Pirates' Manager Confident David Bednar Will Bounce Back
The 2024 season was one to forget for Pittsburgh Pirates' two-time All-Star closer David Bednar.
The Pirates' closer appears to have returned to form early in spring workouts. Pirates manager Derek Shelton has been impressed with what he has seen from Bednar and believes he can get back to being one of the better closers in baseball in 2025.
"There's a definite confidence in him," Shelton said. "I think he needed the offseason to reset. I think one of the things that we have to go back to is this guy is a two-time All-Star and was one of the most dominant closers in the game. Our full expectation is he's going to bounce back."
David Bednar is looking pretty good during his live BP. Got a few whiffs from Reynolds earlier. Here are a few pitches against Triolo. pic.twitter.com/VSMyM87o0Q
— Noah Hiles (@_NoahHiles) February 16, 2025
Bednar's struggles was a microcosm of the bullpen's performance in 2024. Pittsburgh's bullpen had the fourth-highest ERA last season and was tied for second in most blown leads in the ninth inning. Bednar had seven blown saves, which was the same number from his previous two seasons combined.
The right-handed closer went 3-8 with a 5.77 ERA and posted a -0.9 Wins Above Replacement over 57.2 innings pitched. He also set career highs with nine home runs and 28 walks allowed and his 58 strikeouts were the fewest of his Pirates tenure that began in 2021.
Bednar's struggles came on the heels of back-to-back career seasons and All-Star appearances. Bednar went 3-4 with a 2.61 ERA and 19 saves while posting a 1.3 WAR across 51.2 innings pitched in 2022. The Pirates' closer followed his 2022 season with the best year of his career in 2023, as he went 3-3 with a 2.00 ERA across 67.1 innings pitched and was tied for the National League lead with 39 saves.
Shelton also noted the pressure Bednar felt having grown up in Pittsburgh and the effect that could have had on him. The Pirates manager also believes that because of that, Bednar is entering this season with something to prove in hopes of returning to the form he had in 2022 and 2023 when he was an All-Star in back-to-back seasons.
"He grew up in Pittsburgh," Shelton said. "He plays for his hometown team. I think he took it personally that he didn't perform to the standard that he felt was important. Sometimes, that's good to take to heart. I think he did take that to heart, and I think he's kind of revitalized because of that."
