51.9 F
Pittsburgh

Pirates Name Tyler Glasnow as the Fifth Starter, Decide Bullpen Battle

Published:

After Friday night’s game in Montreal, the Pittsburgh Pirates announced that Tyler Glasnow has won the fifth starter spot. They also announced that Trevor Williams and Wade LeBlanc will be in the bullpen along with Tony Watson, Felipe Rivero, Daniel Hudson, Juan Nicasio and Antonio Bastardo. Tyler Webb has been offered back to the Yankees as part of the Rule 5 process.

Glasnow ranks as the #3 prospect for the Pirates coming into this season. He didn’t have the best outings this spring, though he impressed with 23 strikeouts over 14.1 innings. He had a 5.65 ERA, a 1.78 WHIP and a .306 BAA in his three starts and two relief outings. He also took the loss in the exhibition game against the Dominican Republic, allowing six runs over 2.1 innings, which isn’t included in his spring stats. Glasnow made his Major League debut last year with the Pirates and made four starts and three relief appearances, posting a 4.24 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP, with 24 strikeouts in 23.1 innings.

LeBlanc and Williams will be the long-men in the bullpen. Williams made his Major League debut last year and had a 7.82 ERA in 12.2 innings over seven appearances. He was a starter in the minors, but the Pirates used him six times out of the bullpen, so he does have minimal experience in that role. He had a very strong spring, posting a 2.04 ERA, with an 0.91 WHIP, a .222 BAA and 18 strikeouts in 17.2 innings.

LeBlanc had a solid spring, topped off by a shutout inning on Friday night. He had a 3.60 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP in 15 innings. The Pirates got a look at LeBlanc late last year after acquiring him from the Seattle Mariners. He allowed just one earned run over 12 innings, which was enough for the Pirates to keep him around during the off-season and sign him to a one-year deal, with an option for 2018.

UPDATE: The Yankees have taken back Tyler Webb and assigned him to Triple-A. The Pirates will receive back half of their $100,000 cost to select Webb in the Rule 5 draft.

John Dreker
John Dreker
John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball. When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.

Related Articles

Article Drop

Latest Articles