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Bialey Falter unimpressive in first 2024 spring start
One of the big questions that fans will have during Spring Training dealing with the Pittsburgh Pirates is who makes up the rotation for Opening Day. There are three spots that are definitely locked down as of now. The team will be led by recently extended Mitch Keller and two lefty offseason pickups in Marco Gonzales and Martin Perez.
However, those last two spots are big question marks as of now. This Spring there will be several starting pitchers vying for one of the two spots. The list of internal options includes Roansy Contreras, Luis Ortiz, and Bailey Falter. Some new candidates will also be in play like big league veteran Chase Anderson and former Tampa Bay Ray Josh Fleming. This is not to mention arms like Quinn Priester and Jared Jones who could be in the rotation at some point during 2024.
Bailey Falter was given the first crack of the Spring. This kind of made sense being he did not exactly impress after being acquired for Rodolfo Castro last trade deadline. Falter posted a 5.58 ERA across 40 innings with the Pirates in 2023. He also is out of options in terms of being sent to the Minor Leagues. So he will likely be given every chance this Spring to prove he should be kept around going forward.
So far he is not off to a great start this Spring. Against the Twins on Saturday the 24th, Falter gave up 2 earned runs in 2 innings of work. After an effective first inning in which he only gave up a single to Carlos Santana, Falter's second inning left much more to be desired. He allowed 3 singles in the inning and had a wild pitch. His final line was 2 innings, 4 hits, and 3 punchouts.
It is the first game of Spring Training and a very limited amount of work so fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates should not overreact.
However, the starting rotation should be the main focus for the team and fans this Spring Training. Every start will matter for a lot of these pitchers. There are open spots in the rotation and Falter obviously is a primary candidate to fill one of the spots.