Pittsburgh Pirates: Two Relievers Trending Upward

Aug 11, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Anthony Banda (52) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the ninth inning at PNC Park. St. Louis shutout Pittsburgh 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 11, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Anthony Banda (52) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the ninth inning at PNC Park. St. Louis shutout Pittsburgh 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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Aug 25, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Luis Oviedo (l57) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the ninth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 25, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Luis Oviedo (l57) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the ninth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Right-handed pitcher Luis Oviedo

During the Winter Meetings last December the Pittsburgh Pirates swung a trade during the Rule 5 Draft. In this trade they acquired righty Luis Oviedo after he was drafted by the New York Mets, which has led to Ovideo spending the entirety of the 2021 season in the Pirate bullpen.

The overall numbers for Oviedo this season are not strong. In 27.2 innings pitched he owns a 9.11 ERA, 5.63 FIP and 1.30 HR/9. He has walked 17.4% of batters faced this season while striking batters out at a rate of 22.5%.

While Oviedo has struggled he has still flashed the plus stuff that made the Pirates interested in him. Also, it should not be overlooked that he is pitching in the Major Leagues at just 23-years-old after previously having not pitched about the High-A level.

In recent outings Oviedo looks like a pitcher who is starting to settle in against MLB hitters. Oviedo  has allowed just 2 earned runs 3 hits, 5 walks and 10 strikeouts in his last 8 innings pitched. During this stretch Oviedo has limited opposing batters to just 6.7% hard-hit rate and an 80.7 MPH average exit velocity.

At times this season it appeared to potentially be up in the air but it is now clear that Oviedo will survive the season on the active roster. This means that the Pittsburgh Pirates will retain his rights entering the offseason.

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Look for Oviedo to start the 2022 season at the Triple-A level. Actually, most likely, Oviedo will be in the starting rotation for Indianapolis to kick off the 2022 season. Oviedo having a future with the Pirates should not be ruled out just yet.