Quinn Preister added to taxi squad

RHP Quinn Priester has been added to the taxi squad per a team announcement.

Priester, a top 100 prospect (92 overall), was called up originally on July 17 before being optioned back on August 15. His first stint for the Pittsburgh Pirates was brief and rocky. Six games, six starts, 9.10 ERA, 28.2 innings pitched.

When your line is that bad it can be hard to pinpoint an exact issue, but if you were to pick just one it would be his sinker and four-seam fastball getting absolutely clobbered by MLB hitters. Especially the four-seam, opponents were hitting a staggering .429 on the offering.

That too is hard to boil down to just one issue. The velocity was poor, averaging just 92.6mph, it was flat in shape, and he had a very bad tendency to leave the pitch up out over the plate. Not a great combination of traits for a pitch to have. It simply wasn’t cutting it at the MLB level, so the Pirates optioned him back down to AAA Indianapolis.

Since then, he has worked on adding back the velocity he’s lost since being the 18th overall pick in 2019. Crafting a between starts routine that helps him better prepare his body to be 100% come his spot in the rotation. He’s also added a Cutter.

It appears, for now at least, to be working, the velocity has been registering higher and he has a 2.66 ERA in 20.1 innings pitched with 32 strikeouts to a less than appealing 12 walks across his four starts since being demoted.

Development is often non-linear, the Pirates and Quinn Priester are hoping that his move back to the minors will catapult him forward to better MLB results.

As a member of the taxi squad, Priester is with the team, but not on the active roster. He will require a corresponding move to appear in a game. The Pirates have yet to announce starters for tonight’s or tomorrow’s games. He last pitched on the 7th.

Edit: LHP Bailey Falter will start tonight’s game.