Pittsburgh Pirates 2021 Previews: RHP Michael Feliz
When the Pirates traded Gerrit Cole to the Houston Astros back in 2018, they were looking for young and controllable Major League-ready talent. Three of the four pieces they acquired covered that and one of those was reliever Michael Feliz. Feliz was just 25-years-old at the time of the trade and was just establishing himself at the Big League level. He had high promise, with a fastball that could reach triple digits, but he didn't have the experience at the Major League level yet. His debut with the Pirates in 2018 was lack-luster at best, but he came back in 2019 and put together a career-year. He appeared in 58 games that season and went 4-4 with a career-low 3.99 ERA in a career-high 56.1 innings of work.
With that success under his belt, he was looking to take his game to the next level in 2020 as he was entering his age 26 season. The closer's role was up for grabs, and Manager Derek Shelton was using a reliever by committee approach to fill the void. This was a chance for Feliz to solidify his place in the Pirates bullpen for years to come. However, injuries got in the way and Feliz only made three appearances on the mound and missed the rest of the season with a right forearm strain. Feliz has had a year to recover and is back healthy for the 2021 season. He will be easing back into the fold, but his goal is to be a big part of the back-end of the Pirates bullpen in 2021.
An Injury Plagued Year
After having a strong 2019 campaign, Michael Feliz came into 2020 Spring Training ready to compete. It was a battle between Feliz, Kyle Crick, and Nick Burdi for the closer's role and it lit a fire under the 26-year-old. He put together a solid Spring campaign, appearing in six games and posting a 3.38 ERA in 5.1 innings of work. He walked just two batters and had an opponent batting average of just .200. However, the big number was his strikeout rate as he set down eight batters and had a strikeout per nine rate of 13.50. He didn't win the closer's job, but he was still set to be a set-up man that was going to help the Pirates late in games.
His first appearance of the 2020 season went well as he had a 1-2-3 inning against the St. Louis Cardinals on July 26th. He struck out a batter and generated soft contact against the other two hitters to get out of the inning unscathed. His second appearance did not go as well as he walked a man and hit a man against the Milwaukee Brewers on his way to giving up four earned runs on two hits to skyrocket his ERA right off the bat. Something seemed a little off with Feliz throughout the appearance and that would make itself known in his next outing. It came on August 1st against the Chicago Cubs after he had already given up a two-run home run in the eighth.
He walked Javier Baez following the home run and then grimaced while throwing his first pitch to Jason Heyward. Shelton and the Pirates training staff were alerted by catcher Jacob Stallings that something was wrong and they came out to check the right-hander. It turned out he would have to leave the game and was placed on the 60-day Injured List, effectively ending his season. Luckily for Feliz, he was able to avoid surgery and instead took a PRP injection last September. It shut him down for six to eight weeks, but he should enter Spring Training ready to go. It will be a slow road back for Feliz, but he is looking to become a steady presence in the bullpen for the Pirates for years to come.
Healthy 2021 Season
The biggest thing for Feliz to worry about in 2021 is getting healthy and getting back on the mound. With his forearm fully recovered, he should insert himself back into the mix for a late-inning bullpen spot again. His competition is a little different with guys like Austin Davis, Carson Fulmer, and Geoff Hartlieb battling for middle relief spots, but the goal is the same. He wants to earn a spot back on the Pirates Opening Day roster and prove that he can be the pitcher he was again in 2019. He has the stuff to be dominant, he just has to learn to use it effectively in big-game situations. His 32.40 ERA in 2020 is not indicative of the pitcher he is, and he looks to show that he is back and healthy this season.
When healthy, Feliz has a fastball that can reach the mid to upper 90s that he uses consistently. In 2019, his fastball was his most used pitch at 73.4% of the time and came in at an average of 95.3 miles per hour. He likes to elevate the fastball and throw it away from left-handed hitters and up and into right-handed hitters. It is his get ahead pitch, and then he turns to his breaking pitches to finish out the at-bat. His slider was his most effective pitch in 2019 as he changed the eye level of the hitter by working it low in the zone. Opponents hit just .183 against the pitch in 2019 and it had a put-away rate of 31.7%, the highest of Feliz's three pitches.
As long as he is healthy, Michael Feliz will be a part of the Pirates 2021 bullpen picture. He will probably be slotted in the middle of the bullpen to start the season, before easing his way back into late-inning situations. Once he shows that he can get outs consistently in the middle of the game, then he can transition to being a high-leverage pitcher. Much of Feliz's growth is going to depend on his success. Much like Richard Rodriguez rose to the closer's role last season, Michael Feliz has the chance to go from middle-relief to a possible set-up man for the Bucs. If his elbow is healthy and his fastball is firing, look for him to be coming out of the Pirates bullpen this season.
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