Perrotto: David Bednar Eager for Redemption Tour Beginning

David Bednar experienced failure last season for the first time in his four years with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The two-time All-Star closer blew seven of 30 save opportunities and had a 3-8 record and 5.77 ERA in 62 games. That came after he posted a 2.25 ERA over his first three years after being acquired from the San Diego Padres in a trade.

Thus, the Mars High School graduate is excited for the spring training to begin on Wednesday in Bradenton.

“Absolutely. I’ve never been more ready to go and just dialed in and hungry to get back to knowing who I am,” Bednar said. “The biggest thing is, I know the pitcher I am and will be this year and what I expect of myself and what my teammates will expect of me, as well.”

Bednar has gotten into better shape this winter. He has slimmed down and made some adjustments to his workout routine.

“I feel good. My body’s in a good spot,” Bednar said. “I’ve been doing everything I can to put myself in a good position to stay healthy throughout the year because I think that’s a huge factor for staying healthy and being able to contribute on a day-to-day basis is huge. I think it’s more of a maintenance thing and being able to be good to go. Just feeling good all around.”

It seemed like Bednar was doomed for a bad season from the start.

The 30-year-old strained a lat muscle in spring training and was limited to just two one-inning appearances during the final days of the Grapefruit League season. Surprisingly, the Pirates did not place Bednar on the injured list to begin the season following his shortened spring training.

In retrospect, the Pirates probably should have made the IL move because Bednar struggled at the start of the season. His ERA was 11.70 in 12 games through the end of April.

Bednar lowered that mark to 5.01 by the All-Star break. He then struggled in the second half and pitched to a 6.75 ERA in 27 games while going 0-5.

It made for a difficult season for someone who had established himself as one of baseball’s best relievers. It seemed he was always trying to get caught up, even when he converted 19 consecutive save opportunities from April 4-Aug. 3.

“Absolutely, it’s very challenging in all aspects,” Bednar said. “You’re disappointed all the way around, but I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on that. It’s one of those things where you can see just how hard the job is.”

Bednar is one of the most popular figures in the Pirates’ clubhouse. He got through the rough times with the support of his teammates, manager Derek Shelton and pitching coach Oscar Marin.

“I’m fortunate to have such a great, tight-knit community,” Bednar said. “Whether it be all my teammates who had my back and was able to talk me through some stuff last year and have been a sounding board this offseason to guys that I have played with in the past reaching out to pitching coaches now. It’s good to have that sounding board to bounce ideas off of and actually, regardless of how it turned out, it’s not as far away as you might think.

“We’re getting right back on the right track here. I’m very fortunate to have that, people in my corner who do believe in me and know what I am capable of. Just having teammates like that and all of them believing in me is huge. Not one I could say but the culmination of all of them. We’re all just pulling in the right direction here. I’m very encouraged as the bullpens have gone on for this year.”

A new beginning is just two days away.

“I know who I am and what I can be,” he said. “Ultimately, I know the type of pitcher I am, the type of teammate I am. I’m just really looking forward to 2025, a fresh start and really getting back after it.”

The redemption tour begins Wednesday.