Thompson could see time as starter and reliever

BRADENTON, Fla. -- There have been times in Zach Thompson’s career that he’s been a starter. Then a reliever. Then a starter, again. Then a reliever, again. Currently, he’s a starter -- again. He’s happy to relieve but he expressed a desire to start. With a week left until Opening Day, Thompson might get that wish, albeit, with a twist.

Thompson put together his best outing of the spring on an aggressively windy Thursday afternoon at LECOM Park, pitching four scoreless innings with four strikeouts in a 4-4 tie. Thompson likely stands to be in the starting rotation to begin the season, but manager Derek Shelton said Thompson could see time in the bullpen as well.

“I think it’s realistic that we could have guys that would get a bulk of innings in different roles, whether we open for them or they start games depending on the matchup,” Shelton said.

Thompson’s most impressive individual plate appearance came when he battled back from a 3-0 count to strike out Anthony Santander in the first inning. After throwing a get-it-in fastball, Thompson went with an 87.3 mph cutter that generated a swing-and-miss. On the payoff pitch, Thompson threw a perfectly placed fastball on the inside corner, setting down Santander to end the inning.

“I thought he threw the ball really well,” Shelton said. “He continues to have good outings. Today’s the best he used his whole repertoire. Kept the ball at the bottom, the velocity stayed, but overall, really good outing.”

All three of Thompson’s outings have been starts, and he’s been stretched out with every subsequent appearance. But as Shelton mentioned, the Pirates could employ Thompson in a bulk role where he enters out of the bullpen early and pitches three or four innings. Several other pitchers, such as Bryse Wilson and Dillon Peters, fall into this category as well. If Thompson does come out of the bullpen, he’ll have some familiarity with the routine, even if he’s throwing more innings than usual.

Thompson was drafted as a starter by the White Sox in 2014. Midway through 2017, he was converted to a reliever. Thus began the merry-go-round.

He stayed in that role for several years, but upon being called up last season, the Marlins provided him with the opportunity to start. Thompson’s first 13 games with Miami were starts, but after that, besides a brief cameo as an opener, Thompson was a reliever the rest of the way.

For those attempting to keep score at home, Thompson has had 127 career appearances as a reliever and 81 as a starter.

“The fact that he’s done both is really important,” Shelton said. “We’ve talked about versatility. We’ve talked about how if guys are starters, how we’re going to use them. I don’t think we’ll see very many traditional starters, especially in April. We may not through the year.”

As one might expect, Thompson’s approach on the mound differs based on the role. As a reliever, both in the Majors and Minors, Thompson’s strikeout totals are noticeably higher. With the Marlins, Thompson recorded 8.7 strikeouts per nine innings as a reliever versus 7.8 strikeouts per nine innings as a starter.

“As a starter, you definitely want to make sure that you can last longer in the game,” Thompson said. “Sometimes, that means an 0-1 pitch or an 0-0 pitch, I'm just going to try to put it in there and I know I'm going to get contact, whether that's a cutter, sinker — whatever it is, I want contact and I want it early.

“As a reliever, I don't necessarily want contact. So you have to come in there trying to punch tickets. That's all about being able to throw nasty cutters off the plate or just hammer curveballs.”

Worth noting

A day removed from hitting two home runs against the Twins, Diego Castillo hit another Thursday, his fourth home run of the spring. Shelton noted that Castillo would not have to be a full-time starter in order for him to make the roster, noting that he could come off the bench and provide versatility.