Pirates A to Z: Trade gave Tyler Bashlor a fresh start, chance to provide multi-inning relief

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).

Player: Tyler Bashlor

Position: Pitcher

Throws: Right

Age: 27

Height: 6-foot

Weight: 195 pounds

2020 MLB statistics: 0-0, 8.64 ERA, 1.56 WHIP in 8⅓ innings over eight appearances.

Contract: Not eligible for arbitration until 2022.

Acquired: Traded by the New York Mets on Aug. 2 for cash considerations.

This past season: Bashlor believed he was “stuck in a rut” with the Mets and needed a change of scenery. The Pirates lost Nick Burdi, Kyle Crick and Michael Feliz to injuries and were desperate for bullpen depth.

In that sense, Bashlor had an opportunity to provide the multi-inning middle relief the Pirates were seeking while getting a fresh start on a career that had become stagnant.

After going 0-6 with a 5.33 ERA and 1.41 WHIP in 54 innings over 48 appearances in two seasons with the Mets, Bashlor didn’t change his pitching style. He relies on throwing his four-seam fastball up and using his breaking pitches off of it, mixed with a changeup.

The results, however, weren’t much better. Bashlor allowed eight runs (all earned) on nine hits and four walks, with six strikeouts in eight games. Bashlor also allowed a pair of home runs in losses, one to Kyle Schwarber of the Chicago Cubs and one to Jose Abreu of the Chicago White Sox.

Six of his appearances came in defeat, and he gave up multiple runs in three of them. But he didn’t allow a run in five games. Bashlor did nothing to solidify his spot, but he should get a chance this spring.

The future: To understand why the Pirates might find promise in Bashlor’s future is to appreciate his past.

After spending most of his career as a catcher, Bashlor played in the outfield at South Georgia. He pitched sparingly, mostly because he begged his coach to allow him to throw a few innings.

“After my freshman year, I was just laying low because my baseball career was kind of fizzling out,” Bashlor said. “I wasn’t going to play.”

Bashlor’s roommate was playing in a summer league in Connecticut when the closer on his team suffered a broken jaw after getting hit by a line drive. The coach asked if anyone knew of any good available arms, and the roommate suggested Bashlor.

“My buddy was like, ‘He plays outfield, but he’s got a good arm. He pitched a little bit when he was a kid. He’ll probably come up.’ That’s what happened,” Bashlor said. “I went up there and pitched and was throwing hard and kind of got my name on the map.

“I wasn’t a standout player. I came back my sophomore year and pitched and lit up the radar gun, and that’s what got me noticed.”

That’s what got Bashlor drafted by the Mets in the 11th round in 2013.

Mets rookie reliever Tyler Bashlor on his MLB debut: "I was born for this"

WATCH MORE: https://t.co/pe8pKjJTtB pic.twitter.com/wMAS3amgBX

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 6, 2018

Bashlor’s four-seamer and sinker touch 97 mph, and he is crafting a changeup as an off-speed pitch to go with his slider. An offseason spent under the guidance of Pirates pitching coach Oscar Marin and bullpen coach Justin Meccage could help harness Bashlor’s control after he threw 59% of his pitches for strikes.

So the Pirates saw plenty of upside in Bashlor.

“Yeah, I feel like my arm’s fresh,” Bashlor said, “and can carry me into the next 10 years.”