The Pittsburgh Pirates have used 26 different relief pitchers this season. They’re currently 17th in bullpen ERA at 4.08, though they were ninth in the league at the trade deadline with a 3.70 ERA.
The decline in performance is in part due to departures at the deadline. Despite this, they’ve managed to find productive arms such as Isaac Mattson and Chase Shugart. They could soon add to the group by selecting the contract of reliever Brandan Bidois from Triple-A Indianapolis.
Bidois is in the middle of an incredible feat, as well. Between Double-A Altoona and Indianapolis, Bidois hasn’t allowed a hit in 64 batters. The last hit he allowed came on July 29.
Over that span, he’s struck out 37% of the hitters he’s faced thanks to a fastball/slider combination. He throws from an over-the-top arm slot and creates excellent vertical movement on his four-seam fastball. His fastball averages 96 mph; he has some command issues, but he uses the pitch early in at-bats before turning to his slider to put them away.
His slider shows a sharp break that plays off his fastball well. It’s dominated Triple-A, returning a whiff on 50% of swings against it. His changeup has also been excellent as a third offering. Both secondaries contributed heavily to his 38.2% chase rate in 9 2/3 Triple-A innings.
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Bidois is eligible for the Rule-5 Draft this offseason, meaning the Pirates will have to add him to the 40-man roster or risk another team selecting him. Because of this, there’s a case for Bidois to be added to the roster for the final few weeks of the season to get a look at the prospect at the major league level.
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