Pirates A to Z: Zach Thompson showed versatility to be starter or long reliever

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: Zach Thompson

Position: Pitcher

Throws: Right

Age: 29 (Oct. 23)

Height: 6-foot-7

Weight: 250 pounds

2022 MLB statistics: Went 3-10 with a 5.18 ERA, 1.51 WHIP in 121⅔ innings over 29 appearances, including 22 starts

Contract: Not yet eligible for arbitration

Acquired: From the Miami Marlins, along with pitcher Kyle Nicolas and outfielder Connor Scott, in a trade for catcher Jacob Stallings in November 2021

This past season: From his first start in spring training, Thompson made it clear that he was willing to do whatever the Pirates needed — even if his preference was to be a starter.

As a new arrival from Miami, Thompson called it “an honor” to have a chance to crack the starting rotation. Of his 26 appearances in 2021, 14 were starts. So he knew his way around the bullpen, too.

“I’m versatile,” Thompson said, “but being able to start is a huge deal. Being in a rotation on a major league staff is something you always want to do. I would like to do it as long as I can.”

Thompson got off to a rough start, going 0-3 with a 10.05 ERA and 2.23 WHIP in April before bouncing back the next two months.

He earned his first win in relief, throwing a scoreless sixth inning in a 7-2 win at Detroit. Always positive, Thompson once again treated it as a chance to change his mentality on the mound.

“Going into the bullpen, you’re more adrenaline-prone. It’s ‘Here and now, let’s get this job done.’ As a starter, it’s more of a slow process and seeing how you pitch guys and how you change throughout your game,” Thompson said. “It’s a little bit of a reset, being able to go out there and throw for one inning and then be done. It was a confidence booster that I think I needed. Then, everything got on track from there.”

The reset worked. Thompson was 2-1 with a 2.45 ERA in May and 1-1 with a 2.51 ERA in June before going on the injured list with nerve inflammation in his right forearm.

That injury dated to his turnaround as a starter, when Thompson was feeling “crummy” the day before his May 8 start at Cincinnati but took an IV and pitched five scoreless innings. He struck out six without a walk and gave up two hits in a 7-3 loss to the Reds.

“We were hoping we were going to get three innings out of him. That he went five was pretty admirable on his part,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “He came in after the fifth, and he could barely stand. He was in a tough spot. I give him a ton of credit.”

Six days later, Thompson had his best outing of the season, extending his scoreless streak to 12 innings when he took a no-hitter into the sixth inning. Brandon Drury broke it up with a two-out bloop single to right field.

“Obviously the tough start’s not something that you want to have, but being able to come back and kind of who everyone who I am and how I pitch, that’s been really important for me,” Thompson said. “The first few games, kind of combination of unlucky and then some poorly executed pitches. Now, this is getting back to who I am and how I pitch.”

Thompson didn’t allow more than two earned runs in 12 appearances (11 starts) between May 4 and July 14. He credited his work on mechanics for giving him a better feel and helping his pitches “play out a lot better.”

Thompson also leaned less on his four-seam fastball and more on his sinker, increasing its usage from 8.2% in 2021 to 21.1% last season, and relied more on his curveball than his changeup.

“Before, I didn’t have very much consistency. Now I’m fixing direction and I’m able to stay a lot more consistent,” Thompson said. “Even if something’s not working, I know I have other pitches that I can count on. It’s nice.”

Zach Thompson, Nasty Back-to-Back Curveballs. ???? pic.twitter.com/sCXHK6bbGs

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 5, 2022

Zach Thompson, Dirty 78mph Curveball. ???? pic.twitter.com/Ewa7NhPv99

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 4, 2022

Thompson tossed five scoreless innings against Arizona on June 5 but after he gave up five walks and two home runs in a 2-0 loss to San Francisco on June 17, the Pirates placed him on the IL three days later.

“I do appreciate the fact that Zach had been grinding,” Shelton said. “After his last start, we started talking to him. We figured it was probably the best time to give him a blow so we didn’t run into something that could be a longer period of time.”

Thompson struggled upon returning, as he went 0-3 with a 6.33 ERA in July and 0-2 with a 5.27 ERA in August. By mid-August, he was bouncing between starting and the bullpen.

Zach Thompson, Wicked Curveballs...and Swords. ⚔️⚔️⚔️ pic.twitter.com/4PDvFE5kId

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 31, 2022

The future: With the Pirates returning Mitch Keller, JT Brubaker, Roansy Contreras, Johan Oviedo and Luis Ortiz and adding Vince Velasquez and possibly a left-handed starter, there might not be room in the rotation for Thompson next season.

But Thompson gives the Pirates someone who can work as a spot starter or in long relief. He needs to reduce his home runs allowed (19), as well as his walk rate (3.4 per nine innings), but showed that he can be effective when healthy.

“It allows us to have versatility,” Pirates pitching coach Oscar Marin said. “It allows us to have those opportunities when somebody does need a break or somebody needs a little bit extra time to work on something else, guys that are perfectly suited to go into those spots and compete and give you a chance to win. The versatility that comes from that is huge.”