Cederlind Gives Bullpen New Look in Major League Debut
A look at the current state of the Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen does not scare many opposing teams. Injuries have hampered the group all season with guys like Nick Burdi and Kyle Crick missing over half the season with injuries. It has left guys like Richard Rodriguez, Dovydas Neverauskas, and even Derek Holland to be in positions they aren't normally used to. After the excitement of bringing up top prospect Ke'Bryan Hayes a couple of weeks ago, the Pirates added to their bullpen with the promotion of another top prospect who emerged on the scene last season. Blake Cederlind got the call in the bottom of the sixth inning for his Major League debut and didn't disappoint with a 1-2-3 frame.
For Cederlind, the debut marked the completion of a six-year journey from college and the Minor Leagues, to making his Major League debut. His journey was full of ups and downs, and there were times where it looked like pro baseball wasn't for him as he had a career ERA of 6.12 during his first three years of the Minor Leagues. However, he significantly increased his velocity and showed more control in 2019, and became a dominant reliever. That has been the path that has gotten him to Pittsburgh and now he has the chance to show what he can do over the final two weeks of the season. We take a look back at his MLB debut and what his projection looks like moving forward.
A High Heat Major League Debut
When Blake Cederlind got the call to the big leagues yesterday, you figured the idea was to get "mini Thor" into the game. So, when Joe Musgrove finished five innings of four-run ball, manager Derek Shelton wasted no time going to the young rookie pitcher. Cederlind may have cut his flowing golden locks, but he was still an imposing force on the mound, consistently touching 97-99 miles per hour, with his fastest pitch registering in at 99.5 miles per hour. It is velocity that the Pirates have not seen from really any of their pitchers this season, with the exception of Nick Burdi, and it brought some life to the bullpen.
When he entered the game in the sixth inning, he would be tasked with facing the Reds seven, eight, and nine hitters. He used a steady die of his two-seam fastball/slider combination, inducing soft contact by all three batters. He started his night by showing off his fastball, getting ahead of the Reds Brian Goodwin with two straight fastballs that came up and in, to the right-handed batter. Cederlind then missed the zone with two sliders and a fastball, before changing the eye level with a fastball on the outside corner that Goodwin rolled to second for the out. He had a similar approach against Freddy Galvis, getting the first two pitches across before evening the count at 2-2, and had a similar result with a groundout to second base. He finished off the night with a two-pitch at-bat to Jose Garcia where he induced a fly out to end the inning.
It was a successful outing for the former Altoona Curve and Indianapolis Indians closer, and it showed his stuff could translate to the Major Leagues. He showed that he can consistently hit the upper 90's, with an average velocity of 94 mph, but can still drop it down to the mid-80's when he needs to. He also showed a tendency to work up and in, in the zone to right-handed batters. That is where he lived with both his fastball and slider, but generated his outs on pitches on the outside part of the plate. Early in his Minor League career, he was unable to locate these pitches. However, he has found the accuracy that he was looking for and it has helped him become a more effective pitched and make his Major League debut.
Cederlind's Role Moving Forward
Cederlind's future with the Pirates looks to be a back-end reliever or even a closer, however, don't look for him to be in that role for the rest of the 2020 season. Cederlind only has six career innings logged at the Triple-A level, and the Pirates want to ease the young right-hander into the transition to the Big Leagues. His Double-A numbers in 2019 were impressive as he went 5-1 with a 1.77 ERA in 45.2 innings pitched for the Curve while going 2-4 in save opportunities. With the success on his side, the Pirates decided to promote Cederlind for the final few games of the 2019 season, to get him used to Triple-A.
The move proved to be disastrous as Cederlind had a 7.50 ERA in six innings worked for the Indians. Because of his limited time in Triple-A, and his struggles, look for Cederlind to be used more as a six or seven-inning guy, working in low leverage situations. Once he proves that he is able to handle big-league bats, he can then compete for a spot in the back-end of the bullpen next season. With guys like Burdi and Crick returning to the mix, Cederlind will more than likely be used as a set-up man, while Burdi gets first dibs at the closer's role. It will give the Pirates two flame throwers in the back of their bullpen, leaving opponents guessing back on their toes while the Pirates are conserving their lead.
Even though this season has not gone the Pirates way what so ever, the next generation of talent is looking strong for the Pirates. Ke'Bryan Hayes has come up and produced at third base and Cederlind made a good impression in his Major League debut. The key for Cederlind, as with all of the Pirates prospects, is going to be consistency. If he can consistently hit the strike zone and get outs, he is going to be an effective big-league pitcher. However, if he becomes streaky, like many of the current Pirates players right now, the cycle starts all over. Cederlind has shown promise early on and looks to continue that into the future.
Cederlind and the Pittsburgh Pirates (14-33) wrap up their four-game series with the Cincinnati Reds (24-26) tonight at 6:40 pm. JT Brubaker (1-1, 5.34) looks to bounce back for the Pirates after a rough outing his last time out against Luis Castillo (2-5, 3.44) for the Reds. You can watch the game live on AT&T Sportsnet or listen on 93.7 The Fan as the Pirates try to get a win before heading back home to PNC Park to take on the Cardinals.
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