Brent Honeywell Jr. aims to prove to Pirates he's more than a screwball

Brent Honeywell Jr. doesn’t want to be known for one pitch, especially considering his signature is a screwball.

Pardon the 28-year-old right-handed reliever for being downright defensive about his pitch repertoire. Statcast shows that he throws six pitches — Honeywell claims he has eight in his arsenal — and he relies more readily upon his four-seam fastball, changeup and sweeper.

“I have stuff to get both guys out, not just one pitch. I’m not a one-trick pony,” Honeywell said. “I got 97 (mph) in the tank. I’ve got a good fastball, and I’ve got other good stuff. People talk about it because it is a good pitch. I like to be known as a guy who can get everyone out, no matter what I throw in there.

“I’m a firm believer in that you create your own opportunity. My dad’s been telling me to go in there and kick the door down and don’t give them a chance to leave me. He says, ‘Go make the Opening Day roster.’ That’s what I’m here to do, man.”

Honeywell is making a strong case to do that in spring training, holding opponents to a .172 batting average while recording 10 strikeouts against one walk and one hit batsman and allowing three runs on five hits in 7 2/3 innings over eight appearances in Grapefruit League play.

After giving up a solo home run to Detroit’s Raul Ibanez on March 2 and two runs on two hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning against Toronto on March 5, Honeywell has had four consecutive scoreless appearances. He posted a 1-2-3 fifth inning against Atlanta on Saturday, striking out Orlando Arcia and Jarred Kelenic.

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Honeywell hopes to finally live up to the promise he showed as a prospect before he underwent four surgeries on his right elbow.

A 2014 second-round pick (No. 72 overall) of the Tampa Bay Rays, Honeywell rocketed up the top-100 rankings after being named MVP of the 2017 Futures All-Star Game. By 2018, he was their top prospect and ranked 12th in MLB Pipeline’s top 100.

But a right elbow injury suffered at spring training in February 2018 required Tommy John surgery. After being out for 16 months, Honeywell fractured a bone in his right elbow in June 2019 and missed another season. Then, in May 2020, he underwent a compression procedure to remove scar tissue from his right ulnar nerve.

Finally, in April 2021, Honeywell made his long-awaited major-league debut for the Rays. He posted an 8.31 ERA in 4 2/3 innings over three appearances, including two starts. That November, he was traded to the Oakland A’s for cash considerations. A stress reaction in his right elbow sent him back to the injured list in April 2022, and he signed with the San Diego Padres in January 2023.

Honeywell made the Padres’ Opening Day roster and went 2-4 with a 4.05 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in 46 2/3 innings over 36 appearances. The Chicago White Sox claimed him off waivers in August, but he allowed seven runs on nine hits, including two homers, in four appearances.

Signing a minor-league contract with the Pirates reunited Honeywell with Dewey Robinson, who spent 12 years as Tampa Bay’s director of pitching development. It also brought to fruition a hunch by Honeywell’s father, who pitched in the minors for the Pirates from 1988-90 and taught him how to throw the screwball.

“He said before the offseason even got going, ‘I got this weird feeling that you’re going to be pitching in the black and gold,’” Honeywell said. “He’s starting to get more like Dad now, instead of Coach. I kind of like it and kind of don’t like it. A lot of the stuff he learned here was still so fresh after he had me. It was all I ever wanted to do. This could be a solid year for me. This could be a huge leap in the right direction for me and my family. I’m here to do one thing — and that’s pitch. That’s what my dad told me to do.”

The elder Honeywell learned how to throw a screwball from his cousin, Mike Marshall, the 1974 NL Cy Young Award winner who was the first reliever to earn the award. Brent Sr. taught his son how to throw the pitch, which moves down and in on a right-handed hitter and down and away on lefties, when he was in 10th grade but wouldn’t let him use it in a game until his senior season.

“I have something that both of those dudes never had, and it’s 97-98 miles an hour. That’s why I say the screw ain’t who I am, but guys know that,” Honeywell said. “Guys get into the box and know I have that. And guys get in the box knowing I have 97. And guys get in the box knowing I have a slider. They know. That’s where these guys have let me go out and throw everything I got. I always felt like I’m one of those guys that can throw eight different pitches. I think I can do it.”

In addition to the four-seamer (47.2%), changeup (26.6%), sweeper (17.9%) and screwball (7.9%), Honeywell also has thrown a sinker and slider sparingly.

As for the other two pitches?

They will remain a mystery, much like his role.

“You can see. I ain’t telling,” Honeywell said. “You throw certain parts of the game. You’re a Swiss Army knife. You can start. You can relieve. You can come in for one inning. You can throw back to back. You can give us multiples. If you think about the game like that, I think I can combat any guy that gets into the box with a any pitcher in the league.”

Still, the screwball is a pitch that separates Honeywell from the rest of the Pirates pitchers in the bullpen. With Dauri Moreta on the injured list, Honeywell is in contention for a right-handed role, possibly as a fireman like Marshall, his cousin.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton called it a “very unique pitch.”

“He throws a pitch most guys don’t throw in the screwball,” Shelton said. “He’s had some success at the major-league level. He’s right in the heart of this competition for our bullpen. And it’s a different look. That’s something that we talked about, in terms of building a really successful bullpen is we’ve got to have guys with different looks, different weapons out of the bullpen — and that’s definitely one that stands out.”