Pittsburgh Pirates: Do Not Forget About Luke Maile

The Pittsburgh Pirates used a lot of new players in 2020, including some waiver wire pick ups.  There was one waiver pickup that missed the whole season.

Entering the 2020 season, a big question was who would be behind the dish for the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Many assumed that Jacob Stallings would be a part of the tandem.  However, there were questions of whether or not the Bucs would upgrade over Stallings or bring in a legitimate backup option.

The Bucs decided the best route was to keep Stallings as the presumed starter and bring in a different option as the backup.  The team brought in a few different catchers on minor league contracts.  In the end, catcher Luke Maile was the obvious candidate to serve as the primary backup. That was until he fractured a finger on his right hand that prevented him from suiting up in 2020.

The Pittsburgh Pirates picked up Maile after he was non-tendered by the Toronto Blue Jays.  The Blue Jays have some of the best young catching depth in baseball so they were put into a position that they had to move on from one of them.  Maile ended up being the player cut and the Bucs took advantage by signing him.  Maile was brought in one a one year contract, but his first major league contract gives him multiple years of control even after being released.  Maile was controlled through all of the 2020 season as well as the 2021 season.

If the 2021 season started tomorrow, Luke Maile would probably be the primary backup.  The other options from 2020 were John Ryan Murphy and Andrew Susac, both who are journeymen veterans and do not represent a longer term solution.  Maile is a 29 year old who is known for his really positive defense and framing.  Additionally, Susac was outrighted off the 40-man two weeks ago.

Like the backups from last year, Maile will not provide much with the bat.  He has gotten at-bats for the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays in five separate seasons dating back to 2014.   So far in his big league career he has only hit .198/.252/.304.  He has had more success in the minors slashing .253/.331/.357.  It is pretty obvious that Maile is not going to provide a ton of extra base hit potential, but one would hope he would be able to work a higher on-base percentage based on his past.

The value in Luke Maile will be based on what he brings behind the dish.  Maile has been considered a top 10 pitch framer in baseball when he is playing.  Also, he has made up for 21 defensive runs saved in his five season behind the plate and grades out positive in both UZR ratings, meaning he has pretty good range behind the plate.

If the Pittsburgh Pirates do not make another significant move at catcher, then Jacob Stallings and Luke Maile will be the tandem for the 2021 season.  This should be expected.  The Bucs are never seriously involved in the free agent market, and with the team coming off a terrible season, there is no real motivation to spend on a specific catcher right now when this team has a long ways to before being competitive.