Hunter Stratton could be an underrated piece in the Pirates bullpen
Since debuting last year, Stratton has put up quality numbers for the Bucs’ pen.
The Pittsburgh Pirates opened the 2024 season with a depleted bullpen. They lost Dauri Moreta to Tommy John Surgery and the duo of Carmen Mlodzinski and Colin Holderman were placed on the 15-day injured list with differing ailments.
With several holes to fill in a short amount of time, the Pirates turned to several farmhands, one of them being RHP Hunter Stratton, who debuted in 2023 but entered this year uncertain if he would reach the majors again.
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His stats showed potential early on, as he allowed just three earned runs in 12 innings last season along with just three walks and 10 strikeouts.
Despite the hot streak, Stratton found himself as a free agent at season’s end but was quickly signed to a minor league deal in the offseason. In Spring Training, he racked up three strikeouts and allowed no runs in six innings of work.
This, along with the birth of his son Maverick, garnered the trust of General Manager Ben Cherington and Manager Derek Shelton and he was added to the 40-man roster before the season started and was called up to the Opening Day roster as previously mentioned.
His workload quickly grew as he appeared in three of the team’s four games against the Miami Marlins and he did not disappoint, posting two-and-one-third shutout innings and capturing his first career save in the Pirates’ extra-inning win on Easter Sunday.
