Soon after the Pirates completed their coaching staff and Sam Howard began talking with new pitching coach Oscar Marin, the two devised a plan for how Howard, whom the Pirates claimed off waivers from the Rockies in late October, could earn a meaningful bullpen role in 2020.
Back when Howard was a starting pitcher, when he once (in 2016) struck out nearly a batter per inning while working his way up through Colorado’s minor-league system, Howard relied more on his changeup.
But after the Rockies shifted the left-hander into a relief role late in the 2018 season, Howard was told to focus on two pitches, his four-seam fastball and slider, and make them as effective as possible.
The Pirates are trying to undo that directive.
“When guys saw me more, in those longer outings, they knew to look for two pitches,” Howard said Thursday at a Pirates CARE-a-van event at the McDonald Volunteer Fire Department. “My goal this offseason was to work on my third pitch, so if they have to run me out there for two innings, I’ll have three pitches to get guys out instead of two.”
Quantity is important here, but also quality. Say Howard never worked on his changeup; relievers have certainly thrived with two good pitches. Which means that, if he’s going to win a bullpen job, Howard will first and foremost need to spot his fastball and throw his slider for strikes. The changeup will be a bonus.
Howard showed signs last season with the Rockies, but he also hit a few rough patches, as evidenced by his 6.63 ERA in 19 innings. (Howard did have a 3.91 ERA with 62 strikeouts against 23 walks in 50⅔ innings with Class AAA Albuquerque.)
“I learned a lot last year, especially pitching in Denver,” Howard said. “Even though it may not look good on paper, it was a lot of good stuff I can take mentally and apply to what I’m working on this offseason.”
The Pirates claimed Howard on Oct. 30. Right now, he might be their best and/or only left-handed option in the bullpen with Francisco Liriano signing with the Phillies, especially if Howard can harness his swing-and-miss stuff.
Even though Howard’s ERA last season was ugly, he struck out 25.3% of the batters he faced (23 of 91) and achieved a whiff rate of 39.8% with his slider, per Statcast. Howard walked too many — 10 in 19 innings — but he has the stuff.
“I used the changeup a lot when I was a starter,” Howard said. “I’ve got confidence in it. It’s just tweaking a few things to make it as consistent as I can.”
‘I belong here’
Another acquisition the Pirates made this offseason, signing Guillermo Heredia to a one-year, $1 million deal, might be worth a second look, too.
No, Heredia isn’t a splashy name. He profiles as a fourth outfielder, at most, and will arrive in Bradenton with a career slash line of .240/.317/.342 with just 17 home runs.
But much like Howard, who’s probably one or two tweaks away from legitimately helping the Pirates, there’s something else to pay attention to regarding Heredia: how he fares against left-handed pitching.
Heredia’s career slash line against lefties of .274/.335/.401 in 487 career plate appearances will certainly work, as will his .737 OPS, at least given the situation the Pirates currently face in the outfield. Gregory Polanco will probably require a few days off, and he has a .219/.283/.355 career slash line in 616 plate appearances against lefties, including an OPS of .638.
“My goal right now is to go into spring training and work hard, win that role that I need to win, and whatever role that the Pirates feel is going to benefit the team, that’s what I want to be a part of,” Heredia said this week via translator Mike Gonzalez.
If Starling Marte needs a day off, Bryan Reynolds can shift to center, and Heredia could play left. Spelling Reynolds directly would help, too. But the Pirates might want to confine Heredia to the corners; throughout his career, he has a Defensive Runs Saved mark of minus-13 in center field compared to nine in right and six in left.
“Right now it’s tough to tell you what my role will be,” Heredia said. “I just want to be available and willing to help this team in whatever way they need.”
Part of that might be as an energy guy. Heredia comes to Pittsburgh with the reputation for being a very good teammate, an upbeat presence who keeps things light. Given the new culture the Pirates are trying to create, that’s something they’ll need, especially when it comes to some of their Latin players.
“I’ve always admired the Pirates, especially when I would see the atmosphere and the energy that they would have during the game and in the dugout,” Heredia said. “I feel like I belong here. I know that’s going to help me not only click and connect with the other ballplayers, but it’s also going to help us win.”
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
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First Published: January 24, 2020, 5:15 p.m.