The Pirates have a bevy of catchers, but there is just one problem: none of them can hit at the present moment. There is one that appears to have some hope. Catching is primarily a defensive position, and the expectations for catchers are fairly low when it comes to hitting. Unfortunately, these four catchers need even lower expectations. Here are their dismal slash lines, ranked from worst to best. Joey Bart holds the unenviable position of the lowest with an anemic slash line of .156/.222/.281, resulting in an OPS of .503. He has managed one home run and driven in three runs while having the fewest plate appearances at just 38. For reasons unknown, the Pirates have opted to play Henry Davis a bit more, citing his perceived defensive advantage. However, in the small sample size, there isn’t much difference between the two at the moment. Davis’s slash line is almost as poor, sitting at .186/.300/.256 for an OPS of .556. He has zero home runs and three RBIs in 51 plate appearances. Davis ranks 318th in OPS while Bart sits at 351st out of approximately 400 players. There has been some clamoring for the two AAA catchers to be brought up, but they aren’t much better either. Endy Rodrigues is hitting a robust .185/.291/.277 for an OPS of .568 with one home run and 13 RBIs in 80 plate appearances. Rafael Flores is starting to show some signs of life, after sitting in the mid .100’s for most of the season in AAA. Right he boasts a slash line of .208/.329/.333 for an OPS of .662, along with one home run and nine RBIs in 85 plate appearances. As it stands, none of these four catchers will cause any pitcher to shake in their boots.
The Pirates have improved greatly on the offensive side of the ball. Their offense is not good enough to afford carrying catchers that hit this poorly. It will be interesting to see how long the Pirates stick with the current duo of Bart and Davis. Right now, the decision is easy because their AAA replacements are not hitting either. Regardless, in my view, the sooner they part ways with Bart, the better. Over the next ten games or so, if Flores is trending upward and Bart is still hitting well below .200, it is time to let him go. In Bart’s case, he is out of options, which means he would be designated for assignment (DFA). I do not view it as a significant loss. I think there is a real possibility that he would clear waivers. All of this would be moot if Bart and Davis start to really hit. I think the chances of that happening are slim to none. The Pirates have played 22 games. We are heading toward that magical point of 30 to 35 games, which will mark around 20% of the season complete. The next six games are on the road against the Rangers and the Brewers. A .500 road trip is the worst the Pirates will need to do, especially in this division where no team is below .500. Then the Pirates will play four games against the Cardinals and three against the Reds, all at home. Ten straight games against division teams. Hopefully, the Pirates will stop giving games away. Thirteen games in thirteen days are coming up. This stretch should tell us if this team is for real.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 