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Joey Wentz
The Pirates picked up left-hander Joey Wentz on waivers in September. A former first-round pick by the Atlanta Braves, Wentz has yet to piece together a strong season. His 2024 campaign did show some glimpses of potential, though, and the Pirates’ pitching development corps has been able to churn out some decent arms over the last few seasons.
Wentz pitched 67.1 innings with the Detroit Tigers and Pirates, working to a 4.68 ERA and 1.47 WHIP, but a superior 4.19 FIP. His 10.7% walk rate was below-average, but he had a solid 24% strikeout rate and 1.07 HR/9. Wentz’s 41.1% ground ball rate also clocked in around league-average.
There are plenty more numbers that show Wentz could be a decent arm. The southpaw limited both hard and quality contact at an above-average rate, clocking in with an 88.1 MPH exit velocity induced (71st percentile) and 7.2% barrel rate (61st percentile). Wentz also was in the 71st percentile of xBA (.223), the 62nd percentile of xERA (3.70), and held opponents to a sub-.300 xwOBA at .298. SIERA also pinned him as a sub-4.00 ERA pitcher with a 3.98 mark.
Wentz is still only 27, and the underlying numbers certainly make him an interesting potential arm. He is currently the only left-handed pitcher in the Pirates’ bullpen, so unless the Bucs completely revamp the bullpen, adding multiple lefty arms, Wentz might find himself as a part of the team’s Opening Day roster.