Pirates Peter Strzelecki during picture day Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025 at Pirates City Bradenton Fl.

Before Peter Strzelecki met his Pittsburgh Pirates teammates, one All-Star closer contacted another on his behalf. Devin Williams put in a good word for the right-handed reliever with David Bednar, helping to ease the transition to another new team.

For a pitcher who has bounced from Milwaukee to Arizona to Cleveland and now Pittsburgh, Strzelecki has been fortunate to count some of baseball's elite closers as teammates -- from Josh Hader with the Brewers in 2022 to last season with Emmanuel Clase on the Guardians.

Wiliams has been the biggest influence on Strzelecki.

"You just appreciate his greatness and willingness to take the ball every single day, no matter what," Strzelecki said. "Just being around those guys, it's special. In the moment, you don't really realize how great those guys are because you think it's normal. But you appreciate it when you see MLB Network and the things they do and the numbers they put up (consistently).

"Going through my own career, you see it ain't easy doing what they do. Those guys have been a valuable resource for me. I wouldn't be where I'm at without the help of those guys."

After being designated for assignment twice in the past year, traded by the Diamondbacks to the Guardians in March 2024 and then to the Pirates in November, the 30-year-old Strzelecki is hoping to find a home in the Pirates' bullpen and his way onto their Opening Day roster.

To say Strzelecki came ready to compete is an understatement. He wore a black baseball cap with the word on the front to PiratesFest in January, an obvious nod to being an undrafted free agent out of USF who has embraced his underdog role in the game.

"Like my hat says, you've got to 'comPETE.' You've got to go out there and compete every day," Strzelecki said, noting the word play on his first name. "I look at it as an opportunity. I'm grateful every day I show up to any clubhouse, but obviously a big-league clubhouse. I just don't take things for granted, and I just try and work as hard as I can every day."

Then Strzelecki explained its deeper meaning, calling it "bigger than a brand." It was inspired by the death of his father, Kevin, from a heart attack at a construction job site at the age of 52 in 2017. Pete, only 22, had yet to begin his professional baseball journey.

"It was out of nowhere," Strzelecki said. "It was tough, but once again, it's all part of the story, and it's made me who I am today. I try to do what I can to make him proud."

Strzelecki's father lost his brother, Ed, to cancer at age 29 and asked his son to promise that if he ever made it to the major leagues that he would give back to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, a nonprofit organization that covers the treatment costs for its patients.

"He always had a special thing in his heart with that," Peter Strzelecki said. "It's crazy because I'd be a kid in the car with him and he'd be telling me these things and I didn't understand it as a kid. But where I'm at now, I've been able to go to children's hospitals and I understand and I'm very grateful that I can take advantage of this platform and put a smile on those kids' faces whenever I can."

Strzelecki wants to do the same for Pirates fans, even though he knows the odds are against him. That's become as much a part of his identity as it is to be available to pitch every day.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound right-hander offers a five-pitch mix, with a heavy dose of four-seam fastballs complemented by a changeup, slider, cutter and sinker. His three-quarter delivery puts spin on the slider, though he lowered his usage from 26.6% in 2023 to 17.7% last year while also reducing his sinker from 19.4% to 7.3%.

Strzelecki is 5-6 with a 3.44 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings in 77 appearances over three seasons. He has posted a 5.14 ERA and 1.86 WHIP with nine strikeouts against five walks in seven appearances this spring.

Strzelecki has pitched in almost every relief role but believes he would be best suited in a fireman role, embracing the challenge of entering a game with inherited runners and forced to compete.

"I think I thrive in that situation, coming in with guys on," Strzelecki said. "It's a situation where the percentages are against you. I think that's my story, right?"