The decision to move former reliever Carlson Reed to the rotation continues to look like a good one. The Pirates drafted Reed in the fourth round last season, after he put up a 2.61 ERA in 38 innings of relief with West Virginia University. After 4.2 shutout innings on Friday night, Reed has a 1.72 ERA in four starts with the Bradenton Marauders.
The Single-A level might be too low for Reed’s experience level pitching in college. It’s probably a more comfortable setting for him to convert back to the rotation and build up innings. It also comes with the added bonus of Statcast data.