Pirates A to Z: Colin Selby showed his stuff as rookie, with mixed results in relief role

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

Player: Colin Selby

Position: Relief pitcher

Throws: Right

Age: 26

Height: 6-foot-2

Weight: 220 pounds

2023 MLB statistics: Went 2-2 with a 9.00 ERA and 1.83 WHIP, 30 strikeouts and 15 walks in 24 innings over 21 appearances, including five starts.

Contract: Not eligible for arbitration until 2027.

Acquired: Selected in the 16th round out of Randolph-Macon College in the 2018 MLB Draft.

This past season: Selby recovered from Tommy John surgery for a strong second half in 2022 and, after playing in the Arizona Fall League, was protected from the Rule 5 Draft by being added to the 40-man roster.

A Division III product who signed for a $125,000 bonus, Selby arrived at spring training knowing he had a chance to make it to the majors.

Only two others in Randolph-Macon history had ever reached the majors — outfielder Frank Walker (1917-25) and pitcher Paul Gilliford (1967) — although the college also counts former Pirates general manager Syd Thrift (1985-88) among its alums.

“You dream about this all the time, obviously,” Selby said. “Coming from a smaller program, it’s crazy to be here. When I walked in the first day, it was like this is starting to get real. I’m just excited for the opportunity and giving everything I’ve got.”

A starter in college, he converted to reliever after his surgery. Another change helped, as well, Selby added a new wrinkle to his three-pitch repertoire: He spent the offseason working on a sinker, favoring the two-seamer over his four-seam fastball as a changeup to complement a slider and curveball.

The Selby Silencer. ????@Colin_Selby40 pic.twitter.com/SOe3LOESjK

— Indianapolis Indians (@indyindians) May 11, 2023

He started the season at Triple-A Indianapolis, and tossed six scoreless innings over a five-game stretch in May. A right shoulder injury sidelined him for a month, however, and Selby didn’t rejoin Indy’s bullpen until late June. That delayed his promotion to the Pirates.

Selby posted a 3.86 ERA and 1.35 WHIP with six saves and a rate of 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings at Indianapolis before getting the call to the majors in early August.

“I think it definitely affected it just because of the fact that we had that rough stretch, we have to make sure that we get guys healthy, we have to make sure we get them into a situation where they’re ready to come to the big leagues,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “He was very impressive in spring training in terms of what the stuff is. I think that’s where my mind is at right now with where he’s at.

“He’s a guy that we wanted to get up here. We know the arm’s big, we know how the slider plays. … It’s another arm that we really like.”

Selby made his major league debut Aug. 9, arriving at PNC Park with a thick, full beard that he has been growing since December 2021. Selby was coy about whether it provided any special powers on the mound.

“We’re not going to find out because I’ll always have this during the season,” Selby said. “In college we had to shave in the fall every day. When I first got to the Pirates we had to shave every single day. Now that I have the freedom to not shave, I take advantage of it.”

Raking Colin Selby’s beard pic.twitter.com/qJGeO36Ml9

— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) October 7, 2023

It belied Selby’s soft-spoken persona, as did his first pitch in the majors.

He threw a curveball to Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. “that didn’t do anything,” coming in so high and tight that the 2023 NL MVP dropped to the dirt to avoid being hit. Asked if it was his way of announcing his presence with authority, the rookie simply shrugged.

“Yeah,” Selby said, “I guess.”

If Selby was distracted by inheriting Michael Harris II at second base in his debut, facing Acuna got his attention. Once Selby threw his next pitch, a 96.6-mph sinker that got Acuna swinging for a strike, it became a “normal outing.” After singles by Acuna and Ozzie Albies, Selby struck out Austin Riley, intentionally walked Matt Olson and got Sean Murphy to ground out to first to end the top of the sixth inning. In the seventh, Selby got Marcell Ozuna looking at a called third strike on a curveball inside and Eddie Rosario swinging at a curveball in the dirt before Orlando Arcia lined out to center.

The first three strikeouts of Colin Selby's career. The first comes on a slider, and the next two come on curveballs. The spin is there ????️ pic.twitter.com/57l0ZjP5Gm

— Justice delos Santos (@justdelossantos) August 10, 2023

“Coming out of the gate from the bullpen, I definitely felt the energy. I felt a little bit of butterflies in my stomach,” Selby said. “But then once I got out there and threw the first strike to Acuna, I was fine. … Everything kind of just went out the window at the point. It was just back to the game that I’ve been playing.”

Selby was able to pitch in front of his parents, Christie and Stefan, as well as extended family, his girlfriend and his college coach. Striking out a pair of two-time All-Stars in Riley and Ozuna and an NLCS MVP in Rosario showed Selby he could pitch in the majors. But he didn’t spend much time celebrating, turning his attention back to the Braves.

“You can’t really pitch against a better team right now, so that was exciting,” Selby said. “Just put my stuff up against the best and see how it did. So, just feel confident moving forward.”

His next outing didn’t go so well. Selby was pounded for three runs on five hits in one inning in a 9-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 11, the first of five outings in which he allowed at least three earned runs.

One of those, however, also involved Selby’s first major league victory. That came in a 7-4 win at the New York Mets on Aug. 15, when Selby allowed three runs on two homers with two strikeouts and a pair of walks in 1 1/3 innings.

Selby also had 10 scoreless outings, including three as an opener. With the Pirates’ rotation depleted by injuries and trades, he made his first start since Double-A Altoona against the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 26, striking out three in two scoreless innings. It was the first of three consecutive outings where he didn’t allow a run.

“It was different,” Selby said. “Just trying to keep the team in the game early and get outs efficiently. Just try and go as long as they would allow me. … Whatever they need me to do, I’m gonna do it.”

Colin Selby striking out Rodolfo Castro with a filthy curveball

Selby tonight: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 19 pitches

82.7 MPH, 2469 RPM, 55 inVB, 14 inHB pic.twitter.com/WWGvE9xxqp

— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) September 28, 2023

Shelby’s season ended on a sour note, when he blew the lead in a 4-3 loss to the Miami Marlins when he couldn’t land his putaway pitch, a slider that opponents batted .192 against.

Selby replaced lefty Ryan Borucki with one out in the eighth inning but didn’t record an out while facing five batters. Garrett Hampson and Luis Arraez hit back-to-back singles before Selby walked Jorge Soler to load the bases. Josh Bell followed with a two-run double to right and Jake Burger an RBI single.

“Just slider command,” Selby said. “It’s easy to hit a fastball when you can’t throw any secondary pitches for strikes.”

With the Phanatic looking on, Colin Selby throws some fire for the strikeout ????

97.6 MPH sinker, 2404 RPM, 18 inVB, 16 inHB pic.twitter.com/Sp4wi2Edau

— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) September 28, 2023

The future: The Pirates like Selby’s pitch mix, with the fastball that sits at 96.6 mph and a slider that drew a 41.8% whiff rate, and his 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings was impressive.

Selby had six outings in which he recorded three strikeouts and four others in which he had two. That’s the type of swing and miss the Pirates were looking for from the bullpen.

But his 9.00 ERA and 5.6 walks per nine innings were alarming, numbers Selby is going to have to reduce if he wants to earn a spot in the bullpen next season. He’ll have competition from the likes of right-handers Andre Jackson, Carmen Mlodzinski, Dauri Moreta, waiver claim Roddery Munoz and Kyle Nicolas.