Stallings Leads Young Backstops for Bucs

With the start of the Grapefruit League Schedule four days away, we take a look at each position group and how they shape up for the 2020 season.

Russell Martin, Francisco Cervelli, Elias Diaz. These were the familiar names seen behind the plate for the Pittsburgh Pirates over the past seven years. Entering the 2020 season, these names are replaced by Jacob Stallings, Luke Malie, and John Ryan Murphy each looking to male their mark.

Stallings and Maile are the front runners for the starting job with non-roster invitee Murphy looking to make his presence felt. The trio has limited major league experience but all three are known for their defensive ability and pitch farming.

Stallings has the fast track to the starting job after stepping up in a big way at the end of the 2019 season. It was a career year for the 30-year old who hit .262 with six home runs and 13 RBI while appearing in a career-high 71 games. Stallings started the year in Triple-A but, due to the bombardment of injuries the Pirates faced in 2019, was thrust into the starting role in August and September.

He hit .236 during that span with four of his six home runs. These numbers are right on par with his minor league numbers where, in 513 career games, he hit .252 with 228 RBI. While his offensive numbers might not be impressive he makes up for it with his defensive ability.

Stallings has been highly lauded among his teammates for his pitch framing and ability to call a game. In limited play a season ago, Stallings had 50.3 percent of non-swinging pitches called strikes. That is the second-highest rate in Pirates history since statcast began tracking the stat meaning that Pirates pitchers were fast to get out of innings. With Stallings behind the plate for a full season in 2020, look for the strike zone to expand in the Bucs favor.

Behind Stallings on the depth chart is Malie who appeared in 44 games for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2019 and hit .151 with 2 home runs and nine RBI. While those numbers don't jump off the screen, Malie also brings a defense-first approach to his game.

In limited action last season, Malie had a .989 fielding percentage committing just four errors in 345.1 innings of work. However, he caught just 40% of attempted steals allowing 18 stolen bases. I see Malie fitting in well in a back-up role as the roster currently sits as Stallings develops into an everyday catcher.

John Ryan Murphy is where the wildcard comes into play. Murphy has not seen regular time since the 2018 season when he appeared in 87 games for the Arizona Diamondbacks but brings with him the most service time of any of the three catchers. He brings a career .219 average to the table but his defense once again outweighs that offense. Murphy committed no errors during the 2018 season and will be a reliable Triple-A option in case of injury.

When all is said and done, I feel that Stallings will and should get the shot as the everyday catcher if no more roster moves are made before opening day. He proved he is durable enough to play every day and brings a steady presence behind the plate that the Pirates pitchers have seemed to take a liking to. As for the back-up role, Malie will more than likely get the shot after signing a Major League deal while Murphy will start the year in Triple-A.

The Pittsburgh Pirates start their spring training schedule when they take on the Minnesota Twins on February 22nd at 1:05 p.m.