Pirates Non-Roster Invitees who could make the Opening Day bullpen

1. RHP Hunter Stratton

27-year-old Hunter Stratton has showcased why he’s arguably the top candidate to make the Opening Day roster, after posting solid numbers so far this Spring. Stratton (not to be confused with former Pirates pitcher, Chris Stratton) debuted with the Pirates following a solid 2023 season with the Indianapolis Indians. In 47 appearances, Stratton posted a 3.99 ERA, 74 strikeouts, and 6 saves out of the bullpen. With the Pirates bullpen, Stratton posted a 2.25 ERA, 4.76 FIP, and had 10 strikeouts across 12 innings.

Stratton elected free agency during the 2023 off-season and subsequently re-signed with the team on a Minor League Deal with an invite to Spring Training. As of writing this article, Hunter Stratton has posted a 0.00 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, and 5 strikeouts across 5 innings of work in Grapefruit League games. Granted, this is a small sample size, but it’s still impressive nonetheless. Stratton relies heavily on his 3-pitch mix, which consists of a 95-mph fastball, 91-mph cutter, and an 85-mph slider. If I were a betting man, I’d highly consider Stratton as the top NRI option to make the team.

2. RHP Wily Peralta

Alongside Stratton, veteran righty Wily Peralta is the second most likely option to make the Opening Day roster for the Pittsburgh Pirates (in my opinion). At 35-years-old, Peralta has been a seasoned veteran in Major League Baseball, and some fans may remember that he was a reliable arm for the Milwaukee Brewers early in his career. Peralta’s last stint in the Majors was with the Detroit Tigers in 2022, where he posted a 2.58 ERA, 4.08 FIP, 32 strikeouts, and a 1.51 WHIP across 38.1 innings and 1 game started. Peralta struggled with control, walking 14.3% of batters faced, but he was solid at limiting home runs, only allowing 2 all season.

Peralta recently had a minor league stint in 2023 with the Washington Nationals, but his numbers were far from stellar. So far with the Pirates this Spring, Peralta has posted a 0.00 ERA, struck out 1 batter, and only walked 1 across 3 innings of work. Even in an extremely small sample size, Peralta has limited hard contact and has showcased a solid changeup/splitter combination, which is arguably his best pitch.

But why should Peralta make the Opening Day roster?

Wily Peralta is a reliable veteran arm that will eat innings for the Pirates and has the versatility to move between the bullpen and the starting rotation. The Pirates have flirted with the idea of using openers over the last few seasons, and maybe Peralta could partake in a long relief/opener role to give some of our starters a rest. Veteran leadership is extremely important and as the old saying goes “you can never have enough pitching depth”. All that the Pirates need at this point is someone to eat innings, and Peralta could slot in and find a way to help this team win games.

3. RHP Ben Heller

For some fans, Ben Heller may be a name that has been completely forgotten about this Spring, and I don’t blame them. As of writing this article, Heller has not pitched a single inning after signing a minor league deal with the Pirates back in early December. Heller was also offered an invite to join the Pirates Spring Training roster as a non-roster invitee but hasn’t played due to a suspected injury (which hasn’t been formally announced by the Pirates). However, there are some things to like about Heller’s game, which could lead to him making the Opening Day roster, if healthy.

Last season with the Atlanta Braves, Heller posted a 3.86 ERA, and 5.02 FIP, struck out 19.5% of batters faced, and had a 1.45 WHIP across 18.2 innings of relief. Those numbers don’t immediately scream “lockdown reliever”, but the Pirates aren’t asking Heller to post elite numbers out of the bullpen. Heller’s calling card is his ability to generate groundballs as a sinker-baller and limit home runs, which would translate well in PNC Park. He also has one of the nastiest sweepers in the entire league (78.6 Whiff%), which was a nightmare for opposing batters. Last season, Heller’s elite breaking ball was UNHITABLE, holding batters to a .000 batting average and striking out 11 hitters.

While Heller isn’t the most likely candidate to make the Opening Day roster, his repertoire speaks for itself and he shouldn’t be removed from consideration. Keep your eyes peeled on Heller this Spring, if he actually pitches.

4. RHP Brent Honeywell Jr.

On February 8th, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed former top pitching prospect Brent Honeywell Jr. to a Minor League deal, with an invite to Spring Training. After being named one of the top pitching prospects in Major League Baseball for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2017, Honeywell unfortunately got injured during Spring Training in 2018 and underwent Tommy John Surgery. For the next few seasons, Honeywell dealt with a variety of injuries that kept him off the field, and he bounced around to the Athletics, Padres, and White Sox from 2021-2023, until he recently landed with the Pirates.

With the Padres and White Sox, Honeywell posted a 4.82 ERA, 5.62 FIP, 45 strikeouts, and a 1.45 WHIP across 52.1 innings. Honeywell was a decent ground baller (48.8 groundball %) but struggled with control at times. His numbers with the Padres were better than his combined ERA, because his awful stint with the White Sox inflated his ERA from a 4.05 (with San Diego), to a 4.85 combined ERA. One of Honeywell’s best pitches is his screwball, which is fairly uncommon in today’s league, and it has been fun to watch during Spring Training.

Brent Honeywell Jr. has had his ups and downs this Spring for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but he should still be a consideration for one of these bullpen vacancies. I am hopeful that Brent Honeywell Jr. will bounce back and put together a decent year out of the bullpen, but only time will tell if he makes the Opening Day roster.

Other non-roster invitee options for the bullpen

While there are other non-roster invitees like Josh Fleming, Chase Anderson, Ryder Ryan, Michael Plassmeyer, and Connor Sadzeck that could make the Opening Roster, I believe they will start out in Triple-A or elect for free agency. Out of this small group, Josh Fleming has the best shot to make the Opening Day roster, but I find it hard to believe that the Pirates would entertain the idea of having at least 4 lefties in the bullpen, but you never know in today’s game. However, if Ben Cherington decided to add Fleming to the Opening Day roster, I’d be willing to tolerate it.

With Dauri Moreta likely out for the start of 2024 and David Bednar’s health being up in the air, here is how the Pirates bullpen looks to potentially be: RHP Roansy Contreras, [open spot], LHP Ryan Borucki, LHP Jose Hernandez, RHP Carmen Mlodzinski, RHP Colin Holderman, LHP Aroldis Chapman, and [open spot or Bednar if he is healthy]. The back end of the bullpen is going to be fun to watch, but the Pirates should consider one or more of these non-roster invitees to fill the holes in the bullpen.