Former Turlock standout one of two Pittsburgh Pirates to test positive for coronavirus

Former Turlock High pitcher Blake Cederlind was among two Pittsburgh Pirates to test positive for COVID-19, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Manager Derek Shelton, with the players’ permission, said reliever Cederlind and Socrates Brito tested positive.

Neither Cederlind, a fifth-round pick in 2016 out of Merced College, and Brito was expected to begin the 2020 season with the big club, although Cederlind, a hard-throwing right-hander who turned heads in spring training, probably had the better chance of the two.

“Very much appreciate it,” Shelton said of Cederlind and Brito giving permission for their results to be shared. “Very much respect the other people that we have who don’t feel that it’s necessary to talk about, but I think it is (important) for people to realize that it is real in the game.”

Because of HIPAA, Shelton wasn’t able to say anything more about those two testing positive, including nothing about whether they were symptomatic or what those symptoms might’ve been.

Cederlind and Brito, per MLB’s health and safety protocols, will be quarantined, and they’ll have to produce two negative tests before they’re allowed to return to group activities.

Cederlind, 24, was a fifth-round pick in 2016. After pitching to a 7.59 ERA over his final 17 appearances in 2018, he picked up a sinker, turning the lack of spin on his fastball into an advantage.

That led to a quick ascent through the minors in 2019. After seven games with High-A Bradenton, where Cederlind had a 1.17 ERA, he went 5-1 with Class AA Altoona, producing an ERA of 1.77 with 42 strikeouts and just 16 walks in 45 2/3 innings.

This spring, Cederlind stood out by lighting up the radar gun while his blonde locks flapped in the wind. His strut after strikeouts was hilarious. The same for when he had some spike issues and fell down after delivering a pitch.

In five spring outings, Cederlind had nine strikeouts, did not allow a hit and walked four.

For more on the story, go to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

This story was originally published July 19, 2020 at 7:52 AM with the headline "Former Turlock standout one of two Pittsburgh Pirates to test positive for coronavirus."