Pirates Trade Power For Pitching With Claim of Goudeau

The Pittsburgh Pirates added depth to their pitching staff yesterday when they claimed pitcher Asthon Goudeau. However, they had to say goodbye to first-round draft pick Will Craig, who was designated for assignment to make room for Goudeau.

For the last five years, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been pondering what to do with former first-round draft pick Will Craig. He had been blocked by Josh Bell and Colin Moran at first case for the last two years and he has only had four at-bats in the Major Leagues. Many were questioning if 2021 was going to be Craig's year, but the Pirates had different plans. They designated Will Craig for assignment making him a free agent and clearing up space on the Pirates 40-man roster. However, the spot wouldn't remain open for long as the Pirates claimed starting pitcher Ashton Goudeau from the Colorado Rockies off waivers.

Goudeau had been a rising star in the Rockies Minor League system, going from a bullpen arm to an ace in the Double-A starting rotation. The 27th round draft pick from 2012 has had a long road in the Minor Leagues working between three different organizations over eight Minor League seasons. 2019 was his best year yet as he moved to the starting rotation in Double-A Hartford. With the acquisition of Goudeau, the Pirates are showing their commitment to stockpiling pitching talent. In turn, they also let Craig hit free agency and try to crack the Big Leagues with another team. Goudeau represents the next generation of Pirates pitching talent and brings an interesting arsenal to the system.

The Arsenal

After spending nine years in the Minor Leagues, Ashton Goudeau has had plenty of time to develop his arsenal. He has a three-pitch mix that incorporates a fastball, curveball, and change-up. His fastball is his main pitch and comes in at an average of 93.3 mph. He uses it 47% of the time, but he doesn't miss very many bats with it. Opponents hit .636 against the pitch in Goudeau's short time in the Major Leagues last season. His biggest problem was the home run ball as he gave up both of his home runs allowed on the fastball. For Goudeau, location is going to be key on his fastball because of the lack of speed. If he can work the corners, it can be an effective pitch that he can work off of his other two pitches.

He uses his two breaking pitches almost in tangent with each other. His most used of the two is his change-up, which he likes to work low in the zone. It comes in seven miles per hour slower than his fastball and he uses it to change the batters eye level. After working the fastball mostly up in the zone, he drops the change-up to the lower part of the zone. It has helped our away 16.7% of the batters that he used it against and is the only pitch he didn't give up a home run against last season. Opponents hit .313 against the pitch, the lowest of any of his three pitches, but he was facing some of the toughest competition around the league.

His final pitch is his curveball, which is his slowest pitch and the pitch that has the most movement. He uses it primarily against right-handed hitters, breaking it down and in below the hitting zone. This leaves batters swinging over the top of the pitch and, with the pitch averaging 73.3 miles per hour, they are usually behind the pitch. He generated one strikeout and had a 16.7% put away rate on the pitch. The curveball is probably his most intriguing pitch with 57.4 inches of drop as it almost falls off the table to opposing hitters. It is also his newest pitch as he only started developing it a few years ago and it had become a pitch that he relies on in big situations.

Where Goudeau with Go

Goudeau will be 28-years-old at the start of the 2021 season, and he is finally looking for his big break at the Major League level. However, he has only pitched 46 innings above Double-A ball in his nine Minor League seasons, including 8.1 innings at the Major League level last season. While he will more than likely compete for a bullpen spot this Spring Training, it seems more likely that he will start the year in Triple-A where he can add depth to the starting rotation. He has played almost every pitching role that you can play in professional baseball, but he has shown the most success as a starting pitcher.

2019 was his break-out year at Double-A Hartford for the Colorado Rockies in the starting rotation. He made 16 starts for the Yard Goats and went 3-3 with an impressive 2.07 ERA. He had a career-high strikeout rate of 30.2% and held the opposition to a .216 opponent's batting average. He only walked 12 batters during the season, showing that his control has greatly improved. He did see some time at the Major League level in 2020, but he didn't pitch in many high leverage situations. He never entered a game where the Rockies were down by less than six runs, and he didn't have many easy at-bats. He faced guys like Mookie Betts, Max Muncey, and Mike Trout. However, if he performs well with the Indianapolis Indians, we could see him in Pittsburgh sometime this season.

Moving On From Will Craig

After spending the last five seasons in the Pirates organization, the team has officially decided to move on from Will Craig. While Craig showed promise in Triple-A, he was always blocked at the Major League level. He only had four at-bats with the Pirates in 2020 but went 0-4 in his two games played. He will now hit waivers and the Pirates have a week to put him through outright waivers, trade him, or release him. Being that he has that raw power, Craig might be an intriguing option for another team. However, his strikeout rate is concerning as he went down 26.9% last season. We at Buccos Cove wish Craig all the luck wherever he ends up and welcome Goudeau with open arms.