Johan Oviedo

WTM’s PLAYER PROFILE

2016
DSL:  0-1-0, 1.66 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 21.2 IP, 2.5 BB/9, 12.0 K/9

In his debut in the DSL, Oviedo dominated in seven starts.  After the season, Baseball America ranked him 30th among the Cards’ prospects.

2017
R+:  2-1-0, 4.88 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 27.2 IP, 5.9 BB/9, 10.1 K/9
A-:  2-2-0, 4.56 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 47.1 IP, 3.4 BB/9, 7.4 K/9

The Cards sent Oviedo initially to the Appalachian League, then after six starts moved him up to the New York-Penn League.  He wasn’t very effective, struggling with control at the lower level and getting hit hard at the higher level.  BA ranked him 23rd in the system.

2018
A:  10-10-0, 4.22 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 121.2 IP, 5.8 BB/9, 8.7 K/9

Oviedo pitched out of the rotation in low A.  He continued to put up mediocre results, with control still a problem.  BA nevertheless moved him up to 20th in the system.

2019
A+:  5-0-0, 1.60 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 33.2 IP, 3.2 BB/9, 9.4 K/9
AA:  7-8-0, 5.65 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 113.0 IP, 5.1 BB/9, 10.2 K/9

In high A, Oviedo had a much better time over five starts, then moved up to AA.  He had a lot more trouble there, with renewed control issues.  BA ranked him 12th among Cards’ prospects.

2020
MLB:  0-3-0, 5.47 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 24.2 IP, 3.6 BB/9, 5.8 K/9

In the pandemic year, St. Louis brought Oviedo to their alternate site.  They had to call him up when the team had a COVID outbreak, and he mostly struggled over five starts.  BA ranked him tenth in the system afterward.

2021
AAA:  1-6-0, 6.13 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 54.1 IP, 4.8 BB/9, 9.8 K/9
AAA:  0-5-0, 4.91 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, 62.1 IP, 5.3 BB/9, 7.4 K/9

Oviedo spent the season shifting back and forth between AAA and the majors, making 11 starts in the minors and 13 with the Cards.  He struggled at both spots, although he did a little better in the majors.

2022
AAA (StL):  4-2-0, 5.58 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 50.0 IP, 4.1 BB/9, 9.2 K/9
AAA:  0-0-0, 0.79 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 11.1 IP, 2.4 BB/9, 10.3 K/9
MLB (StL):  2-1-0, 3.20 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 25.1 IP, 2.5 BB/9, 9.2 K/9
MLB:  2-2-0, 3.23 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 30.2 IP, 4.7 BB/9, 8.2 K/9

Oviedo pitched as a starter in AAA until the end of May.  Then the Cards called him up and, after starting his first game, he pitched strictly in relief.  Oviedo struggled badly with gopher balls in AAA, giving up 14 in just 50 IP.  He was much more effective as a reliever in the majors.  After the trade, though, the Pirates sent Oviedo to Indianapolis to get stretched out as a starter.  He made it to Pittsburgh in time to start seven games.  He had some very good starts, some passable ones, and one very bad one in which he allowed five walks and four runs in an inning and two-thirds.  His control faltered at times, but the only major problem was the one start.  He had another in which he threw seven shutout innings with seven strikeouts and no walks.  In the seven starts altogether he held opponents to a line of 198/306/241.  He gave up only one longball with the Pirates.

The Pirates’ acquisition of Oviedo and Nunez, who’s also from Cuba, is something new for them, as their unwillingness to spend money has shut them out of the Cuban market.  Players whose bonuses had already been paid by another team suited their tastes better.  Oviedo had an encouraging debut with the Pirates and should have been a leading candidate for their 2023 rotation.  It looked like the acquisition of Vince Velasquez would relegate him to a swing role, but a good spring and an injury to J.T. Brubaker left him with a spot.