Which Pittsburgh Pirates Player is a Likely Future Manager? MLB.com Weighs In

MLB.com recently ran a series about which current member of every MLB team is likely to manage one day. Who did they choose from the Pittsburgh Pirates?

Recently, MLB.com ran a series examining which current member of every MLB roster is most likely to be a MLB manager one day. This series, of course, included the Pittsburgh Pirates. So, which current Pirate was pegged to most likely be a manager one day?

Well, according to MLB.com Pittsburgh Pirates beat writer Adam Berry, the current Pirate that is most likely to become a MLB manager one day is catcher Jacob Stallings. For a few reasons, this should not come as a surprise to anyone.

As a catcher, Stallings has a lot on his plate. He needs to be in constant communication with his pitchers, have a game plan for each hitter on the opposing team, know how to appropriately work the umpires, and be a tireless worker. This is why you see many former catchers go on to become MLB managers.

Pittsburgh Pirates teammates are always complimentary of Stallings in these categories. Especially his ability to communicate with his teammates.

Stallings also excels in calling a game and developing a pitch sequence to attack an opposing line up. As a result of this, as well as his ability to manage a pitching staff, many starting pitchers for the Pirates were requesting to have Stallings behind the dish for their starts in 2019.

Another quality Stallings is known to have is intense studying of opponents. He prepares better than most players, and is always looking to improve. As Berry noted, a sign of this was the improve pitch framing in Stallings in 2019, when he became one of the best pitch framers in the National League.

As many Pittsburghers know, Stallings also comes from a line of coaches. While his time in the Burgh did not work out as hoped, his dad Kevin is the former head men’s basketball coach at Pitt. Prior to coming to Oakland, he was also the head coach at Vanderbilt and Illinois State. So, coaching is something that runs in the Stallings family.

Will Stallings be a MLB manager one day? Well, we will all have to wait and see on that one. Surely, Jacob hopes his playing career is far from over as he prepares to start his first full season as a starting MLB catcher if/when the 2020 season begins. But he certainly appears to have all of the tools needed to be a successful MLB manager one day after his playing career ends.