5 Pittsburgh Pirates prospects whose careers were derailed by injuries

Blake Cederlind

Blake Cederlind was supposed to be the Pirates’ future closer long before David Bednar. Cederlind was a fifth-round pick by the Pirates in 2016. He broke out after getting moved to the bullpen full-time in 2019, and was the Pirates’ best relief prospect heading into 2020.

Cederlind pitched to a 2.28 ERA, 3.39 FIP, and 1.18 WHIP. Although the flamethrower didn’t have the prototypical strikeout rate you expect to see from most hard throwers (21.1%), nor did he offset that with an elite walk rate (clocking in at 9.6%), Cederlind was great at limiting home runs and inducing ground balls. His GB% was 48.4%, and he allowed just two home runs in 59.1 innings of work.

Cederlind made his Major League debut in 2020 and only pitched four innings, but the stuff he displayed was off the charts. Cederlind’s sinker averaged out at 98.4 MPH with 17.2 inches of horizontal break. Meanwhile, his cutter sat around 90 MPH. After his impressive debut, many had Cederlind mentally slotted to take over a high-leverage role in 2021. He was going to open the year as a set-up option, alongside Bednar, to deliver the ninth to Richard Rodriguez. Unfortunately, this was when injuries started to settle in.

Cederlind underwent Tommy John surgery in March of that year, eliminating him for the entirety of 2021. Expected to return in 2022, Cederlind faced another setback in May and received a platelet-rich plasma injection. He was once again on pace to return in June, but his elbow was still giving him trouble. In August, he underwent another elbow surgery, this time to remove loose bodies, eliminating him for a second straight season.

While the Pirates outrighted Cederlind off the 40-man roster that offseason, he was healthy enough to return to the mound, but upon his return, it was clear he didn’t have the same stuff as before. Likely, the Pirates knew this when they made the decision to let him go unprotected. His sinker had lost about two MPH, and he allowed nine earned runs with six Ks and walks through six innings. Eventually, the Pirates released Cederlind at the end of May. He signed a deal with the San Diego Padres, but pitched only 4.2 more innings.

It would have been really cool to see what the bullpen would have looked like if Cederlind had stayed healthy and had a chance to prove himself. A sinkerballer who could touch 100 MPH will always turn heads. If Cederlind stayed healthy, he may have taken over as closer, with Bednar remaining the setup man.