PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – I will spare you most of the Mars puns, but it seems an almost out-of-this-world story for David Bednar to be in a Pirates uniform during Spring Training in Florida. I said most, not all puns.
The Mars High School graduate played at Lafayette College that averages producing a MLB draft pick or two a decade. Bednar was selected in the 35th round in 2016. Worked his way up the Padres minor leagues after help from a Japanese Hall of Famer.
Bednar was searching for an 'out pitch' and started working with Padres advisor Hideo Nomo on developing a split-finger fastball.
"He showed me how to throw the split," Bednar said. "I think ultimately that is one of the pitches that got me to the big leagues."
The 1995 NL Rookie of the Year, Nomo told him it's a pitch you have to be aggressive with and it really took off for him because Bednar likes to go after hitters.
"He's been very helpful," Bednar said of Nomo. "Throughout my minor league career, whenever he was in town he would stop by and we would talk about it and he'd help me out. It's definitely a cool guy to learn a splitter from."
Most of the rest he learned from his father, Andy, the Mars HS baseball coach, and a few others along the way.
The 26-year-old righty has 17 games of MLB experience (0-2, 6.75 ERA, 19-SO, 7-BB, 17.1-IP) and now has a real opportunity to make the Pirates bullpen.
"I haven't seen enough to clarify what we expect," Pirates manager Derek Shelton said of Bednar. "Expect him to throw strikes and execute his fastball. Execute the off-speed and see from there. He's a guy who's very interesting. The ball comes out of his hand hot."
Bednar said the goal is to just get guys out, wherever he is. Although admitting all relief pitchers want to ascend to be the closer. Currently that job is open. In the organization he grew up rooting for.
"It didn't really hit me until I got down here and actually saw my uniform," Bednar said. "Saw my name on the jersey. It's been awesome so far. Shagging BP looking around and seeing all of the Pirates jerseys it kind of hit me. Wow, this is real."
The 6'1", 245 pound righty hasn't been to PNC Park since he was a sophomore in college, but says the NL Wild Card game against the Reds in 2013. The "Cueto Game" or "black out game", whatever you refer to it as, Bednar says it's one of the coolest moments in Pittsburgh sports history.
He also allowed himself the opportunity to think about pitching from the same mound where his idols once stood.
"AJ Burnett, intensity he brought to the mound and the city of Pittsburgh," Bednar said of his favorite Pirates. "I remember watching Mark Melancon, Matt Capps, Joel Hanrahan, he's a pitching coach here that's been really cool, Jason Grilli. All those guys, that's just been awesome."
"It was just so pure," Shelton said of Bednar's reaction to coming to Pittsburgh. "His excitement for being a Pirate was really cool. It's exciting anytime you put your hometown uni on, but with the chance to play in the big leagues. It's pretty cool."
Shelton said his first meeting with Bednar, the local quipped 'How yinz doing today?'
Could the conversation after his next meeting with Shelton be something like 'Mum, Dad, yinz won't believe it. I'm a Bucco!'
