Pittsburgh Pirates 2017 Team Preview
Offseason Additions
Relief Pitcher Daniel Hudson—The Pirates signed Daniel Hudson to be one of their late inning options. He’s likely to start the year as the setup man for Tony Watson, so he’ll be first in line to replace Watson at the closer position should the need arise. Hudson got off to a great start last year. He had a 1.55 ERA through his first 30 appearances.
Then he went through one of the ugliest stretches you’ll ever see from a relief pitcher. Over his next 15 appearances, he gave up 31 runs (26 earned) in 9 2/3 innings, for an ERA of 24.21. During this stretch, he allowed a Batting Average on Balls In Play of .625 and hitters knocked him around for a .541/.588/.836 batting line. It was brutal. It was beyond brutal. It was like he was pitching on a beer league softball team and had a few too many before the game. Then, suddenly, he was good again. Over his last 25 appearances, he had a 1.66 ERA in 21 2/3 innings. The Pirates are hoping the good Daniel Hudson shows up and sticks around all year long.
Offseason Subtractions
INF/OF Sean Rodriguez—Sean Rodriguez played every position in the field except catcher and pitcher last season and hit .270/.349/.510 while doing so. He was a terrific utility piece and his production will be missed. The Pirates let him go and he was signed by the Atlanta Braves in November. Sadly, he was in a car accident with his family at the end of January and suffered an injured rotator cuff that will likely cost him much of the 2017 season. His wife and two kids were also injured in the accident but should be okay in the long run.
OF Matt Joyce—Matt Joyce split his time between first base and right field and also packed a punch from the left side of the plate as a pinch-hitter in the late innings. As a pinch-hitter, Joyce hit .220/.432/.441, with four homers and 15 RBI in 81 plate appearances. The Pirates had Joyce at the bargain basement price of $1 million last year. His productive season earned him a two-year, $11 million contract from the Oakland Athletics.
Relief Pitcher Neftali Feliz—Feliz was one of the Pirates better late-inning setup guys last year, which may have priced him out of the ‘Burgh. He signed with the Milwaukee Brewers, where he’ll make $5.35 million and have a shot at being the team’s closer.
Starting Pitcher Jeff Locke—Locke was 17-13 with a 3.69 ERA over 297 2/3 combined innings in 2013 and 2014, but struggled over the last two seasons with a 4.90 ERA in 295 2/3 innings. The Pirates let him go in late November and he signed a one-year deal with the Miami Marlins in December.
Starting Pitcher Ryan Vogelsong—The 38-year-old Vogelsong had an ERA of 4.81 in 24 games last year, 14 of which were starts. The Pirates have enough young pitchers to fill his role, so he signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins, hoping to make their rotation.
Relief Pitcher Arquimedes Euclides Caminero—The man with the Hall of Fame name can bring the gas with his fastball. He averaged nearly 98 mph last season. Despite the impressive heater, his 17.9 percent strikeout rate was below league average. He also walked too many hitters, which has been a problem in his career. He signed with the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball to pitch in Japan this season.