BRADENTON, FL. (93.7 The Fan) – It wasn’t just Paul Skenes that showed up in his first start of the season, first-round pick Quinn Priester did as well on Sunday.
In a battle to make the MLB rotation out of Spring Training, Priester felt like he had improved. He was one of the last sent down to the minors and then in his first opportunity in AAA, showed it.
The 23-year-old went 5.2 innings allowing only a run on one hit, a walk and struck out nine against Louisville. He threw 52 of his 76 pitches for strikes. The velocity got back up to 96 miles an hour.
That was one of the issues in 2023. He told 93.7 The Fan he’s found a routine that works for him better mentally. That has translated to better results physically, which has made the game more exciting and fun. Priester said he’s proud of the results this Spring.
“There is more athleticism, more power and you can see that in the slider where it becomes more of a power breaking ball,” Priester said. “The curve ball has ticked up. I was throwing it in the high 70s last year and now it’s low 80s. I think I am more of that power pitcher that I envisioned myself being.”
Called up two separate times his rookie season in 2023, Priester couldn’t find a groove. In eight starts, 43 earned runs allowed in 50 innings. He walked 27 and struck out only 36 with a 1.70 WHIP and gave up at least four runs in eight of this 10 appearances.
It’s been a process for Priester to get back to where he wants to be.
“I think the mentality,” Priester told 93.7 The Fan of what has changed. “We’ve done some things as a staff pitching-wise to kind of help me get into the positions that get the most out of the body. That has been part of it.”
Now it’s about taking the changes that he’s made and make it second nature. He’s trying to get to a point where he’s on the mound and not thinking about the changes. He’s just pitching. Priester said it’s been a riddle he’s trying to solve, but again feels he’s made ‘huge’ progress over the last six weeks.
“Keep it as simple as possible,” Priester said. “If it’s in the zone it’s good. If it’s out of the zone, get it back in the zone.”
He tries to keep that simple message at Triple A where if it gets it to be routine, Priester believes he’ll get another chance to pitch in the majors, maybe this year. The Illinois native has worked hard, he wants to get back to pitching in games that mean something again.
Priester said there are a lot of things to be excited about not just with himself, but with this Pirates team. He’ll work in Indianapolis to build on his nine wins and 116 strikeouts in 108 innings in AAA last year. The Bucs 2019 first-round pick is still in his early 20s and believes better days are ahead.
“There are a lot of things to be excited about,” Priester said.