Blake Weiman almost stops and pinches himself at times.
He has gone from an overmatched starting pitcher during his two seasons at the University of Kansas to a left-handed relief prospect in the Pirates' farm system. He further burnished his credentials in the difficult Arizona Fall League, which concluded last week, by pitching in the AFL Fall Stars Game.
"I have come a long way," Weiman said in a phone interview with DKPittsburghSports.com before leaving Phoenix for his hometown of Wheat Ridge, Colo. "Sometimes, it's a little hard to believe how quickly it has happened."
The 23-year-old Weiman was 0-1 with one save and a 3.95 ERA in eight games for the Surprise Saguaros. He allowed seven runs (six earned) and 13 hits in 13 1/3 innings with 12 strikeouts and four walks. Wieman's ERA was 0.82 until he was tagged for a combined five runs in 2 2/3 innings in his last two outings at the end of a very long year.
"I was pretty much exhausted there at the end," Weiman admitted.
Weiman was a lightly regarded recruit coming out of high school in 2014, but had ERAs of 6.75 and 6.82 in his first two seasons at Kansas. However, a switch to the bullpen for his junior year in 2017 did wonders, as he posted a 2.80 ERA while striking out 55 and walking just five in 45 innings.
That led to Weiman being drafted in the eighth round that June by the Pirates. His fastball tops out at 92 mph, but he also has a plus slider and outstanding command of both pitches.
"Moving to the bullpen changed everything," Weiman said. "I just felt a lot more comfortable pitching as a set-up man or in long relief. I felt like I could be more aggressive, and I started throwing a lot more strikes. I had got my teeth kicked in for two years in a tough conference, but I also feel you can't have success until you go through failure. I learned from the hard times."
Weiman made his professional debut with short-season Class A West Virginia (Morgantown) in 2017 and had a 3.71 ERA in 33 1/3 innings with a 35-to-4 strikeout/walk ratio.
This year, he was even better with a combined 2.42 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 77 strikeouts and nine walks in 67 innings with the Pirates two full-season Class A affiliates — West Virginia (Charleston) and Bradenton — and Double-A Altoona. He appeared in three games with the Curve at the end of the season and pitched in the Eastern League playoffs.
In one playoff game, Weiman faced Josh Donaldson, the 2015 American League MVP while with the Blue Jays, who was on a rehab assignment with the Indians' Akron farm club.
"That's when it kind of hit me that I was getting a lot closer to the big leagues," Weiman said. "It was a great experience. It made me feel like I really have a chance to realize my dream and pitch in the major leagues. I still have work to do, but I've had a lot of help along the way, and I'm going to do everything I can to make it."
Meanwhile, two Pirates' first-round draft picks and top hitting prospects had fine falls in Arizona.
First baseman Will Craig, selected in 2016, tied for the AFL lead with six home runs while hitting .304/.378/.570 and stealing three bases in 79 at-bats. Shortstop Cole Tucker, picked in 2014, batted .370/.442/.467 with six steals in 81 at-bats. Both are expected to begin next season at Triple-A Indianapolis.
Another top prospect ticketed for Indianapolis in 2019, outfielder Bryan Reynolds, struggled. In 64 at-bats, he had a .188/.234/.388 line with no homers.
Weiman was the only one of the three Pirates' pitchers to have success.
Right-hander Matt Eckelman was 0-2 with a 13.00 ERA in nine relief appearances, allowing 16 runs (13 earned) and 13 hits in nine innings, with 11 walks and three strikeouts. Geoff Hartlieb, also a righty, went 0-1 with a 6.59 ERA in 10 outings, giving up 12 runs (10 earned) and 23 hits in 13 2/3 innings, with 12 strikeouts and eight walks.
Like Weiman, Eckelman and Hartlieb finished the 2018 season in Altoona.
