Knowing they will need plenty of pitchers, especially starters, over the course of the 2021 season, the Pirates haven’t shied away from giving pitchers in Class AAA opportunities in the majors this year, usually in spot starts.
On Sunday, they are turning to Indianapolis once again, giving Chase De Jong the nod to start against the Rockies.
Unlike what they did Miguel Yajure and Cody Ponce, though, it looks like De Jong is going to stick with the major-league team.
“I think our hope is that we have a little bit of a runway [with De Jong] now,” Ben Cherington told reporters Sunday morning via Zoom. “We wanted to have some confidence about that because he obviously wasn’t on the roster. He is now. He is out of [minor-league] options. We hope that there’s an opportunity for him. We’ll see how today goes.”
Utilityman Ildemaro Vargas was designated for assignment to clear a spot for De Jong. JT Brubaker was also placed on the bereavement list Sunday morning and will be away from the team for the next three to seven days. The roster now is at 26 players after Ka’ai Tom was activated off the injured list for game two of Saturday’s doubleheader.
De Jong was a standout among the Pirates’ non-roster back during spring training, pitching to a 1.88 ERA and 0.84 WHIP over 14 1/3 innings.
The 27-year-old righty struck out 28 batters over 20 innings in Indianapolis this month, recording a 3.60 ERA over his four starts.
After bouncing around the league the last few years, and actually pitching in independent ball briefly, De Jong came into spring training with a new mindset: Fastballs at the top of the zone and trying to tunnel his two breaking pitches off that.
“I had to figure it out. I wasn’t hurt. I was just a bad pitcher,” De Jong said about his new pitching philosophy this spring. “I had to figure out, ‘Hey, I’ve got to get my curveball back. I’ve got to be able to go to the top of the zone. I’ve got to be able to command it and have the conviction up there and throw my other stuff off it and not walk guys.’ ”
The Pirates were drawn to his spike in velocity and spin while pitching in Indy ball, and after failing to sign him last year, were able to get him on a minor-league deal this winter. An opportunity like this was always a possibility after that deal, and now he will get another chance to stick in the majors with enhanced stuff. Whether that is as a starter or reliever remains to be seen.
“He’s been kind of building a case, we think, to get an opportunity going back to very early in camp,” Cherington said. “He’s kept that up pretty well in Indy. Looking forward to seeing him out there today.”
MORE FROM THE PIRATES' GENERAL MANAGER
• Some injury notes: Chad Kuhl is expected to make Monday's start against the Royals.
Travis Swaggerty is likely headed to surgery for his dislocated right shoulder.
All the reports on Ke'Bryan Hayes have been good.
"We’re looking forward to — barring something unforeseen — having him back on the team before too long," Cherington said.
He is eligible to come off the injured list on June 3.
Phillip Evans (hamstring) and Colin Moran (groin) are both expected to start their rehab assignments while the Pirates are in Kansas City. Originally, the Pirates hoped they could avoid a trip to the minors.
"I think we feel like it’s gone long enough at this point that it’s best for them to get some live at-bats and build up, make sure we get through the baserunning and defense a little bit," Cherington said.
• Roansy Contreras has been one of the highlights in the Pirates' farm system this year. Through four starts, he has 2.08 ERA and 34 strikeouts over 21 2/3 innings, throwing in the upper-90s with a curveball that's averaging nearly 3,000 RPM.
When the Pirates acquired him in the Jameson Taillon trade this offseason, many scouting reports projected him to be a middle of the rotation arm. He still has the good feel for the zone that drew the Pirates to him, but now, with his improved stuff, he looks to have a higher potential ceiling.
"We thought and hoped that there was some athleticism there that with just continued natural strength gains and training, that we might see a little bit more power to the stuff over time," Cherington said. "Sure enough we have so far this year. So hope that continues. He's done well, and excited for how he's doing in AA."
• Cherington reiterated that Cole Tucker "needs to play," which could be a hint that he will head back to Indianapolis. Cherington also reiterated that the long-term shortstop job is still open.
"Shortstop remains an area that we need to learn more about," Cherington said. "We know to be a good team, we’re going to need more production from that spot, and so part of figuring that out is making sure that all the candidates are playing as much as they can. And then hopefully, learn from that and make decisions accordingly down the road."
• With the amateur draft pushed back to All-Star weekend and high school seasons nearing its completion, there is a question of how teams will scout prep school players in that time between competition and the draft.
Major League Baseball is setting up a showcase for high school players in Cary, N.C. before the draft, and Cherington suspects players will also try to showcase their talents, and for the Pirates to scout them, in other ways.
"We have the ability to spend individual time with players," Cherington said. "Set up workouts. Set up simulated type stuff. Obviously that's going to be case by case, because players have to agree it. If you've got 30 teams asking for the same thing, from the player's standpoint, you can understand that's difficult, so we manage that. There's at least that possibility to spend some more time in that kind of environment. We'll see if game activity sprouts up. It wouldn't surprise me if high school programs are done, people who care about these kids want them to prepared for the draft, or finding ways to put programming together, sim games together, etc. that you can go watch. I think there'll be ways to see the high school players between now and the draft."
