Pirates A to Z: Johan Oviedo finished strong after transition from reliever to starter

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: Johan Oviedo

Position: Pitcher

Throws: Right

Age: 24 (March 2)

Height: 6-foot-5

Weight: 245 pounds

2022 MLB statistics: Went 4-3 with a 3.21 ERA and 1.29 WHIP, 54 strikeouts and 23 walks in 56 innings over 21 appearances, including eight starts for the St. Louis Cardinals and Pirates.

Contract: Not yet eligible for arbitration.

Acquired: From the Cardinals, along with 1B Malcom Nunez, in a trade for LHP Jose Quintana and RHP Chris Stratton on Aug. 1.

This past season: Oviedo was the key to the Pirates’ biggest trade at the deadline, as they identified him as a potential major league starter.

Problem was, the Cardinals were using Oviedo as a starter at Triple-A Memphis but a reliever in the majors. There were issues with his control, as he showed a propensity for giving up home runs – 14 in the minors, four in the majors – and walks.

The Pirates sent Oviedo to Triple-A Indianapolis for the first month to get him stretched out as a starter. He allowed one run on eight hits and three walks with 13 strikeouts in five games, including four starts, before being promoted in September.

“We wanted to get him back into a starter schedule, but do that thoughtfully and slowly given that he had been built up earlier in the season, and then back to the bullpen,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said. “We’ve seen in the past if you try to stretch it out too quickly after a guy’s kind of gone up and down like that, there can be risk. So, we wanted to take it a step at a time and also get him into a starter schedule where he can start to work on some things in between starts. We’ve started to do some work with him, pitch design-type work. He’s been fun to work with and he’s a talented young pitcher.”

Oviedo’s debut with the Pirates was impressive from the start, as he struck out Toronto Blue Jays All-Stars George Springer, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Teoscar Hernandez on breaking pitches in a 1-2-3 first inning on Sept. 2.

“It was fun. I really enjoyed it,” Oviedo said. “It was three really good ABs with those guys. Trying to get ahead and try to get some outs.”

The inning showcased Oviedo’s ability to attack the strike zone but also was an example of his inefficiency: It required 22 pitches, as the trio combined to foul off 10. The good news was that Oviedo felt like he had command of all four pitches, from his four-seam fastball to the curveball that got Springer and Guerrero swinging to the slider that struck out Hernandez. Oviedo even felt comfortable with his seldom-used changeup, which he was able to throw for strikes in any count.

“They’re very important,” Oviedo said. “If you have four pitches that you can throw for strikes, four pitches makes the batter have to guess.”

Oviedo’s new fastball plan was a problem in his second start, a 10-0 loss to the New York Mets, on Sept. 2. He blamed it on his release point, and lasted only 1⅔ innings, giving up four runs on five walks and one hit.

“We like the stuff. We’ve just got to get the stuff on the plate,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “I think that’s the big thing is scattered command, and we’ve got to make sure he’s on the plate. His stuff is good, but especially against good lineups, if the stuff isn’t on the plate then it doesn’t play.”

Pirates pitching coach Oscar Marin, however, credited Oviedo for his willingness to change his grip on the pitch in the game after working on it for a week in bullpen sessions. Despite taking his lumps against the Mets, it proved to be a good change.

“He’s been open to some of the suggestions he’s had,” Marin said. “We’ve talked to him about his fastball, maybe what a different grip would do. He’s doing it right away. And that’s been huge for us. It’s been huge for him to see the results that have been coming from some of the suggestions that have been made.”

Johan Oviedo has really caught my eye since joining the Pirates. His velo is up a tick, and he is mixing pitches well. He has a 3.05 ERA and a 25.8% K rate in 5 starts since 9/2. Walks are an issue. But in his most recent start, he threw 7 scoreless vs the Cubs with 7 Ks and 0 BB pic.twitter.com/c6SnCK1M2K

— Chris Clegg (@RotoClegg) September 26, 2022

Oviedo fared better Sept. 24, allowing three hits without a walk while striking out seven in seven scoreless innings in a 6-0 win over the Chicago Cubs. It was a sign that he could go deeper into games and maintain his efficiency.

But the Pirates were most excited about Oviedo’s last two starts, both against his former team. On Sept. 30, he threw 103 pitches in six innings in a 2-1 loss at St. Louis. In the season finale, Oviedo allowed two earned runs on five hits in four innings in a 5-3 win.

“This is a big, strong kid that has the ingredients to make a good starting pitcher in the major leagues,” Shelton said. “Sometimes, you have to make trades to acquire those guys, but to acquire a guy like this, I think (is) a really good situation.”

Johan Oviedo, Nasty 79mph Curveball. ???? pic.twitter.com/RsR2vVSRUk

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 25, 2022

The future: Shelton liked Oviedo’s pitch mix, from his ability to execute his fastball to the way his breaking pitches played. Most important, Oviedo threw 117⅓ innings between Triple-A and the majors, building his arm up to be a starter for next season.

“I think in the situation the Cardinals had over there, they had starting pitching,” Shelton said. “Everyone wants to have as much starting pitching as possible. The Cardinals knew that if they needed to transition him back, they could do that. We had to get him built up when he came over here. The fact that he’s been able to go out, execute, pitch innings, is really important for us.”

Oviedo had some good Statcast metrics, from a 50.6% ground ball rate and 87.3-mph average exit velocity to ranking in the 97th percentile in extension and in the 85th percentile in fastball velocity (96 mph). His slider drew a 33.8% whiff rate while his curveball was at 24.3%.

As much as Oviedo considers his time as a reliever “a really good experience” because it taught him to get ahead in counts quicker and focus on quick results, he made it clear that he wants to be a starter.

“A starter is all I want to be. A starter is all I like,” Oviedo said. “It’s nothing more special to me than being a starter and giving the team a chance to win. So to still have the opportunity to come next year and keep doing that, that’s really special to me. I’m just going to give my 100% so I can give this team a chance to win next year.”

Oviedo will have to compete for a spot in the starting rotation, as the Pirates return JT Brubaker, Roansy Contreras and Mitch Keller, as well as Luis Ortiz, Zach Thompson and Bryse Wilson, and are expected to add another starter through trade or free agency.

But his final starts against the Cardinals made a good impression.

“You get a guy like Oviedo, who really is starting to learn himself and really is starting to trust himself, and it’s fun to watch, especially against his old team what he was able to do his last time out,” Marin said. “That’s a power arm with plenty of room to grow.”