shelton giving Holmes an opportunity to pitch in high leverage situations and new pitching coach Oscar Marin was going to let Holmes pitch to his strengths. Well, after just one outing he was shutdown due to a forearm issue.
This injury contributed to the Pittsburgh Pirates non-tendering Holmes earlier in the offseason. However, he would re-sign with the Bucs on a minor league contract. Part of this minor league contract was an invite to MLB camp.
Holmes has logged 77.2 in 47 games with the Pirates, four of which were starts. In those 77.2 innings he owns a 5.91 ERA and a 5.06 FIP. He’s walked 15.7% of batters faced, struck out 20.8% and allowed home runs at just a 0.81 HR/9 rate.
These results do not tell the whole story for Holmes, though. Holmes has the nasty stuff needed to be a shutdown MLB reliever. During the 2019 season his fastball velocity ranked in the 72nd percentile of baseball, his curveball spin rate was in the 76th percentile and in hte 64th percentile in whiff rate. In his career opposing batters have a barrel rate of just 4.9% off of Holmes, which is nearly two full percentage points better than the league average.
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If Holmes can pitching effectively and prove he is healthy, he will have an excellent shot at being part of the Opening Day bullpen. Hopefully for Clay’s sake, this will prove to be the case for the talented righty.