David Bednar's 2024 season was the worst of his career, but after an offseason of looking back on what went wrong, the two-time All-Star is ready to bounce back because, as he says, he knows what type of pitcher he is and what he's capable of.
“I’ve never been more ready to go and just dialed in and hungry to get back to knowing who I am," Bednar said. "The biggest thing is, I know the pitcher I am and will be this year and what I expect of myself and what my teammates will expect of me, as well.”
Last season was full of ups and downs for the Pirates' closer. He finished with a 3-8 record, a 5.77 ERA -- the highest of his career -- and blew seven save opportunities. In 57 2/3 innings of work, Bednar also walked 28 batters and gave up nine home runs both of which were the highest season totals of his career.
Bednar recorded other career worsts in hits allowed (54), runs (40), earned runs (37), strikeouts (58) and WHIP (1.422). It was an outlier type of year for Bednar, who has been one of the most consistent closers in Major League Baseball over the past three to four years.
Just two seasons ago, Bednar led the league in saves (39), recorded a 2.00 ERA and set career bests in innings pitched (67 1/3), home runs allowed (3) and strikeouts (80).
"Whenever I am in the zone, I’m able to have success and put our team in the best possible position to win. It’s really as simple as that, just hammering that home and making sure the attention to detail is there," Bednar said. "Obviously, now being able to use that as a learning experience, just put that behind me and have that confidence of, ‘OK, I know who I am’ and putting that towards this year."
Injuries may have played a role in Bednar's struggles as well. He missed most of spring training with a lat injury and also dealt with a left oblique injury in the middle of the season. The latter happened as he was starting to hit a stride on the mound as he made 10 straight appearances without allowing an earned run and only allowed two in the 14 appearances he made leading up to his stint on the injured list.
Along with working on the mental aspect of his approach, Bednar focused on injury prevention this offseason. He looked leaner at PiratesFest but said he wasn't necessarily focused on his weight but more on preventative stuff to stay healthy throughout the season.
"My body's in a good spot," Bednar said. "I've been doing everything I can to put myself in a good position to stay healthy throughout the year because I think that's a huge factor for staying healthy and being able to contribute on a day-to-day basis is huge. I think it's more of a maintenance thing and being able to be good to go. Just feeling good all around."
The Pirates fell short in several close games last season and Bednar and the bullpen's failures were a big part of that. It's something that needed to be addressed and improved coming into this season and Bednar is ready to set the tone by being a strength of the backend.
"I know who I am and what I can be," Bednar said. "Ultimately, I know the type of pitcher I am, the type of teammate I am. I’m just really looking forward to 2025, a fresh start and really getting back after it.”
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THE ASYLUM
Greg Macafee
12:33 pm - 01.21.2025DOWNTOWNBednar ready to bounce back
David Bednar's 2024 season was the worst of his career, but after an offseason of looking back on what went wrong, the two-time All-Star is ready to bounce back because, as he says, he knows what type of pitcher he is and what he's capable of.
“I’ve never been more ready to go and just dialed in and hungry to get back to knowing who I am," Bednar said. "The biggest thing is, I know the pitcher I am and will be this year and what I expect of myself and what my teammates will expect of me, as well.”
Last season was full of ups and downs for the Pirates' closer. He finished with a 3-8 record, a 5.77 ERA -- the highest of his career -- and blew seven save opportunities. In 57 2/3 innings of work, Bednar also walked 28 batters and gave up nine home runs both of which were the highest season totals of his career.
Bednar recorded other career worsts in hits allowed (54), runs (40), earned runs (37), strikeouts (58) and WHIP (1.422). It was an outlier type of year for Bednar, who has been one of the most consistent closers in Major League Baseball over the past three to four years.
Just two seasons ago, Bednar led the league in saves (39), recorded a 2.00 ERA and set career bests in innings pitched (67 1/3), home runs allowed (3) and strikeouts (80).
"Whenever I am in the zone, I’m able to have success and put our team in the best possible position to win. It’s really as simple as that, just hammering that home and making sure the attention to detail is there," Bednar said. "Obviously, now being able to use that as a learning experience, just put that behind me and have that confidence of, ‘OK, I know who I am’ and putting that towards this year."
Injuries may have played a role in Bednar's struggles as well. He missed most of spring training with a lat injury and also dealt with a left oblique injury in the middle of the season. The latter happened as he was starting to hit a stride on the mound as he made 10 straight appearances without allowing an earned run and only allowed two in the 14 appearances he made leading up to his stint on the injured list.
Along with working on the mental aspect of his approach, Bednar focused on injury prevention this offseason. He looked leaner at PiratesFest but said he wasn't necessarily focused on his weight but more on preventative stuff to stay healthy throughout the season.
"My body's in a good spot," Bednar said. "I've been doing everything I can to put myself in a good position to stay healthy throughout the year because I think that's a huge factor for staying healthy and being able to contribute on a day-to-day basis is huge. I think it's more of a maintenance thing and being able to be good to go. Just feeling good all around."
The Pirates fell short in several close games last season and Bednar and the bullpen's failures were a big part of that. It's something that needed to be addressed and improved coming into this season and Bednar is ready to set the tone by being a strength of the backend.
"I know who I am and what I can be," Bednar said. "Ultimately, I know the type of pitcher I am, the type of teammate I am. I’m just really looking forward to 2025, a fresh start and really getting back after it.”
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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