Trio of new arms impressing Bucs in camp

The Pirates have cleaned some things up from the 2020 season in the first half of camp, and pitching is no exception.

Pittsburgh entered Tuesday’s action ranked 11th in overall team ERA at 4.38. However, 12 of its 56 earned runs came during Monday’s loss to the Orioles, which means without that blip, the Pirates would be at a strong 3.70 ERA.

It’s tough to put much stock into Spring Training performances. Some guys are working through mechanical changes, some are adding new pitches and some just have had a bad day at the office. But it’s always interesting to keep an eye on who is doing well.

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That’s especially true for the names picked up this offseason, as general manager Ben Cherington executed a flurry of trades and deals. Here are three pitchers the Pirates acquired since the end of last season who have stood out in camp so far.

David Bednar Bednar was a Top 30 prospect with the Padres in 2020 before he was shipped to Pittsburgh in the Joe Musgrove deal on Jan. 19. Bednar fell out of the Pirates’ rankings, largely due to an influx of other top prospects in the Josh Bell and Jameson Taillon deals, but his top-tier stuff has been on display in Florida.

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Bednar has pitched in six games this spring, and he’s yet to allow a run. He’s struck out 11 batters in six innings, and he’s accomplished that by using all his offerings. In fact, facing the Braves on March 4, the 6-foot-1, 245-pound reliever struck out the side with his splitter, his curveball and his four-seamer in that order.

“He’s impressive,” manager Derek Shelton said. “No. 1, he’s bigger than I thought he was. He’s a big dude. He’s throwing the ball really well. He has been really impressive.”

A 35th-round selection in the 2016 MLB Draft, Bednar has been phenomenal at every stop in his Minor League career. His 2.95 ERA at Double-A in '19 is his highest mark, but even in that season, his strikeouts per 9 innings jumped to a career-best 13.34. Bednar scuffled a bit in his first taste of MLB action, with a 6.75 ERA in 17 games across '19-20, but he appears to be back on track to see time in The Show.

“Being a late-round guy, nothing was given or anything like that,” Bednar said. “Just going out and proving everybody wrong and earning each opportunity that I’m given.”

Wil Crowe
Crowe started his MLB career with some struggles, allowing 13 runs (11 earned) in 8 1/3 innings with the Nationals in 2020. To say that should plummet his value would be as rash as saying his 0.00 ERA in six Spring Training innings this season should make his value skyrocket.

But the strides Crowe has made this spring -- he’s struck out five while limiting batters to three hits in six innings -- shouldn’t be discounted. The Pirates had him throw three innings in a "B" game on Tuesday to get him more mound time as the workload ramps up for the team’s expected starting rotation, and that may well be an indicator of the confidence the Bucs have in Crowe’s ability to be a starter down the road.

After he spent time learning from aces like Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg in Washington, Crowe has already begun to pick up some things from the analytics-minded Pirates pitching coach Oscar Marin. One of the big points of emphasis has been pitch tunneling, or the ability to throw different pitches down the same initial trajectory long enough to mask what they are.

“I think in the past when I was doing bad, I would get out of my tunnel,” Crowe said. “Every pitch was going to a different spot. So hammering the two-seam, the slider, the changeup; they play great off each other.”

Roansy Contreras
OK, Contreras has pitched in one game. I know. But the inning he threw on Sunday had everyone on the Pirates’ coaching staff smiling. When dealing with a prospect who is inching closer to the Majors, that’s always a good thing.

Contreras, the Pirates’ No. 19 prospect per MLB Pipeline, has recorded less than a strikeout per inning over his three seasons in the Minors. So when he came out touching 98 mph with his fastball and spinning a strong curveball, it might have been a bit of a shock to fans who hadn’t seen him up close and personal.

It wasn’t a perfect outing -- Contreras' four-seam fastball was a bit scattered, leading to a walk sandwiched between two strikeouts -- but it put him on the radar of those who watched.

“Sitting next to Oscar and [bullpen coach Justin Meccage] and watching that, watching the ball jump out of his hand at 98 and then being able to spin it, yeah, it was fun,” Shelton said. “Talking to him afterward, the only thing I asked him is if he had fun, because I know it was fun watching him.”