Pittsburgh Pirates 2021 Previews: RHP Blake Cederlind
At the start of 2020 Pirates Spring Training, there was a young pitcher emerging who many called mini Thor. He had long flowing locks and a fastball that can get as high as 100 miles per hour. That pitching prospect made his MLB debut seven months later as part of the Pirates bullpen. The guy we are talking about is Blake Cederlind and if all things line up, he will be in the back of the Pirates bullpen for the 2021 season. There is a lot of upside to Cederlind, being that he is young and has good velocity behind him. However, he is going to have to go through some growing pains and make adjustments at the Big League level as well.
Cederlind came to the Big Leagues on September 15th and appeared in four games during the season. He posted a 4.50 in his four games pitched last season and three of those four outings were scoreless appearances. He was used as a closer in the Pirates Minor League system, and will more than likely remain in that position moving forward. As of right now, he will more-than-likely serve as a set-up man for Richard Rodriguez this season and be primed to take over as the team's closer in the future. Cederlind has had a long climb through the Pirates Minor League system and is looking to establish himself as a dominant reliever during the 2021 season.
A Wild Ride in 2020
Prior to last year, there had been rumblings about a young flamethrower in the Pirates system named Blake Cederlind. He rose from Advanced-A Bradenton all the way to Triple-A Indianapolis and excelled as a late-inning reliever. The Pirates got a glimpse of this success when Spring Training began in February. Cederlind was just a non-roster invitee, but he seemed to have success every time he took the field. He made five appearances for the Pirates prior to the shutdown and did not allow an earned run over his 4.2 innings. The most impressive stat line was his nine strikeouts as he was blowing the ball by the competition.
After the shutdown, he was set to compete for a spot in the bullpen, but he ended up contracting and had to quarantine for two weeks. This set him back and forced him to start the year at the Pirates alternate site in Altoona. However, he impressed the coaches enough to earn a call to the big leagues on September 15th. His MLB debut came that same day as he took the mound against the Cincinnati Reds. It was a clean night for Cederlind as he retired the side 1-2-3 with two groundouts and a flyout. It gave Cederlind some confidence to start his young career and showed Manager Derek Shelton that he was a young promising reliever.
He threw another scoreless outing four days later, before hitting his first bump in the road in the Big Leagues. It came against the Chicago Cubs as Cederlind entered with the Pirates training 2-0. Cederlind would not record an out and gave up two runs that ultimately put the game out of reach. That would be Cederlind's only outing of the year where he gave up a run as he threw two scoreless innings to end the year and headed into the off-season with confidence. All three hits that he allowed during the season came in the one outing he was scored upon in. Because of his early success, and the youth movement the Pirates are going through, he is a top competitor for the 2021 bullpen.
First Season Jitters
The 2021 season offers opportunities and challenges for a young Blake Cederlind. With only two clear back-end of the bullpen options, Cederlind will join the back-end group as he gets experience and tries to help the Pirates win ballgames. He has the high-powered fastball to be a back-end pitcher and he has experience as a closer throughout the Pirates system. He had his share of ups and downs in save situations in his four Minor League seasons, saving eight of 16 chances, but got better as he moved up the system. In 2019, he converted four of seven save opportunities, and blew just two saves during his longest stint in Double-A.
As far as the arsenal he possesses, he showed his top two pitches last season in his sinker and his cutter. His sinker was the pitch he used the most, and the one that brings the most velocity. His sinker had an average velocity of 98.3 miles per hour, and Cederlind would throw it in any situation. He used it 61.2% of the time and allowed all three hits of the season on that pitch. However, only one of those was an extra-base hit and it had a Whiff rate of 22%. The pitch that didn't get hit at all was Cederlind's cutter, which he used 38.8% of the time. It had the highest swing and miss rate at 50% and generated three of his four strikeouts on the year. If Cederlind develops a third pitch, it would make him that much more deadly.
At the start of 2021, I don't think that Cederlind will be the closer, but I think he will be in the back-end of the bullpen. However, before season's end, I think he will have shown enough to be able to claim that ninth inning spot. He has been groomed as a closer throughout his career, with the most experience of any Minor League pitcher in the role. As is the case for many young pitchers, there are going to be some growing pains, but overall I think Cederlind will have a solid season. Look for him to be a leader in the bullpen for years to come as the Pirates begin their transition from loveable losers to a competitive team once again.
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