Pittsburgh Pirates: Five Locks to Come off the 40-Man Roster
By Marty Leap
Right-handed reliever Shea Spitzbarth
The 2021 season was good to Shea Spitzbarth. The career minor leaguer made his MLB debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was also named the pitcher of the year for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians.
With the Pirates the 27-year-old righty posted a 3.60 ERA and a 7.17 FIP in 5.0 innings pitched. Spitzbarth’s 5.0 innings pitched came in 5 relief appearances. In these 5.0 innings of work Spitzbarth allowed 2 runs on 4 hits, 2 walks, he hit a batter, allowed a home run and struck out 1.
While Spitzbarth’s story is a great one, it is not one that is long for the Majors. Spitzbarth surviving the offseason as a member of the 40-man roster of the Pittsburgh Pirates would be a surprise. AS the Pirates look to add players to their 40-man roster this offseason, odds are, Spitzbarth will be one of the first players removed from the 40-man.
For his own sake, and for the sake of the good story, hopefully, Spitzbarth impressed enough to lock on with another organization this offseason. Even if it’s as a minor league signing, Spitzbarth should surface in spring training for some team this spring.