The Pittsburgh Pirates have gotten great performance out of late season pickup Wade LeBlanc. This does not mean he should be brought back to their 2017 bullpen.
The Pittsburgh Pirates found a very serviceable late-season arm in Wade LeBlanc. The left-hander has been more than solid since joining the club, having yet to give up an earned run in seven appearances totaling 11 innings.
However, his success in Pittsburgh does not necessarily mean he would be a slam-dunk fit for the club,
Too Many Southpaws
For one, keeping LeBlanc would be yet another left-hand bullpen arm, something the Pittsburgh Pirates suddenly have in spades. Presumably, Steven Brault could occupy the role inhabited by fellow left-hander Jeff Locke, who is a prime non-tender candidate. The team re-acquired established veteran Antonio Bastardo, whose 2017 salary is partially subsidized by the New York Mets. Felipe Rivero has shown strong flashes to say the least, and Tony Watson is still a capable closer regardless of his recent struggles. We haven’t even mentioned Zach Phillips or Phil Coke, who are in the same boat at LeBlanc.
Three left-handed later inning arms is a luxury, four might be a liability. Historically, there has not been much data to draw from in regards to left-handed heavy relief units. Therefore we cannot draw any hard comparisons, but we can note that in the NL Central, three of the ballparks – Cincinnati, Milwaukee and Chicago – ranked in the Top 15 ballparks for right-handed hitters as per ESPN. PNC Park is one of the toughest parks for right-handed power, a fact worth noting. Still, it would be hard to believe that Clint Hurdle and Neal Huntington would prefer a more balanced unit.
Smoke and Mirrors
There has been a “How is he doing this” element in LeBlanc’s Pittsburgh Pirates performances. As per Brooks Baseball, LeBlanc has been getting by primarily with a changeup-cutter-four seam mix, none of which hit 88 mph in velocity.
The cut fastball in particular isn’t blowing anyone away, averaging just 84.93 mph. A cutter needs velocity to create that bite that makes the pitch effective (see Mark Melancon). LeBlanc’s cut fastball does not have the movement that Melancon’s does due to averaging nearly 8 mph less than the former Pirates’ closer’s. With only a flat 79 mph changeup to fall back on, it is a wonder that LeBlanc has not yet been touched up more than he has been before.
Simply put, despite his sparkling performance in a Pirates uniform thus far, there are far better in-house and external options for the Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen than Wade LeBlanc.
Featured Photo Credit – Mark Biggins
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