With less than a week left till the season gets underway for both for the Major League squad and Triple-A Indianapolis, we are starting to see some movement with some of the players to where it’s giving a clearer picture of what the rosters may look like.
This is especially true at the catcher position, where recent events has not only made clear who the starters were going to be, but also gave insight on who the Major League backup may be when the season starts.
On Thursday it was discovered that Kevin Plawecki no longer had a locker, which it was later discovered that he had an opt-out in his contract upcoming. Since he was told he wasn’t going to be making the Major League roster, he decided to exercise said option.
Catcher Kevin Plawecki’s locker is empty at LECOM Park. Pirates have not yet announced it, but he was told he will not make the team. He has an opt-out if he’s not on roster by Saturday.
— RobBiertempfel (@RobBiertempfel) March 23, 2023
That leaves the backup catcher battle between Jason Delay and Tyler Heineman, both played for the Pirates last year, with each putting up some strong defensive metrics.
Neither are known for their offense, which has been evident this spring as the two have combined to go 3-for-30, with Delay picking up a home run as one of his two hits.
One of the two will get the nod as the team’s backup, at least until Endy Rodriguez is promoted. It looks like this last week will decide it.
Speaking of Rodriguez, we knew he was going to start the year in Indianapolis after finishing 2022 there, but it still remained to be seen where former first overall pick Henry Davis would begin his 2023 campaign.
Per Pirates GM Ben Cherington, Endy Rodriguez will begin the season as everyday catcher at Triple-A @indyindians and Henry Davis will start out with Double-A @AltoonaCurve.
"They both need to catch as primary guys, so that’s the way it's gonna happen."
— RobBiertempfel (@RobBiertempfel) March 24, 2023
This shouldn’t be too much a surprise, as Davis only played 31 games at Altoona last year and his wrist injury obviously hindered him a bit. It also opens up them both to be the primary catcher’s on their respective team.
That will be key in unlocking their full potential, as while they both can hit well enough to play elsewhere, but their best value comes from their elite bats being able to stick behind home plate.
Developing at catcher isn’t as clean cut as other positions, so it’s key to get as much time as possible there. Finding a way to incorporate them both in the lineup can happen when we get to that situation.
Beyond the starters, Abrahan Gutierrez, who I mentioned in Tuesday’s article drop, is the most likely candidate to backup Davis in Altoona. Carter Bins and whoever doesn’t win the backup spot will compete for time behind Rodriguez in Triple-A.
Pirates Prospects Daily
By John Dreker
Pirates play The Baltimore Orioles tonight at 6:05 PM. Home game, with TV available. Lineup will be posted below once it becomes available. Pirates tied 6-6 last night with Roansy Contreras as the starter. Ke’Bryan Hayes had three hits. Here’s the boxscore.
**Pirates Prospects Daily: The Second Base Battle is Heating Up Down the Stretch
**Pirates DVR: Rodolfo Castro Home Run, Johan Oviedo Strikeout, Ji-Hwan Bae RBI
**Pirates Option Travis Swaggerty and Tucupita Marcano to Indianapolis
Song of the Day
Today’s Lineup
Pirates are getting into regular season form, releasing the lineup right before the game starts tonight
Saturday night baseball.
