Pittsburgh Pirates: Potential Replacements For Angel Perdomo's Bullpen Role

Yuki Matsui

I think Suter and Milner are very realistic options. But let’s get a little more bold with the last external player the Pirates could pursue. That is Yuki Matsui. Matsui is a veteran lefty out of the NBP who has established himself as one of the best closing pitchers in Japan. Last year, Matsui owned a 1.57 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and a K:BB ratio of 5.54. His 5.9% walk rate is by far a career-best, with his 32.7% strikeout rate clocking in around average for his career norms. The lefty has always been good at limiting the home run and has only allowed three long balls in 57.1 innings.

Matsui is a late-inning/high-leverage arm, but he’s not your prototypical power reliever. Matsui is a stout 5’8”, 167 pounds. There have only been four players in the last decade to stand at 5’8” or shorter and to have thrown 30+ inning pitched. His fastball only plays around 92-94 MPH. However, don’t underestimate him. His fastball plays way up because of its backspin, fighting off gravity very well. He also has a bevy of secondaries that look great. His splitter is a potential plus offering, and his slider is a third above-average pitch.