How the Pirates Can Capitalize On Their Catching Surplus

The Pittsburgh Pirates enter this offseason facing a unique dilemma. The team currently has three catchers—each once considered a top prospect—but none have firmly claimed the role of the franchise’s catcher of the future.

These catchers include Henry Davis, the first overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft; Joey Bart, the second overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft; and Endy Rodriguez, a former can’t-miss prospect whose shine has faded in recent years.

All three of these players were projected to be standout big-leaguers, but injuries and inconsistent production have forced them into depth roles. Meanwhile, the Pirates have leaned on temporary solutions like Jason Delay and veteran Yasmani Grandal.

Neither of these fixes worked either, as both players put up below league-average marks when given consistent playing time.

With each option presenting its own pros and cons, Ben Cherington and the Pirates must make a crucial decision. Let’s take a closer look at Davis, Bart, and Rodriguez—their strengths, challenges, journeys, and what they each bring to the table as the team seeks its catcher of the future.

A Look at the Pirates Surplus Behind the Plate

Joey Bart

Once a highly touted prospect, Joey Bart entered the 2024 season with the San Francisco Giants, fighting to win some playing time over Patrick Bailey.

Bart had first debuted with the Major League league club during the 2020 Covid shortened season, where he struggled mightily in 33 games. In this time, Bart would strike out nearly 37% of the time, while slashing .233/.288/.320, with a far below league-average wRC+ of 68.

Bart, still just 23 years old at the time, was given a pass due to the circumstances of the season, with hopes he’d eventually reach his full potential. With him being selected number two overall just two years earlier, it was going to be hard for the team to give up on him.

He ended up finally finding himself with a full season with the Major League squad in 2022, where he’d play 95 games with the club. While he still struggled, this span was a lot better than his first stint.

As a 25-year-old, Bart hit 11 homers, an 8.9% walk rate, 38.5% strikeout rate, while slashing .215/.296/.364 with a 90 wRC+. While this wasn’t exactly the production the team had hoped for when they first drafted him, this season showed a lot of signs of improvement.

However, things began to fall apart the next season.

Bart played just 30 games in the Major Leagues during the 2023 season, where he also end up losing his title as the Giants’ “catcher of the future”. In this 30-game sample size, Bart slashed just .207/.263/.264 with a 48 wRC+. This was the worse stint of Bart’s big league career, and what seemed to be the final straw in ruling him out of the future plans in San Francisco.

However, Bart went on to begin the 2024 season with the Giants, looking to get back on track to be a big league player. Bart went on to be DFA’d by the Giants on March 31st, where Ben Cherrington and the Pittsburgh Pirates swooped in.

The Pirates ended up trading for Joey Bart on April 2nd, and since he landed in Pittsburgh, he has been a phenomenal pickup. In 282 plate appearances since joining the club, Bart would go on to hit 13 homers, while posting a 7.8% walk rate, 25.9% strikeout rate, while slashing .265/.337/.462 with a 121 wRC+.

This has been far and away the best stint of Bart’s career, as he brought a lot of stability to the Pirates’ offense, which really struggled all year long. His 121 wRC+ was the highest mark of anyone on the team, which was a really good sign to see. The Pirates haven’t seen this type of production very often, especially from the catcher position.

Bart still maintained relatively low exit velocities, which could be alarming in projecting his future. However, his 9.4% barrel rate is very encouraging. Bart also hit fastballs extremely well, putting up a career high xwOBA of .379 against the pitch.

Something else to note, is that Bart struggled against breaking balls, which may make his future a little harder to project. His xwOBA came in at just .260, with a whiff rate of just over 33%.

But, we can start to see Bart building the foundations to be a really solid big leaguer, which is never really something we saw during his time with the Giants. For the Pirates, this has made their catching situation even more interesting. Instead of having to scrap together an offense and wait for Davis to develop, the Pirates were able to rely on Bart more than they expected.

After how he performed with the team this season, he’s certainly earned the opportunity to keep his position as the team’s starting catcher next season. But, I don’t know how long he’ll keep this title, especially if we begin to see some regression, or either of the other two prospects take more steps forward. One thing is for certain though, his case to be the number one catcher on the team is extremely convincing.

Henry Davis

Back in 2021, the Pirates were in position to pick first overall in the MLB Draft. When draft day came around, there wasn’t a consensus number one prospect. Some sources leaned towards Jack Leiter being the best player, and other suggested Marcelo Mayer as premier player in class. However, the Pirates went off the board, selecting catcher Henry Davis.

After being drafted, Davis went on to sign for $6.5 million, allowing the Pirates to scoop up a few gems in later rounds. The focus was still be on Davis though, as he seemed to have no ceiling on his potential.

Davis made his professional debut later that season, but really got acclimated the following year. He’d return to High-A Greensboro, where he played amazing. In 22 games, Davis slugged five homers, while slashing .341/.450/.585 with a 180 wRC+. These numbers were out of this world, causing the Pirates to promote Davis to Double-A Altoona.

As Davis headed to Double-A, his aspirations to prove that he was the best prospect in the draft class continued. He’d take a step back however, as he posted a wRC+ of 97 in his first 31 games at the level.

Despite his slow start, Davis returned to Altoona with vengeance the next season. In 41 games, he crushed 10 homers, slashing .284/.433/.547 with a remarkable 170 wRC+. Davis would then earn himself yet another promotion, sending him to Triple-A Indianapolis.

The Circle City wouldn’t get to know Davis very long however, as he’d once again fly through a level. He went on to record a wRC+ just shy of 190 in his 14 games for the team, sending him to the Major Leagues for the first time in his career.

He doubled in his first at-bat of his big-league career, but he would quickly begin to struggle. The team gave Davis a sizable amount of action in his first season, letting him play 62 games for the club. In this stint, he slashed just .213/.302/.351 with a 76 wRC+, and a strikeout rate near 27%.

While this is far from what the club had hoped to see from Davis, his sample size was still relatively small, meaning there was plenty of promise in store. A lot of players struggle right away, so this wasn’t as concerning as many people suggested.

Something else to note, is that the team played with the idea of moving him to right field due to the rise of Endy Rodriguez. This was the first time Davis had made the move full time, which may have contributed to his early struggles. Having to balance a position change, while also facing the best pitching of his career, may have definitely contributed to his early struggles.

Heading into 2024, Davis had many fans very excited. He demolished the ball during spring training, and after working incredibly hard all offseason, he looked like a completely new player. Davis earned his way to a spot on the Opening Day roster, where fans hoped this version of their star catching prospect would continue into the season.

Unfortunately, this was not the case. After a slow start, the team made the decision to option Davis back to Triple-A Indianapolis, in hopes to rediscover what made him so good initially. Davis stayed in Triple-A for just over a month, slugging his way back to the show. Rejoining the team on June 4th, he suffered a concussion just a short while after.

This injury sideline him for nearly a month, as he wouldn’t see the field until July 7th, when he was optioned to Triple-A. He’d rejoin the Major League club again on August 26th, spending the rest of the year with the club.

Although his season was full of injuries and options back and forth, there were some positive takeaways. Davis played extremely in Triple-A, slashing .307/.401/.555 with 13 homers, and a 148 wRC+ in 57 games played. While he wasn’t facing Major League caliber pitching on a regular basis, seeing Davis perform against better competition was really impressive. Especially, in a larger sample size.

Unfortunately though, we have to acknowledge that this Triple-A success did not translate when he was in the Majors. In 37 games, Davis once again disappointed, slashing just .144/.242/.212 with an abysmal 30 wRC+. While the sample size was smaller than 2023, Davis was significantly worse.

With his struggles potentially due to the fact that he couldn’t stay healthy, Pirates fans began to raise some serious concerns this time. With Davis now struggling in the Major Leagues for a second time, along with the rise of Joey Bart, is it time for the Pirates to shop Davis around on the trade market? Does he still have a place in their future plans?

One thing is for certain though, the idea of handing Davis the keys to the starting job this soon is not the right choice. Although it was nice to see him have more time to adjust more to Major League pitching, it seems as though the former number one pick may be losing his role in the future plans.

Endy Rodriguez

On Jan. 19, 2021, the Pirates were involved in a huge, three-team deal. The headliner of that deal, was Joe Musgrove being sent to his hometown San Diego Padres. In exchange, the Pirates would be getting a prospect package, which included All-Star, David Bednar.

The deal also included the New York Mets, who received LHP Joey Lucchesi in the trade. As the return for Lucchesi, Pittsburgh received Endy Rodriguez, an interesting, switch-hitting, catching prospect. Rodriguez came with a level of positional versatility, and some serious skills at the dish, making him a really interesting prospect.

However, Rodriguez became an even more exciting prospect with some time in the system.

Rodriguez made his first appearance for the team later that year, spending the entire season with the Low-A Bradenton Marauders. Rodriguez hit 15 homers, while slashing .294/.380/.512 with a fantastic, 140 wRC+. While his first impression with the organization was unbelievable, he really began to make a name for himself the following season.

Rodriguez went on to earn a promotion to High-A Greensboro, where he’d spend the first 88 games of the 2022 season. He’d manage to be even better than he was in Bradenton, crushing 16 bombs, while slashing .302/.392/.544 with a 151 wRC+. This was far and beyond the best Rodriguez had ever played up until this point, as he began to see himself getting attention as a top 100 prospect for the first time.

After this stint, Altoona came calling.

He went on to play even better at Double-A than he had at the other levels. Rodriguez managed to hit eight home runs, while slashing .356/.442/.678, with a truly spectacular 199 wRC+. He did all of this in just over 30 games.

While Rodriguez was slugging away in the Minor Leagues, he even began surpassing Davis as the Pirates’ top choice as the catcher of the future. This was surprising to many people, as Davis was a former number one overall pick, being surpassed by a prospect who was widely unknown at the beginning of the season.

Rodriguez wasn’t done yet, as he’d go on to earn his final 6 games of the season at Triple-A Indianapolis. Although this was an incredibly small sample size, his 208 wRC+ really speaks to just how good he was.

After riding the highs of his 2022 season, the Pirates chose to send Rodriguez back to Triple-A to begin the 2023 campaign. He slowed down for the first time yet, hitting just six homers, slashing 268/.356/.415, with a 95 wRC+ in 67 games. However, the club felt he was ready, as he got the promotion to The Show for the first time in his career.

Rodriguez headed to PNC Park for the next 57 games of his season, doing so at just 23 years old. In fact, he also earned the rights to try his hand behind the plate, officially overtaking Davis on the depth chart as the team’s top catcher.

Just like Davis, though, Rodriguez struggled in his first taste of big-league play, slashing just .220/.284/.328 with a wRC+ of just 65. While this was disappointing, Pirates fans had yet to panic, due to Rodriguez’s age, athleticism, versatility, and small sample size. Afterall, with how he played in 2022, it really seemed like he was a budding young superstar.

While the team had high hopes for Rodriguez’s 2024 campaign, he unfortunately tore his UCL playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic. This led him to undergo Tommy John surgery, missing all of the 2024 season.

The main positive takeaway is that Rodriguez had begun to rehab his injury before the season ended, meaning he’ll likely be good to go on Opening Day of the 2025 season. This isn’t just good news for him, but the Pirates as well. The team now has a third player competing for the starting catching job in 2025, making things really interesting.

Although we haven’t seen Rodriguez get much playing time in over a year, the team is hoping to see the version of him they saw in 2022. If they do, Rodriguez has a legitimate shot to not only be the team’s catcher on Opening Day, but finally cement himself as the team’s catcher of the future.

What Should the Pirates Do at Catcher?

Now that we’ve laid the groundwork for the three players who are competing for the spot, we’re left with the question: what will the team actually decide to do?

Starting Catcher: Joey Bart

In my opinion, the most likely scenario is that the team will hand Joey Bart the keys to be the Opening Day starter. While there still remains the possibility that Bart sees a significant regression once he sees some more playing time, the way he played during the 2024 season earned him a chance to prove himself.

Although he played just 80 games for the club, Bart led the team in wOBA, SLG, and wRC+. He also finished second on the team in OBP, finishing only behind all-star Bryan Reynolds.

As I briefly touched on, there’s a good chance that Bart sees some regression in 2025. His low average exit velocity, struggles against breaking balls, and struggles defensively will all be places to keep an eye on.

With Bart’s struggles against breaking balls especially, he’s going to likely see fewer fastballs next season. If I had to guess, this is the main area that causes some regression from Bart. He saw fastballs nearly 60% of the time last season. This really stands out, when we see that the pitch he saw the second most, were breaking balls, at just over 32% of the time. When teams catch on to how he did against the types of pitches, he will see fewer fastballs.

Bart’s impact on the team offensively can’t be stressed enough, as he brough stability to a lineup who very little of it all year long. Even if he doen’t hold on to the starting job the entire season, he’s earned the opportunity to have the job on Opening Day without a doubt.

The Battle for the Backup Role: Henry Davis, or Endy Rodriguez?

Now that we’ve established the case for Bart to be the choice as the starter, we’re left with a backup role to fill. This will come down to either Henry Davis or Endy Rodriguez. With both players being former top prospects, and having high ceilings, who should be the choice?

Davis has shown signs over the past two years of being a really good hitter, the most telling moment being his Triple-A successes last season. Davis also hit two home runs off of the sport’s superstar, Shohei Ohtani in 2023, making him the only player in history to do so.

While Davis’ skills haven’t fully translated just yet, some people have speculated that his struggles in Major League Baseball may have had something to do with Andy Haines. When Davis was demoted for the first time last season, he changed a lot of things in his swing. Most notably, he returned back to his crouched stance, with his hand position and bat angle changing. With these adjustments, Davis found way more success in Triple-A.

If this is indeed the case, it’ll be interesting to see how Davis fairs with the team’s new hitting coach, Matt Hague. If Hague can manage to unlock the same production that Triple-A hitting coach Eric Munson found, we may be seeing a completely new player.

As for Rodriguez, his past successes have put him in a really interesting position, even after missing a full season due to injury.

With his sheer athleticism, switch-hitting skills, and all around talent, the team still thinks very highly of the young star. While we have little recent data to use to project how he’ll play in this upcoming season, there’s still reason to believe he can have an impact in some capacity.

Add in the fact that Rodriguez plays second base and first base as well, there’s a chance we see him play a role in one of those areas instead.

If I had to guess, the backup job will likely come down to a battle in spring training, with Rodriguez eventually heading back to Triple-A to get consistent reps. If this is the case, the Pirates will roll into Opening Day with Bart as the starter, and Davis as the backup.

But, if we see Davis or Bart begin to struggle while Rodriguez gets more comfortable in his first year back from surgery, the roles could flip very quickly.

What Happens to the Odd Man Out?

The last question the team will be challenged with, will be finding a role for the odd man out.

As I touched on in my prediction, if Bart earns the starting job, Davis becomes the backup, and Rodriguez is odd man out, the team has a few options.

They could shop around Rodriguez in trades, potentially looking to upgrade in other areas of the offense. The team is still plenty of offensive pieces away from contention, and Rodriguez may be the perfect trade candidate to upgrade in any of these places.

If Davis struggles again, the same could be said for him. He could very easily be shipped off for an offensive upgrade somewhere else, but the team may be more hesitant to trade their former number one overall pick.

Summing Things Up

The Pirates are in a really unique position, having three big league-caliber players all in the mix for the starting catching role. Having options is never a bad thing, especially for a team with the lack of depth the Pirates have had the last few years.

Whatever route they decide to take, it will certainly be interesting to pay attention to this battle. By this time in six months, we could be looking at a significantly different catching situation in the Steel City.