Burdi is Back and Stronger Than Ever in 2020
Entering the 2019 season, not many Pittsburgh Pirates fans knew the name Nick Burdi. However, after the Pirates picked up the left-hander in a trade from the Philadelphia Phillies, fans began to see what the exciting 27 year old could do out of the bullpen. Burdi was picked in the 2nd round of the 2014 MLB draft by the Minnesota Twins and was looking to make an impact at the big league level.
After making the Pirates 2019 Opening Day Roster, Burdi came out on fire allowing no more than two runs in each of his first 10 appearances of 2019. He had a 4.32 ERA and went 2-1 while striking out 17 batters in his first 8.1 innings of work. It was beginning to look like Burdi was going to be a steal for Neil Huntington and someone who would play a big factor for the team late in games.
Then came the night of April 22nd 2019, a typical Monday night game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Burdi hit his first speed bump of the season as he gave up four hits and five earned runs in just 0.1 innings of work. Burdi tried to struggle through, but on a 1-0 pitch Burdi would suddenly fall in a heap on the mound clenching his right bicep in pain. It turned out that the injury would end Burdi's season as he had to get surgery on his right bicep.
Now Burdi is on the comeback trail as he tries to get back to his 2019 form. It is a road that Burdi is all to familiar with after going through Tommy John Surgery during the 2016 season after appearing in just three games. He came back in 2017 and pitched lights out for the Chatanooga Lookouts (Twins AA Affiliate) appearing in 14 games and allowing just one earned run in 17 innings of work, a 0.53 ERA.
The Pirates are hoping for a similar outcome at the Major League level as he prepares for the 2020 season. In the spring training games that were played prior to the shutdown, Burdi showed signs of having that same success in his first five appearances. He allowed just one run in 4.2 innings of work while striking out eight batters and walking one. The strikeout numbers being up is a good sign for Burdi as that is something he has been noted for throughout his professional career.
Throughout his professional career, Burdi has held a double digit strikeout per nine rate at every level of the minor leagues and in the majors last season. His largest sample size came during the 2015 season when he was pitching between A and AA. In that season, Burdi appeared in 43 games pitching to a 3.82 ERA in 63.2 innings of work. He would strikeout 83 batters in those 63.2 innings while walking just 35. If Burdi can continue to get strikeouts at a high rate with the Pirates he could fit in nicely as a late inning reliever.
But what makes Burdi a strikeout pitcher? He uses just a two pitch mix and is effective with both of those pitches. In 2019, he used a slider, four-seam fastball mix throwing the Slider 54.7% of the time while the fastball comes in 45.3% of the time. He likes to go inside to lefties and outside to righties with the fastball and then finishes the batter with a nasty slider that breaks down and in to righties and down and away from lefties.
Of his 17 strikeouts in 2019, 11 of them came on the slider as he generated a Whiff percentage of 49% on that pitch. If Burdi is able to use that two-pitch sequence effectively, look for Burdi to be used to help bridge the gap to closer Keona Kela. Burdi is the best strikeout pitcher on the Pirates roster and is on track to be a big part of the bullpen not only in 2020 but for the foreseeable future.
Prediction: 2-1, 2.45 ERA (44 Appearances, 5 Saves)
As I said before, I see Burdi as a late-inning reliever for the Pirates and I think he is going to take over as the set-up man halfway through the season. Look for Burdi to come in in high-pressure situations for manager Derek Shelton as he tries to use his high strikeout percentage to get to the ninth inning for Keona Kela to take over.
As of now, the season is expected to begin somewhere around May 25th. Until then, we will continue to look at the men who make up this year's team and their contributions in 2020.
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