BRADENTON, Fla. — The weeklong voluntary workouts at Pirate City serve as an acclimation period for young prospects before spring training begins.
Non-roster invitees spend time working in front of the major-league staff while developing relationships with older players in attendance. It's also the coaches' first opportunity during the offseason to offer any last-minute critiques ahead of pitchers and catchers reporting next month.
For some players, though, it's the beginning of a second chance at the majors. That's how Nik Turley and Jordan Milbrath are approaching the opportunity. Both candidates for the Pirates' bullpen in 2018, Turley and Milbrath were acquired during the club's quiet offseason to date, and they hope their respective journeys to Bradenton have equipped them to earn a roster spot on opening day.
"This is an opportunity," Turley told DKPittsburghSports.com. "At this point, that's all I can ask for. I'm excited."
The Pirates are one of a handful of teams that have yet to spend a dollar in free agency. Instead, they've filled out their 40-man roster through waivers and the Rule 5 Draft.
Turley, a 28-year-old left-hander, was claimed off waivers from the Twins in November. Milbrath, on the other hand, was chosen by the Pirates in the Rule 5 Draft last month after he spent five seasons in the Indians' organization. By rule, the 26-year-old righty must remain on the Pirates’ 25-man roster all of next season or be returned to the Indians.
Although both pitchers are unproven in the major leagues, they are intriguing, low-risk projects. Turley went 0-2 with an 11.21 ERA, 2.15 WHIP and 13 strikeouts in 10 appearances, including three starts, for the Twins in 2017, although he spent most of the season at Triple-A Rochester.
He made his major-league debut on June 11 after a 15-strikeout game in Triple-A. Less than a year earlier, he was playing independent ball for the Somerset Braves of the Atlantic League. Prior to that, Turley spent seven years in the Yankees' organization, where he was named their minor-league pitcher of the year in 2012, then reached Triple-A in 2013 and earned a 40-man roster spot.
He split the 2015 season between the Giants' Double-A and Triple-A affiliates before signing a minor-league deal with the Red Sox, where he began the season with that club's Double-A affiliate in Portland, Maine.
But he was released after 20 games — the same day his wife arrived after a long drive from Tampa, Fla.
"Not that I took baseball for granted, but being with the Yankees, always being a prospect, always having my opportunities, the thought of getting released never occurred to me," Turley said. "For it to happen twice in the same year, pretty tough. A lot of moving around. A lot of soul searching, I guess. Honestly, I think playing in independent ball and getting released twice gave me that right mindset to come in last year for the Twins, playing like my life depended on it, and I think that’s what got me to the big leagues."
His three weeks in the Atlantic League earned him an opportunity with the Twins and he found a mentor once he reached the major leagues. The club's bullpen coach is Eddie Guardado, a former left-handed reliever with 187 career saves.
Guardado took Turley under his wing, emphasizing the importance of having a structured routine in the majors. The mentorship gave Turley the confidence that he'd lost when only independent teams expressed interest in him a year earlier.
Turley struggled, but he showed the Pirates enough for them to use a 40-man roster spot on him. The club is in need of a left-handed reliever after it declined Wade LeBlanc's club option, and Turley is also capable of starting.
He went 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA, 16 strikeouts and six walks in four starts for Estrellas Orientales of the Dominican Winter League this offseason. With a crowded rotation, Turley's best chance at making the Pirates' opening day roster is in the bullpen, but the success he had with his curveball — which complements his four-seam fastball and slider — should help him in spring training.
"I want to help this team in any way I can," Turley said.
Milbrath is also a unique case. A 35th-round pick in 2013, he had a 5.23 ERA in 42 appearances between High-A and Double-A in 2016. At the start of spring training last season, the Indians' minor-league staff saw Milbrath throw a ground ball to first base sidearmed and decided to conduct an experiment.
They wanted him to use that same throwing motion on the mound. Milbrath was hesitant at first. Completely changing his pitching mechanics after four seasons of professional baseball seemed overwhelming. He finally agreed, and it began with trying to figure out which exact angle he'd use: below 90 degrees, 90 degrees or above 90 degrees.
He chose the last of those after trial and error. But to throw it successfully, he had to keep his head lined up straight with the plate, rather than moving it to the side. To try to accomplish the goal, Milbrath researched and studied film of the Nationals' Max Scherzer.
"I stand on the right side of the mound, too, so it’s coming from even farther away," said Milbrath, who is 6-foot-6. "I was super-excited when I started doing it and started seeing that. It was hard for hitters to pick up and I could tell. Even though they know it’s coming, it’s still hard to hit because it’s coming from a long ways away."
He was able to experiment with the delivery in extended spring training, and it led to more effective outings. During a two-inning appearance, one coach also urged him to try a two-seam grip on his fastball. Milbrath obliged and it increased his velocity to 97 mph — he reportedly reached 99 last season — as well as giving him additional downward movement.
It was the ideal complement to his slider and increased his ground-ball rate. He had a 3.02 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in 56 2/3 innings — 30 relief appearances — between High-A and Double-A last season. Although he has yet to reach Triple-A, the Pirates are intrigued with the increased velocity and deception created with the arm angle.
"They want to see how it works," he said. "They're giving me an opportunity this spring to prove myself. I couldn't be more excited. This organization loves lanky, ground-ball pitchers like me."
EXTRA BASES
• As Hurdle leaned on a fence and watched pitchers warm up Tuesday morning, he was approached by the only injured player attending this voluntary minicamp.
Nick Burdi, a 24-year-old right-handed reliever, introduced himself to the man who could be his manager someday. But Burdi isn't thinking about the major leagues quite yet. He's focused on simply returning to the mound ... anywhere.
The Pirates acquired Burdi from the Phillies in a trade at the Rule 5 Draft last month, despite the fact he'll be forced to miss a large portion of 2018 after undergoing Tommy John surgery last May. Burdi is currently working through a throwing program — he'll increase his long toss from 90 feet to 105 feet in two weeks — but is still roughly two months away from throwing off a mound.
A second-round pick of the Twins in 2014, Burdi is viewed as a potential major-league closer. Entering the 2016 season, he was ranked by Baseball America as the 10th-best prospect in the Twins’ organization, but he has been limited by injuries since.
Burdi went 2-0 in 17 innings with one save, an 0.53 ERA, 20 strikeouts and a .161 batting average against this past season with Double-A Chattanooga before having surgery. He pitched only three innings in 2016 because of a rare bone bruise to the humerus in his pitching arm — the result of his previous sidearm throwing motion — so he's only pitched one full season of professional baseball.
"It's been difficult," Burdi said. "Obviously there's been a lot of injuries. The bone bruise in 2016 was a precursor to Tommy John from what the doctor said, so obviously it stinks I've had to miss two years. I'm glad this has been taken care of and I'm moving in the right direction. I just want to get back to throwing so I can make an impact here."
• Bo Schultz, a 32-year-old pitcher who signed a minor-league contract with the Pirates last week, has joined the club at voluntary minicamp. Schultz missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but he pitched 67 1/3 innings of relief for the Diamondbacks and Blue Jays between 2014-16.
He has a career ERA of 4.54 with a 1.18 WHIP and 46 strikeouts to 18 walks.
