Braxton Ashcraft puts injuries behind him as Pirates top-10 prospect opens eyes this spring

When Braxton Ashcraft made his Grapefruit League debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the right-hander wasted no time filling up the strike zone with his fastball against one of baseball’s best sluggers.

Four of Ashcraft’s first five pitches to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. were four-seamers, including one clocked at 98.2 mph over the heart of the plate that the Toronto Blue Jays star fouled off before flying out to right.

“That’s something I’ve always prided myself in, of being able to throw strikes and any pitch for a strike,” Ashcraft said. “So I wasn’t too surprised that I was in the zone, but, obviously, with the circumstances there and being the first big-league game or spring-training game, you’re, obviously, going to be a little bit more amped up. And just being able to reel it back in and stay in the zone and stay within myself, that was huge and encouraging for me.”

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Ashcraft’s performance this spring has been encouraging and eye-opening for the Pirates, as the 6-foot-5, 195-pounder throws with some flair. He hasn’t allowed a hit in three scoreless innings, recording a pair of strikeouts, one walk and one hit batter while throwing 26 of his 41 pitches for strikes over three appearances.

Ashcraft started 19 games over three levels last season — starting at Low-A Bradenton before being promoted to High-A Greensboro and ending up at Double-A Altoona — and went 0-3 with a 2.39 ERA and 1.08 WHIP while averaging 10.8 strikeouts and 1.9 walks per nine innings over 52 2/3 innings.

To say Ashcraft had an unusual offseason is to mean that it was the first when he could concentrate on training for the season instead of recovering from one of the assortment of injuries that sidetracked his star-crossed career. A 2018 second-round pick, Ashcraft has dealt with shoulder, knee and elbow injuries that dropped him out of prospect rankings before returning to top-10 status last year.

“That first year after Tommy John is always the hardest. It’s what everybody says,” Ashcraft said. “That’s still to be determined for me, just in how my body feels and stuff. But, as of now, I feel better than I ever have in my life. But, I mean, injuries are injuries and they come and go, and the best thing you can do is just forget about them and deal with the next one when it comes. That’s the nature of our sport. That’s the nature of this job; just do what you can to stay healthy. Your best ability is your availability, so everything I do is directed towards that.”

Upon returning to the mound last season from Tommy John surgery, Ashcraft showed the Pirates enough that they added him to their 40-man roster last November to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. He is ranked their No. 7 prospect by MLB Pipline and No. 10 by Baseball America and was selected to the Pirates’ roster for the Spring Breakout against the Baltimore Orioles on March 14 at LECOM Park.

“Obviously, it’s an honor to be added to the 40-man, especially after my history,” Ashcraft said. “That was a really good feeling, really encouraging. But I think the only difference I had in the spring was just the fact that I was healthy. I had to learn how to go about an offseason in a way that is constructive to what I need to do in the season and not just try and get something healthy. So it was a nice change of pace. And, obviously, it really helped getting added to the 40-man and gives you that motivation to get up every day and do what you need to do to get ready for the season.”

Ashcraft complements a fastball that touched 98.5 mph against the Tigers with a curveball and slider and is working on a changeup. Although he has a four-pitch mix and is prepared to be a starter who could pitch six or seven innings, Ashcraft is showing signs of dominance in relief this spring. That’s opening up the possibility that he could follow in the footsteps of Carmen Mlodzinski in converting to the bullpen to expedite his path to the majors.

Ashcraft was perfect in his first two outings this spring, retiring the first six batters he faced before hitting Orioles leadoff batter Jorge Mateo in the seventh inning Wednesday night. He also walked Maverick Handley before Heston Kjerstad grounded into a fielder’s choice that put runners on the corners. Ashcraft escaped by getting Ryan McKenna to fly out to center.

Ashcraft is enjoying the adrenaline rush of facing major league hitters for the first time this spring and showing what he can do.

“It’s the same game. The environment’s different, and you feel it a little bit more — at least I do — before everything happens and before you go out and actually start to compete,” Ashcraft said. “But once you’re in competitive mode, it turns into the same game, played 60 feet, 6 inches away, bases are 90 feet. So I try not to let that stuff get the best of me, and it’s probably a little easier in spring training for sure.”

And Ashcraft appears unfazed by seeing his name linked to offseason trade rumors, even after it leaked that he was one of the players mentioned in a possible deal with the Miami Marlins.

“I’m a Pirate. I really love being here and that stuff. It’s all on the sideline, and it’s hard for me to worry about,” Ashcraft said. “So, I mean, I didn’t even know about it, and it got brought up to me and just kind of flew right above up my head. So it wasn’t really a thought at all. I love my time here and love this team, and I really am looking forward to the season and being able to contribute in any way I can.”