The Pittsburgh Pirates found a capable bullpen arm when they claimed RHP A.J. Schugel off of waivers. He was so dependable, in fact, that his 2017 gig could be his to lose.
The Pittsburgh Pirates weren’t exactly sure what they might get when they claimed A.J. Schugel off of waivers from the Seattle Mariners in January 2016.
To the point, Schugel had been well on his way to acquiring the ill-begotten title of “minor league journeyman.” He had muddled through six minor league seasons and a cup of coffee with the Diamondbacks. Never overly impressive at any stop along the way, Schugel was your typical minor league fodder.
That is, until a switch to the bullpen resulted in something clicking. Schugel switched to relief fulltime with the Pirates in 2016, and that eureka moment propelled him through a very capable 36 appearances for the big league club. He succumbed to shoulder fatigue late in the year, but should make a full recovery in time for Spring Training.
And when that time comes, he may just have the inside track to head north with the club.
When it Clicks, it Clicks
Prior to joining the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2016, Schugel had been a starting pitcher who was not particularly exciting.
In his nine innings pitched in 2015, Schugel relied on two pitches, a running two seam-ish fastball and a changeup, while mixing in the very occasional breaking ball. Perhaps he simply did not get enough innings to feel comfortable in 2015, but some of the peripherals on attached to his fastball were underwhelming at best.
First, his O-Swing percentage (amount of times an opposing batter offers at a pitch outside of the strike zone) on his two-seam fastball came in at 27.1 percent, about 3.5 percentage points lower than National League relievers as a whole. This resulted in a bloated 92 percent contact rate, 22 points higher than the 70.1 percent NL mark.
The changeup fared much better during Schugel’s first go-round than his fastball, with a 45 percent O-Swing rate and a 59.4 contact percentage mark.
Fast forward to 2016 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Schugle’s two-seamer has more life and has gained a couple of miles per hour on average. While still not a classic swing-and-miss pitch – just a 4.5 percent swinging strike percentage in 2016 – the heat now can keep hitters honest until Schugel can pull the string.
It’s not like the pitch has no redeeming qualities. When it’s lively, Schugel’s two-seamer can get in on right-handed hitters in a hurry.
[mlbvideo id=”881800583″ width=”400″ height=”224″ /]But, again, the changeup steals the show. The pitch has a slightly more pronounced sinking effect than most. Schugel struck out 7.96 hitters per nine in 2016, up from 5 per “contest” in 2015, and far higher than any previous mark in his minor league journey.
[mlbvideo id=”797835783″ width=”400″ height=”224″ /]So, What About 2017 Then?
So we’ve established that Schugel found better effectiveness through a modestly improved two-seam fastball. The results speak for themselves. Schugel kept the ball in the ballpark, put up a solid if unspectacular strikeout rate and was a solid right-hand bullpen arm overall.
But, he did it all with just two pitches.
Having a limited pitch selection is nothing new for relievers – in fact, Juan Nicasio regained his effectiveness in the bullpen by focusing on a fastball/slider combo. However, with Schugel’s best pitch being a changeup, and not something with more bite, this could spell trouble. If teams prove to be more adept at tracking the pitch than they have been to date, Schugel will have a tough go of things. A seldom-used curveball is in place, and it will be curious to see if the Pittsbugh Pirates will attempt to bring it out to play more often.
Provided he carries no ill effects from his shoulder into 2017, his 2016 performance serving as a solid foundation. Schugel has clearly earned the right to be an odds-on favorite for the 2017 Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen.
Image Credit – MLB.com
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