Pirates Manager Dismisses Concerns About David Bednar

Pirates Manager Dismisses Concerns About David Bednar

Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton has expressed confidence in his reliever, David Bednar, despite some challenges during the previous season.

Bednar had a strong outing in the Pirates’ 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on March 18 in the Grapefruit League at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla., pitching a scoreless fifth inning with two strikeouts and no baserunners allowed.

This Spring Training is critical for Bednar as he aims to regain the form he showed in previous seasons. Last year, Bednar struggled with a 3-8 record, a 5.77 ERA in 57.2 innings across 62 games, 23 saves, and seven blown saves in 30 opportunities.

He began the season poorly, blowing three saves in his first four chances but recovered to avoid a blown save from April 12 to August 3. However, he faced difficulties again in August, as the Pirates went 8-19 for the month after being in contention for a National League wild card spot. Bednar blew saves in back-to-back games against the San Diego Padres on August 7 and 8 and lost games in tied situations against the Los Angeles Dodgers on August 11 and the Texas Rangers on August 21. As a result, Shelton removed him from the primary closer role on August 30, opting for a committee approach for the remainder of the season.

Despite last year’s setbacks, Shelton remains confident in Bednar’s abilities. He previously spoke highly of Bednar during Spring Training and believes the reliever will bounce back in 2025, even after a rough outing against the Minnesota Twins on March 13, where Bednar allowed three hits, two walks, and four runs in just one out due to defensive errors.

Shelton addressed the performance, stating, “I think the day against Minnesota was just a blip. He wasn’t good, but it had nothing to do with him. We didn’t catch the ball. Today, I thought he was sharp, and his fastball was at the top. I’m completely confident in David Bednar. He’s going to bounce back and have a good year.”

Shelton emphasized that Spring Training can sometimes lead to overreaction after a bad performance, but he continues to trust in Bednar and is encouraged by his recent outings. “His stuff was good,” Shelton concluded, “and the last two outings have been strong. We just didn’t play good defense in the previous one, but his performance today was excellent.”