Joey Wentz’s Approach, Change in Pitch Usage Paying Dividends With Pirates

It seemed like when the Pittsburgh Pirates claimed left-hander Joey Wentz from the Detroit Tigers last September they were just taking a flier on a guy with some pedigree.

Maybe that was the case, maybe it wasn’t. But Wentz has turned into much more than that in his brief time with the Pirates.

Wentz made eight appearances out of the bullpen for the Pirates last season and went 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA. In 12 innings, he only allowed a pair of runs and struck out 13 batters. Opponents hit just .143 with a .427 OPS against him.

Entering spring training, however, Wentz’s spot on the Pirates’ Opening Day roster was anything but solidified. In competition with several others for a spot in the bullpen, the 27-year-old kept things simple in a familiar spot.

“It was kind of the same position for me as my two springs prior, so it wasn’t really a new feeling,” he explained to Pittsburgh Baseball Now. “It was kind of just to put myself in a position to pitch, and when I do get out there try and pitch the best I can. Fortunately I was able to make the team.”

Wentz was drafted by the Atlanta Braves with the 40th overall pick in the 2016 draft. He was traded to the Tigers in 2019 and made his Major League debut three years later as a starting pitcher.

The left-hander went on to pitch in parts of three seasons with Detroit, first as a starter before transitioning to the bullpen full-time last year.

Now in his second year with the Pirates, Wentz has carried over his inital success from last year into 2025.

“Just really trying to take care of my business pre and postgame to make sure my body’s in a good position to go out there and pitch,” Wentz said on the key to his success. “Other than that, try to be aggressive and you can kind of live with the results when you do that.”

Wentz tossed 1.2 perfect innings in the Pirates’ 5-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night. He struck out a pair of batters and lowered his season ERA to 1.00.

Though the regular season is underway, Wentz has kept a similar mindset that he did during spring training. Between that and his confidence in the guys behind him, Wentz is getting the kind of results one might expect from a one-time high draft pick.

“I think I just try and go out and be aggressive and have confidence in myself and my defense behind me. We have really good catchers so it’s a combination of all those things and trying not to get too high or too low and kind of stay the course.”

One change for Wentz that has been obvious is his pitch usage.

His four-seam usage is way up from a season ago. In 2024, Wentz threw the pitch 37% of the time. This year, he throws it in 49% of his offerings.

But’s it’s a pitch that has all but been cut from his mix that has been most evident.

Wentz has a changeup, a pitch that he threw in a career-high 19% of his offerings last year. But this year, it’s all but disappeared — at least for now.

“I’m gonna start using it again I think,” he said. “Talked to (the staff) about it and really just this spring, I felt better about my other pitches and where they’re at right now. It’s been more about what’s feeling good and being aggressive with the other pitches.”

In addition to his four-seamer, Wentz has relied on a cutter and curveball this season. Until he implements the changeup once again, the three-pitch mix he’s been using has been as successful as anyone could have hoped.

Whether he adds the pitch back to his repertoire or not is still to be determined.

But there’s the old adage —  if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. That can apply to both his usage and the same edge he pitched with during spring training.