Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Top 5 Catchers in the Farm System

Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
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Pittsburgh Pirates
Aug 25, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington looks on during batting practice before the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Prior to the 2021 season the Pittsburgh Pirates lacked depth at the catcher position. Ben Cherington has changed that by loading up the farm system from trades and the 2022 draft. Here are my top 5 catchers in the farm system as of today.

Number 5 – Wyatt Hendrie

Wyatt Hendrie was drafted in 2021 by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was a 7th round draft choice for Pittsburgh and was the 193rd overall pick in this year’s draft. He signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 15th, 2021 with a signing bonus worth $177,500. He went under slot in the draft by $67,400.

Back in 2019, Hendrie was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 10th round but decided to go to college to improve his draft stock. Hendrie committed to San Diego State where he was very impressive. In 2020 he only played in 16 games because of the cancelation of college athletics due to the pandemic but slashed a .286/.417/.367 in 49 at bats.

In a full season with San Diego State however, he proved to be an excellent player for the Aztecs. In 45 games, Hendrie batted .379 with 12 doubles, 2 triples, and 9 homeruns. He had an OPS of 1.097 and carried an OBP of .464.

The Pittsburgh Pirates immediately assigned Hendrie to the FCL Pirates Gold, but on August 5th was reassigned to the FCL Pirates Black. Since joining the Pirates, Hendrie played in just 15 games and had only 46 plate appearances, so there is not enough there to go on. He slashed a .237/.348/.421 with the FCL Pirates Black. I believe next year will give the organization a better indication on where he is at, but for now he lands as the number 5 catcher in the farm system.

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