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Pittsburgh Pirates: Underrated Offerings in the System

By Noah Wright

TALLAHASSEE, FL - FEBRUARY 15: Third Baseman Drew Mendoza #22 and Outfielder J.C. Flowers #8 of the Florida State Seminoles exchange hand shakes during the team's intro before the game against the Maine Black Bears at Dick Howser Stadium on the campus of Florida State University on February 15, 2019 in Tallahassee, Florida. The 11th Ranked Florida State defeated the Maine Black Bears on Opening Day in a no-hitter 11 to 0. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - FEBRUARY 15: Third Baseman Drew Mendoza #22 and Outfielder J.C. Flowers #8 of the Florida State Seminoles exchange hand shakes during the team's intro before the game against the Maine Black Bears at Dick Howser Stadium on the campus of Florida State University on February 15, 2019 in Tallahassee, Florida. The 11th Ranked Florida State defeated the Maine Black Bears on Opening Day in a no-hitter 11 to 0. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /
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Pittsburgh Pirates
PITTSBURGH, PA – SEPTEMBER 11: General view of the field during a ceremony commemorating the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks before the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Washington Nationals at PNC Park on September 11, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

Ricky DeVito’s splitter

The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Ricky DeVito in the trade that sent Richard Rodriguez to the Atlanta Braves. DeVito was an 8th round pick by Atlanta in 2019, and while he’s only pitched 57 innings as a professional, he’s been quite solid with a 3.16 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and 4.12 FIP.

DeVito’s arsenal consists of a four-seam fastball that averages out in the mid-90’s, a curveball that grades out around average, and a splitter. The splitter is the pitch I want to focus on today. It’s a very effective offering that FanGraphs sees as a 60-grade pitch. Going into 2021, it was one of the best off-speed offerings by Braves’ prospects.

DeVito’s splitter has deceptive movement. It’s a pitch he can rely for the long term. His splitter has late dive that helps get his fair share of swings and misses. While the right-hander might need to refine his command, DeVito, at the very least, has the outlook of a reliever. If his fastball and curveball can play up to an average or better level, he might just be one of the lesser talked about starting pitching prospects in the Pirate system.

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