David Bednar
Pittsburgh Pirates – No. 51
Pitcher
Born: (1994-10-10) October 10, 1994 (age 29)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 1, 2019, for the San Diego Padres
MLB statistics
(through 2023 season)
Win–loss record9–10
Earned run average2.65
Strikeouts245
Saves61
Teams
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's baseball
Representing  United States
World Baseball Classic
Silver medal – second place 2023 Miami Team

David Jeffrey Bednar (born October 10, 1994), nicknamed "the Renegade", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the San Diego Padres.

Amateur career

Bednar attended Mars Area High School in Mars, Pennsylvania.[1] Undrafted out of high school, Bednar attended Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, where he played college baseball for the Leopards.[2]

Professional career

San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres selected Bednar in the 35th round, with the 1,044th overall selection, of the 2016 MLB draft.[3] He signed with the Padres and split the 2016 season between the Tri-City Dust Devils and the Fort Wayne TinCaps, combining to a 4–4 win–loss record with a 2.32 earned run average (ERA) in 31 innings pitched.[4] He split the 2017 season between Fort Wayne and the Lake Elsinore Storm, going a combined 1–4 with a 2.64 ERA in 60 innings.[5] He spent the 2018 season in Lake Elsinore, going 2–4 with a 2.73 ERA in 69 innings.[6] Bednar played for the San Antonio Missions in the 2018 Texas League playoffs.[5][7] In 2019, he spent the minor league season with the Amarillo Sod Poodles, going 2–5 with a 2.95 ERA in 58 innings.[8][9]

On September 1, 2019, the Padres selected Bednar's contract and promoted him to the major leagues.[10] He made his major league debut that day versus the San Francisco Giants, pitching a scoreless inning in relief.[11] Bednar produced a 0–2 record with a 6.55 ERA and 14 strikeouts over 11 innings pitched in 2019.[12] In 2020 for San Diego, Bednar recorded a 7.11 ERA with five strikeouts in 6+1⁄3 innings.[13]

Pittsburgh Pirates

On January 19, 2021, Bednar was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates as part of a three-team trade that also sent Omar Cruz, Drake Fellows, Hudson Head and Endy Rodríguez to the Pirates, Joe Musgrove to the Padres and Joey Lucchesi to the New York Mets.[14] In his first full season in the major leagues, Bednar was 3–1 with a 2.23 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 61 appearances. Bednar received a single vote in National League Rookie of the Year voting, tying him for eighth place with Vladimir Gutiérrez.[15]

Bednar began the 2022 season with a 2.63 ERA and 15 saves in 41 innings pitched, and was named to the MLB All-Star Game.[16]

Personal life

Bednar's younger brother, Will, is a pitcher in the San Francisco Giants organization.[17] His nickname, "The Renegade", is in homage to the Styx song of the same name; commonly used as a pump-up song for his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers.[18]

References

  1. ^ Sager, Joe (July 20, 2013). "Mars pitcher Bednar, catcher Eperesi ready to forge college careers". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  2. ^ Keating, Michael (September 9, 2016). "Chasing a Dream: How David Bednar left college a year early to pursue a lifelong goal". The Lafayette. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  3. ^ "Bednar Drafted by the San Diego Padres". Lafayette Leopards. June 12, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  4. ^ Center, Bill (April 1, 2018). "#PadresOnDeck: Being Late-Round Draft Pick No Deterrent to Bednar". padres.mlblogs.com. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Former Leopard Bednar Promoted to Double-A". Lafayette Leopards. September 8, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  6. ^ Bendel, Joe (June 6, 2018). "Bednar brothers enjoying life in the (baseball) fast lane". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  7. ^ Stevens, Nick (September 10, 2018). "San Diego Padres: San Antonio Missions Off To Texas League Championship". FanSided. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  8. ^ Snider, Jeff J. (April 30, 2019). "David Bednar, the Padres' Gem Hidden in the 35th Round". baseballessential.com. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  9. ^ Lin, Dennis (August 23, 2019). "Padres prospect Owen Miller keeps hitting, moving closer to making a big-league impact". The Athletic. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  10. ^ Franco, Anthony (September 1, 2019). "Padres To Select David Bednar". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  11. ^ Cassavell, AJ (September 1, 2019). "France brings power to Padres' 2B experiment". MLB.com. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  12. ^ RotoWire Staff (September 29, 2019). "Padres' David Bednar: Implodes in loss". MLB.com. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  13. ^ "2020 Review: P David Bednar". Gaslamp Ball. December 16, 2020.
  14. ^ "METS ACQUIRE LHP JOEY LUCCHESI IN THREE-TEAM TRADE". New York Mets. January 19, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  15. ^ "2021 Awards Voting". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  16. ^ "Hometown kid Bednar makes first All-Star team". MLB.com.
  17. ^ Thompson, Stephen (July 23, 2021). "Mars High School Alum, No. 14 Pick Will Bednar Inks Rookie Deal with Giants". pittsburghsportsnow.com. PGHSN. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  18. ^ "All-Star in his hometown? Indescribable for Bednar". MLB.com.

External links

Pittsburgh Pirates current roster
National League season saves leaders
United States roster – 2023 World Baseball Classic runners-up
Categories