Bednar brothers enjoy turning up the heat
Tri-State Sports & News Service
The Bednar boys have been throwing 90’s parties all spring, just not the kind that feature the sounds of Weezer and Whitney Houston.
It’s their fastballs that are moving the needle, with David touching 98 mph at Class A Lake Elsinore (Calif.) and little brother Will 95 for the Mars High baseball team.
Both right-handers, they’re conjuring memories of pitching brothers such as the Leiters (Al and Mark), the Reuschels (Rick and Paul) and the Martinez’ (Pedro and Ramon).
“It’s interesting, because when David was 13 or 14, he wasn’t even on the top travel team,” said their dad, Andy, the coach at Mars and a former pitching star at Sto-Rox and Cornell University. “But he stayed the course — both of the boys did — and they really put the work in.”
Young Will, a junior at Mars, was nothing short of showstopping in leading Mars to the WPIAL Class 5A championship game, which ended in an 11-inning loss to North Hills. His fastball reached 95 mph that afternoon, leading to 10 strikeouts and just two earned runs in 6⅔ innings.
For the season, the 6-foot-2, 215pound Bednar went 8-0 with 120 strikeouts in 66 innings. His ERA was 0.63.
In one four-game stretch, he rang up strikeout totals of 15 versus North Hills, 15 versus Fox Chapel, 11 against Hampton and 16 (in a first-round WPIAL playoff game) against Trinity.
So impressive is the rising senior flamethrower that he has already accepted a scholarship to Ohio State. However, plans could change. Some believe he will be an early-round pick in the 2019 MLB draft. One scout told the Post-Gazette that, “next year there will be 15 [scouts] at every one of his games.”
If Bednar stays the course, he could follow the path of older brother David, a 35th-round draft choice of the San Diego Padres out of Lafayette University in 2016. He is currently the 26th-ranked prospect in the Padres’ minor league system.
A 6-1, 220-pound reliever, Bednar overcame a slow start at Class A Lake Elsinore (he twice allowed four runs in his first six appearances) to settle in nicely.
In his past 18 appearances, he has yielded just five runs and struck out 24 in 21.2 innings. In 17 of those appearances, he held the opposition scoreless.
For the season, he is 2-2 with 5 saves, 32 strikeouts (in 28.1 innings) and a 4.45 ERA. And it is not lost on him that he and his younger brother have strung together some potent numbers this spring — despite being separated by 2,400 miles.
“It’s awesome to see him succeed,” said David Bednar, who ranks third all time at Lafayette in strikeouts, despite leaving after his junior season. “It’s even better seeing all of his hard work pay off. He’s made significant jumps even in the past year or so.”
In his two-plus years with the Padres organization, Bednar has 20 saves with 153 strikeouts (in 120.2 innings) and a 2.98 ERA.
In his first full season with the Padres in 2017, in which he went from starter to reliever, he posted a 2.64 ERA with 11 saves and 11.9 strikeouts-per-nine innings in 45 appearances between Class A Fort Wayne and Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore. He went on to perform well in the Arizona Fall League, where he allowed just one baserunner in seven appearances.
According to MLB.com’s prospects page, Bednar is viewed as “a physically mature right-hander with a frame (6-1, 220) that requires minimal projection. ...Working from a three-quarters slot while creating plane toward the plate, he’ll sit in the mid-90s with a fastball that features late life and some arm-side run. ... He also throws a below-average splitter in the low 80s that, with further refinement, could give him a chance against left-handed hitters.”
Like all minor league players, Bednar must endure long bus trips, inconsistent fan turnout and uncertainty about his future.
Such scenarios can test one’s patience, but Bednar relishes the experience.
“Of course, everyone wants to be at the next level,” he said. “But you can’t get caught in thinking about that kind of stuff. Just have to take it day by day and keep working hard where you’re at and the rest will take care of itself.”
The talented pitcher added that his family has been instrumental in getting him to this point.
“[My dad] has meant so much to not only me in my career, but also with my brother and sister,” Bednar said.
“He’s been my coach since I started playing until high school. I even had him as a [math] teacher. Both my parents have sacrificed a lot of time and effort to put us in a position to succeed. Seeing how hard they work for us daily set a great example for my brother, sister and me. I couldn’t have done it without them.”