David Bednar was the Pittsburgh Pirates' All-Star representative in 2022, he was showing face for a bad team with some interesting young players but little to show for it. Now, as an injury replacement for Clayton Kershaw, he joins fellow pitcher Mitch Keller on the 2023 National League All-Star team, representing a Pirates squad in a playoff race.

With the Pirates on track for their first season with over 70 wins since 2018, Bednar is feeling ultra proud of his team and Pittsburgh community. Bednar is smitten by the city and loves playing for the Pirates, according to Alex Stumpf of DK Pittsburgh Sports.

“I love Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh’s the best,” Bednar said, via DK Pittsburgh Sports. “I don’t think I can say it enough what it means to me and how much fun it is going to be when we win in Pittsburgh.”

After posting a 2.61 ERA last season, Bednar has gotten it down to 1.27 across 35.1 innings this year. The 28-year-old has allowed just a single home run, has cut down his walk rate and has a career-best 1.87 FIP. Keller has continued progressing and owns a 3.31 ERA with 129 strikeouts in 117.0 innings, highlighting.

When David Bednar arrived to the Pirates via trade in 2021, he had no MLB success to speak of besides cracking the San Diego Padres' roster. He had allowed 13 earned runs in 17.1 innings over two seasons in San Diego. In Pittsburgh, he has transformed into one of the most solid relief pitchers in MLB. As he improved, the team around him slowly but surely followed suit.

The Pirates started 2023 on top of the NL Central but have since fallen back down to Earth. The Cincinnati Reds usurped much of their feel-good energy and now lead the division while Pittsburgh sits in fourth. Still, the team is making real progress and Bednar is excited to see how the fanbase reacts once them is a real winning club again.

“We got a taste of it that first month,” Bednar said, via DK Pittsburgh Sports. “Obviously after that, [we’re] not playing how we want to. I think with all these young guys coming up and showing that they’re capable of playing in the big leagues and playing at high level, they’re getting a little taste of it. Now hopefully hit the ground running in the second half. All it takes is just that domino effect of playing some good baseball, and it’s contagious.”

The last few years have been tough for Pittsburgh, a team once stacked with talent that it could not materialize. Numerous stars finding greater success on other teams — namely pitchers Gerrit Cole, Joe Musgrove, Tyler Glasnow and Charlie Morton — frustrated fans. The departures of stars that were accomplished on the team like Andrew McCutchen, Staring Marte and Josh Bell left the Pirates and their fans stranded with nothing but hope.

The Pirates stacked young talent as they held onto veterans like Bryan Reynolds. The likes of Jack Suwinski, Ke' Bryan Hayes and Oneil Cruz have all shown intriguing potential. And now they have 2023 first-overall pick Paul Skenes in their minor-league system as they progress from bad to decent. The jump from decent to good could come as early as next season.

After years of futility, the Pirates have a young core of players surrounded by veterans like Bednar and McCutchen, who are eager to steer the ship back into winning waters.