Pittsburgh Pirates: 2021 Infield & Catcher Player Grades

Grading out the Pittsburgh Pirates infield for the 2021 season

The ending has finally arrived. The 2021 version of the Pittsburgh Pirates grades out very poorly with a 61-101 record. On the bright side, the Pirates can continue to boost the rebuild as they will have the fourth overall selection in the 2022 MLB Draft.

While the season was an ugly mess, there is still reason to assess each individual’s performance this season. That’s what the plan is for this series.

Part one of this series is this specific piece grading the infielders. Part two of the player grades series will assess the outfielders. The final part will discuss each individual starting pitcher and the bullpen as one collective unit.

Due to injuries and insufficient playing time, some players will be left out of each piece. For this piece, any 40-man roster player with 30+ games played qualifies for a grade. The order of the grades will be alphabetical.

Without further ado, let’s begin grading out the infielders.

Rodolfo Castro

GRADE: D+

2021 Stats: 31 games, .198/.258/.395, 5 home runs, 8 RBI, -0.4 WAR

Maybe this one sounds a bit harsh but hear me out.

Injuries forced the Pittsburgh Pirates to promote Rodolfo Castro to the big leagues before he ever played a game in Triple-A. Upon his arrival on the scene Castro didn’t hit the ball in play too often. But when he did it usually ended up over the fence.

His cup of coffee in the major leagues proved that he has the pop to survive but he has to make contact more often. Castro recorded two multi-homer games in his first eight appearances in the majors. Unfortunately, after hitting two home runs on July 28, Castro did not hit another one over his final 22 games.

Aside from his contact numbers, Castro was a bit of a liability in the field. The Pirates were among the best fielding teams in the major leagues. Castro’s four errors in 81 chances gave him a .951 fielding percentage. That isn’t ideal.

It can’t be forgotten that Castro is still only 22-years old and won’t even turn 23 until May of 2022. He had not played in Triple-A before his call-up so he had skipped a whole level of talent.

Castro could certainly fit into the Pirate future plans. His power is undeniable. With a little bit of season in the field Castro could be a nice utility piece for the Pirates one day.

Wilmer Difo

GRADE: C+

2021 Stats: 116 games, .269/.329/.384, 4 home runs, 24 RBI, -0.3 WAR

Bringing Wilmer Difo back for the 2022 season isn’t the worst idea. He had one of the better averages on the team and plays all over the field. His .713 OPS would’ve ranked fifth on the team if he qualified with enough plate appearances.

The lasting image many will have is his error against the Cubs on September 3 when he missed an easy pop-up in the 11th inning that led to a walk-off win for Chicago. As silly as it was, it can be forgotten.

Guys like Oneil Cruz, Diego Castillo, and other Pirates prospects will likely begin next season in Indianapolis. Difo is a nice stop gap to have until those guys begin to arrive later in the season. He’ll be 30-years old on Opening Week so his performance as a player isn’t going to unexpectedly boom out of nowhere.

His numbers playing at PNC Park align very similarly to his season numbers so he hits well and is comfortable playing at home.

Maybe the Pirates will bring Difo back for one more season. He is a solid and productive veteran presence to have. In the right circumstance, the Pirates can send him for something to another team at the deadline when their prospects begin to graduate to the majors. Teams love a super-utility guy.

Phillip Evans

GRADE: D-

2021 Stats: 76 games, .206/.312/.299, 5 home runs, 16 RBI, -0.3 WAR

There is a fairly simple reason why Phillip Evans grades out so low: his hitting performance from the shortened 2020 season did not carry over.

Evans batted a solid .359 with one home run and nine RBI in 11 games before his season ending collision with Gregory Polanco. It was nearly impossible to not give Evans a shot in 2021. The Pirates might’ve found something.

It turns out that Evans isn’t all that good. After all there is a reason that he is 29-years old with only 121 MLB games under his belt. He made seven errors in the field and had a -0.4 dWAR. Evans batted a very average .252 in Triple-A with no home runs and 10 RBI across 144 plate appearances. Everything that was positive about Evans – albeit in a short 11 game sample size – has gone by the way side.

Evans strikes me a DFA candidate later this offseason. The Pittsburgh Pirates have too many players in need of being added to the 40-man for Rule 5 purposes. Casting him away seems like a prudent move in a roster crunch.

Erik Gonzalez

GRADE: F

2021 Stats: 71 games, .232/.258/.300, 2 home runs, 21 RBI, -0.4 WAR

Erik Gonzalez found himself lost in the shuffle this season. The Pittsburgh Pirates have a ton of middle infielders on both the current roster and among their top prospects. He doesn’t figure to be too involved going forward.

He missed a chunk of time with an injury that sent him to the 60-day IL. Gonzalez played 14 games in Triple-A on a rehab assignment and batted .140 with four RBI in 14 games.

There isn’t much to discuss with Gonzalez. He is 30-years old and didn’t have a strong season. While he is pretty smooth with the glove, the Pirates have enough defensive prowess amongst their middle infielders. Guys like former first-rounder Cole Tucker and, eventually, Oneil Cruz deserve that playing time. Gonzalez doesn’t serve much purpose to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2022.

Ke’Bryan Hayes

GRADE: B-

2021 Stats: 96 games, .257/.316/.373, 6 home runs, 38 RBI, 2.4 WAR

Goodness, this kid is going to win a plethora of Gold Gloves over the course of his career. He doesn’t make errors and he makes so many flashy plays. Very soon, Ke’Bryan Hayes will be one of the guys that immediately pops in your head when someone mentions the Pirates. He’s a guy you build around.

Hayes’ September production in the truncated 2020 season was off the charts. Bright things certainly seemed like they were ahead for him offensively this season. Unfortunately, that never got to materialize.

Hayes broke a bone in his hand just two games into the season. He spent tons of time on the IL and finally returned on June 3rd and went 4-for-8 with a home run in his first two games back. The hope was that he’d continue that success. He clearly played through pain for the rest of the season and ended up going on the IL again with about a week left.

Hayes’ final hitting stats weren’t eye-popping and that likely had to do with his hand not being 100%. You have to admire him wanting to keep contributing and playing for a 100-loss team until it became a true lost cause.

He should rebound offensively next year and hopefully blossom into that franchise cornerstone. His defense alone grades him out a lot higher than he probably deserved because of his decreased offense.

Kevin Newman

GRADE: C

2021 Stats: 148 games, .226/.265/.309, 5 home runs, 39 RBI, 0.7 WAR

The Pirates thoroughly enjoy taking shortstops in the first round of the draft. Between Newman, Tucker, and Nick Gonzales as recently as last season, the Pirates have a lot of pedigree at that spot. The problem is the production hasn’t met that pedigree.

Newman is as sound as they come defensively. He carried a 76-game errorless streak this season despite barely hitting his weight.

Newman’s hard contact rate and other hitting numbers were pedestrian, which is putting it nicely. He had a minor rebound late in the year that quite literally might’ve saved his 40-man spot for next season.

At the very least, Newman was durable playing in 148 games and playing solid defense to give him a positive WAR. He is one of the few on the team that have one.

Newman’s 2019 season had people convinced that they had something with him. His shortened season and then full 2021 season have people down on Newman again. He likely will start at short on Opening Day 2022 unless Cole Tucker or, dare I say it, Oneil Cruz beats him out. Don’t expect him to make his forever home their, though.

Hoy Park

GRADE: D

2021 Stats:  44 games, .197/.299/.339, 3 home runs, 14 RBI, -0.3 WAR

Hoy Park was acquired in a trade that sent Clay Holmes to the Yankees. That trade also brought Diego Castillo to Pittsburgh. Holmes pitched two nice innings in the Wild Card game inducing two double plays. Park struggled to find much traction on the major league roster.

Park enjoyed a successful minor league season for the Yankees hitting for a ton of pop. He hit three dingers in Pittsburgh this year but didn’t make enough contact to collect more over the course of the season.

Park is intriguing as a utility guy that plays sound enough defense and can provide some pop if he can get his contact numbers up. His 2021 season wasn’t great but sometimes the adjustment to a new organization can be overwhelming. Park will have an entire offseason to settle in.

He is 25-years old so he isn’t considered much of a prospect anymore. Park could bounce between Indianapolis and Pittsburgh next year like he did in 2021. Maybe he’ll bounce back and show some more of that power the Pittsburgh Pirates obviously coveted upon acquiring him from New York.

Michael Perez

GRADE: F

2021 Stats: 70 games, .143/.221/.290, 7 home runs, 21 RBI, -0.8 WAR

I’ve really only got one word: yuck!

Michael Perez put together potentially the worst offensive season on the entire team this year. As the backup catcher, Perez didn’t see consistent playing time. However, his offensive production was beyond disgraceful.

Defensively, he isn’t the flashiest catcher in the league but he certainly can handle his own which is his main value on the roster.

I don’t know that the Pirates have any plans to look elsewhere for a new backup as in-house options like Christian Bethancourt and Taylor Davis won’t quite cut it either. The Pirates could, and likely will, give Perez another shot. They’ve got Endy Rodriguez elevating through the minor leagues and Henry Davis as well assuming he stays at catcher.

They have a great starting catcher so finding an adequate backup may not be very high on the list especially if they don’t plan to complete for a playoff spot in 2022.

Jacob Stallings

GRADE: A-

2021 Stats: 112 games, .246/.335/.369, 8 home runs, 53 RBI, 3.0 WAR

On the other end of the catching spectrum, the Pirates have objectively got the best defensive catcher in the game. He should take home the Gold Glove at his perch behind the dish.

Jacob Stallings is a wonder for the young pitching staff the Pirates have. Anyone who can frame pitches the way Stallings does is a huge confidence boost to the pitcher when they don’t have their best stuff. Stallings did not allow a passed-ball all season long, another feather in his cap defnsively.

Offensively, Stallings provided some run production and more pop than we’ve seen in the past.

He will be 32-years old by the time next season starts but he seems as fresh as could be. Stallings only played in his first MLB game at 26 but didn’t start to see normal reps behind the dish until his age-29 season. His limited time to shine is clearly valuable to him.

With so many young pitchers coming to Pittsburgh over the next few seasons, locking Stallings up and letting him be the mentor while playing and posting some solid numbers is a plus. A short concussion IL stay late in the year shouldn’t be cause for too much concern.

Cole Tucker

GRADE: C-

2021 Stats: 43 games, .222/.298/.342, 2 home runs, 12 RBI, -0.6 WAR

Saved by the bell, eh?

Cole Tucker put his finest performance yet on display last Friday with two circus catches and a game-breaking grand slam. The game is easily his best yet at the major league level and he deserved the praise that followed.

Another first-round shortstop, Tucker struggled in the minors and seemed blocked for most of the year until the Pirates gave him more time down that stretch to really prove himself. Tucker did bat .271 in the span since Rick Eckstein, the Pirates’ former hitting coach, was relieved of his duties.

Is it possible it was all in his former approach? Maybe. It could also be entirely coincidental. Regardless, Tucker didn’t have a great offensive season.

His pedigree will likely keep him around next season and there is no problem with that. The Pirates could even try to continue to work with him on his out-fielding skills so that there is an extra avenue for playing time with so many middle infielders in the pipeline.

2022 could be his crossroads season if things go rather poorly.