Thompson gives Pirates 'options,' but his sights are on rotation

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – A week into the abbreviated spring training, the Pirates’ rotation does not appear to be much clearer than it was at the start. While a handful of opening day spots look filled – namely Mitch Keller and José Quintana – there are more than a handful of pitchers who are competing for one of those jobs, or at least a roster spot.

That includes Zach Thompson.

Thompson, 28, was one of three players the Pirates got back from the Marlins in the Jacob Stallings trade this offseason. While team sources told me they see him as a starter, that doesn’t guarantee he’ll get that job opening day. Derek Shelton has said the Pirate’s rotation will be in flux, and potentially expanding rosters could alter the composition of the pitching staff. 

“He does give us a lot of options,” Shelton said before the game. “What we expect out of him right now, I don't know. It's a chance to just watch him pitch in games, watch him move down the slope a little bit. From there, we'll be able to gauge.”

Thompson got off to a rocky start in his spring and Pirates debut, allowing a pair of doubles with a wild pitch mixed in before recording an out, but settled down to only allow that one run over his two innings. He struck out a pair with three hits and a walk allowed, and the Pirates beat the Rays, 5-1, at Port Charlotte Park.

“It was nice just to get back out there, honestly,” Thompson said after the game. “You have a whole new set of blood that’s pumping, that adrenaline, especially for a game with fans and everything. It’s really nice to get that out of there. You can kind of take a breath now and move forward.”

A late-bloomer with the Marlins, Thompson signed as a minor-league free agent the previous offseason after spending his whole career with the White Sox. There, he finally got a major-league opportunity, making 14 starts and 12 relief appearances and recording a 3.24 ERA.

So while the Pirates continue to formulate their regular season pitching plan – which could include piggyback starters or openers again – Thompson is perhaps the most versatile because of the bouncing around he did last season.

“I'm willing to do both,” Thompson said. “As long as I stay in the routine of starting, it's nice to have that routine, but if I need to go in the bullpen at any time to help out, help the team get a win, I'm willing to do whatever.

"I would like to be starting. I would like to start as long as I can. If I can start the entire season, I would like to. Yeah, just leave it at that."

Innings like the second, where the one base runner that reached came via an error, will help his cause in this audition. He wasn’t too caught up on the results of either inning, though, feeling better that he could make in-game adjustments and that the stuff is clicking.

When his stuff is working, the 6’7” right-hander relies on his cutter, which he considers his best pitch, and curve. A year ago, hitters had a .186 batting average and .221 wOBA against the former.

“Timing,” Thompson replied when asked what he wanted to work on after this outing. “I think that’s part of the adrenaline that’s pumping in your system. You move quickly, not staying back and being patient like you do in bullpens. That’s something I have to make sure that the next time out, the next bullpen, that I kinda work on that, tire myself out and start practicing.”

It seems inevitable that Thompson will get to start at some point in 2022. The Pirates wouldn’t have traded their Gold Glove catcher otherwise. He will still have to prove he is the guy for one of those jobs, though.

“I think it’s an honor,” Thompson said about potentially being in the opening day rotation. “I did that a little bit last year. And the ‘pen. I’m versatile. But being able to start is a huge deal. Being in a rotation on a major league staff is something you always want to do. I would like to do it as long as I can.”

JOSH LAVALLEE

Zach Thompson at LECOM Park.

MORE FROM THE GAME

• Oneil Cruz just continues to hit, getting a hold of another low breaking pitch in the second inning and bouncing it off the roof of a structure in deep right field.

“I definitely felt the vibration of it coming off the bat,” Thompson joked afterwards. “I was sitting down, and all of a sudden the shock wave hit me. I was like, ‘Oh, something just happened.’ That was huge. That was probably one of the biggest home runs I’ve seen in a while.”

There was no Baseball Savant data available for this game, but it looked like it would have reached the river at PNC Park.

It was Cruz's second home run of the spring. He later added a hard-hit single up the middle and a lineout to deep right field.

I’ve written about Cruz the last two days, including a one-on-one Saturday.

• Also making his spring debut was Cody Bolton. The right-hander was a top 10 prospect in the system back in 2019, but after missing all of last season with a knee injury, he has dropped off some radars.

He showed good velocity in the outing, hitting 95 mph, with break on a slider that has a grip he wants to throw, not the way the previous regime forced him to throw.

He's someone else on that starter/reliever bubble in the minors, at least short-term. He could be a major-leaguer at some point this year. 

• Bryan Reynolds hit a three-run triple because of course he did.

• Quinn Priester had to be settled down after walking a pair out of the gate, but managed to give two scoreless innings in his first spring outing.

• Also pitching for the Pirates: Beau Sulser, Tahnaj Thomas, Yerry De Los Santos and Cam Alldred. All put up zeroes, but had to strand at least one runner.

• As for that potential opening day roster, there is some buzz across the league that rosters could expand for the early part of the season because spring training is short. Right now, though, Shelton says the Pirates are preparing like there will be 26 players, and it will be a 13-13 split between pitchers and fielders.

"If they give us extra roster spots, it's more beneficial for health early in the year and then we'll have to see how the restrictions are — if they go to 28, is it 14 and 14 or 15 and 13? Once we get the rules, then we'll play by ‘em."

THE SCHEDULE

The Pirates will head back home to take on the Orioles Tuesday. José Quintana will deliver the first pitch is at 1:05 p.m. I'll be there for it.

THE CONTENT

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