Perrotto: Is There Link Between Doug Drabek and Johan Oviedo? (+)
PITTSBURGH – It was a rare good night at the ballpark for the fans.
Prior to the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 6-0 blanking of the Chicago Cubs on Saturday evening, Doug Drabek threw out a ceremonial first pitch. As bad as the Pirates’ staff can be, it might have behooved the Buccos to have the 60-year-old throw out the real first pitch.
Fans received a Drabek bobblehead commemorating him winning the National League Cy Young Award in 1990. He remains the last Pirates pitcher to capture the honor.
It is far too early to think about Johan Oviedo becoming a Cy Young contender. However, he pitched like one – at least for a night – on Saturday in helping the Pirates end their eight-game losing streak.
Oviedo pitched three-hit ball over seven shutout innings while retiring his last 16 batters. He tied a career-high with seven strikeouts and did not walk a batter.
The zero walks were very encouraging after he had 14 bases on balls in his first 13.2 innings with the Pirates.
“The no walks are what really stand out,” manager Derek Shelton said. “He came out and commanded the zone, was really in control and he put us in good position. He did a good job of really pounding the zone and going after it. It’s a good step forward. It was really impressive.”
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It should be noted the Cubs’ lineup is similar to what the Pirates roll out on a nightly basis – part prospects and part replacement level players and few established big leaguers.
Yet Oviedo showed why the Pirates traded with the St. Louis Cardinals for him on Aug. 1. The Pirates gave up left-hander Jose Quintana and reliever Chris Stratton for Oviedo and corner infield prospect Malcom Nunez.
The Cardinals felt the 24-year-old Oviedo was better suited to be a relief pitcher. They also had the empirical data to back up their decision.
Oviedo was 0-9 with a 5.36 ERA in 19 career starts for St. Louis after making his major league debut in 2020. Conversely, he had a 2.16 ERA in 14 relief appearances after being converted into a reliever in June.
The Pirates, though, thought Oviedo could still be an effective big league starter. They sent him to Triple-A Indianapolis after the trade and began increasing his innings total to acclimate him to starting again.
After he pitched five times and logged 11.1 innings with Indianapolis, the Pirates called him up Sept. 2. He has shown progress but nothing like Saturday night’s performance.
“I’m really happy and thankful, first of all, for all the coaches and staff and the work that we’ve been putting in this past week,” Oviedo said. “To show up a little bit tonight all the things that we’ve been doing, I’m really happy and really thankful to be a part of it.”
Oviedo admits he was unhappy when the Cardinals sent him to the bullpen. He said he knew in his heart he still had the talent to be a starting pitcher.
Now, Oviedo’s faith in himself is being rewarded.
“Everything that I learned last year, I was hoping that I can have another chance so I can do all the things I learned from last year and the things I’m learning right now,” Oviedo said. “Some people, sometimes it takes a little bit more than some others. I’ve been a guy who’s always trying to improve and always try to learn. I’m never going to give up.”
That brings us back to Drabek.
He was acquired along with fellow pitchers Brian Fisher and Logan Easley from the New York Yankees in a trade for veteran right-hander Rick Rhoden on Thanksgiving night in 1986.
Then 24 years old, Drabek went 1-8 with a 4.79 ERA in 14 games during the first half of the 1987 season. Under the tutelage of pitching coach Ray Miller and unwavering confidence of manager Jim Leyland, Drabek took a big step forward in the second half of that season.
By 1990, he was a Cy Young winner.
It is never wise to give up on talented pitchers too soon. Sometimes, it takes more time than is optimal for them to develop.
Case in point: Oviedo.
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