Waddell Bucks Buccos’ Slow Trend

PITTSBURGH—The Pirates usually promote their prospects at a deliberate pace, but lefthander Brandon Waddell is bucking that trend.

The lefthander reached Double-A Altoona on May 4 after just 11 professional starts after going 4-0, 0.93 in five starts for high Class A Bradenton to start the season. He won his Altoona debut by allowing two runs in 6 2/3 innings against Erie.

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The Pirates selected Waddell in the fifth round of last year’s amateur draft after he helped the University of Virginia capture the College World Series title, including being the winning pitcher in the final.

Bradenton manager Michael Ryan was not surprised that Waddell wasn’t in the Florida State League for long, even though he wasn’t among the Pirates’ top 30 prospects coming into the season.

“He’s a big-game pitcher and very mature,” Ryan said. “That will get you bumped (up).”

Waddell, 21, had 26 strikeouts and just two walks in 29 2/3 innings for Bradenton. He credited his outstanding strikeout/walk ratio to being aggressive and buying into the Pirates’ organizational approach of pitching inside, something he also did in college.

“A lot of times when you’re pitching in, you get some good ground ball outs, and you keep your pitch count low,” Waddell said. “It’s just a matter of what’s working in a game, and how you’re feeling.”

Waddell is the rare pitcher who can throw five pitchers for strikes—a four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, curveball, slider and changeup. His four-seamer top out at 93 mph. While the two-seamer rarely hits 90 mph, he gets good movement on the pitch.

Waddell’s quick rise gives the Pirates three quality lefthander prospects in an organization once bereft of southpaws.

Triple-A Indianapolis’ Steven Brault and Bradenton’s Stephen Tarpley were acquired in January, 2015 trade from the Orioles for Travis Snider.

PITTBURGERS

• Triple-A Indianapolis catcher Elias Diaz underwent arthroscopic surgery to debride his right elbow May 3 and will be out until mid-July. Diaz was expected to begin the season at Indianapolis after winning the Captain’s Catcher Award last season, which goes to the top defensive catcher in the minor leagues.

• Shortstop Cole Tucker was on course to join low Class A West Virginia in mid-May as he was nearly recovered from the arthroscopic right shoulder surgery he underwent last August. He was the Pirates’ first-round draft pick in 2014 from Mountain Point High School in Phoenix.