Pirates Claim Justin Lawrence from Rockies
p/c: Rachel O’Driscoll
According to MLB.com’s Thomas Harding, the Pittsburgh Pirates have claimed reliever Justin Lawrence off waivers from the Colorado Rockies.
Lawrence had been designated for assignment by Colorado over the weekend.
In the 2015 MLB Draft, the Rockies selected Lawrence as a 12th round pick out of Daytona State College.
Lawrence pitched four seasons in Denver. He really scuffled last year, with an ERA of 6.49 over 56 appearances. However, Lawrence is a season removed from having a 3.72 ERA, and being 34% better than the league average reliever going by ERA+.
The 30-year-old righty relies on a two-pitch mix - a sinker and sweeper. The sinker is thrown in the mid-90’s, while the sweeper sits in the mid-80’s.
In terms of Pirates’ bullpen depth, Lawrence will join Dennis Santana, Peter Strzelecki, and Joey Wentz as the only relievers that are out of options.