This is one in a series breaking down players on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 40-man roster.
The Pirates added some firepower to their bullpen when they acquired left-hander Mason Montgomery from the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-team trade last month.
Montgomery, a converted starter, was drafted by the Rays in the sixth round of the 2021 draft. The left-hander switched to a relief role with Triple-A Durham in 2024 and made his MLB debut that September.
Montgomery totaled nine appearances during his first stint in the big leagues and allowed two runs on six hits with five walks and a whopping 17 strikeouts in 9.2 innings.
The 25-year-old received his first extended look in the majors this past season, when he totaled 57 relief appearances. Montgomery finished the year 1-3 with a 5.67 ERA and recorded his first save on May 13 against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Despite the high ERA, Montgomery’s underlying metrics show he pitched better than that number would indicate. His ERA was significantly higher than his 3.92 ERA and he continued to pile up strikeouts with 63 in 46 innings. Only seven left-handed relievers had a higher strikeout rate than Montgomery’s 30.1% (min. 40 innings).
Montgomery was the victim of a .392 batting average on balls in play, signaling he suffered bad luck or lackluster defense behind him.
Despite some bad luck against him, there will be a couple others keys for Montgomery to take a step forward during his first year with the Pirates. He walked 5.3 batters per nine innings and will need to display better command next season. Additionally, while he was effective against lefty batters, righties slashed .321/.409/.505 against him.
Montgomery relies on two pitches — a power four-seam fastball that is capable of touching triple digits and a slider that he throws one-third of the time.
Montgomery looks to have an inside track to earn a spot in the Pirates bullpen come Opening Day though things can obviously change between now and the start of the season. He’s one of four left-handed pitchers on the 40-man roster along with Gregory Soto, Evan Sisk and Hunter Barco.
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