Pirates A to Z: After rough start, Duane Underwood Jr. brought versatility to bullpen

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 Bryse Wilson.

Player: Duane Underwood Jr.

Position: Pitcher

Throws: Right

Age: 28 (July 20)

Height: 6-foot-2

Weight: 225 pounds

2022 MLB statistics: Went 1-6 with a 4.40 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and one save in 57⅓ innings over 51 appearances, including one start, striking out 57 and walking 25

Contract: Enters first year of arbitration eligibility

Acquired: From the Chicago Cubs in a trade for first baseman Shendrik Apostel

This past season: The Pirates had high hopes for Underwood in spring training, viewing him as a potential high-leverage reliever because of his five-pitch mix and fastball velocity.

The only problem was convincing Underwood that he was better off coming out of the bullpen than serving as a starter. Pirates pitching coach Oscar Marin was worried that Underwood would overthink and try to add too many things instead of taking a direct approach.

“Underwood came in as that starter type with some bullpen experience, but his whole mindset was that starter mentality,” Pirates pitching coach Oscar Marin said. “He was another guy we were very direct with, and he embraced that: Left-handed hitters, this is what you’re going to do; right-handed hitters, this is what you’re going to do. Master these, stay simple, try not to add too much.’”

That message was received by Underwood, who was prepared to be ready whenever Pirates manager Derek Shelton called his name.

“Whatever the skipper needs, I’m gonna go out and do it to the best of my ability, wherever that may be, however long it is in the game,” Underwood said. “Whatever he needs. Whatever the team needs to win, that’s really what I’m about. I like winning. Whatever we need to do to win, wherever I fit in, that’s where I like to get in.”

A year after striking out the Chicago Cubs side in the fourth inning on Opening Day, Underwood lasted only one batter against the Cardinals in 2022. His short stay in the bullpen came after giving up a double to Harrison Bader, when Underwood exited the game with a strained right hamstring.

“He threw the cutter and he felt it a little bit,” Shelton said. “I went out and talked, and it was cold and he was like, ‘Maybe it just twinged a little bit.’ We had him throw another pitch. When he threw the next pitch, he really felt it so obviously we had to get him out.”

Underwood was placed on the injured list two days later, and bounced from Low-A Bradenton to Triple-A Indianapolis to Double-A Altoona on rehabilitation assignments. Underwood came on in relief when 2021 No. 1 overall pick Henry Davis made his debut for the Curve on May 10.

Make it ✌️ scoreless innings from Duane Underwood Jr. with a pair of strikeouts and just two hits. pic.twitter.com/8CQ6ABFQTM

— Altoona Curve (@AltoonaCurve) June 29, 2022

Two days later, Underwood was activated against the Cincinnati Reds and allowed two runs on four hits with four strikeouts in two innings of a 4-0 loss.

It was a sign of things to come for Underwood, who allowed hits in 35 of his 51 appearances and runs in 22 while pitching multiple innings 15 times. He gave up multiple hits in 13 of those games and multiple runs in eight.

Yet Underwood also averaged 8.9 strikeouts per nine innings, which ranked behind only All-Star closer David Bednar (12.0) of Pirates relievers who pitched 50 innings or more. And Underwood had multiple strikeouts 14 times, including three against St. Louis in each of his final two appearances of the season.

Underwood attributed the uptick in his velocity to an offseason training regimen designed to keep him healthy.

“I’m an athletic guy, and I put on a couple pounds, put on some muscle,” Underwood said. “I think everything is translating to the game out there. Now it’s just about filling up the zone and getting guys out as quick as possible. I haven’t thought I’ve been moving faster, but I am. The result is there. I’m moving cleaner. I’m moving faster. I’m recovering faster. Everything has just kind of picked up a tick.”

One of Underwood’s highlights came in the second game of a doubleheader at the Reds on Sept. 13, when he capped a specatacular debut by Luis Ortiz by tossing a scoreless ninth inning to earn his first career save in the 1-0 victory.

“It’s a great opportunity. Shelty trusted me to take the ball and get the save, so that’s exactly what I did,” said Underwood, who made a relief appearance in an Ortiz start in Altoona. “I thought the kid was special when I first saw him, so it was a great opportunity and a great honor to close out the game for him.”

Shelton was impressed by how Underwood handled the heart of the Reds’ lineup, getting Nick Senzel and Donovan Solano to ground out before walking Aristides Aquino and and ending it with a Kyle Farmer fly out to left.

“You get a big moment there,” Shelton said. “We’ve talked about deploying guys in different situations. With where our bullpen was at today, we kind of figured Duane would get the ninth. Anytime you check that box off, it’s really important.”

The future: Underwood is projected to earn $1 million in his first year of arbitration, so he’s worth the price tag.

The Pirates love his stuff, given that Underwood averages in the mid-90s mph on fastballs, has a 44.9% whiff rate on his changeup and a sinker that had a 28.2% rate as his putaway pitch. But opponents had a .303 expected batting average against his cutter and .282 xBA against his curveball.

That Underwood finished the season healthy allowed him opportunities to pitch in the eighth or ninth inning in six of his final 11 appearances. He responded with back-to-back three-strikeout games to end the season, although that included a blown save in an 8-7 loss to the Cardinals on Oct. 4.

“We like the versatility he brings to our ‘pen,” Pirates bullpen coach Justin Meccage said. “He can do a little bit of everything, and I think he’s learned a lot from pitching in some eighth inning opportunities this year.

“I really like Underwood. He’s got some things that not everybody has. He can handle righties or lefties, go one to three innings. There’s a lot of things to like about him. The consistency of mentality, the consistency of being in the strike zone and consistency of execution, they continue to improve but we look for more of that.”