SF Giants: 5 fun facts about first-round pick Will Bednar

Fun facts about SF Giants top pick Will Bednar
3. His brother pitches for the Pirates

David Bednar has been an effective high-leverage arm for the Pittsburgh Pirates this season. In fact, David was traveling home for the All-Star break when the draft began and returned home just five minutes after the Giants drafted Will. Like his younger brother, David relies on a premium fastball that is averaging 96.7 mph this season. In 39 appearances for the Pirates in 2021, Bednar has struck out 42 batters, walked 12, and posted a 3.09 ERA across 35 innings pitched.

Unlike the Giants top draft pick, David was never considered a top prospect, attending Lafeyette College before he was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 35th round of the 2016 draft. Things quickly changed once he first appeared in pro ball. David shot his way through the minor leagues, never posting an ERA higher than 2.98 and striking out at least 11.6 batters per nine innings at every level.

In 2019, after dominating for most of the season at Double-A, the Padres promoted Bednar to their MLB roster just in time to finish a 1-2-3 inning in his big-league debut against none other than the SF Giants. While his first appearance went well, adjusting to the highest level of competition took time. Bednar made 13 appearances for San Diego in 2019 and finished the season with a 6.55 ERA.

Without minor league baseball in 2020, Bednar received a few more opportunities with the Padres but failed to find a permanent spot on the roster. Following the season, Padres general manager A.J. Preller opted to send Bednar to Pittsburgh as part of the Joe Musgrove trade. Now with his hometown team, Bednar found another gear and has emerged as one of the Pirates best relievers.