One of the key focuses this offseason for the Pittsburgh Pirates was to add some veteran leadership in the clubhouse, and they brought in quite a few.
Obviously, Andrew McCutchen gets the most attention as he joins the organization for the second time, after spending the first part of his career here in Pittsburgh. We even saw Rich Hill doing a little mentoring on his own.
There aren’t many catchers who have been as good defensively as Austin Hedges over the past couple of years and he’s quickly showing his value when it comes to his work with the pitching staff.
Holderman in the 'pen & on the mic pic.twitter.com/1NknWpf1lr
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) February 18, 2023
This is a great look at the behind the scenes conversation between a catcher and pitcher in what appears to be their first bit of work between each other. Colin Holderman breaks down his pitch repertoire and what he’s trying to accomplish on the mound.
Hedges asks some questions to try and get to know what he’s going to catch even more, as well as even offers up some suggestions based on what Holderman throws.
For a the guy that was the primary catcher on a playoff team a year ago, Hedges has obviously also embraced what his obvious role is on the the Pirates for the 2023 season.
With two of the Pirates top prospects both upper level catchers, the veteran catcher had to know what he was walking into. Despite being someone who is capable of starting and managing a playoff level pitching staff, Hedges seems to be looking forward to passing his knowledge on to Henry Davis and Endy Rodriguez.
Austin Hedges on mentoring Henry Davis/Endy Rodriguez: "We have dudes who are going to be the future of the catching position for this organization. I wanna see them be the catchers here for the next 15 years. If that happens, I’ll be so proud of my year here this year."
— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) February 19, 2023
It’s a completely different mindset to take into a season, going from starting catcher, to more or less a place holder until the prospects get here, but Hedges seems excited for the opportunity to leave his mark on those coming up this year.
Jared Triolo Getting Reps At First
There a very few amount of teams where Jared Triolo wouldn’t immediately be the best third baseman on a 40-man roster.
It just so happens that the Pirates are one of them, and that player is locked up for the foreseeable future.
So, the Pirates worked Triolo around the field last year, getting him playing time in center field and shortstop. He’s expanding that to first base now in camp.
Jared Triolo getting work at first base. Have been saying for a year I could see him moving over there. Here we go … pic.twitter.com/fWfhHxHOoF
— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) February 19, 2023
If it translates to each of those stops, the Pirates have the makings of one of the best defense-first super utility bench players in baseball, which is fitting since they recently handed out a Gold Glove to Brenden Donovan for that exact role.
Pirates Prospects Daily
By Tim Williams
**In the latest Pirates DVR, the catching prospects are putting in work.
**Missed yesterday? Anthony wrote about Jack Suwinski’s new batting stance.
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