Pittsburgh Pirates: Potential First Time All-Stars

PITTSBURGH, PA - AUGUST 26: David Bednar #51 of the Pittsburgh Pirates in action against the St. Louis Cardinals during the game at PNC Park on August 26, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - AUGUST 26: David Bednar #51 of the Pittsburgh Pirates in action against the St. Louis Cardinals during the game at PNC Park on August 26, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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Pittsburgh Pirates
Jun 13, 2021; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher David Bednar (51) pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers in the sixth inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports /

Relief pitcher David Bednar

The most obvious choice for a potential first time NL All-Star with the Pittsburgh Pirates this season might be reliever David Bednar. In his first season with his hometown Pirates the 27-year-old emerged as a dominant relief pitcher in 2021.

Bednar made 61 appearances in his first season with his hometown team, pitching 60.1 innings. He posted a 2.23 ERA, 2.69 FIP, limited opposing batters to a home run rate of 0.74 HR/9, and walked just 8.0% of batters faced. His biggest quality was the swing-and-miss as he struck out opposing batters at a 32.5% clip.

Due to every team needing to have an All-Star it is common to see relievers sneak onto All-Star rosters. This could be the case for Bednar in 2022. He is a pitcher who will rack up a lot of strikeouts and should post a low ERA.

Additionally, as the closer for the Pittsburgh Pirates he should record his fair share of saves as well. Say what you will about saves but it is a tangible stat that can be propped up when building an All-Star roster. This is something that should also work into Bednar’s favor.