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Pittsburgh Pirates Prospect Depth: Catcher
The Pittsburgh Pirates have added catching depth throughout the minor leagues, so what prospects now make up the farm system?
When the Pittsburgh Pirates started this rebuild, catcher was a glaring hole. The Pirates hadn’t developed a quality catcher, arguably since Jason Kendall. Russell Martin was a free agent signee, Francisco Cervelli was acquired via trade, and the closest before them was Ryan Doumit.
The Pirates seemed to prioritize catching early on in the rebuild, and rightfully so. Not only had they not developed a decent backstop in quite some time, but arguably the best catcher in the minor league system when Ben Cherington took over was Jason Delay, whose value was nil beyond his defense.
However, as the light at the end of the tunnel starts to brighten, catching has become an area with some decent depth. So as of right now, how does the minor league depth chart look behind the plate?
(Note that this is only minor leaguers and prospects. Jason Delay graduated prospect status last season, so he will not be mentioned as a depth option)
Top Prospects
Endy Rodriguez and Henry Davis duo make up two of the top spots in most Pirates’ prospect rankings. Rodriguez was acquired in the Joe Musgrove trade from the New York Mets. Over the past two seasons, the switch-hitter has batted .310/.395/.554 with a .423 wOBA and 154 wRC+. Rodriguez has displayed outstanding plate discipline and drawing walks in 11.4% of his 965 plate appearances while striking out in just 18.4% of them as well. Power hasn’t been an issue for Rodriguez, as he’s smacked 40 long balls with a .244 isolated slugging percentage.
Rodriguez has only gotten better. His wRC+ has increased at each level, going from 140 at Bradenton, 151 at Greensboro, 199 at Altoona, and 203 at Indianapolis. Rodriguez was unstoppable in 2022, especially in the second half. The catching prospect posted a 1.228 OPS, .516 wOBA, and 221 wRC+ in the second half. It also helps he’s a solid defensive catcher who brings some versatility to the field.
Then there’s Henry Davis. Davis was the no. 1 overall pick in the 2021 MLB draft. So far, Davis has looked quite good in the minor leagues. Last year, he batted .264/.380/.472 with a .385 wOBA, and 136 wRC+. Davis is known for his power and owned a .208 isolated slugging percentage. But he was limited to just 255 plate appearances because of injuries sustained by multiple hit-by pitches. Davis was hit an ungodly amount of times, to the point it became anomalous. The powerful backstop was hit a whopping 20 times in just 255 trips to the plate. Only once since integration has a Major League player been hit 20+ times in less than 300 plate appearances.
Davis has the power to be a 30+ home run threat from behind the dish. He’s also displayed solid plate discipline, both through his minor league career and his time in college. But how long he’ll be a catcher is up for debate. Davis has a powerful arm but has known issues when it comes to blocking and framing. While framing might be a thing of the past within the next five seasons because of the digital strike zone, Davis has allowed nine passed balls in just 370 innings. Over the course of 800 innings, that’s a pace of nearly 20.
Mid-Tier Prospects
Another player the Pirates acquired in 2021 was Abrahan Gutierrez. Gutierrez is coming off a solid season for Greensboro, as he slashed .257/.356/.411 with a .353 wOBA and 112 wRC+. Gutierrez isn’t known for his power, but a .154 isolated slugging percentage is a respectable mark. Although he struck out just over a quarter of the time with a 25.4% strikeout rate, he drew walks at an 11.8% rate. He also had a great second half, where he owned a 130 wRC+.
Gutierrez is a solid defensive catcher and added first base versatility this past season. He’s a contact first hitter who didn’t hit for much contact last season. His strikeout rate was not too promising, but he’s struck out at a rate below 20% in the past. He might not be up there with Endy Rodriguez or Henry Davis, but he could be a solid platoon/backup C/1B.
Another catcher the Bucs acquired in July 2021 was Carter Bins. Bins was sent to the Pirates as part of the Tyler Anderson deal. Bins did not have a great season. He batted a putrid .196/.285/.388 with a .299 wOBA, and 78 wRC+. Bins struck out at a blistering 36.7% pace, the 31st highest rate among all minor leaguers across all levels in at least 300 plate appearances.
That’s a lot of negative things to say about Bins, so let’s take a look at a few silver linings. The first is he hit 11 home runs in 330 plate appearances. His .192 isolated slugging percentage was well above average. He also posted a solid 8.8% walk rate. Bins has displayed decent defensive work behind the plate and moves well for a catcher. He also has a powerful arm. He’s a reliable defensive backstop, but offensively, you’d be lucky to get 2022 Joey Gallo out of him based on how often he strikes out.
Low-Level Youngsters
One of the Pittsburgh Pirates more notable international signees made a big splash with his professional debut. Axiel Plaz only received 82 plate appearances at the Pirate Dominican Summer Affiliate but had 26 hits. This included 11 doubles, a triple, and three home runs. Not only did he rack up a ton of hits and extra-base hits, but he drew 13 walks with just 16 strikeouts. Plaz was praised for his defensive work when the Pirates signed him and he has the potential to hit for decent power. Next season will only be his age-17 campaign, so it’s far too early to tell what he’ll amount to.
Samuel Escudero also had a great season at the DSL. Like Plaz, he received less than 100 plate appearances, amounting to just 94, but he made the most of it. He collected a total of 21 hits while drawing more walks (16) than strikeouts (14). The only downside is that he didn’t hit for much power, with just five doubles and zero home runs. Escudero will be 19 next season and could be a nice steal from the Milwaukee Brewers. The Pirates acquired Escudero from the Brewers in exchange for Troy Stokes Jr.
Miguel Sosa is another very young catching prospect who had an impressive season. Sosa reached the 100 plate appearance plateau with 109 and batted .305/.468/.512. Sosa drew over double the amount of walks to strikeouts with 25 bases on balls and just a dozen K’s. He also hit three home runs and eight doubles, leading to a .207 isolated slugging percentage. Although Sosa caught a decent bit last year, he spent more time in left field.
Plaz, Escudero, and Sosa had the best seasons among the Pirates’ under-20 catching prospects. But there were many more such as Richard Ramirez, Omar Alfonzo, Lennyn Nunez, Eybert Escalona, and July Vittini who also saw playing time for the Pirate DSL affiliate.
Late Round Selections and Other Depth
During last year’s draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Nick Cimillo out of Rutgers in the 16th round. Cimillo was a senior draftee who posted insane numbers in his final season. In 254 plate appearances, Cimillo slashed .385/.492/.707 with 16 home runs. He drew 39 walks and struck out only 36 times. Cimillo received 34 plate appearances as a professional ball player after getting drafted but registered just a .567 OPS.
While Cimillo may not be the most exciting prospect to watch in 2023, that Barry Bonds-Esque slash line in his senior season does make you do a double-take. Might be worth seeing what he can do in a few more plate appearances. He also played a decent amount of corner outfield early in his college career, so there is a chance of getting some versatility out of Cimillo.
A draft pick from the 2021 draft who received an extended look was Wyatt Hendrie. A 7th-round pick out of San Diego State, Hendrie was coming off a great final college season where he batted .379/.464/.633. Hendrie’s ability to get on base and draw walks carried over from college as he had a .346 on-base percentage and 10% walk rate, but he had a hard time making consistent contact with a 29.6% strikeout rate and only hit four home runs. Hendrie has some athleticism and played some corner outfield in his final college season.
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The Pittsburgh Pirates do have a few more pieces of organizational depth options. Eli Wilson had a great 2021 (albeit in limited playing time) but struggled in 2022. Dylan Shockley and Grant Koch are two other players who likely will serve as backups throughout the Pirates’ minor leagues.