Pittsburgh Pirates: Bullpen Could Become a Strength This Season

While the bullpen is coming off a poor series in Cincinnati, by the end of the season it could be a strength for the Pittsburgh Pirates

In my predictions for the 2021 Pittsburgh Pirates, I predicted that the team’s best position group would be their bullpen. There’s a lot of talent coming up through the minor league system. This might be a bold claim, but I believe the Pittsburgh Pirates will have one of the better bullpens in baseball by the end of the season.

Here’s why:

For one, I believe that Pittsburgh native David Bednar be the team’s closer by the end of the season. It might be bold, but I think he’ll be so good, he’ll get some National League Rookie of the Year votes. Bednar was excellent throughout the minor leagues for the San Diego Padres, and that might be an understatement. Through 219.2 innings, he had a 2.70 ERA, 1.96 FIP and 1.17 WHIP. He was a strikeout machine getting 33% of all the batters he faced down on strike three while allowing just 7.7% to reach on ball four. Bednar was outstanding at limiting the long ball with a 0.41 HR/9 rate. He looked even better in Spring Training, striking out 18 batters with just one walk and 3 hits in 8.2 innings. He looked like an ace reliever in his first regular season outing as a Pirate as well.

Bednar uses three pitches. He has your high-90s fastball which he can touch 99 MPH with, and a big looping curveball that comes in around the high-70s. Both are considered 60-future grade offerings by FanGraphs, but I think his x-factor is his third pitch: a splitter. This pitch averages out around the low-90s, but is a pitch with above average potential with a 55-future grade by FanGraphs.

Another player who looked great in their Pirate debut was Luis Oviedo. Oviedo was selected by the New York Mets in the Rule 5 Draft, but was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash considerations. He’s the youngest player on the Pirates’ MLB roster at just 21-years-old, but he has the talent to be a shutdown reliever. He’s never served primarily as a reliever in the minors, but his stuff will definitely play up out of the pen. His fastball, which averages out in the 94-96 MPH range and can touch 98 MPH, is considered a 60-future grade offering. Both his curveball and change-up are 55-grade pitches and he’ll occasionally throw a slider.

With Oviedo only being called on for an inning or two at a time, rather than being relied on for 5+ innings each outing, he could see an uptick in velocity. He could turn into a long term building block for the Pittsburgh Pirates by the end of the season.

The Pirates’ highest ranked relief prospect is Nick Mears. Mears, who went undrafted, was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates out of Sacramento City College and has put up eye popping strikeout numbers since joining the organization. In 2019, he pitched to the tune of a 3.28 ERA, 2.95 FIP and 1.05 WHIP through 46.2 innings of work at Greenboro, Bradenton, and even Altoona. Mears struck out batters at a 36% rate, while having a 0.96 HR/9 rate. Mears also had a sub-3.00 xFIP at High-A where he tossed 30 of his innings.

Mears has an elite-level fastball which he can throw through the zone with high-90s heat, and has been given a 70-grade by FanGraphs. Not only is he a flamethrower, but he averaged around 2400 RPM in 2019. Overall, he averages out in the 94-97 MPH range. He also has a curveball that projects as a 55-grade pitch with 2500 RPM of spin. The only issue he has is walks. He only has a future command grade of 35, which led to his so-so walk rate of 9.4% in 2019. If he can improve his control just a little bit, he could be one of the Pirates’ most dominant relievers. Right now, he’s at the Pirates’ alternative training site and will likely start the year out at Triple-A, but he’s definitely a candidate to take over a regular role by mid-season.

Another noteworthy relief prospect who could take over a regular bullpen role before the end of 2021 is Blake Weiman. The southpaw last pitched in 2019 when he had a 2.90 ERA, 3.61 FIP and 1.00 WHIP through 31 innings of work. He showed a strong ability to strikeout batters while limiting free passes with a 27% strikeout rate and 6.3% walk rate. Home runs were a bit of an issue with a 1.2 HR/9 rate, but part of that could be chalked up to him suffering an injury that kept him out most of the second half of the season. He only gave up a single home run at Double-A where he tossed 19.1 innings, and he had a sub-1.00 HR/9 rate in both 2017 and 2018.

One pitcher I’m looking forward to watching in 2021 is Clay Holmes, a reliever who I think has the potential to be a long term back of the pen arm. Holmes has yet to pitch a full season after dropping his four seam fastball, a pitch he struggled to control and get outs with. Replacing his four seamer is his sinker, which he can throw just as hard, that being in the mid-90s, and with much more movement. He also has a good breaking ball pair of a curveball and slider.

However, they’re not the only high-ceiling prospects we could see in 2021. Yerry De Los Santos is one arm who could get a late season call-up. Cody Ponce and Wil Crowe could be very solid long relief/spot starters. Kyle Crick could make a comeback as he’s seen his velocity take a tick up from 2020 and if he can control his stuff, Geoff Hartlieb could breakout as well.

With so much talent in the bullpen, it’s easy to see why this team could have a top tier bullpen before the end of the 2021 season. Many of their pitchers have a high-ceiling. If they can pitch to anything close to their potential, the Bucs will have a top-flite pen in 2021.