Converted starters experiencing success within Pirates bullpen

The Pittsburgh Pirates may very well end their campaign 30 games or more under .500.

With a month and a half left in the year, the attention of manager Derek Shelton, general manager Ben Cherington and the rest of the Pirates organizational brass soon will turn to analyzing what went wrong this season.

In that regard, there will be quite a bit to unpack.

However, that’s not to say that there haven’t been individual and collective efforts worth noting.

There are a number of Pirates relief pitchers who are enjoying solid seasons, with a particular group of them sharing one characteristic: They’re converted starters who were relegated to the bullpen this year.

Chase De Jong, Wil Crowe and Manny Banuelos fall into that bag.

None was particularly valuable as a starter, but in relief roles, all three have had experiences akin to a phoenix rising from the ashes.

Of course, having to make that transition can be a tough pill to swallow.

“I think the first part of it is the buy-in to being in the bullpen,” Shelton said. “Guys that go to the bullpen have to get over the fact that they’re not starting anymore.”

Take Crowe, for example.

Last season, he started the most games (25) of any Pirates pitcher, going 4-8 with a 5.48 ERA.

But as the Pirates approached the end of spring training, Crowe was informed he’d be moving to the bullpen.

Crowe has appeared in 47 games for the Pirates, posting a 3.34 ERA in 62 innings as one of the team’s most dependable high-leverage relievers.

Since closer David Bednar headed to the injured list Aug. 3, Crowe has stepped into that ninth-inning role, as well.

Granted, Crowe has had to navigate some bumps in the road.

On Aug. 14, he took the loss after allowing a ninth-inning walk-off homer to San Francisco’s Thairo Estrada.

Regardless, Crowe (4-7) feels moving to the bullpen has been beneficial.

“A year ago I never would have imagined I’d be doing this,” he said. “Am I mad that I’m doing it? No, I’m very happy. I’m excited and am really enjoying what I’m doing. I’ve found a home.

“It’s crazy, (but) it’s the way the game is. There’s ups. There’s downs. There’s things that go right and that go wrong. You learn from things, and that’s all I’m doing.”

For De Jong, this season has been his first as a full-time reliever as he was used in the back end of the rotation with the Mariners, Twins and Astros.

Last year, his first with the Pirates, he started nine games, going 1-4 with a 5.77 ERA and 1.56 WHIP.

De Jong found himself at Triple-A Indianapolis to begin the 2022 season, and at the time, the plan was for him to continue as a starter.

But upon rejoining the Pirates at the end of April, De Jong instead transitioned to a long reliever, with all 10 of his appearances from April 27 to June 1 being more than an inning.

De Jong has continued in that role for the Pirates, notably providing four innings of scoreless relief Tuesday against the Red Sox following starter Mitch Keller’s exit from the game after just two innings.

Making the jump from the starting rotation to the bullpen has been one that De Jong’s enjoyed.

From a statistical standpoint, he’s cashed in too, evidenced by his 4-1 record and 2.33 ERA through 26 appearances.

De Jong also takes pride in helping the team via his new role.

“I told ‘Shelty’ that I wanted to be this team’s Swiss Army knife,” De Jong said. “I want to be the guy in the bullpen, that if stuff gets sideways early, like it did (Tuesday) — run me out there for four (innings). If it’s a leverage situation on the back end and my matchups work really well, I want to throw the seventh inning in a one-run game or two-run game.

“I love the kind of blue-collar, show-up-with-your-lunch-pail-and-try-to-help-the-team-tonight (role).”

Banuelos’ story is among the more endearing you’ll find across MLB.

A highly regarded prospect from the Mexican League who signed with the New York Yankees in 2008 before his 18th birthday, Banuelos struggled to break into the majors.

Injuries plagued him early, and he debuted with the Atlanta Braves in 2015 but spent the next three years bouncing around the minor leagues.

In 2020, Banuelos was playing baseball in Taiwan before rejoining the Mexican League the following year.

He spent time with the Yankees this season but was designated for assignment June 28.

A few days later, the Pirates acquired the 31-year-old lefty for cash considerations, quickly inserting him into the bullpen.

Previously, Banuelos had been used by the Braves and Chicago White Sox (2019) as a starter. He was 1-4 with a 5.13 ERA in Atlanta. With Chicago, he struggled similarly, posting a 6.93 ERA over 16 appearances, eight of which were starts.

Banuelos’ first outing with the Pirates on July 6, which was coincidentally against the Yankees, went poorly as he was torched for five earned runs in the eighth inning of a 16-0 New York win.

Since then, he has settled down nicely. Not counting the Yankees game, he’s allowed an earned run in just one of his 14 other relief appearances with the Pirates.

Banuelos has been stellar in the month of August, having pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts, two walks and four hits allowed in seven appearances.

“The one thing that you really like about Manny is he wants the ball, and he wants to pitch,” Shelton said. “When you have a guy like that, you’re able to deploy him.

“Chase De Jong is the same way. What we see with those guys is, because they’ve gotten to the point where they’ve had to do and go places where maybe they didn’t want to go, it’s a little more important to them in terms of how they execute. Those are the guys you root for.”