The Pirates have a problem. It is not necessarily a familiar problem to fans, at least not lately. The Pirates have a cluster of guys who look like quality options in their bullpen. There are about 15 guys who are vying for innings in relief, but only 7 or 8 spots. Knowing that they plan on using a 6-man rotation of sorts, Keller, Brault, Kuhl, Anderson, Cahill, and the winner between Brubaker/Crowe, that probably leave 7 spots unless they go with a 4-man bench. There’s a lot of moving parts and variables that need to be factored into their decision when they break camp. For this exercise, I am assuming that they go with 7. This is a good problem.
The Front Runners
Richard Rodriguez will probably close, so he’ll make the team. He may also be traded before the season. For the spring, he has pitched 3 innings with an ERA of 3.00. He’s given up 4 hits, but no walks. He’s also racked up 7 Ks.
Chris Stratton will also make the team, unless he’s traded. He’s pitched 3.1 innings of no-hit ball with 2 Ks.
Duane Underwood Jr. has yet to throw a pitch for the Pirates. They liked him enough to trade a prospect for him and he is out of options, so he’ll make it. He has a nice mix of pitches, so he could be a nice option out of the pen who can pitch multiple innings.
Luis Oviedo, like Underwood, hasn’t thrown a pitch for the Pirates this spring, but he’ll make the team due to being a Rule 5 pick. The Pirates would have to risk losing him on waivers or offering him back to Cleveland if they tried to take him off the roster. That’s not going to happen. With Cherington’s goal to load the organization with talent, they won’t want to lose Oviedo. He’ll ride the bench this year and see limited action, so he can continue to develop in the system next year.
Kyle Crick worried me early on in the spring with his lower velocity. That has jumped up to the mid-90s, so I am more confident that he’ll make the pen and be effective.
The Others
Michael Feliz is out of options. That’s probably what is going to get him a spot on the team. He’s looked ok so far this spring. He gave up a home run in two innings with 2 Ks. There are others who have out performed him, but experience might win him a job.
Chasen Shreve is in camp on a minor league deal and he may choose to opt out if he doesn’t make the team. He had one bad outing that bloated his numbers, but he’s been solid overall. The lefty is carrying a 5.40 ERA over 5 innings, but that is a result of one rough inning. I think he’ll make it and be used as a trade piece later in the season.
Edgar Santana has looked great so far this spring until today. He gave up 6 runs over 1/3 of an inning. I really think he should make the team, so they can see what he can do. However, they may chose to send him to AAA since he has options. Today may have pushed him out of the running. He’ll need to rebound to lock down a spot.
David Bednar has been the darling of camp. He is racking up the strikeouts with 10 over 5 innings and has a 0.00 ERA. He has made his case and made it strong.
Sam Howard pitched well for the Pirates last year, but has been a little lackluster so far in spring. I think he starts the year in AAA with Shreve being the club’s lefty in pen.
If the season started today, here’s what I think the pen to looks like: Rodriguez, Stratton, Underwood, Crick, Oviedo, Shreve, and Feliz. You can put the 6th starter/swingman in that mix too. That means you have a ton of guys waiting in AAA like: Bednar, Santana, Howard, Geoff Hartlieb, Blake Weiman, Shae Spitzbarth, Yerry De Los Santos, and more that we haven’t even seen yet, like my sleeper for the year, John O’Reilly. They will also have to get Rule 5 guy, Jose Soriano, on the roster once he is healthy. Blake Cederlind’s status is up in the air for the year after his UCL strain. There’s depth here and the Pirates will need it. It also means that the Pirates can afford to designate a Michael Feliz or trade a Richard Rodriguez. I really think a guy or two will be moved before the season, but they also don’t have to right away. This is as interesting as the Pirates bullpen has been in a long time.
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