Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects 2023 Recap: Cam Alldred Struggles as a Starting Pitcher

In his first season working as a starting pitcher, things did not go well at the Triple-A level for Pittsburgh Pirates minor league pitcher Cam Alldred

Despite making his MLB debut in 2022, left-handed pitcher Cam Alldred entered the 2023 season as an afterthought for many fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Well, he appeared to be a bit of an afterthought without the organization as well as he spent his entire 2023 season with the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians.

At Indy, Alldred pitched 105.2 innings in 31 outings, 17 of which were starts. Alldred's 105.2 innings pitched were a new professional career high. A big reason he reached a career high in innings pitched is because this was the first time in his professional career Alldred had worked as a starting pitcher.

Prior to 2023, Alldred had 2 career professional starts. Both of these starts came in 2022, and both came with Alldred working as an opener, not a true starting pitcher. This change made 2023 a different one for Alldred.

Overall on the season, Alldred posted a 5.20 ERA and a 5.13 FIP. He walked 10.2% of batters faced, struck out 21.6% of opposing batters, allowed 16 home runs (1.36 HR/9), and opposing batters hit .246 off of Alldred.

Alldred started the season in the Indy bullpen. His first start came on April 13th, which was his 4th outing of the season, and he allowed 2 earned runs in 4 innings pitched in this start. His next start came on May 11th when he allowed 1 earned run in 3 innings pitched.

Following two more relief appearances, at the end of May Alldred began to make the transition to starting more often. 15 of his final 21 appearances were as a starting pitcher, but his final two appearances of the season were as a reliever. So, prior to those two outings, 15 of 17 outings came as a starter.

Looking ahead to 2024, the 27-year-old lefty enters the season as a likely non-factor in the Pirate organization. He could begin the season back at Double-A Altoona, with starting at Triple-A not being a slam dunk. 2024 will be a vital season for Alldred in terms of his future with the Pirates.