Pirates A to Z: Acquired in August, reliever Jeremy Beasley aims to secure spot in bullpen
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During the offseason, the Tribune-Review will offer Pirates A to Z: An alphabetical, player-by-player look at the 40-man roster, from outfielder Miguel Andujar to pitcher Miguel Yajure.
Player: Jeremy Beasley
Position: Relief pitcher
Throws: Right
Age: 26 (Nov. 20)
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 235 pounds
2022 MLB statistics: Had a 4.80 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 19 strikeouts and five walks in 15 innings over nine appearances, all for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Contract: Pre-arbitration eligible.
Acquired: Trade with Blue Jays for cash considerations on Aug. 2.
This past season: Looking for a reliever with swing-and-miss stuff to boost the bullpen, the Pirates acquired Beasley from the Blue Jays at the trade deadline in a deal that flew under the radar.
It marked the third time in his career that Beasley had been traded. A 2017 30th-round draft pick out of Clemson by the Los Angeles Angels, he was dealt to Arizona for pitcher Matt Andriese in January 2020. He made his debut with the Diamondbacks but was sent to Toronto for cash considerations in April 2021 and was bothered by a right shoulder injury.
The Pirates pitching coaches never got to see Beasley. He was immediately optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis, where he allowed three earned runs on two hits and a walk in his only one appearance. In the sixth inning of a 7-1 loss at Columbus, Beasley gave up a leadoff walk, a single and a two-run double before being pulled.
The future: After dominating in the minors — he was 2-1 with a 1.89 ERA and 0.82 WHIP with a .153 batting average against in 38 innings over 19 appearances at Triple-A Buffalo — Beasley hadn’t shown that his stuff could play at the major league level.
Balancing a four-seam fastball that averages 94.5 mph with a spin rate (2440 rpms) that ranked in the 92nd percentile with a slider and a splitter that has become his putout pitch, Beasley has averaged 12 strikeouts per nine innings in 18 appearances over three MLB seasons.
Fangraphs described Jeremy Beasley’s splitter as a plus pitch.
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— S.W. Junkball (@Junk_Baller) April 22, 2021
The downside: Beasley also has allowed seven homers and 5.1 walks per nine in the majors and his slider has been hit at a .333 clip. If Beasley can figure out how to take advantage of his stuff, there’s opportunity with the Pirates, as both general manager Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton have noted that adding a swing-and-miss element to the bullpen is a priority.
Beasley circled the Pirates as one of the teams where he believed he could be a good fit, given his specialty and their need. First, he has to survive roster moves. The Pirates reached their 40-man limit but still have to consider the future of five players, including four pitchers, who finished the past season on the injured list.
“There is a lot of opportunity,” Beasley told Pirates Prospects in August. “I really hope that I can seize one of those spots. It’s a great team. There is a lot of upside and a lot of talent. From Triple-A to (Pittsburgh), there is a lot of talent. Hopefully, I can be a piece of that.”