Pirates may have solved Camilo Doval mystery that Yankees couldn't crack

When the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Camilo Doval, it was questionable if they were actually moving in the right direction with regard to fixing their struggling bullpen. Doval was a member of the New York Yankees and looked completely broken at the time of the deal.

Analytically inclined Yankees fans couldn't understand it. This was a powerful right-handed arm with a bright red Baseball Savant page that regularly got rocked in the real world. Bad luck didn't seem to explain his issues, especially because they had been going on for the last calendar year.

However, Doval has come to Pittsburgh and been virtually lights out. Sure, he gave up a long ball in his first outing in a Pirates uniform, but over his first 12 games since the trade, he's thrown 12 innings and posted a 1.50 ERA.

It appears that this isn't just a random hot streak thanks to a change of scenery, either. The Pirates made significant changes to the way he uses his arsenal, and it's paying off big time.

Doval primarily relies on three pitches: a cutter, a sinker, and a slider. With New York, the sinker led the way with a 42.8% usage rate, while the slider was his least frequently used pitch, coming in at 25.2%. His sinker has gotten hit hard this year, with a 52.8% hard-hit rate. The slider, on the other hand, has been much harder for hitters to touch, with a whopping 46.3% whiff rate, .180 batting average, and .149 xBA.

With Pittsburgh, his slider has become the go-to offering. Doval is now throwing it 45.1% of the time, while his sinker has been reduced to a 31.3% rate.

The result has been Doval raising his strikeout rate from 21.9% with the Yankees to 28.6% with the Pirates. It seems so simple, having a struggling pitcher throw his best pitch more often, and his worst pitch less frequently, is easy. Sometimes easy is what works.

The Pirates revitalizing Camilo Doval bodes well for the stretch run as well as the future

It's easy to forget, but Doval was an All-Star closer who led the National League in saves for the San Francisco Giants back in 2023. His rise began the year prior in 2022, and over that two-year period, he posted a 2.73 ERA and a 2.87 FIP with 167 strikeouts over 135 1/3 innings.

If the 29-year-old proves down the stretch that he's truly back to that form, then the Pirates will have a high-leverage demon to unleash in 2027 as well. Combined with Luke Weaver and diabolical strikeout artist Mason Montgomery, Pittsburgh will boast one of the best late-inning trios in the league next season.

That's quite the 180 from how the team's bullpen began 2026, and it will simplify their offseason plan of attack.

As the Pirates begin to trust Doval, he's made it clear that he trusts the organization. He's fit in very well in the clubhouse amid all the other Dominican players on the roster, but more importantly, he has faith in what the team is asking him to do.

There's still one issue that the hard-throwing righty needs to iron out. He's walking hitters at an 18.4% clip, up from a 10.1% rate with the Yankees. That will be something to monitor down the stretch. If he fixes that, watch out.

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