David Bednar was in Mars on Monday night when he heard the Pittsburgh Pirates agreed to trade Joe Musgrove to the San Diego Padres, the organization where Bednar was a relief pitcher.

That’s when Bednar started to pay close attention to Twitter and learned an hour later he would be playing for his hometown team as one of five players headed to the Pirates in the three-team trade involving the Padres and New York Mets. The Pirates also received center fielder Hudson Head and pitchers Omar Cruz and Drake Fellows from the Padres and switch-hitting catcher Endy Rodriguez from the Mets.

“It hasn’t really set in, to be honest with you,” Bednar said Tuesday afternoon, just minutes after the trade became official. “It’s unreal to be able to come back and pitch at PNC Park and to pitch for the Pirates, nonetheless. I haven’t even pitched on the East Coast yet. I’ve just been up and down the coast of California so far.

“Being able to play in your hometown and for the team you watched growing up is a dream come true. It’s a win-win for sure, just to be able to play at home in front of my friends and family.”

Bednar’s family is familiar with life at the diamond. His father, Andy, is the baseball coach at Mars. His brother, Will, is a sophomore pitcher at Mississippi State, and his sister, Danielle, has signed to play softball at St. Francis (Pa).

The Bednar family traveled all over the country, from Pasco, Wash., to Fort Wayne, Ind., to Amarillo, Texas, to see David play in the minors. Needless to say, Andy Bednar was thrilled to learn his son will have a chance to pitch at PNC Park for the first time in his career.

“It’s a dream come true for him to have the opportunity to play Major League Baseball. You don’t really care where it is,” Andy Bednar said. “To be afforded the opportunity to play in your hometown, for our family … Right now, being 25 miles north of PNC Park, we’ll be able to see as many games as we want. And the Triple-A team is in Indianapolis, so that’s not that far, either.”

David Bednar was drafted in the 35th round with the 1,044th overall selection. Today he's a Major League pitcher.

Never ever give up. pic.twitter.com/9sUyUZObeF

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 1, 2019

The 26-year-old Bednar, a barrel-chested, 6-foot-1, 249-pound right-hander, was a 35th-round draft pick out of Lafayette in 2016. He recorded a 2.70 ERA, 303 strikeouts and 39 saves in the minor leagues before making his major league debut in September 2019.

Bednar tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings in his first seven appearances and made four appearances last summer. He is 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA in 17 games over the two seasons.

Warm welcome for @david_bednar and a weekend series win!#PadresWin #FriarFaithful pic.twitter.com/eBJEwhPNxs

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 1, 2019

Bednar’s pitch repertoire relies upon a mid-to-high 90s fastball, a splitter he learned in Instructional League from Hideo Nomo that has become an out pitch and a breaking curveball. After a 2020 season he describes as “an up-an-down year,” Bednar welcomes the chance to make an impact on a Pirates bullpen that has had major turnover this offseason.

“I’m just going to go out there and compete, go into attack mode on the hitter, fill up the zone and be aggressive,” Bednar said. “That’s my biggest thing, just going out there and competing. There’s always that chip on your shoulder, whether it from being a late-round draft pick or that stuff.

“It’s an advantage, that if you trust the process and work hard every day, good things happen. That’s how I go about my business, show up and work hard.”

Now, Bednar is looking forward to his first spring training with the Pirates and a chance to make an impact on the bullpen, knowing that he’s the closest of the five newcomers to making the major league roster.

“It’s still the goal. That doesn’t change,” Bednar said. “I’m going to come into spring training, guns blazing and try to make the team and pitch some innings, this year.”

---

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)

---