After signing a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates on the first day of official workouts for pitchers in February, former Columbia High School standout Josh Fleming earned a spot on the club’s opening-day roster for the 2024 season. 

Following four seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays, the 27-year-old Fleming is enjoying early success pitching for his new team. 

Fleming, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound lefty, is 1-1 with a 1.29 ERA and one save in 12 appearances (one start) and 14 total innings pitched for the Pirates, who were 14-15 entering play this week.  

Much of Fleming’s success stems from the downward movement of his primary pitches, which generate a high groundball rate.

He picked up a three-inning save in Pittsburgh’s second game of the season.

For his career, Fleming is 20-14 with a 4.67 ERA in 67 career major league games, 23 of which were starts. He has thrown 237 total major league innings. 

Fleming was a fifth round draft pick of the Rays in 2017 out of Webster University in St. Louis after leading NCAA Division III in ERA at 0.68. He went 8-1 with 115 strikeouts that season. 

Fleming will soon enjoy a homecoming of sorts, as his Pirates visit Busch Stadium to take on the National League Central rival St. Louis Cardinals from June 11-13.

In fact, June 13 will mark the seventh anniversary of Fleming’s draft selection by Tampa Bay.