Recent trade pickup Duane Underwood Jr. confident he can help Pirates’ pitching staff

Duane Underwood Jr. spent his first 8½ years as a professional with one organization. Joining the Pittsburgh Pirates was a whole lot of new — but not without some familiar faces.

“I actually knew a few of the guys just from working out in offseason and just being around the game,” Underwood said. “It’s been an easy transition.”

Underwood, a right-hander, had trained with Pirates shortstops Cole Ticker and Kevin Newman. But there was another connection that was serendipitous for a player who, at the time, couldn’t have known he would be traded. Underwood this past offseason had interactions with Pirates pitching coach Oscar Marin.

“And when I met him, I didn’t even realize he was the daggum pitching coach, which was even cooler,” Underwood said, showing the southern heritage of a man who was born in North Carolina and went to high school in Georgia. “He called me and was like, ‘Remember that guy?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah.’ He was like, ‘Yeah, that was me.’ And I was like, ‘All right, that was pretty cool.’ ”

Unlocking Underwood’s considerable potential now rests, in large part, on the relationship between him and Marin blossoming.

#Pirates general manager Ben Cherington continued to add arms to the organizational pitching pool by trading for former heralded pitching prospect Duane Underwood Jr. from the Cubs. https://t.co/DXwW4JQS5a

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) March 8, 2021

A 2012 second-round pick of the Chicago Cubs acquired by the Pirates in a March 7 trade for infielder Shendrik Apostel, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Underwood three times was listed among Chicago’s top 10 prospects by MLB.com, peaking at No. 4.

Over 30 appearances in the majors over the past three seasons, Underwood has used a four-pitch repertoire that included a mid-90s four-seam fastball, a two-seam sinker, changeup and curveball.

Per MLB statcast, he has been getting swings and misses, exhibited by high whiff rates and a 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings rate. But the problem for Underwood at the MLB level has been this: When hitters make contact, they hit it hard, exhibited by a high average exit velocity and the eight home runs he has allowed in 36 ¹⁄₃ innings.

“We like the stuff,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “When we started talking about him and talked to Oscar and (bullpen coach Justin Maccage) about his stuff, I know we like that. That’s always first and foremost. An opportunity to get him in camp and let it play out, let our guys get our hands on him, but we definitely like the stuff.”

Newest Pirate Duane Underwood Jr says he wants to be a starting pitcher and hopes to prove he can pic.twitter.com/0kV7sjMgGz

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) March 12, 2021

Underwood said he added a slider to his pitch mix over the offseason while pitching in the Puerto Rican winter league.

“It’s developed really well,” Underwood said. “I’m excited to show it.”

Underwood hasn’t had that chance yet in a game situation for the Pirates in Grapefruit League play. When he does, general manager Ben Cherington indicated it will be with an eye to fit him in for 2021 as a reliever.

“We like his stuff and how it might play off in the bullpen,” Cherington said.

For his part, Underwood played it diplomatically, though he let it be known he prefers to start. Of his 160 minor league appearances, 125 were as a starter.

“I think I have a lot of talent,” Underwood said. “I think I can strive for either a starting role or a role in the bullpen. Really whatever this team needs.

“I’ve had success at both, but I feel like I’ve really worked hard. I think I can start. I think there are a lot of innings in this arm, a lot of really good innings. I want to prove myself.”

An advantage for Underwood being in the bullpen is the Pirates appear to have at least six starters already, and with 2½ weeks until Opening Day, it would be problematic to have him stretched out and ready to start by then anyway.

The Pirates relievers corps, though, is just as deep.

“Whatever I can do to prove myself, I plan on doing that,” Underwood said. “Put my best foot forward. Whatever happens, happens. But I do believe in my skill and talent and what I have going forward.”

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