Position Preview: Pitchers

INDIANAPOLIS – With eager anticipation for Opening Day, the 2026 Indianapolis Indians pitching staff begins to take shape as final major league spots are yet to be decided. A mix of veterans and Young Bucs preparing for their big-league debut round out the potential roster in the Circle City.

Starting Pitchers

RHP Wilber Dotel: Dotel, 23, enters the season as Pittsburgh’s No. 13 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. He spent the full season with Double-A Altoona with a 7-9 record, 4.15 ERA (58er/125.2ip), 131 strikeouts, 1.23 WHIP and .234 batting average against (111-for-474) across 27 starts. The right-hander set career bests in starts, innings and strikeouts, ranking among the Eastern League in starts (1st), strikeouts (3rd), opponent average (3rd), WHIP (4th) and innings (5th). He has spent the past five seasons in the Pittsburgh farm system in hopes of his Triple-A debut in 2026. Dotel was signed by Pittsburgh as a non-drafted free agent from the Dominican Republic on Oct. 13, 2020.

RHP Thomas Harrington: Harrington, 24, is set to headline the Indianapolis rotation after splitting the 2025 season between Pittsburgh and Indianapolis. The Pirates’ No. 14 prospect (MLB Pipeline) had his contract selected by the Pirates on April 1, 2025, and made his major league debut that day at Tampa Bay. The Pirates No. 14 prospect (MLB Pipeline) appeared in 21 games (20 starts) for Indy, posting a 7-9 record, 5.34 ERA (57er/96.0ip) and 90 strikeouts. Harrington was selected by Pittsburgh in the first round (36th overall) of the 2022 First-Year Player Draft out of Campbell University (Buies Creek, N.C.) and has spent the past three seasons as a Young Buc.

RHP Antwone Kelly: Kelly, 22, returned to camp recently after representing Team Netherlands in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Pittsburgh’s No. 9 prospect according to MLB Pipeline split the 2025 season between High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona and made 25 starts, going 3-3 with a 3.02 ERA (36er/107.1ip), 116 strikeouts, 1.06 WHIP and .208 batting average against (81-for-390). As one of the best performers in Pittsburgh’s farm last season, he ranked among the organization’s full-season minor leaguers in ERA (1st), batting average against (1st), WHIP (2nd), strikeouts (T-4th) and innings pitched (6th). The Aruba native was signed by Pittsburgh as a non-drafted free agent on Jan. 15, 2021, and has spent his full career with the club. His contract was first selected by Pittsburgh on Nov. 18, 2025.

Relief Pitchers

RHP Brandan Bidois: Bidois, 24, was one of the top arms in the Pittsburgh farm in 2025, climbing all four levels of the organization’s full-season affiliates. Along his stints with Single-A Bradenton, High-A Greensboro, Double-A Altoona and Indianapolis, he compiled an 8-0 record, 0.74 ERA (5er/61.0ip), 69 strikeouts, 0.80 WHIP and .110 batting average against (22-for-200) across 40 games with 35 of those being scoreless outings. He made national headlines down the stretch as he did not allow a hit to 64 consecutive batters across 12 outings (18.0 innings) beginning on July 29 with Altoona at Portland through Sept. 9 with Indianapolis vs. Iowa. The Australia native was signed by Pittsburgh as a non-drafted free agent on Sept. 21, 2019.

RHP Beau Burrows: Burrows, 29, carries a decade of professional experience with him into the 2026 season. After signing with Pittsburgh last season on a minor league contract, he again signed a minors deal with the club on Nov. 26, 2025. Burrows appeared at all four levels of the Pirates’ full-season system, logging a 3-3 record, 2.94 ERA (16er/49.0ip), 49 strikeouts, 0.90 WHIP and .158 batting average against (27-for-171) across 37 games (1 start). The veteran right-hander was selected by Detroit in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft out of Weatherford High School (Texas) and has appeared for Detroit and Minnesota at the major league level.

RHP Michael Darrell-Hicks: Darrell-Hicks, 28, returns to Indianapolis after appearing in 15 games in 2025. The right-hander split time between Triple-A Salt Lake and Los Angeles (AL) prior to being claimed on waivers by Pittsburgh on June 13, 2025, and made his major league debut on April 11, 2025, with Los Angeles (AL) at Houston. Darrell-Hicks’ season ended early after being placed on the 7-day injured list on Aug. 14, 2025. He was originally signed by Los Angeles (AL) as a non-drafted free agent on July 26, 2022, from Jacksonville (Fla.) University.

RHP Noah Davis: Davis, 28, joins the Pittsburgh organization after signing a minor league contract with the club on Jan. 5, 2026. He spent the 2025 season between the Los Angeles (NL) and Minnesota organizations between Triple-A and the majors. The veteran right-hander made 21 appearances (2 starts) with Oklahoma City, going 3-0 with a 3.94 ERA (14er/32.0ip), 38 strikeouts, and five games with the Dodgers prior to being designated for assignment on July 11, 2025. He was traded to Minnesota from Los Angeles (NL) on July 14 and spent most of his time with St. Paul for the remainder of the campaign. Davis has spent time in the farm systems of Cincinnati, Colorado, Los Angeles (NL) and Minnesota, logging time in the majors with the latter three. He was selected by Cincinnati in the 11th round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of California Santa Barbara.

LHP Oddanier Mosqueda: Mosqueda, 26, signed with Pittsburgh as a minor league free agent on Nov. 14, 2025, after spending all of 2025 with Triple-A Memphis. The lefty led the team with 55 appearances and logged a 5-5 record, 4.52 ERA (33er/65.2ip), 68 strikeouts and a 1.25 WHIP. Mosqueda has spent the past three seasons in Triple-A with Worcester (2023), Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (2024) and Memphis. He is yet to make his major league debut and his journey has included stops in the systems of Boston, New York (AL) and St. Louis. The Venezuela native was signed by Boston as a non-drafted free agent on July 2, 2015.

LHP Evan Sisk: Sisk, 28, begins his first full season in the Pittsburgh organization after being traded from Kansas City on July 31, 2025. He spent most of the year at the Triple-A level, combining a 0-2 record with a 4.38 ERA (37.0ip/18er) and 42 strikeouts in 38 games between Omaha and Indianapolis. The southpaw had a stellar start to the 2025 campaign with Omaha, posting a 0.47 ERA (1er/19.1ip) across his first 19 appearances. He additionally made 19 appearances in the big leagues (14 with Pittsburgh) after making his major league debut with Kansas City on April 15, 2025, at New York (AL). Sisk was drafted by St. Louis in the 16th round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft from the College of Charleston (S.C.) and has spent time in the organizations of St. Louis, Minnesota, Kansas City and Pittsburgh.

The Indians open the 2026 season at Victory Field on Friday, March 27 vs. the St. Paul Saints, the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. Full season, half season and mini plans are on sale, and group and premium reservations may also be made. For more on the Indians, visit IndyIndians.com or contact the Victory Field Box Office at (317) 269-3545 or [email protected].