Meeting the Newest Pirate: Sean Poppen

On Thursday, the Pirates made their first off-season move, acquiring pitcher Sean Poppens off waivers from the Minnesota Twins. To make room, they designated infielder/outfielder JT Riddle for assignment.

General Manager Ben Cherrington has a lot of work ahead of him this off-season as he tries to get the Pirates back on track after being the worst team in Major League Baseball in 2020. He made his first official move of the off-season when he claimed right-handed pitcher Sean Poppens off of waivers from the Minnesota Twins. The move helps add to the Pirates pitching depth and gives them a guy who has experience both in a starting role and coming out of the bullpen. In a subsequent move, the Pirates designated infielder/outfielder JT Riddle for assignment to make room for Poppen on the Pirates 40-Man Roster.

Seeing Riddle go is not a move that is not going to upset many Pirates fans after the team signed the utility man last off-season. Riddle's time here was not memorable as he hit just .174 with one home run and one RBI this season. He was signed to add some depth to the Major League roster after having success in Miami, but it didn't work out in Pittsburgh. The Pirates are hoping that moving him off of the 40-man roster is going to help them add some young talent and start moving in the right direction. Before he even throws a pitch for the Pirates, let's get to know Sean Poppens and see his journey to the Black and Gold.

Coming up a Twin

Coming out of Harvard with a double major in chemistry/physics and engineering sciences, Poppen is a smart guy with many different talents. He likes anything from theater to movies, but his biggest passion is baseball. He brought his low-90s fastball to the Ivy League and was a leader for the Harvard Crimson. He ended up being drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 19th round of the 2016 draft and worked his way up through the Twins Minor League system. He began his career as a starting pitcher and put up good numbers in the lower levels of the Minor Leagues. In his rookie season, he burst onto the scene going 3-4 with a 2.70 ERA in 12 games, six starts.

One of the biggest plusses to Poppen's game early on was his ability to strike out batters. In 409.2 innings of work in the Minor Leagues, Poppen has struck out 409 batters. He also did a great job of limiting hits with a career-opponent batting average of just .244 in his four Minor League seasons. However, one of his big issues comes with his control and staying in the strike zone. He has a career walk percentage of 7.5% in the Minor Leagues, but he is sometimes able to work himself out of those jams with the strikeouts. Because of his ability, it took Poppen just three years to climb the ladder to the Major Leagues and make an impact in the Twins bullpen.

He made his Major League debut on June 19th, 2029 in a long-relief time for the Minnesota Twins against Boston. It was an ok outing as he lasted four innings and allowed three earned runs on five hits while striking out two. However, his wildness got to him as he ended up walking four batters in the contest. That wildness has followed him throughout the Major Leagues and caused his ERA to spike. While he was able to strike his way out of bad situations in the Minor Leagues, Major League hitters took advantage of the wildness. In 16 MLB innings of work, Poppen has walked nine and struck out 19. 

How He Fits With Pittsburgh

With Poppen having experience both in a starting role and the bullpen, he can go either way with Pittsburgh. Given his success as a starter in the Minor Leagues, Poppen will most likely assume that role once again with the Pirates. He will have to work through those control issues and pitching coach Oscar Marin will be the chance to work with the 26-year-old pitcher. He has shown an ability to control the ball in the past, and if he can find that control he could be a success in the Major Leagues. With a fastball in the mid-90s and a good slider that breaks down and in to right-handed batters, he has the stuff to succeed.

With so many young pitchers staking their claim to a spot in the 2020 starting rotation, I see Poppen starting his Pirates career in Triple-A. This would give him a chance to work on his control and continue to develop his pitches to Major League quality. The Pirates pitchers have praised the work that pitching coach Oscar Marin has put in, and now he will have a chance to help another young pitcher. Whether it is in the starting rotation or the bullpen, Poppen will be a key piece of pitching depth for the Pirates as they continue to build back towards a winning baseball team.

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