Perrotto: Tyler Chatwood Has Two Good Reasons to Keep Pitching (+)
BRADENTON, Fla. — Tyler Chatwood does not have to be here. He also did not have to subject himself to shoulder surgery last summer.
The 33-year-old right-hander has almost 11 years of major league service time. His career earnings exceed $48 million.
Yet Chatwood is in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ spring training camp as a non-roster player. He is trying to win a spot in the bullpen following an aborted stint in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball last season.
So why does Chatwood continue to play? He has two big reasons.
“I’ve got two young kids and I want them to remember me playing, so here I am,” Chatwood said with a smile after a recent workout.
Chatwood has a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old.
“The oldest, he’s really excited about this,” Chatwood said. “He’s at that point where he understands what I do for a living.”
Chatwood, too, is excited about his attempt to return to the major leagues.
Chatwood signed with the Fukuoka Softball Hawks in the Japan Western League prior to last season while the major league players were locked out by the owners. However, he appeared in just six games before opting to undergo debridement surgery on his shoulder.
“My shoulder had been bothering me for about five years,” Chatwood said. “It just got to the point when I was over there where I couldn’t do anything. I just couldn’t pitch through it anymore. I needed to get something done.”
Chatwood had a 2-0 record with a 2.59 ERA but also walked 21 batters in just 24.1 innings.
Part of Chatwood’s problems stemmed from having limited offseason workouts. His mother became gravely ill after the 2021 season. While she eventually recovered, Chatwood fell behind in his preparation for last season.
“I was at the hospital with her essentially from the end of September until January,” Chatwood said. “So, going into that offseason that was my main focus. I wanted to make sure my mom was going to be OK. Baseball kind of went on the back burner.”
Baseball is again on Chatwood’s front burner this spring as he tries to reestablish himself as a big-league pitcher. His last full year in the major leagues came during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season when he made five starts for the Chicago Cubs.
| [bet-promo id=”2769″ ] |
Chatwood had a combined 32 relief appearances with the Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants in 2021 but also spent time at Triple-A that year.
When Chatwood became a free agent at the end of last season, the Pirates showed immediate interest. Director of coaching and player development John Baker had known Chatwood from their time together with the Cubs.
Chatwood threw a bullpen session in his native Southern California for Pirates pitching Oscar Marin. What was essentially a tryout was impressive enough for the Pirates to sign Chatwood.
Over his major league career, Chatwood has made 143 starts and 86 relief appearances. He once had a strong preference for starting but has come to the realization that pitching out of the bullpen is his clearest path back to the big leagues.
“I’ve really come to enjoy it in the bullpen,” Chatwood said. “I’m excited to be here with a chance to win a job in the bullpen. There are a lot of good young arms here.
And what I’m really excited about is pitching now that my shoulder is fixed. You’re not going out there worried if it’s going to hurt on this pitch or that pitch. I can just worry about executing the pitch and that makes pitching much more enjoyable.”
Having his children be able to see their father in a major-league uniform would make things that much better.
More about:PBN+ Pirates Spring Training