Pittsburgh Pirates: Low-Risk/High-Reward Pitchers To Pursue Based On Stuff+

The Pittsburgh Pirates should look into these low-risk/high-reward pitchers as they ranked highly in the eyes of Stuff+

The Pittsburgh Pirates could definitely use some pitching depth, both in the starting rotation and in the bullpen. If the season were to start tomorrow, the team would go into the year with Mitch Keller, Marco Gonzales, Martin Perez, and some mix of Luis Ortiz, Roansy Contreras, Quinn Priester, Jackson Wolf, and Bailey Falter making up the 4th/5th rotation spots. The Pirates have a quality core in the bullpen, with David Bednar backed by Colin Holderman, Carmen Mlodzinski, Ryan Borucki, and Dauri Moreta. 

But there's no such thing as enough pitching depth. They could definitely use some guys they could stash at Triple-A or in the back of the bullpen in a low-leverage middle or long relief role. Instead of giving this sort of role to a fringe minor leaguer, why not go after a low-cost veteran with some potential? 

I want to examine a few underrated free agents based on Stuff+. Stuff+ is a relatively new statistic that takes the physical characteristics of a pitch, which, according to FanGraphs, includes velocity, spin, movement, and even release point, and puts it on a scale similar to wRC+, OPS+, or ERA+, where 100 is average.

Now, I am not saying that these guys should be at the top of the Pirates' list of free agents to go after. I still expect the Pirates to add one legit starting pitcher and one more reliever. But if the Pirates were to sign any of these arms to a low-cost one-year deal and start them out in a low-leverage role, I would not be opposed to it. Some might even have to settle for minor league deals, which would allow the Pirates to stash them at Triple-A.