Pirates A to Z: Oft-injured Nick Burdi proves to be reliable reliever when healthy

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 Trevor Williams. (The only MLB player with a surname that starts with Z is Detroit Tigers pitcher Jordan Zimmerman).

Nick Burdi

Position: Pitcher

Throws: Right

Age: 27

Height: 6-foot-3

Weight: 225 pounds

2020 MLB statistics: 0-1, 3.86 ERA, 1.714 WHIP, one save in 2 1/3 innings over three appearances.

Contract: First year of arbitration eligibility in 2021.

Acquired: Traded by the Philadelphia Phillies for $500,000 international bonus pool after being selected from the Minnesota Twins in the Rule 5 draft.

This past season: Nick Burdi took a big step forward when he returned from neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome surgery and recorded his first MLB career save with a 1-2-3 ninth against Milwaukee on July 28 at PNC Park.

“Any time you can get the last three outs of a game, and you learn to get the last three outs of a game,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said, “it’s an important step forward.”

Burdi was beaming after his beer shower, the customary celebration for his first major league milestone and what he called a “special moment.” He had overcome Tommy John surgery in 2017 and another surgery to relieve neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome in ’19 to finally reach one of his career goals.

“This is one of those moments where, you know, it’s been six years in the making,” Burdi said. “Three surgeries later, finally got the first one. So it was definitely exciting.”

Unfortunately, Burdi’s story followed a familiar pattern: For every step forward, he takes two steps backward.

The next time Burdi pitched in a game, he allowed two hits and a walk and gave up the winning run on a walk-off double by Nelson Cruz in the ninth inning in a 5-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Aug. 3 at Target Field in Minneapolis, where his career started.

Afterward, Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Burdi’s right elbow “just didn’t feel right.” So the Pirates shut Burdi down for the remainder of the shortened season.

The future: When healthy, Burdi has terrific stuff. His fastball sits at 98 mph and can touch triple digits, and he has an above-average slider, a combination that makes him a perfect high-leverage reliever.

If only he could stay healthy.

The Pirates have been patient with Burdi, knowing the payoff could be worth it. Although he has a 9.49 ERA in 16 games over three seasons, he also boasts a spectacular 16.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

When the Pirates acquired him through the Rule 5 draft (via trade) in 2017, they did so with a willingness to allow Burdi a year to recover from Tommy John surgery. Burdi’s return from TOS also was celebrated, especially by one of his fellow pitchers who was going through his own rehabilitation.

“He looks amazing,” Jameson Taillon said while recovering from Tommy John surgery. “No matter how many injuries this dude’s had, he still throws 100 mph, his slider’s still disgusting.”

What Taillon liked best about Burdi is his mental makeup in recovering from repeated injuries, which can wear on a pitcher’s psyche.

“When you get hurt, you have two choices: You can either feel sorry for yourself and do the minimal work required to get back on the field, or you can take it the other way and say, ‘I’m getting hurt for a reason. There is something I need to clean up, there’s something I need to attack, there’s something I can get better at,’” Taillon said. “Burdi takes that (latter) route every time. It’s pretty inspiring to watch him work. He finds a way to get better. It sounds kind of cliche, but through every injury and obstacle he’s had, he just attacks something new, doesn’t complain and focuses on getting better.”

Burdi’s focus will be back to getting better again after the Pirates announced Sunday that he underwent a second Tommy John surgery Oct. 14 in Dallas, after his right elbow didn’t respond to platelet-rich plasma therapy injections. Burdi isn’t expected to return to baseball activities for 16-18 months.

Burdi was designated for assignment by the Pirates, and will become a free agent if he clears waivers.