The Pittsburgh Pirates have brought back a familiar face, claiming right-handed pitcher Shane Carle off waivers from the Colorado Rockies. To make room on the 40-man roster, RHP Johnny Barbato has been designated for assignment.
Carle was a tenth round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2013. They traded him to the Colorado Rockies for Rob Scahill back on November 11, 2014. Since then, Carle has worked his way up to the majors, debuting in 2017 and throwing four innings over three appearances. When he was with the Pirates, he relied on a sinker that sat 88-92 MPH and could touch 94 MPH. He was throwing slightly harder with the Rockies, though that’s a comparison between bullpen work and being a starter.
Carle was mainly used in relief this season in the minors, where he had a 5.37 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP in a very high offense environment. He a pitch-to-contact guy, who doesn’t walk many batters, but also has a low strikeout rate. We had his upside as a middle reliever and that doesn’t seem to have changed over the last three years.
If Barbato can clear waivers, he could be pitching in the same Indianapolis bullpen as Carle to start the season. Both profile as depth options, though Barbato is a year younger, has slightly more big league time and throws harder. Carle has two options left.
