Call to the pen
Fansided

Pittsburgh Pirates: Dauri Moreta has taken a huge step forward

By Brendan Smith

Apr 26, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Dauri Moreta (36) pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the ninth inning at PNC Park. The Pirates won 8-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 26, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Dauri Moreta (36) pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the ninth inning at PNC Park. The Pirates won 8-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Cue the jinx chants. Pittsburgh Pirates fans, feel free to look away. Pittsburgh has surprised many this season, currently 31-27 (as of June 5), a measly half-game behind Milwaukee in the NL Central. Bryan Reynolds and the lineup get most of the credit, but a key component of the team’s success is their bullpen.

Dauri Moreta is not the first name that comes to mind for the Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen, but he is arguably the most important component.

Closer David Bednar has been a star for the last three seasons in Pittsburgh, although for losing teams with a weak supporting cast. Now, the team, and the bullpen, has made huge strides in 2023. Dauri Moreta has provided a dominant bridge to Bednar, pitching to a 1.67 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 27.0 innings. Moreta has allowed less than a baserunner per inning, ranking in the 97th percentile of expected batting average per Baseball Savant. After a successful four-game debut in 2021, Moreta struggled to find his footing in a bad Cincinnati bullpen in 2022. This offseason, Cincinnati shipped Moreta in their division to Pittsburgh, receiving shortstop Kevin Newman.

So what changed for Moreta? In short, Moreta’s slider has been unbelievable, and and he is now throwing it 57.4 percent of the time. Last season, Moreta featured his four-seam more than half of the time. Batters hit .103 against Moreta’s slider in 2022, and have managed a .100 batting average against the offering in 2023. According to Eno Sarris’ Stuff+ metric, the slider is nothing special, checking in at a rating of 74. Still, batters have swung and missed at a 48.8 percent clip against Moreta’s slider. Moreta consistently finishes the slider down in the zone, below opposing barrels. Of Moreta’s 38 strikeouts, 27 of them have come on sliders, including this one below.

As seen in the video, Moreta’s slider does not have jaw-dropping movement, more vertical-oriented than a traditional horizontal slider. These sliders are much more reliant on velocity, and Moreta has averaged 84.2 mph on his.

Relievers are much more volatile than starters, but Moreta’s expected stats are still very strong. Moreta’s xERA is 2.85, which would still make him a valuable setup man.

All stats current as of the morning of June 5.

Home/Pittsburgh Pirates