BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) -For the second consecutive year, the Pittsburgh Pirates will exit spring training with a Rule 5 player stashed in their bullpen.
During the winter meetings in December, the Pirates used the Rule 5 draft to get left-hander Donnie Veal from the Chicago Cubs. Veal must remain on the 25-man roster all season or be offered back to Chicago for half of the $50,000 the Pirates paid to draft him.
“It’s a little bit of a roller coaster, being picked up in the Rule 5 draft,” Veal said. “I’m excited to have the opportunity to come over here. I’ve got a legitimate chance to make the team, as opposed to just being invited to camp with no shot.”
A year ago, the Pirates picked up Evan Meek when he was left unprotected by the Tampa Bay Rays. Despite some rocky outings, the Pirates hung on to the right-hander, who is battling for a bullpen job this year and may someday be their closer.
Veal, 24, pitched a scoreless inning against the New York Yankees on Saturday. He gave up a hit, struck out one and hit a batter.
“We forced him onto the club, but I’m glad we did. He’s got a bright future with us.
“In Donnie’s case, it’s the same argument. And so far, we’ve seen better performance from Donnie than we did last spring from Evan.”
Veal has allowed two hits, walked five and struck out three in seven outings this spring. He’s holding opponents to an .095 batting average.
“He’s shown he can get major league hitters out,” Huntington said. “If you see the upside, you don’t consider him a Rule 5 guy; you consider him one of your 12 (pitchers on the team).”
The Cubs selected Veal in the second round of the 2005 draft. With a fastball that touches 95 mph, he put up impressive numbers in the minors, racking up 254 strikeouts over the past two years with Double-A Tennessee.
But Veal also has battled control problems. He topped the Southern League with 81 walks and 18 wild pitches last season.
“It was mental, thinking about things outside of baseball, worrying about (getting a call-up) instead of just pitching,” Veal said. “Then I started to change things with my mechanics, thinking maybe I could do this or that better. That screwed things up, too.”
Running out of patience, the Cubs left Veal off their 40-man roster at the end of the season. The Pirates decided he was worth the gamble in the Rule 5 draft.
hn Russell said. “Now, you watch him throw and he’s a lot more consistent with his stuff and his location. He’s made a lot of progress in a short period of time.”
Although Veal was groomed as a starter by the Cubs, the Pirates cannot afford to hand a rotation spot to a rookie with a wild streak. Instead, Veal appears to be in line for a long-relief role in the bullpen.
Huntington said Veal, who also throws a curveball and a changeup, could get a look as a starter down the line.
“I’m not worried about the long-term,” Veal said. “I’m just trying to do what I can now to make the team as a reliever. I’m doing everything I can to make that adjustment and hopefully turn some heads. That’s all I’m focused on right now.”
Add A Comment