BRADENTON, Fla. — For much of George Kontos’ time in San Francisco, he was a man without a defined role. The right-handed relief pitcher threw anywhere from the fifth to the eighth inning for the Giants and made 30 multi-inning appearances the past two seasons.
Although he was remarkable at times — with a 2.90 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in five seasons prior to 2017 — he was unable to secure a late-inning role.
That changed once he arrived in Pittsburgh. Kontos promptly became the Pirates’ setup man shortly after he was acquired by the club in August and performed well enough to earn the job for 2018 before spring training even started.
“Hopefully it sticks that way throughout the whole course of the season,” Kontos, who spent nearly six full seasons with the Giants, told DKPittsburghSports.com. “First and foremost, I’m really happy and fortunate I got the opportunity. I always felt I had the ability to pitch late in the game. With the guys on the Giants that we had there — whether it be an old guy, a veteran, whoever they had — I never had that opportunity to pitch late in the game.”
The 32-year-old proved capable of holding such a role last season, finishing with a 1.84 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 15 strikeouts to only three walks in 14 2/3 innings with the Pirates. In addition to his production, Kontos proved to be a nice complement to Felipe Rivero.
Unlike Juan Nicasio, who pounded the bottom of the strike zone with a sinking fastball, Kontos is more of a crafty reliever, using all six of his pitches to keep hitters off balance. That sort of arsenal is unusual for a late-inning reliever. However, Kontos was a starter during his first four professional seasons with the Yankees. Now, he largely relies on a 91-mph four-seam fastball, sinker and a cutter he learned from Mariano Rivera.
“The other team will see two different [velocities],” Rivero said. “He won’t throw as fast as me, so they’re going to see him then they’ll see 100. We’ve got a good balance there. Ray [Searage] told me that yesterday, 'It’s good to have him in front of you because he has a couple years more experience, so he’ll do the best he can to give you that ninth inning.' It feels good having him as my setup guy."
Hurdle plans to use Kontos for only one inning at a time in order to get 70 appearances from him this season. Although Kontos emphasized he is willing to pitch multiple innings, he admitted it’s refreshing to know when and how much he’ll throw each game.
Developing any sort of routine was difficult when pitching for the Giants.
“You come into the ballpark knowing you’re pitching in the eighth inning in a certain situation, I think it helps you tremendously to get mentally ready for your spots," he said.
Kontos thrived despite the unpredictable nature of his last job. He had a 1.05 WHIP as a rookie in 2012, making eight postseason appearances for the World Series champions. Kontos was also a member of the 2014 championship team and had his career-best 0.94 WHIP for the Giants in 2015, stranding 76 percent of inherited runners.
A fifth-round pick of the Yankees in 2006, Kontos had a ground-ball percentage of at least 40 percent in six of the last seven seasons and only 38 percent of inherited runners scored against him in 2017. Kontos missed 26 games with a flexor strain in his right arm in 2016, but he returned to post a 2.10 ERA in his final 33 regular season games.
He had 18 multi-inning appearances last season, mostly entering in the sixth or seventh inning, but the Giants made a surprising move in August by choosing to lose him on waivers for nothing in return, much like the Pirates did with Nicasio.
Kontos is under contract through 2019, giving the Pirates an heir apparent to their departed setup man.
"Important enough that we went out and got him last year, kept him and moved him to the eighth inning role," Hurdle said of having a veteran like Kontos in a young bullpen. "Everything we’ve done has validated his work, the volume of work, who he’s been and what he’s become."
With Rivero to close and Kontos in the eighth, the Pirates’ other bullpen options are mostly inexperienced, with Kevin Siegrist being the lone exception. It appears Michael Feliz and Kyle Crick, two offseason acquisitions, have solidified their spots. Additionally, Steven Brault and Tyler Glasnow are likely to be used as multi-inning relievers.
Kontos is embracing his role as the staff leader, leaning on lessons learned from former Giants pitchers such as Sergio Romo and Jeremy Affeldt to help his fellow relievers. With the young arms to handle long relief, Kontos can turn his focus to only one inning, and he'll do so with a level of comfort he never had with his former employer.
"I’ve done it all," Kontos said. "I’m familiar with all that and how to handle the ups and downs. If I need to go one inning, two innings or one-plus, I’ll definitely be ready for it. But it will definitely be mind-easing to know this is going to be my spot, my situation."