Position: RHP
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 175 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
Born: 10/18/1995
Country: Dominican Republic
How Acquired: International Free Agent, 2017
Bonus: N/A
40-man Roster: Yes
Rule 5 Eligible: N/A
Minor League Free Agency: N/A
Options Left: 2
Overview
Bido was similar to some other Latin American signings the Pirates made in the years around when he signed: an older pitcher with good velocity, in his case a 21-year-old with a fastball that reached 95 mph at the time. He now sits at 94-95, and can get higher. He relies heavily on a slider and occasionally throws a change. Bido’s stuff plays very well at times, but he also has stretches, sometimes very long ones, when he’s undermined by command issues. He’s also had some huge platoon splits.
2017-20
The Pirates moved Bido up aggressively. He began in the DSL in 2017 and struggled there, but he moved up to the New York-Penn League in 2018 and spent the season in the rotation. He struggled early, but finished with a 2.95 ERA over his last ten starts. In 2019 he opened in low A and pitched well enough that the Pirates moved him up to high A for the season’s last month. He continued to pitch well, often lasting longer into starts than pitchers generally do at those levels. He went at least six innings in half his starts in low A, then threw seven or more in his first two starts in high A. Bido didn’t pitch in 2020.
2021-22
Bido opened 2021 the season in the Altoona rotation and went through some significant ups and downs. In AA, his ERA by month, starting in May, was: 2.70, 4.20, 8.55, 2.77 and 7.88. The ballpark in Altoona, which suppresses home runs, may have helped him, as he allowed ten longballs on the road and just three at home. Bido made two late-season starts for Indianapolis, one of which went badly. The problem was almost entirely with left-handed hitters. They battered him for a .976 OPS, compared to .635 for right-handed hitters.
In 2022, Bido continued to be erratic, pitching for Indianapolis. For the first four months he mostly struggled, finishing July with an ERA of 5.45. In the season’s last two months, his ERA was 3.09. His biggest issue was control; he had a 9.9 K/9 for the year, but a 5.2 BB/9. Gopher balls were a problem on the season, as Bido allowed 18. He could dominate at times, such as one start in which he gave up one hit over six shutout innings while striking out seven, or another when he fanned ten and allowed no earned runs in five and two-thirds innings.
2023
Bido returned to Indianapolis in 2023 and didn’t pitch dramatically better, but the Pirates desperately needed arms for much of the season. They called Bido up in mid-June, oddly, at the end of a four-game stretch in which he allowed 15 earned runs in 20 innings. He spent June and July in the majors in a swing role, went back to AAA for much of August and September, then finished the season with the Pirates. Bido was solid in AAA, with a 4.16 ERA and 1.29 WHIP. He struggled in Pittsburgh, with those numbers at 5.86 and 1.50. His control in the majors wasn’t bad — his BB/9 was 3.7 — but he had stretches when he couldn’t find the plate. He usually kept the ball in the park, allowing four home runs in 50.2 IP. Left-handed hitters were a major problem, posting an .875 OPS against him, compared to .611 by right-handed hitters. Bido was much more effective the first time through the lineup, holding hitters to a .658 OPS, while he allowed an .843 figure the second time through.
After the 2023 season, the Pirates non-tendered Bido, but hoped to sign him to a minor league deal.
Stats
TRANSACTIONS
March 14, 2017: Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an international free agent.
June 14, 2023: Contract selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
November 17, 2023: Became a free agent.