Young Guys Taking Over in Injury Filled Pitching Staff

It has been a rocky start for the Pirates so far in 2020, as they are off to a 2-10 start over their first 12 games of the season. Part of that is due to some injuries to key pitchers, and today we look at the guys replacing them and how they project this season.

As unfortunate as it is, injuries are a major part of professional sports and the Pittsburgh Pirates have been dealt their fair share over the last couple of seasons. This year alone, they are without eight high-impact pitchers, with most missing the rest of the season. Guys like Jameson Taillon, Chris Archer, Kyle Crick, and most recently Nick Burdi have all hit the injured list and will miss significant time this season. While it isn't good to be without those players, it does give Pirates management a chance to see what they have in their Minor League system. There are several young guys in the Pirates bullpen getting their first shot at the MLB level.

That is who we are going to focus on today looking at the young guys who have gotten the call to the Major Leagues. We will take a look at what they have done so far and what we can expect as the season goes on. They might not have the flashiest numbers on the team, but we kind of knew coming into the season the Pirates were going to be bad, even if we didn't want to admit it. So, with that in mind here are the young bullpen arms that I am looking at to make an impact both this season and in the future for the Pirates. 2020 is a great year to get your feet wet at the MLB level, and that is exactly what these guys are doing this season.

RHP: JT Brubaker

One of the few bright spots for the Pirates bullpen this season has been the emergence of rookie JT Brubaker. After being names the 2018 Pittsburgh Pirates Minor League pitcher of the year, injuries stopped his progression to the big leagues in 2019. Since making his MLB debut on July 26th in St. Louis, Brubaker's stuff has been electric and he earned his way onto his first Major League start this afternoon. He has a fastball that has consistently hit between 93 and 96 miles per hour, but his best pitch is probably his slider as it breaks down and into righties and falls away from left-handed batters.

So far in two appearances for the Pirates, Brubaker has thrown five scoreless innings of work while walking one and striking out seven. In both instances, Brubaker entered the game when a starter was struggling and gave the Pirates the innings they needed to get to the back-end of the bullpen. Even though he has given up four hits in five innings of work, opponents are only hitting .222 against the right-hander and he is living up to his 2018 title. His best appearance for the Pirates came in his MLB debut when he worked two scoreless innings striking out four batters and allowing three hits against the Cardinals. He showed that he can work with people on base and use his fastball/slider combination for big outs.

Today, Brubaker will be making his first MLB start for the Pirates and it's a moment the team has been waiting for. He has been a starter his entire Minor League career and posted ERAs under three in three of his five Minor League seasons. In 2018, he set a career-record with a 2.81 ERA in 154.1 innings of work between Double-A and Triple-A in 28 starts. Those are Cy Young type numbers at the MLB level and so far, he has shown an ability to post those type of numbers in his first two outings. If his slider keeps its wicked movement and his fastball can consistently hit the mid-90s, look for him to be a strong starting rotation candidate for years to come.

RHP: Geoff Hartlieb

Geoff Hartlieb had a stint in Pittsburgh at the end of last season, but due to injuries, he is getting a full-time shot in the bullpen in 2020. Many have talked about him being the closer of the future, but his four-pitch mix has played well so far as a middle-reliever this season. He has appeared in four games for the Pirates, pitching 5.1 innings of work while allowing two runs on seven hits, walking three and striking out one. While the stat line looks iffy, all of those runs and walks came in yesterday's game against the Minnesota Twins as he hit his first bump in the road. Other than that outing, he has been pretty good on the mound and is pitching much better than last season.

The most encouraging part of Hartlieb's season so far has been his performance against NL Central opponents. In his first two appearances of the year, he has to go against the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs in two games that the Pirates still had a chance of winning. In those two appearances, he worked 3.1 innings giving up five hits while striking out one batter. He did deal with some traffic on the base paths but was able to get out of it. He would face the Cubs again in his third appearance of the season getting the final two outs of his inning while getting the Pirates out of a jam that kept the deficit at 4-3. 

In the Minor Leagues, Hartlieb showed great ability out of the bullpen posting a sub-3.50 ERA in three of his four Minor League seasons. His best season came during his time in Double-A when he was the team's full-time closer. He went 8-2 that season converting 10 of 16 save opportunities while striking out 56 in 58.1 innings of work. While he doesn't have that high-powered fastball that you would like to see in a closer, but he has a good mix of pitches that he uses effectively. His fastball ranges in the mid-90s and he compliments that with a heavy slider against righties and a sinker against lefties. As he grows and matures as a pitcher, look for him to become a bigger fixture in the Pirates bullpen this season and in the future.

RHP: Blake Cederlind

Although we have not yet seen him at the Major League level, we should see Blake Cederlind by the end of the year. He is one of the most highly touted relief prospects in the Pirates Minor League system, and a bout with COVID-19 at then start of summer can't is probably why he isn't here now. He is a promising young reliever with a high-powered fastball and closing experience in the Minor Leagues. Cederlind was lights out at Double-A Altoona last year posting a 1.77 ERA, but the move to Triple-A did not prove as successful as he posted a 7.50 ERA in three appearances.

If it were a normal season, you probably would see Cederlind sometime in September to see if he can bounce back at Triple-A. However, with as many Pirates pitchers as we have seen hurt on the staff, we might get a look at him much sooner. Cederlind has been working at the Pirates satellite facility in Altoona pitching in simulated games for the team. The plus with Cederlind is his high strikeout rate as he set down 42 batters in 45.1 innings of work last season. Once he gets more work in Altoona, look for the Pirates to call on the right-hander and see what he can do against MLB hitters.

The Pittsburgh Pirates wrap-up their four-game series with the Minnesota Twins this afternoon at PNC Park. JT Brubaker (0-0) makes his first career Big League start going against Kenta Maeda (2-0) for the Twins. You can watch the game on AT&T Sportsnet or listen to the game live on 93.7 The Fan. The Pirates will be looking to snap a seven-game losing streak that has seen them fall to 2-10 to start the season.