Priester prepares for Major League debut as Pirates fall to Giants

PITTSBURGH -- Quinn Priester wanted to stay in the game.

Priester, the Pirates’ No. 4 prospect per MLB Pipeline, had gotten dinged in the calf by a comebacker on Friday in a start for Triple-A Indianapolis, but felt fine enough to continue pitching. Indianapolis manager Miguel Perez thought otherwise and decided that Priester’s evening was over. Priester, perpetually competitive, wanted to stay in the game.

“I was like, ‘C’mon man what are you talking about?’” Priester said before the Pirates 8-4 10th-inning loss on Sunday at PNC Park. “Then he ended up telling me that I was coming to the big leagues. That was a really special moment for it to happen in the dugout with all my teammates down there, so it was awesome.”

As awesome as the callup will be the debut, which will take place on Monday against the Guardians. Priester, who grew up in a suburb just outside of Chicago, won’t have a shortage of friends and family who attend his first Major League game.

Priester’s mom, Chris, started “flipping out” when Priester broke the news. Priester’s father, Andy, didn’t initially believe his son when he broke the news. Andy was watching Quinn’s start against Omaha, and when he saw Quinn exit after just one inning, he assumed Quinn was hurt.

“Since I can remember, I always thought I was going to be a professional baseball player -- a big league baseball player -- but then as you’re growing up you start to realize how hard that is,” Priester said. “Then I came back around and realized, 'Oh, I can actually do this.' And [I] just worked really hard at it, kept getting better and now it’s a new chapter for me. And I’m really excited to keep learning and doing things right.”

Priester shared that he typically gets anxious before starts, regardless of level, and knows that his debut will be no different. Despite the nerves, Priester expressed that he wants to soak up the experience and appreciate the moment as much as possible.

The right-hander said he wasn’t given an indication as to whether this will be a spot start or if he’ll have the opportunity to stay around and join the rotation, stating that his goal is to “pitch here and stay as long as I can.”

There will be no shortage of newness for Priester to experience in the coming days, but he’ll enjoy the benefit of already knowing a couple faces in the clubhouse. One year ago, Priester was teammates with Henry Davis, Nick Gonzales, Carmen Mlodzinski and Jared Triolo with Double-A Altoona. Two years ago, Priester shared a clubhouse with Gonzales, Mlodzinski and Triolo at High-A Greensboro.

“Me, Nick and Triolo have been together since Greensboro, so it’s a great thrill and to be able to have … people that I know really well in the clubhouse is going to make it a little easier,” Priester said. “Having all those guys, it’s been really consistent throughout my career and it’s really cool to be here with them and share this experience with them.”

Priester, who becomes the Pirates’ youngest player at 22, joins a rotation that features Rich Hill (a 19-year veteran and the oldest active player in baseball) and Mitch Keller (fresh off his first career All-Star Game). As he becomes acclimated to the Majors, the 22-year-old anticipates that he’ll be asking Hill and Keller a fair amount of questions.

“Hopefully I don’t annoy them too much,” Priester said. “If I see something in the game, go over and just, ‘Hey, what’d you see here?’ But I’m not sure what that’s going to be yet. That’s why I need to ask the questions. Just kind of take things in stride. Try to learn something every single day, try to get better at something every day. If I do that, I think I’ll be all right.”