Pirates A to Z: Chris Stratton embraced adrenaline rush of high-leverage role

During the offseason, the Tribune-Review will offer Pirates A to Z: An alphabetical player-by-player look at the 40-man roster, from outfielder Anthony Alford to pitcher Miguel Yajure.

Player: Chris Stratton

Position: Pitcher

Throws: Right

Bats: Right

Age: 31

Height: 6-foot-2

Weight: 205 pounds

2021 MLB statistics: Stratton was 7-1 with a 3.63 ERA and 1.298 WHIP and eight saves over 79 1/3 innings in 68 appearances.

Contract: Stratton made $1.1 million last season, and is projected to double his salary in his second year of arbitration.

Acquired: In a trade from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for cash considerations in May 2019.

This past season: Stratton transformed himself from starting pitcher to multi-inning reliever when the Pirates asked him to shorten his workload but increase the intensity of his job description.

After starting 36 of 48 games for the San Francisco Giants and five of seven for the Angels, Stratton was thriving as a middle reliever. He had 13 multiple-inning appearances, including 3 2/3 perfect innings to finish a 9-2 win over the Miami Marlins on June 4 for his first save in almost four years. Then the Pirates blew up their bullpen at the trade deadline, dealing Clay Holmes to the New York Yankees, Austin Davis to the Boston Red Sox and closer Richard Rodriguez to the Atlanta Braves.

After giving up a lead off triple in the bottom of the 9th, Chris Stratton proceeded to strike out three of the next four Marlins preserving a 2-1 win. After the game Robby Incmikoski caught up with Stratton to talk about the first win on a long 10 game road trip. pic.twitter.com/gXysgmPMdU

— AT&T SportsNet™ PIT (@ATTSportsNetPIT) September 18, 2021

Suddenly, Stratton was thrust into a high-leverage role. He alternated with David Bednar in the closer role, finishing 18 games and earning eight saves.

“It’s a lot more fun,” Stratton said. “The game’s on the line, the ball is handed to you and you’re going to get the final out. It’s a ton of fun. It’s definitely keeping me young — or making me old, I don’t know. But it’s a lot of fun.”

Stratton’s success can be traced to the development of his breaking pitches and his ability to get ahead in the count. There was an emphasis on his curveball in the offseason, as Stratton worked with pitching coach Oscar Marin and bullpen coach Justin Meccage to alter the grip on his curveball so it would look less like a two-seam fastball and instead mirror the four-seamer he threw on 48.4% of his pitches.

With elite spin rates on both his fastball (2610 rpm) and his curve (3123), Stratton decreased the use of his slider from 26.7% in 2020 to 13.6% last season and threw the curve more often. It became a more effective pitch, as did the slider, which drew a 36.1% whiff rate.

“What I think it says about him is he has the ability to execute pitches,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “Sometimes, you talk about a guy that’s a starter and then you move him to the bullpen and they find their niche. I think he’s done a nice job finding his niche out there.”

Shelton ranked Stratton alongside Gold Glove catcher Jacob Stallings as one of best leaders in the clubhouse. Marin called him the leader of a young pitching staff, given how Stratton embraced going from multi-inning reliever to a high-leverage role.

“That really perks somebody up,” Marin said. “I think with him, you guys have seen later in leverage situations, his velocity has gone up. I think he embraces every situation when it comes to him, and who doesn’t like coming in in leverage situations at the back end of a game to either set it up or close it? I think part of his mentality, early on in his career he’s been the starter, and now going into the relief core, I don’t think there’s anything more that he wants than to finish a game or help somebody finish a game.”

Where Stratton found comfort in keeping a routine, one change in his new role required a significant adjustment.

“I’m used to walking off the field and going in, instead of staying there,” Stratton said of being a closer. “The first time I was like, ‘Oh, I’ve got to shake hands with Stalls and (Michael) Perez when the game’s over.’”

One of Stratton’s finest moments came in a 2-1 win over the Marlins on Sept. 17, when he gave up a leadoff triple to Bryan De La Cruz to start the ninth. Stratton struck out Jesus Sanchez on a 94-mph fastball and got Lewis Brinson swinging at three consecutive curveballs, then intentionally walked Lewin Diaz to put the winning run on base.

Stratton recovered from a 2-0 count to strike out Payton Henry — who doubled in the fifth — on a curveball in the dirt for the save.

After giving up a lead off triple in the bottom of the 9th, Chris Stratton proceeded to strike out three of the next four Marlins preserving a 2-1 win. After the game Robby Incmikoski caught up with Stratton to talk about the first win on a long 10 game road trip. pic.twitter.com/gXysgmPMdU

— AT&T SportsNet™ PIT (@ATTSportsNetPIT) September 18, 2021

“It’s a testament to who he is, the way he works and the way he goes about his business,” Pirates starter Wil Crowe said. “Whatever situation he’s in, he’s a guy for us that he’s dominant, and he knows what he’s trying to do. He’s got his plan in place, and he executes with the best of them. What he did, that shows a lot of who he is and the kind of person he is and the kind of characters he has. That was big for Strat there. That was awesome to see.”

Whatever his role, Stratton employs the same strategy: One pitch at a time. Go on the attack.

“To be honest, I just love playing baseball. I love being able to get the manager to trust me in any situation, whether it be early or late,” Stratton said. “I enjoy throwing in the back half. I enjoyed starting. That’s probably off the table now. Whenever the ball is given to me, that’s what I’m trying to do: Go out there and get outs. That’s it.”

The future: As counterintuitive as Stratton serving as closer initially appeared, he fed off the opportunity and thrived in the role. That only made him more valuable to the Pirates, who now have the flexibility to use Stratton as a middle-inning workhorse or a late-inning stopper for a bullpen in transition.

The Pirates value versatility, and his leadership is a bonus. For Stratton, the new role only added to his adrenaline and enhanced his love for the game.

“The game’s on the line, the ball is handed to you and you’re going to get the final out,” Stratton said. “It’s a ton of fun. It’s definitely keeping me young — or making me old, I don’t know. But it’s a lot of fun.”