Pirates Must Either Give Hunter Barco More Chances or Send Him to Triple-A as Starter

Photo provided by Matt Lynch The bullpen is largely unfamiliar territory for Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Hunter Barco. In his minor-league career, 47 of Barco’s 54 career appearances came as a starting pitcher. Four of those seven relief outings came late last season with Triple-A Indianapolis, when the Pirates were getting him some exposure to a relief role in preparation of his MLB debut.

The Pirates promoted Barco from Indianapolis at the end of last season, and the left-hander made a pair of scoreless appearances and earned the win against the Reds in Cincinnati in his MLB debut. Although he was in competition for a spot in the starting rotation to start the season, Barco made the team as part of the bullpen. “It’s been a little bit different, but it’s still baseball,” Barco said about his new role.

“Just got to work on your body and know how to get it ready during different times. But at the end of the day, it’s still just trying to throw the ball across the plate. ” One of the biggest differences for Barco has found is learning to be ready at a moment’s notice instead of going through a typical starter’s routine.

“It’s a lot quicker,” Barco said of the ramp-up process. “You get most of your stuff done before the game then do everything you can to stay loose during the game. But once the adrenaline in the game comes in you really don’t have to think about it too much.