Pittsburgh Pirates 2021 Previews: RHP Wil Crowe
The Pittsburgh Pirates are going through a rebuild in 2021 as they tear down the Big League roster and put the foundation in place for a winner in the future. This means that some fan favorites will have to leave the organization, and the players the team gets in return have a lot of pressure to succeed put on them. One of those players for the Pirates in 2021 is right-handed pitcher Wil Crowe, who the Pirates acquired in the Josh Bell trade on Christmas Eve. Crowe spent some time on the Washington Nationals Big League roster last season and will look to compete for a spot in the Pirate's starting rotation this season. With three open spots, and four pitchers battling for them, Spring Training looks to feature a lot of competition on the mound.
Crowe made his MLB debut with Washington last season and made three starts going 0-2 with an 11.80 ERA. He showed good strikeout numbers, setting down about one batter per inning, but his control and the number of hits he gave up cost him. Crowe has been in the Nationals system for three seasons and made it to Triple-A in 2019 where he made 10 starts. He has not picked up a win above Double-A yet in his career, but he is hoping to change that in 2021. Crowe currently ranks as the Pirate's #21 overall prospect and, although he may not start the year with the Big League club, he looks to make an impact down the road for the 2021 Pirates.
2020 Debut Season
Entering the 2020 season, Crowe was set for a return to Triple-A Fresno with the hopes of making the Major Leagues later that season. However, with the Minor League shut down, plans changes and Crowe would head to the Nationals alternate training site. He was jumped back and forth between the Major League team and the alternate site several times throughout the season, oftentimes being used as the 29th man. All three of his starts came in double-header games and his Major League debut came on August 22nd against the Miami Marlins. Crowe allowed two hits and a walk through his first two innings and was moving right along. However, he gave up a two-run home run in the bottom of the third and ended the night going 3.2 innings giving up four runs, two earned.
It wasn't a horrible start for the 25-year-old, but he gave up too many hits and was wild and it ended up hurting him. He would get the call to the mound once again on September 4th, this time against the Atlanta Braves. Once again things didn't go well as the home run ball killed Crowe throughout the night. He lasted just 2.1 innings of work and gave up three earned runs on four hits while walking four and striking out three. Opponents were hitting .370 or better against Crowe in each of his first two starts as he could not find a way to retire batters consistently. He would get one more chance in a Nationals uniform, and that chance came on September 18th, once again against the Miami Marlins.
Once again, Crowe struggled lasting 2.1 innings for the second consecutive start and struggling with the home run ball again. Crowe gave up two home runs on his way to allowing six earned runs on four hits in his second loss of the season. He limited the number of hits he gave up for the second straight outing, but his wildness was his downfall as he walked two and hit a batter. The one positive for Crowe is that his strikeout numbers were good as he set down six batters on 4.2 innings during those two September starts. Now that he has the Big League experience under his belt, he is looking to learn from those mistakes and emerge as a stronger pitcher during the 2021 season.
Starting Rotation Hopeful
Entering the 2021 season, the Pittsburgh Pirates' starting rotation has three open spaces. Steven Brault and Mitch Keller are the only two locks for 2021 with a group of four or five pitchers battling for the final three spots. Crowe is one of those hopefuls, but given his recent MLB history, he will have a lot to prove to crack the Opening Day Roster. He has yet to win a game above Double-A and once he gets that first win, he should gain more confidence. Combined between Triple-A and the MLB, Crowe has gone 0-6 with a 6.93 ERA. He still has some kinks to work out in his mechanics and at 26 years old, his time is running thin.
Crowe has a three-pitch mix that he uses consistently between his fastball, slider, and sinker. The fastball and sinker both average at 91 mph and his slider comes in about 10 mph slower at 83 mph. Crowe is mostly a fly ball pitcher, with a flyball rate of 31.6%, and he likes to elevate his fastball early in the count. Because of this, it is very susceptible to the home run ball, with two of Crowe's three home runs allowed coming off that pitch. His most effective pitch is his slider which he uses 29.4% of the time, usually against right-handed batters. He picked up three of his eight strikeouts on the pitch and allowed an opponent batting average of .167 off of it. When he gets ahead in the count, he likes to turn to the slider for swing and miss stuff against right-handed batters.
As for Crowe's projection for 2021, I believe he will start the year as a member of the Triple-A Indianapolis starting rotation. He just hasn't shown enough consistency at the Big League level to earn a starting job at this point. However, if the Pirates decide to make some more trades, he could very well find himself in the rotation. As of now, it is a five-pitcher race for the final three starting spots with Chad Kuhl, JT Brubaker, Cody Ponce, Miguel Yajure, and Crowe fighting for the last three spots. You would think that Kuhl is about 90% locked in for 2021 and Brubaker and Ponce would each get consideration considering their contributions last season. Crowe would get a chance to continue developing his pitches in the Minor Leagues and then can come to the Pirates later in the season when he is a more polished pitcher.
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