Heating up
Pitching prospect Roansy Contreras is rolling after returning from injury.
Roansy Contreras leaned against a railing atop the visitors’ dugout at Canal Park in Akron last week. The day after making his first start in more than two months, Contreras flashed a wry smile when asked to name a pitcher he grew up idolizing.
“Jacob deGrom,” Contreras said, citing the two-time Cy Young Award winner and current Mets ace. “He makes things so simple. I’m motivated by watching him pitch. I think that some day, I can be that kind of pitcher.”
While Contreras — along with pretty much everyone else who has thrown a baseball — has a long journey before he’s deGrom, it’s a comparison or aspiration that should make Pirates fans smile. It’s also an intriguing one if you’ve seen Contreras pitch, because of the simplicity he referenced.
Listed at 6- foot, 175 pounds, the right-hander is only about 5 pounds lighter than deGrom, although he does cede 4 inches in height. There also isn’t a ton that’s fancy or quirky about their deliveries or pitch mixes. DeGrom has evolved from a more varied array of weapons to basically fourseamer/slider with enough changeups to keep hitters honest.
His average fastball velocity — 99.2 mph in 2021 — is obviously ridiculous, but deGrom does more than throw hard; he blends velocity with an incredible slider, consistent execution and an unmatched feel for pitching.
At just 21 (he’ll be 22 on Nov. 7), it would be foolish to say that Contreras is at that point, but he also understands the value of keeping his fastball out of the middle of the plate, changing speeds and trusting his curveball, slider and changeup equally — parts of pitching that are harder than they sound.
Since the start of spring training, Curve pitching coach Drew Benes said focal points for Contreras have been finishing his pitches, being consistent with how he throws them and making sure he’s doing more than just throwing hard.
“It’s been pretty simple,” Benes said. “A big thing for him is continuing to have good direction, staying through the baseball and completing pitches. When he does that, his stuff is really good. He can throw any of his four pitches, whenever he wants, for a strike.”
This has certainly been a breakout year for Contreras, who was sidelined with a right forearm strain. Before he was injured, Contreras ranked second in the Class AA Northeast League in ERA (2.00), strikeouts (65), batting average against (.178) and WHIP (0.84) while allowing one or no runs in six of his first nine starts.
That dominance shot Contreras firmly into the Pirates’ top 10 in terms of prospect rankings, and it slotted him behind only 2019 first-round pick Quinn Priester on the pitching side.
The added attention has been rewarding, Contreras said, but it also hasn’t consumed him.
“I’m very excited about it because I’ve been working hard,” Contreras said. “It’s one of the biggest achievements I’ve had up to this point. The fact that I see my name on those lists, I feel humbled and grateful to be a part of it.”
At the same time, Contreras
has been more encouraged by his improvements. Since the Pirates acquired him as part of the Jameson Taillon deal with the Yankees, Contreras has continued to see a steady drop in his walks per nine innings, from 3.0 in 2018 to 2.4 the follow year to 2.1 this season. His strikeout rate, meanwhile, has gone from 8.5 to 10.0 to 12.8.
The progression is exactly what you want to see from a young pitcher, especially one with Contreras’ tools.
“I feel real good because the hard work is paying off,” Contreras said. “The strikeouts are higher. That’s something I didn’t have in the past. I’ve been getting better with the command of all my pitches. That’s very exciting
for me because I still feel like like deGrom.
I have room to improve, “He doesn’t want to be which is even more exciting.” just another guy throwing 97-plus,” Perez said. “He
Class AA Altoona manager wants to be ready.” Miguel Perez praised When he is ready, Contreras Contreras for how he spent should have company, the down time when injured. other talented Pirates prospects Contreras watched hours of coming before and after video and peppered the him. coaching staff with questions. Perhaps some combination He has learned the importance of Oneil Cruz, Mason of a daily routine. Martin, Ji-Hwan Bae, Cal
For Perez, those things Mitchell, Matt Fraizer and tracked with a conversation Jack Suwinski from the they had in spring training, Curve. Quinn Priester, Nick when Contreras talked Gonzales, Liover Peguero, about his development, what Henry Davis, Carmen Mlodzinski he wanted to accomplish and and others with Highhow he wanted to look once A Greensboro, plus ample he took a big league mound talent at Low-A Bradenton for the first time. and throughout rookie ball.
Just getting there wasn’t By the time Contreras arrives, enough, Contreras told his the current darkness manager. He wanted to be should give way to brighter days for the Pirates.
“It’s a special group,” Contreras said of the organization’s improved farm system. “There’s a lot of talent coming up. There are going to be some special things going on soon.”
Pirates claim pitcher
The Pirates on Monday claimed Connor Overton off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays, adding a righthanded pitcher who has experienced success this season at Class AAA and the major leagues.
To make room for Overton on the 40-man roster, the Pirates transferred Duane Underwood Jr. (right shoulder inflammation) to the 60day injured list, obviously ending his season. The Pirates immediately optioned Overton to Class AAA Indianapolis.
Overton, 28, made his MLB debut on Aug. 12 and strung together four scoreless appearances for the Blue Jays. He gave up four hits, walked two and struck out four in 6⅔ innings before Toronto designated him for assignment on Sept. 3.
The Blue Jays signed Overton on Feb. 2, and he went 2-1 with a 2.03 ERA in 21 appearances ( seven starts) this season for Class AAA Buffalo. Overton walked 10 and struck out 50 in 57⅔ innings.
Other move
The Pirates also swapped out a position player for a pitcher Monday, optioning Phillip Evans to Class AAA Indianapolis and recalling right-hander Cody Ponce.