BRADENTON, Fla. — Chase De Jong has seen a lot in professional baseball.
A second-round draft pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2012, De Jong was traded three times and released before signing with the Atlantic League’s Sugar Land Skeeters in 2019. He’s sort of the MLB equivalent of Kevin Bacon. If the Pirates acquire a new player, it’ll take De Jong about three seconds to identify a few mutual friends.
The Pirates are De Jong’s sixth MLB employer, and he’s held every conceivable role on a pitching staff — from starter to long man to a back-end type who may wind up with a save.
But what De Jong has seen so far this spring is still relatively new: stability. Much like his mentor and good friend Chris Stratton, De Jong has carved out an important role for himself by doing everything. And doing it well.
Need innings because the starter got knocked out early? Cool. De Jong can do it. Need him to bridge the gap to David Bednar? De Jong can do that, too. Fireman situation? You get the idea.
“My joke with [manager Derek Shelton] is that if you give me the first inning to have my cup of coffee, I’ll be ready from the second inning until the game is over,” De Jong said. “I really do love the frequency with which I get to be out there, help the team and do my job.
“I don’t think I’m above any inning because I’ve lost this job before. If they call for me, it’s an honor and a privilege.”
If De Jong continues to pitch the way he did last season, the Pirates will calling for him a lot.
In ranking fourth among National League relievers in innings pitched (71 2/3 innings), De Jong had a 2.64 ERA in his 42 appearances, walking 30, striking out 59 and producing a 1.144 WHIP.
De Jong was tough against lefties (.209) and finished a ninth-inning appearance away from pitching 10 or more times in the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings.
“Last year changed my life,” De Jong said. “I wore a lot of hats and pride myself on that.”
The route De Jong took — from struggling starter to reliable reliever — is similar to Stratton, who’s known to De Jong’s son Clayton as “uncle Chris.” Stratton’s kids call De Jong “uncle Chase.”
While talking about his newfound stability — or at least as much as playing professional sports for a living can provide — De Jong recalled a conversation he had with Stratton last spring over lunch.
How Stratton embraced the idea of doing everything and pitching a lot and how De Jong thought he could see himself doing the same. In his mind, De Jong said he went from idolizing dominant starters such as Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander to relievers such as Craig Stammen, Hunter Strickland and Stratton.
Finally armed with a regular MLB job, De Jong recently bought a house in Lakewood Ranch, settling his family some while giving some Pirates players a place to hang out this offseason and throughout spring training.
De Jong, who has blossomed into one of the bullpen’s leaders, has also taken over Stratton’s duties as team chaplain, organizing Sunday morning church service and ensuring players have the spiritual resources they want.
On the mound, De Jong thrived by throwing his fastball less and his slider (.170 batting average against) more last season, a recipe he expects to carry into the season. De Jong has also been working on a splitter he hopes to throw regularly.
“One thing with [De Jong] that probably doesn’t get highlighted enough is his ability to execute the fastball to be able to keep people honest,” Shelton said.
Similar to Stratton’s workload in Pittsburgh, De Jong made 19 appearances that were at least two innings, including four that were at least three. His ERA while covering two or more innings last season was 1.22.
“When it’s one of those shorter days, having guys like Chase De Jong, guys who are extremely versatile and able to bounce back and get quick outs becomes really important,” Pirates pitching coach Oscar Marin said.
For De Jong, it doesn’t matter when he’s asked to pitch or what he’s asked to do.
One series in Milwaukee last year, bullpen coach Justin Meccage told De Jong he could be used for multiple innings early or one late. The right-hander ended up getting the final five outs to preserve a 4-2 victory and earn the save, needing just 16 pitches to do it.
“This feels like home,” De Jong said. “I love it here. I love the people. I love coming to work every day. I love trying to help everybody be better. I’m the guy, when you’re down, I’ll love you up. When your ego gets too high, I’ll knock you down. I’m that guy.
“I think there’s a happy zone where everybody’s most productive. I love the culture in the bullpen, being down there every day and doing a lot of different things.”
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: March 15, 2023, 1:01 p.m.
