Pittsburgh Pirates 2021 Previews: RHP Shea Spitzbarth
The Major League Baseball Rule 5 Draft happens every December and gives Minor Leaguers a chance for a fresh new start in a new organization. When people think of the Rule 5 Draft, they often think of the Major League portion where the drafted player has to be on the Big League roster all season. The Pittsburgh Pirates made two of these selections this year in Jose Soriano and Luis Oviedo, who we will see in the bullpen at some point in 2021. However, there is also a Minor League portion where the players simply switch organizations in hopes of a new start. The Pirates made three selections in this round, and the only one in Big League camp is right-handed pitcher Shea Spitzbarth.
Spitzbarth signed as an undrafted free agent in 2015 and has had a roller-coaster career. Overall the numbers look good as he has gone 13-15 with a 3.41 ERA over those five seasons. However, as he has climbed the Minor League ladder, his stats have started to take a turn for the worst. In 2019, between Double-A and Triple-A, Spitzbarth went 4-3 with a 4.05 ERA in 52 relief appearances. He is looking to turn these results around with the Pirates organization, and so far he has done well in Spring Training. Today, we look at Spitzbarth's Minor League career to this point and what he brings to the Pirates organization in 2021 and beyond.
The Climb Through The Minor Leagues
At the start of Spitzbarth's career, he was showing that he can be a dominant reliever. He had a sub-three ERA in each of his first three professional seasons and advanced all the way to Double-A. That is when his career took a pause and he couldn't advance out of Double-A. In 2018, he made 38 Double-A appearances and posted a 4.10 ERA in 63.2 innings of work. He had an opponent batting average of .215 and struck out just under 30% of the batters he faced. However, when he made the move to Triple-A, his ERA shot up to 9.00 in three innings of work. So, he was sent back down to Double-A in 2019 to try and find himself once again.
Things did not go well in his first outing of the year as he gave up two earned runs in 0.1 innings of work. However, after that, things started to settle down and he became dominant once again. He allowed just two earned runs the rest of April and through May and had an impressive 1.52 ERA. He had ten multi-strikeout games and was once again picking up momentum. As he was getting better, the Dodgers decided to give him another chance at Triple-A ball. Once again when Spitzbarth got to Triple-A, things went downhill. He made 20 appearances in Triple-A ball and posted an 8.18 ERA over 22 innings of work. His opponent batting average jumped to .375 and he would need to be sent back to Double-A.
That is where Spitzbarth would end the year in Double-A and the second he got back to Double-A, he was back to his dominant self. He allowed just one earned run over nine appearances and struck out 17 batters during his stint. It seems to be a mental hurdle for the 26-year-old right-hander, and it is a mental hurdle that he is going to have to clear if he wants to make a name for himself in the Big Leagues. He was not invited to the Dodgers alternate training site in 2020, but instead, he would work at home to improve his skills on the mound. So far, his Spring Training numbers have been good, and he is hoping that those skills can translate into success at Triple-A and then to the Major Leagues with Pittsburgh.
Strong Start to Spring
When Spitzbarth is at his best, he is usually striking out batters left and right with his mid-90s fastball. So far this spring, he has had that strikeout pitch working, setting down four batters in his first three innings of work. He is also missing a lot of bats as he has an opponent's batting average of .111 and has been very efficient in doing so. He has averaged nine pitches per inning and has hit the strike zone at a 66.7% rate. While Spitzbarth is not expected to make the Opening Day roster, his run in Spring Training is giving the Pirates coaching staff a good look at the 26-year-old.
Spirzbarth is a guy who likes to work low in the zone, but has gotten in trouble when he leaves the ball up. In 2019, he had a groundball rate of 45.2% compared to a 33.3% flyball percentage. When he is keeping the ball down in the zone, he is dominant and produces a lot of groundball outs. However, he was susceptible to the home run ball, as he gave up seven home runs during the season. It was the second-most of his career after he gave up 11 home runs during the 2018 season. He has since had a year off of live-ball action, and there is no telling how he will respond, but he will continue to work down in the zone to get batters to swing over top of the ball.
Spitzbarth will almost certainly start the 2021 season in the Triple-A Indianapolis bullpen as a middle reliever. He has to prove that his Triple-A struggles are behind him and that he can handle the upper levels of the Minor Leagues. Once he can do that, then the Pirates can consider moving him up to the Major League bullpen. A team can never have too much pitching depth, as the Pirates proved last season. Spitzbarth is looking to be some of that pitching depth for the Pirates and make an impact in this year's bullpen. Spitzbarth has had a long road in the Minor Leagues, and is looking to turn things around in 2021 and finally reach the Major Leagues.
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