P2Daily: Relief Help Is Available If the Pirates Want It

The bullpen isn’t exactly working out well for the Pirates so far this year. They’re 26th in both bullpen ERA and xFIP. That’s in spite of David Bednar, and the sudden emergence of Wil Crowe and Dillon Peters, although it looks like Peters might be a starter now. The lack of even passable options was especially stark during the recent 1-5 homestand.

Derek Shelton has gotten a lot of plaudits for his pre-ninth inning use of Bednar, but the more significant aspect of that usage has gone largely unnoticed: Shelton has to use Bednar that way because he has no other options. Most teams aim to have several shut-down relievers who can come in and get a couple outs in a tough spot. The Pirates, however, have prioritized making Shelton’s job as easy as possible over winning games, so they’ve loaded up on middle relievers.

The good news is that, if the Pirates ever get over their ambition of serving as a halfway house for career AAA relievers, there are options at Indianapolis. They’re at various stages of readiness but, theoretically, the Pirates should be in an ideal situation to look at the possibilities. If some guys don’t work out . . . well, it’s impossible to claim you’re the least bit concerned about losing some games when you’ve turned Josh VanMeter into an everyday player.

At least a couple of guys — Yerry De Los Santos and Cam Alldred — look ready now. De Los Santos has fought some barriers in getting this far, as he missed most of three seasons early in his career due to Tommy John surgery, then he missed the plague year, and finally he missed the bulk of 2021 with a forearm strain. In spite of all that, he reached AAA late last year at age 24. It’s pretty hard to argue he needs a full year there, considering that he’s never spent more than a tiny fraction of a year at any level except Low Class A in 2019. This year, in eight innings he’s allowed two hits and a walk, and fanned 13.

The soft-tossing lefty profile is working out well for Alldred. Often, pitchers like that have to make a choice between throwing strikes and getting hit around sometimes, or nibbling and trying to pitch around walks. Alldred this year has done neither; he’s given up 12 hits and three walks in 16.2 IP, and he’s fanned 15. He got similar results last year at Altoona, with a WHIP of 1.05. He’s been death on left-handed hitters; this year, they’re 1-for-24 against him. Last year he held them to a .143 average. He hasn’t been as effective against right-handed hitters, but he’s done well enough against them to be very successful in multi-inning relief, as well as in one, four-inning start. He might give Shelton multiple options.

Another pitcher who could be an option in the near term is Cristofer Melendez. His appeal is pretty simple: he throws in the upper-90s, sometimes triple digits. Due to shaky command, the results haven’t been consistent, but he has consistently made progress. His 4.41 ERA at Altoona last year was partly the result of a very low strand rate. This year he seems to be taking another step forward. In 10.1 IP, he’s allowed seven hits and four walks, while striking out 14.

Osvaldo Bido and Cam Vieaux are two other interesting pitchers who might help in relief. Bido’s always had a good fastball, but his other pitches haven’t gotten enough swing-and-miss, so he’s had mostly so-so K rates. This year, he’s pitched in a swing role, but his starts haven’t gone beyond four innings. The shorter outings seem to be helping. John Dreker noted that his velocity is up to 96 mph. He’s fanned 20 in 18.2 IP and opponents are batting just .154 against him. On the other hand, he’s walked 14, so some time is still needed. Vieaux is a finesse lefty who’s reached AAA in both 2019 and 2021. Nibbling has been an issue with him. He didn’t pitch especially well in 2019 and had a terrible time in 2021, all of that as a starter. This year he’s made only one start, and that was only two innings. He’s held opponents to six hits and five walks in a dozen innings.

Other options could emerge as well. Hunter Stratton has a K/9 of 15.3, but he’s also walking a batter an inning. Blake Cederlind and submarining lefty Joe Jacques could merit chances at some point, but both will be out for some time still.