Ryan, Stratton were tested along path to first opener
MIAMI — Hunter Stratton had a hunch, one that actually started when the Pirates nontendered him back in November.
The right-handed reliever had other offers. At the same time, Stratton’s wife, Lakyn, was pregnant with the couple’s first child.
For someone whose job is predicated on messing with others’ timing, Stratton did pretty well for himself in that department here.
Not only did Hunter pitch well enough to make an opening day roster for the first time, but Lakyn gave birth to a healthy baby boy during the final days of spring training.
“I just didn’t want a change of scenery,” said Stratton, who made his MLB debut in 2023 after nearly six years in the minor leagues.
“I know everybody here. I’ve built relationships. I didn’t wanna take that somewhere else and try to rebuild it from the ground up. I love Pittsburgh.”
When the Pirates removed Stratton from their roster, they also professed a desire to have him back, the result of the 27-year-old appearing in eight games and posting a 2.25 ERA to go along with three walks and 10 strikeouts in 12 innings.
Stratton became Triple-A Indianapolis’ top reliever before he was promoted, compiling a 3.99 ERA in 47 games and striking out 74 in 56 1/3 innings.
After the Pirates opened his roster spot, Stratton said he began to receive offers through his agent. However, he was playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic at the time and never cared enough to press for details. Plus, he knew what his heart was telling him.
“I wanted to come back,” Stratton said. “I was also comfortable with the deal we worked out.”
With a little more in his check and a handshake agreement that he’d be back in the big leagues before long, Stratton was able to focus on pitching this spring. For him, that meant “being myself and feeling out what works instead of trying to force things.”
Translated: Keep it simple and go right after opposing hitters with a powerful pitch mix.
Stratton threw his cutter 50.6% of the time last season, and it worked out very well for him. The pitch averaged 90.7 mph and netted a .188 batting average against.
The 16th-round draft pick in 2017 also throws a fourseam fastball that averaged 95.9 mph while mixing in an occasional slider. It’s similar to Stratton’s cutter except the slider is about 6 mph slower and has more horizontal and vertical depth.
All of it helped Stratton match up well against sameside hitters, with righties posting a .182 batting average and .598 OPS against.
“I’msomebody who attacks hitters, mixes well and keeps them off-balance,” said Stratton, who said he’d much rather read swings than numbers when it comes to figuring out what to throw. “I wish I had something that went right, but I just don’t right now. I’m gonna keep building on what I’ve got.”
It would be tough for Stratton to fare better than he did this spring. In eight games, Stratton did not allow a run while walking two and striking out seven. He also had a .222 batting average against and 1.14 WHIP.
“I wanted to show that I came to spring training in midseason form,” Stratton said. “If anything happens, they know who to call.”
Well, the Pirates called ... and it didn’t even take the season to start for the phone to ring. With Carmen Mlodzinski and Colin Holderman starting the regular season on the 15-day injured list, it opened the bullpen door for Stratton and Ryder Ryan, another surprise selection who had a funky offseason.
Despite making his MLB debut for the Mariners, Seattle’s lack of interest led to Ryan becoming a minor league free agent. The Pirates were the first to reach out.
A minor league journeyman after being taken in the 30th round of the 2016 draft by Cleveland, Ryan also spent time with the Mets and Rangers. But the Pirates said they really liked his sinker, which Ryan began throwing in 2020. It worked to the tune of a 3.76 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 55 innings for Triple-A Tacoma in 2023.
“I wanted to come here,” Ryan said. “There’s opportunity. It’s a good organization and a young group. I like that just because we can grow up together and stay together for a long time. That’s awesome.”
It was a similarly emotional moment for Ryan when he found out he made the team. Ryan and his wife, Brynn, also have a son. After stints in minor league outposts such as Columbia, Binghamton and Round Rock, Ryan was elated to have finally nailed down a job on opening day.
“It’s so surreal,” Ryan said. “You’ve been working, trying to get to that point. It’s amazing. What an honor and a blessing.”
It also wasn’t far-fetched, as Ryan produced some strong results this spring, pitching to a 3.38 ERA in nine appearances totaling eight innings, using his sinker and slider to strike out 10.
A year after Rob Zastryzny became an unlikely hero in Cincinnati, earning the win in his first MLB opener, the Pirates seem to have two more similar candidates in their bullpen this season.
“We’ve optioned talented young relievers,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said. “But Stratton and Ryan — and some others, too — have just out-pitched other guys.”
“We’re both older,” added Ryan, 28. “We’ve been through a lot — the process of getting here and now trying to stay here.”