Prospect Watch: Conner Loeprich Developing into Strong Bullpen Arm
Long-relievers are an important, but often overlooked, role in a Major League Bullpen. They aren't going to come out every day and when they do it is usually because of injury or the game is out of hand. For Conner Loeprich, this is a role he thrives in and has done so throughout both his collegiate and professional career. He has made a few spot starts here and there every season, but the majority of his work comes when he enters from the bullpen. He isn't a flamethrower who will light up the radar gun, but he is a guy who will go out there and eat up innings when some of his peers need nights off so he can save their arms.
Last season, his first full year of professional baseball, Loeprich pitched between Low-A Greensboro and Advanced-A Bradenton. He saw a slight uptick in his ERA from the year before, but he more than doubled his workload over the course of the season. He appeared in a combined 33 games, eight starts, between the Grasshoppers and Marauders, and posted a 3.94 ERA in 96 innings of work. He posted a career-high 95 strikeouts and had a little trouble with his control walking 25 batters. With his velocity in the low 90s, Loeprich gives you a decently strong arm out of the bullpen to keep hitters off-balance in the middle innings of a ball game.
Leoprich comes from a championship high school baseball program at Buchanan High School in Clovis, California. He was a two-sport athlete in high school and was a team leader on both his team. He was the starting quarterback for the Buchanan High School football team during his four years, but his championship runs came with the baseball team. He pitched his team to both a Tri-Rivers Conference Championship and a CIF Central Section Division I title in 2015. He pitched in the championship game of both of those tournaments throwing a two-hit shutout and a three-hit shutout respectively. He started gaining college interest after an impressive junior season that saw him go 10-3 with an 0.95 ERA.
When it was time for him to make his choice as to where to play college ball, he stayed right in his backyard and went to St. Mary's College of California. Initially, he didn't see a lot of playing time with the Geals and only appeared in two games out of the bullpen during his freshman year. After being a star player throughout his high school career, it was an adjustment for Loeprich to take a step back. But, it motivated him to keep working hard, and he eventually became a more prominent member of the Geal's bullpen during his sophomore year. He appeared in 16 games for the Geals and was in the starting rotation by the end of the season. He was tired for the team lead in wins that season (6) while leading the team with the lowest starter's ERA (4.15) and the lowest amount of walks (10).
By the time his junior year rolled around, Loeprich found himself back in the bullpen appearing in 19 games while making five starts. His ERA went up slightly to 4.78 while working in 32 innings of work throughout the year. His strikeout numbers were good with 27 during the year, but he was still walking too many batters with 12 on the season. It was these control issues that forced him from the starting rotation at St. Mary's but he still had the stuff to be considered a good professional reliever. When it came time for the draft, Loeprich didn't know what to think. Two days of the 2018 MLB Draft had come and gone and it looked as though he was destined to head back to St. Mary's. However, the Pirates would eventually call his name in the 20th round of the draft, the fifth straight pick they had used on a pitcher, and sent Loeprich to Class-A Short Season West Virginia.
There, he moved full-time to the bullpen and was a pretty strong reliever for the Black Bears throughout the season. He appeared in 22 games for the Black Bears and went 1-4 with a 2.83 ERA in 28.2 innings of work. He was able to hold the opposition at bay allowing just a .178 opponent batting average, and it was an encouraging sign for the front office to see. Because he was missing so many bats, his strikeout numbers went up and he had a strikeout per nine rate of 9.73, 31 strikeouts in 28.2 innings of work. His control was still a little shaky with his walk percentage at just under 12% during the season.
He would make his professional debut on June 19th and made the transition from high school to the pros look flawless. He threw 6.1 consecutive scoreless innings, spanning five appearances to start the season. He didn't give up his first earned run until July, and even after that he only gave up more than one earned run in a game twice all season. He would routinely work one to two-inning outings and even got the chance to throw in some high-leverage situations towards the end of the year. He came in the game in save situations in three of his final five outings of the season and ended up earning seven saves during his rookie season.
He did so well out of the Black Bears bullpen that the Pirates had no choice but to move him to full-season ball last year. He started as a member of the Low-A Greensboro bullpen but would end up showing his stamina by the end of the season. In 25 games with the Grasshoppers, Loeprich went 3-3 with a 4.30 ERA in 58.2 innings of work. He started 2019 just as successful as he had the year before, throwing three scoreless innings to start the year. As the year went on, Loeprich went from a one to two-inning reliever to a guy who would end up working multiple innings at a time. He ended up making his way to the Greensboro starting rotation by mid-May and made his first professional start on May 19th.
That initial start did not go great for the young pitcher as he lasted four innings and gave up four earned runs in what would turn out to be a no-decision. Loeprich would earn himself two more starts in Low-A ball and got better each time out allowing two earned runs in his second start and just one in his third. Opponents started hitting him more often, with a .286 average against, but his strikeout numbers were higher than ever with 67 in 58.2 innings of work. When the need arose for a starting pitcher with the Bradenton Marauders, it would be Loeprich who got the call given his newfound stamina. He would officially get the call to Advanced-A ball on July 23rd and made his debut that same day.
He would end up getting the start and pitched well going six innings while giving up one earned run on eight hits while walking one and striking out six. It was the first time in Loeprich's career that he worked six innings in a game, and he proved to the team and himself that he could be a starting pitcher again. He ended up making five starts for the Marauders over his five appearances and dropped his ERA to 3.38. Opponents still had a .286 batting average against him, but the big change for Loeprich was his control got way better. He walked just seven batters in 37.1 innings of work, getting his walk rate down to the single digits. Those control numbers are going to be key in terms of Loeprich's next move in Major League baseball. When the season returns, it would appear Loeprich would stay in Bradenton and possibly get a chance in the starting rotation. The good news is Loeprich has a path both as a starter and a reliever to make his way to the big league club.
It is still uncertain as to when the 2020 MLB season is set to begin, but we at Buccos Cove are determined to continue to bring you strong content. Until the 2020 season begins, we will continue looking at the players who make up the 2020 Pirates organization and how they will impact the organization this season.
Comments
Post a Comment