Perrotto: Home Run Stroke Now in Pirates Reliever Joey Wentz’s Past

Joey Wentz has never taken an at-bat in a major-league game and likely never will.

Major League Baseball adopted the universal designated hitter rule in 2022, the same year the left-handed pitcher broke into the big leagues with the Detroit Tigers. So, Wentz, who the Pittsburgh Pirates claimed off waivers from the Tigers on Sept. 3, doesn’t even take batting practice anymore.

That’s too bad. It would be fun to see what the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Wentz might do with a bat in his hand.

Wentz won the 2015 Junior Home Run Derby during the All-Star Game festivities at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati before his senior year of high school in Shawnee Mission East, Kan. The winning blast traveled 543 feet.

Cincinnati has long been a home run haven. Yet 543 feet is impressive in any venue, especially for a 17-year-old.

When asked about that night in Cincinnati, Wentz smiled and said that 543 feet might not indicate his power.

“I don’t know if that number is accurate,” Wentz said. “Either the ball was juiced, or the measurement was juiced, or something wasn’t right. It’s cool when you’re an amateur player to be in some of the stadiums the best players in the world play in. Being in the big leagues now, it’s cool to look back on.”

Wentz made it clear to professional scouts that he wanted to be a full-time pitcher. He was good enough on the mound that the Atlanta Braves selected Wentz with the 40^th overall pick in the supplemental first round of the 2016 amateur draft.

“I suppose I was a better pitcher than an in-game hitter,” Wentz said. “I always enjoyed pitching more than hitting and it’s where I put my time and mental focus. That’s just what I wanted to do. I always felt that my talents were best suited to pitching.”

Wentz, 26, is pitching in the major leagues as a reliever with the Pirates. So, it’s hard to second-guess his choice.

The Braves dealt Wentz to the Tigers at the 2019 trade deadline as part of a deal for pitcher Shane Greene. Wentz then spent parts of three up-and-down seasons in the major leagues with Detroit starting in 2022.

Wentz debuted by going 2-2 with a 3.03 ERA in seven starts. However, he struggled last season with a 3-13 record and a 6.90 ERA in 25 games, including 19 starts. This season, Wentz made 38 relief appearances for the Tigers and went 0-2 with his first career save and a 5.37 ERA.

However, the Pirates are intrigued by Wentz’s potential and want to give him a late-season look to determine if he might fit in their 2025 bullpen.

Wentz has pitched twice since being claimed. He retired only one of the five batters he faced on Sept. 5 against the Washington Nationals and was charged with one run. On Tuesday, he got the win when he allowed one run in 2.2 innings while facing the Miami Marlins.

“I’m really enjoying my time here,” Wentz said. “I was really happy when I found out I was coming here. I played against quite a few of these guys in the major leagues and a lot of them in the minor leagues, too, and there is a lot of talent here.

“I feel really good about it. Certainly, it’s nice to have a blank slate. There were some ups and some downs in Detroit. I’m still just trying to get better and contribute to the team. I’m looking forward to the fresh start and putting some good innings together.”

Yet it would be fun to watch Wentz put just one at-bat together, too.