Pirates A to Z: Bullpen banked on Dauri Moreta's wrong-way slider to put out fires

During the offseason, the Tribune-Review will offer Pirates A to Z, an alphabetical, player-by-player look at the 40-man roster.

Player: Dauri Moreta

Position: Relief pitcher

Throws: Right

Age: 27

Height: 6-foot-2

Weight: 185 pounds

2023 MLB statistics: Went 5-2 with a 3.72 ERA and 1.09 WHIP, one save, 76 strikeouts against 24 walks in 58 innings over 55 appearances.

Contract: Not eligible for arbitration until 2026.

Acquired: From the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for shortstop Kevin Newman on Nov. 18, 2022.

This past season: When Pirates general manager Ben Cherington prioritized adding more swing-and-miss element to the bullpen, his first move was to acquire Moreta.

The Reds’ minor league pitcher of the year in 2021, he averaged 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings in 35 appearances in 2022. But Moreta wanted to be more than someone who could get whiffs.

“They’re not just looking at me for swing and miss. They’re looking for me to get people out,” Moreta said. “If it happens, I’m OK with that. I’m there to compete and get people out to help this team to win.”

Moreta made an immediate impact against his former team on Opening Day, replacing Mitch Keller with two outs in the fifth inning after a Jason Vosler triple. Moreta walked the first two batters to load the bases, then struck out Will Benson to protect a 4-3 lead. He celebrated by stomping off the mound and slapping his glove and screaming. Moreta struck out the first two batters in the sixth before being replaced.

“Wow, that moment was electric, not only for me but for this team,” Moreta said of the 5-4 win. “This team is electric. It felt really good, to face them and to show them that I’m ready to be here.”

Moreta faced another tight situation at Boston, inheriting runners on second and third before walking Kike Hernandez to load the bases in the fifth. Moreta got Connor Wong to swing at a 1-2 slider low and away for another strikeout in the 7-6 win over the Red Sox.

The following night, he relieved Roansy Contreras with runners on first and third and two outs in the sixth and got Adam Duvall looking at a called third strike on a full-count, belt-high slider to escape the jam

Moreta celebrated by rubbing his thumb and fingers together, symbolic as if he were flashing money while he walked toward the dugout. Moreta inherited five runners in three of his first four appearances, with at least one in scoring position each time, and didn’t give up a run.

2023 PitchingNinja Award for Best Use of a Prop during a K Strut. ????????

Winner: Dauri Moreta and his $20 bill. pic.twitter.com/3dhTdkDj8R

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) November 29, 2023

By the home opener, Pirates fans knew Moreta by his “Big Bank” nickname. He made the gesture again for cameras to cheers from the crowd during his introduction at PNC Park, and used Naughty By Nature’s “Here Comes the Money” as his walkout song.

His first month with the Pirates was indicative of what type of up-and-down season Moreta would have. He posted a 3.86 ERA and 1.54 WHIP, striking out 10 with six walks.

Moreta would have good months followed by bad months, earning the fireman role with a nasty sinking slider but also spending a stint on the 15-day injured list and a month in the minors.

Moreta learned the slider grip from former teammate Matt Pidich while at Triple-A Louisville in 2022. The “wrong way” slider moved two ways, first breaking to his arm side and then sinking, and brought attention to Moreta around baseball. It looked like an optical illusion, one Moreta couldn’t quite explain. What he can do is repeat the delivery and place the ball where he wants, which has fooled hitters so far this season.

“I don’t know why my slider does that,” Moreta said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s righty or lefty, I just throw it. I know where it’s going to go. I can control my slider, but I don’t know why it does that. It’s going like a normal slider then, at the end, it goes the opposite way. It’s something that, so far, only I can do. I don’t see other pitchers do it.”

No wonder Pirates reliever Colin Holderman called it a “unicorn pitch.”

“I have never seen one like it,” said Holderman, who relies on a sinker and slider. “Sometimes it backs up. Sometimes it goes like a normal slider. … It’s unpredictable, is what makes it so good, and also it’s just so nasty.”

Here's a quick rundown on Dauri Moreta and the slider that doesn't slide pic.twitter.com/Ak9sJWJ1vE

— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) July 17, 2023

Moreta threw the slider on 64.8% of his pitches, as it became his putaway pitch. Moreta drew a 40.8% whiff rate, recording 58 of his 76 strikeouts with the slider as opponents batted .162 against the pitch. It provided the perfect complement to his four-seam fastball, which averaged 95.2 mph.

“The slider is good. We knew that when we acquired him. We gave up a good major league player to get him, and we knew he had some attributes that were going to help us,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “The slider has really played, in and out of the zone. We saw it a lot in spring training, because we saw the velocity in the low 90s. Now we see the mid to high 90s. It’s a really good pitch.”

Finding consistency was elusive for Moreta. In May, he had 20 strikeouts against three walks and didn’t allow an earned run, holding opponents to an .071 batting average in 12 appearances. In June, however, hitters slashed .317/.408/.561 against Moreta. In July, he had 17 strikeouts and one walk, with a .175 batting average against. In August, hitters had a 1.052 OPS in four games against Moreta.

The Pirates placed him on the 15-day IL with low back inflammation Aug. 4, then sent him to Triple-A Indianapolis on a rehabilitation assignment that was followed by an option. Moreta posted a 9.39 ERA in six outings and wasn’t recalled until Sept. 22

“Went through a little skid there right before he was optioned. When we optioned him, it was really about the situation of our team at the time,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said. “We got into a bind with pitching and needed a fresh arm the next day. He has options. Sometimes these things happen. Guys who have options sometimes get optioned, unfortunately.

“When he got to Indy and started throwing, he wasn’t feeling his best so we decided to give him a little bit of recovery time while he was there and then get him back. So he’s gotten back into some games in Indy; the last one was starting to look more like himself again so we decided to give him another shot.”

Once again, Moreta made an immediate impact. He had three strikeouts in 2 2/3 scoreless innings as the Pirates rallied from a nine-run deficit in a 13-12 win over the Cincinnati Reds for the greatest comeback victory in franchise history. And he struck out the side in the eighth inning of the season finale against Miami.

“It’s hard to say. He’s been a big part of our bullpen all year,” Cherington said. “If you look at the overall numbers, he’s pitched in a lot of meaningful games, big roles, struck out a lot of guys. He’s been a trusted guy.”

2023 PitchingNinja "Dude, Where's My Team?" Award. ????

Winner: Dauri Moreta pic.twitter.com/Zqhrr4nsJD

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) November 27, 2023

The future: The Pirates’ trust in Moreta is warranted when you look at his metrics.

Per Statcast, he ranked in the 97th percentile in expected batting average (.188), 95th percentile in strikeout rate (31.8%), 93rd percentile in expected ERA (3.02) and 92nd percentile in whiff rate (33.6%).

Moreta thrived in the fireman role, serving as a right-handed complement to lefty Jose Hernandez and giving the Pirates a back end of the bullpen that, when healthy, has a chance to be special.