Could Jacob Stallings Be in the Running for a Silver Slugger Award
Coming into 2020, if I told you Jacob Stallings would be the team's leading hitter entering September, you would have called me nuts. Yet here we are on September 6th and the offensive leader for your Pittsburgh Pirates is catcher Jacob Stallings. In 27 games played this season, Stallings is hitting .293 with two home runs and 13 RBI. He has cooled down a little bit as of late but managed a strong game against the Cincinnati Reds last night that saw him go 1-4 with a home run and an RBI. The Pirates have struggled mightily on the offensive side of the ball, and Stallings has been one of those bright spots for a depleted Pirates offense.
Not only has Stallings been one of the best bats on the Pirates team this season but, as compared to his fellow catchers, he is one of the top hitting players in the league. Among qualified National League catchers, Stallings is tied for second in batting average behind the Braves Travis D'Arnaud (.333) and tied with the Cardinals Yadier Molina (.293). With 2020 being a weird abbreviated season, anything can happen, so does Jacob Stallings have a chance at winning a Silver Slugger award at catcher? There is still a little less than a month of games, things could change, but right now Stallings looks to at least have his name in the running.
August Success Powers Stallings to the Top
During the month of August, Jacob Stallings was one of the best offensive players in all of Major League Baseball. After hitting a dismal .118 in July, Stallings broke out hitting .392 with a home run and 10 RBI in 51 at-bats. His .392 batting average ranked best among MLB catchers for the month and third overall among players. He had 20 hits during the month, with four of those going for extra-base hits. His best stretch came from August 26th through August 31st, where he put together a five-game hitting streak going 7-18 (.388) with five RBI during that stretch and walked twice.
It is sort of a comeback story for the 30-year-old catcher who went from being DFA'd and having to clear waivers, to becoming the team's starting catcher in a matter of three seasons. This is his best offensive year by far, as he ranks in the top three in batting average (.293) and on-base percentage (.376). If there was an all-star game this season, Stallings would be the only Pirate I could see making the team. He has been great defensively, with a .989 fielding percentage while nabbing 35% of would-be base stealers. Staling's only problem when it comes to the Silver Slugger award is he doesn't have much power.
He ranks 17th among National League catchers in terms of slugging percentage (.415), but Stallings has never shown an ability to hit for much power. He had a career-high six home runs last season and never reached double-digits in the Minor Leagues. He is a singles machine and has been coming through in the clutch, especially this season. He is hitting .286 with 10 of his 13 RBI with runners in scoring position with a double and eight walks. He is very patient in those situations and works the count waiting for his pitch. That is the key to Stallings's offensive success, as he doesn't chase much and waits for the pitch he wants.
Stallings's Sustainable Success
At 30 years old, Stallings is coming to the tail end of his prime years and is looking to make the most of them. The question with Stallings remains is his success sustainable? He has always been known for his defensive ability, and there was no question as to whether or not that would translate to the Majors, but the offense has been a great surprise. In his eight-year Minor League career, he hit over .300 one time during the 2017 season. That season, he hit .301 with four home runs and 38 RBI at Triple-A Indianapolis. It was the first time in his career that he had an average over .275 and propelled him to the Major Leagues.
His career-high in home runs in the Minor Leagues was six back in 2013 and 2016 in the low levels of the Minor Leagues. He has never been a big bopper, but he did start to show offensive consistency following that 2017 season. After that, he never had an average under .275, hitting .286 in 2018 and .275 in 2019. He struggled offensively when he wasn't playing consistently, but since he has gotten significant playing time he has become a more reliable hitter. 2019, was a breakout year for the catcher as he hit .262 with six home runs and 13 RBI. He has already matched his career-high in RBI in almost half the games.
In terms of Stallings's future, I say keep playing him until he shows he can't hit consistently anymore. This off-season, I think the Pirates will go out and get some catching depth, and Stallings can serve as a nice stopgap until the future is ready. For now, Stallings is more than capable of holding down the starting position. The pitchers love working with him and that pitcher-catcher relationship is one of the best things for a team. At the beginning of the season, I had Stallings as a .273 hitter, but he has far exceeded even my expectations behind the plate. He is one of the true underdog stories in the game, and it might reach full circle with a 2020 Silver Slugger award.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (12-26) wrap up their four-game series against the Cincinnati Reds (18-22) this afternoon at 1:35 pm. Chad Kuhl (1-1, 3.10) is looking to continue his success in 2020 for the Pirates against Tejay Antone (0-1, 2.66) for the Reds. You can watch the game live on AT&T Sportsnet or listen on 93.7 The Fan as the Pirates look to split the four-game series and propel themselves into next week.
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