Perrotto: David Bednar Making Case for Triumphant Return

Just over a week ago, David Bednar received the worst news of his 10-year professional baseball career.

The Pittsburgh Pirates closer was informed by manager Derek Shelton that he was being optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. It was quite a bitter pill to swallow for the 30-year-old Bednar, who was selected to the All-Star Game in 2022 and 2023.

“It’s extremely challenging,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said of the conversation. “I think one of the things about it is, you have to be blatantly honest. We need David Bednar to be good for our bullpen to be good. We’ve got to get him right. We’ve got to make sure he is using all of his pitches and it’s good and it’s solid.

“I think what we were seeing wasn’t consistent enough. For us to have a good bullpen, he needs to be a part of it, so we need to get him right.”

So far, things have gone well for Bednar in the minor leagues. He has made three scoreless appearances of one inning each, including Friday night at Louisville. Bednar has not allowed any hits or walks while striking out five.

That is the opposite of his three games with the Pirates this season before his demotion, when he allowed at least one run in all three games and took the loss in two. Bednar retired three of the nine batters he faced, giving up four hits and two walks.

The Pirates wanted Bednar to work on his curveball and splitter at Indianapolis. The reports have been good.

“It’s pitch usage number one, location of pitches, and some of that can be mechanical, just making sure he stays consistent with his delivery, which will lead to better location of the pitches,” Shelton said. “I think they play in combination. I think when we’ve seen him at his best, all three (pitches) have worked in combination of each other. It’s not just exclusively the fastball. We know the fastball plays in certain areas, but it’s kind of the chicken and the egg. Does it play in those areas because the curveball works off a different tunnel, or the split plays a different way? I think it’s why it’s important that all three are working in unison.”

“The fastball itself? The fastball itself, the velo was still good. The location wasn’t horrible. I just don’t think there was a ton of usage or effectiveness of the other two pitches, which causes them to isolate on the fastball too easily.”

Bednar was one of the best relievers in the major leagues from 2021-23, posting a 2.25 ERA over 173 appearances. He also had 39 saves in 2023, tying for the National League lead with the San Francisco Giants’ Camilo Doval.

Bednar had 23 saves last season but also blew seven save opportunities and his ERA rose to 5.77 in 62 games.

The Pirates didn’t wait long to ship Bednar out when his struggles continued into spring training and the early days of the season. However, Shelton is adamant the Pirates aren’t giving up on Bednar.

“I think the biggest component of the conversation I had with David was, ‘Hey man, I understand you’re going to be made, I get it. You’ve been in the big leagues and had success, but we need to get you right. Take the time you’re going to take to be made, but once you get (to Indianapolis), you need to lock it in and work,’” Shelton said. “No player ever sent down is happy about it. There should be some time of like, ‘Alright, I’m going to be a little angry.’ But once you get to the affiliate, now we need to go.”

Bednar is doing just that, making it hard to keep him in the minor leagues.