Pittsburgh Pirates: Projecting the Opening Day Bullpen

1 of 3

With Opening Day now less than a week away, what could the bullpen look like for the Pittsburgh Pirates when they head to Cincinnati on March 30th?

The bullpen was always going to be a question for the Pittsburgh Pirates at the beginning of the 2023 season. Outside of David Bednar, it's a group filled with unproven arms, as well as arms that have struggled for much of their MLB career. However, injuries this spring have complicated things even further.

Lefty Jarlín García and righty Robert Stephenson were both expected to be memebrs of the Opening Day bullpen, with both potentially playing large roles. Well, both are slated to start the season on the injured list. García is battling a forearm issue that will likely cost him a significant amount of time, while Stephenson is recovering from elbow inflammation that will cost him at least the first two or three weeks of the regular season.

So, with Opening Day now less than a week away, what could the Opening Day bullpen look like for the Pittsburgh Pirates? Odds are, six of the eight spots are locked up leaving two spots still up in the air.

Now, things could change a bit if they decide to take Johan Oviedo for the final rotation spot bumping veteran Vince Velasquez to the bullpen. While this should happen, as of now, it appears that it will not with Oviedo starting at Triple-A.

But before this turns into a rant about how dumb that will be, let's dive into the latest Opening Day bullpen prediction.

The six (likely) locks - righties David Bednar, Colin Holderman, Wil Crowe, Duane Underwood Jr., Chase De Jong, lefty Jose Hernandez

Some of these are rather obvious. David Bednar is coming off an All-Star season. Since joining the Pirates in the Joe Musgrove trade, the Pittsburgh native has spent the past two seasons developing into one of the more reliable relievers in the National League.

While Wil Crowe struggled in the second half last season, he was borderline dominant in the first half. Colin Holderman came to the Pirates in the Daniel Vogelbach trade and flashed some good things before a season-ending injury. Both will get an extended look, at least to start the season, to see what they can do. It should also be noted that Holderman has added a pair of pitches to his repetoire this spring, adding to his potential.

Duane Underwood Jr. and Chase De Jong are both out of minor league options. Combine this with Underwood Jr.'s potential and De Jong coming off a career year, and both head north. Underwood Jr. needs to find consistency and De Jong needs to prove last season was not a fluke to remain in the bullpen for the entire season, but both will be given the opportunity to do just that.

That brings us to Jose Hernandez. Acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Rule 5 Draf, Hernandez is the only healthy left-handed reliever on the team's 40-man roster. Even if this was not the case, with the 100+ MPH fastball he has flashed this spring Hernandez would likely get a spot regardless.

Hernandez's stuff is simply too good to not give him an opportunity. Hernandez appears to have the ceiling of being a plsu, potentially dominant left-handed reliever. The Pirates need to give him every opportunity in the world this season to see if he can develop into a long-term bullpen piece.

The other two spots - righty Dauri Moreta, lefty Angel Perdomo

Entering spring training it seemed like long odds that either Dauri Moreta or Angel Perdomo would be part of the team's Opening Day bullpen. Well, things can often times change in baseball and, now, here we are.

Moreta was acquired from the Cincinnati Reds for Kevin Newman in an offseason trade. The 26-year-old righty posted a 5.40 ERA, 5.80 FIP, 8.1% walk rate, 24.4% strikeout rate, and a 2.35 HR/9 in 38.1 innings pitched last season.

However, it was the tale of two seasons for Moreta. After being optioned to Triple-A in early May he re-joined the Reds on June 19th. From June 19th through the end of the season Moreta pitched 24.2 innings, posting a 2.92 ERA, 3.92 FIP, 7.2% walk rate, 23.7% strikeout rate, and, most importantly, his home run rate plummeted to 1.02 HR/9.

Moreta throws a plus slider and power four-seamed fastball that is a plus pitch. This spring, he has posted a 1.17 ERA, to go with just a single walk, no home runs allowed, and 10 strikeouts in 7.2 innings pitched. When you combine Moreta's plus stuff, strong spring performance, and injuries, the odds of him having pitched his way onto the Opening Day roster appear to be high.

As for Perdomo, being a lefty works in his favor. Heading north with Hernandez, who has never pitched above Double-A, as the only lefty in the bullpen would be a risky move. Perdomo has MLB experience, owing an 8.24 ERA, but 33 strikeouts in 18.2 innings pitched with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Perdomo has pitched 7.2 innings this spring. He's walked five batters and allowed two home runs, which contributes to his 8.22 ERA this spring, but he has struck out 10 batters. Perdomo's slider and four-seamer both limited opposing batters to a batting average below .200 last season with whiff rates over 33%.

Perdomo has intriguing stuff. This combined with the team's need for another lefty in the bullpen has us projecting him to land a spot in the team's Opening Day bullpen. Due to being a non-roster invitee to spring training the Pittsburgh Pirates will need to clear a 40-man roster spot for Perdomo, but García appears headed for the 60-day injured list which would make this easy to do.

Next. Four Bold Predictions for 2023. dark

Home / Pirates News