Pirates in the Playoffs: Justin Topa
The 2013 to 2015 seasons were some of the most successful times in Pittsburgh Pirates' recent history. They broke a 21-year losing streak and made the playoffs in three consecutive seasons under then-manager Clint Hurdle. This was a time of great success for the Pirates and their scouting department was receiving high praise for the talent they brought in. The 2013 draft saw that same type of good baseball talent come into the system with players like Austin Meadows, Adam Frazier, and Chad Kuhl all coming out of that draft. However, there are some other names picked in that draft that are just now making an impact in the Major Leagues that you might not have heard of.
One of those names is now in the playoffs in the form of Milwaukee Brewers reliever Justin Topa. After seven years in the Minor Leagues, and two major injuries, Topa cracked the Big Leagues with the Brewers on September 1st making his debut against the Detroit Tigers. Topa has since appeared in six games for the Brewers going 0-1 with a 2.35 ERA in his first 7.2 innings of work. So far, he has been used as a middle reliever and will probably continue that role in the playoffs. With a tough series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Wild Card round, Topa and the rest of the Brewers have their work cut out for them as they go for the organization's first World Series title.
Pirates 17th Round Draft Pick
When the Pirates drafted Topa he was coming off of his freshman year at Long Island University where he went 8-6 with a 4.05 ERA. The Pirates admired his strong control, with a walk percentage of 6.8%, and thought that that could translate into him becoming a successful professional pitcher. He would start his career with Class Low-A Jamestown Jammers and the transition initially looked to go smoothly for the right-hander. He appeared in 19 games out of the bullpen that season for Jamestown and went 5-2 with a 2.19 ERA in 37 innings of work. However, his next several seasons were thwarted by injuries.
He started the year with the West Virginia Power and you knew something was off. In 25 games, 14 starts he went 4-8 with a 6.09 ERA in 25 games, 14 starts, and was getting hit around. He allowed 109 hits in 88.1 innings of work and would make the first of three Disabled List trips on June 23rd, 2017. He would be promoted to the Bradenton Marauders after his second DL stint, but did not appear in a game and was on the shelf for good starting August 10th of 2014. He would miss the entire 2015 season with Tommy John Surgery and had to begin the long comeback to becoming an effective professional pitcher again.
He came back for a limited time in 2016, but only appeared in 12.2 innings of work, but posted a 2.13 ERA with the Marauders. His control was still there, but all of the injuries kept pushing him further and further back in his development. Eventually, the Pirates ran out of room for Topa and would release him right before the 2017 season was set to begin. Topa was once a promising pitcher in the Pirates organization, but injuries would end up turning the relationship sour. It was just not meant to be, but Topa refused to give up on his journey to become a Major League pitcher.
Resiliency Gets Him Back to the Big Leagues
Despite being released by the Pirates, Topa continued to battle on the road to professional baseball. He signed on with the Rockland Boulders of the Independent Canadian-American Association for the 2017 season and was impressive. In 20 games, 19 starts, he pitched to a 14-3 record with a 3.50 ERA in 110.2 innings of work. He limited the number of hits he gave up, with 104, and continued to show good control. His hard work would pay off and he returned to professional baseball when the Texas Rangers signed him on June 17th, 2018. He spent the 2018 season going between Double-A and Triple-A and still couldn't get it going pitching to a 2-4 record and a 6.85 ERA.
He elected Free Agency and was given a third chance when the Milwaukee Brewers came calling. He would split the year between Double-A and Advanced-A and things finally clicked in the bullpen as he had a 3.38 ERA in 40 innings of work. He featured the lowest WHIP of his career at 1.15 and had a career-high strikeout rate of 24.2% out of the bullpen. Topa was slated to move to Triple-A this season, but the craziness that is 2020 awarded him the opportunity to head to the Brewers satellite camp. He continued to work on his stuff and showed more improvement, earning him the call to the Big Leagues when the calendar turned to September.
He pitched well in his MLB debut giving up two hits, one of them being a two-run home run, over two innings of work against the Tigers. He would continue appearing for the Brewers in one and two-inning stints and has not allowed an earned run in each of his last five outings. His dominant control numbers have stuck with him, as he has not walked a better yet, and he continues to strike out batters at a high rate, with 12 in his first 7.2 innings of work. Being that the Brewers are getting ready to face the Dodgers, I don't know how much Topa will be used, but he provides a reliable young option for the Brewers in the bullpen.
Check back every day as we continue our Pirates in the Playoffs series looking across all 16 playoff teams for players that have spent time in the Pirates organization and are currently in the playoffs. Tomorrow, we look at an old friend who contributed to the Pirates this season and is now in the playoff hunt. Find out who it is by checking back tomorrow evening. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Buccos Cove, and Twitter, @Buccos_Cove, for great Pirates coverage throughout the off-season.
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