With Spring Training Quickly approaching, I will be taking a look at each position group on the field and how they will contribute to this Pirates team throughout the 2016 season
In 2015, the catching tandem of Francisco Cirvelli and Chris Stewart made up one of the best in baseball. Both were strong behind the plate defensively and each brought their own style of offense to the plate. No matter who was catching that day, you knew as a Pirates fan that you would have a quality option behind the plate.
At the beginning of the 2015 season, the catching rotation looked a lot like the typical starter-backup relationship where Cirvelli caught most games and Stewart would be called upon when Cirvelli got tired. However, as we moved towards the end of the season, Stewart started getting more reps and eventually developed into almost a personal catcher for Gerrit Cole.
Offensively, both players had breakout years as well. Both improved their averages from a year ago and contributed in big situations for the Pirates. Also in 2016, one of the Pirates young top prospects Elias Diaz, is getting ready for his move to the big leagues. He comes up with a lot of hype from the minor leagues and looks to transition that into his major league career.
We will take a look at all three of these players and look back at their 2015 seasons, see what they have to bring to the table, and look ahead to my predictions for the 2016 season. All of these players come with a major upside, and as far as catching goes, the Pirates have a good core ready for the long haul of a major league season.
Francisco Cirvelli #29
2015 was Cirvelli's first year as a starter in major league baseball. He more than exceeded all expectations and was a very productive member of the Pirates lineup. He hit .295 with 7 home runs and 43 RBI. He played in the most games he has ever played in his career with 130 and set career records in both home runs and RBI.
With the departure of Russell Martin after the 2014 season, fans did not know what to expect out of the catching position. The signing of Cirvelli was not very highly received as many fans saw that he had no starting experience. However, the signing was one of the top signings that the Pirates had in the off-season and was a big factor into the teams success.There were many times that Cirvelli came through with clutch hits for the Pirates including the game on July 12th when the Pirates came back to defeat the Cardinals in dramatic fashion.
Cirvelli was extremely strong defensively last season as well. He led the league in pitch framing getting the Pirates multiple balls out of the strike zone called strikes. His zBal%, how many balls were called strikes, was 13.7 last season. This was better than some of the top catchers in the league including Buster Posey, Yadier Molina, and Russel Martin.
Overall Cirvelli has been a big part of the success the Pirates achieved last season. He has one year remaining in his contract and is open to an extension. With a lot of good catching prospects waiting in the wings, that might be hard for the Pirates to do. But, for now the Pirates are blessed with the talents of Cirvelli for at least the 2016 season.
2016 Prediction
In 2016, look for Cirvelli to have another successful year behind the dish. As long as he can remain healthy, which has been a problem over his career, he will be able to produce for the Pirates once again. I have Cirvelli hitting at a .275 clip with 13 home runs and 54 RBI. I can see a small drop in average coming from Cirvelli, but that will be combated with a little more power in 2016. He brings a fire to this team and a passion for the game that lights up the field. In 2016, Cirvelli will again be the unsung leader for this Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team.
Chris Stewart #19
The Pirates not only had one good catcher last season, but they had two. Chris Stewart proved to be one of the most reliable backups in baseball by coming up in big spots when called upon throughout the year. His offensive numbers were some of the best in his career for the number of games he played. In 58 games, Stewart hit .289 with 0 home runs and 15 RBI. He still has not found that illustrious first Pirate home run, but he has come through with many clutch hits during his time with the Pirates.
The key to Stewart's game is his defense. He is coming off of a year in which he had a .976 fielding percentage only making two errors on the season. He was also efficient at throwing out base runners as he caught 32% of runners trying to steal on him (13 out of 41). While Stewart does not have the fire that Cirvelli has behind the plate, he is still a force to be reckoned with.
Offensively, Stewart had one of the best seasons in his major league career. His 15 RBI were second most in his career and he always came through with the timely hit when needed. He carried with him a .320 on base percentage showing his ability to get on base when coming off the bench. He was not always in the game, but when he was he was able to make his presence felt both behind the plate and in the batters box.
Stewart's role increased as the year went on in 2015. Towards the end of the season, he turned into pitcher Gerrit Cole's personal catcher. With Stewart behind the plate Cole compiled a record of 14-5. The cool calm collected nature of Stewart perfectly balanced the hot fiery nature of Gerrit Cole. Stewart was always able to go to the mound and calm down Cole when he lost his temper, and along with the guidance of Ray Searage, was able to harness the talent Cole had into a successful season. With the two year extension that Stewart received over the off-season, We could be seeing many more years of this match between catcher and pitcher.
2016 Prediction
In 2016, look for Stewart's role to increase as he will more than likely be catching the majority of Gerrit Cole's starts. The match is just too good to break up for Pirates fans. I have Stewart hitting .267 with 2 home runs and 33 RBI. Yes I believe Stewart will finally hit the first home run in his Pirates career. I have his average dropping slightly due to increased playing time, but his production in the RBI department will definitely increase. As far as backups go, the Pirates have one of the best in the league and he will be in a Pirates uniform for many years to come.
Elias Diaz #32
With only limited major league playing time last season, catcher Elias Diaz will likely start the year in Triple A Indianapolis in 2016. However, the Pirates number 14 prospect put together a 2015 campaign in Indianapolis that included a .271 average 4 home runs and 48 RBI. While his power is not there, he is a productive bat that can drive in runs. For the Pirates, that is something they look forward to in the future from Diaz.
Diaz's defensive ability is his real claim to fame at the minor league level. Last season he threw out 43% of base runners (14 out of 32) and controlled the running game effectively. He did commit 7 errors in 2015 which was good for a .984 fielding percentage. With a little work, and some more time to mature, he could evolve into a very good major league catcher.
Offensively there is still a lot of work for Diaz to do. His power numbers are not that of an everyday starting catcher in the big leagues. He has never hit more than 6 home runs in a season and has never drove in more than 55 runs. Both of those numbers need to go up if he has a chance at succeeding at the major league level. He still has another year to grow before Cirvelli's contract is up, but close behind him is the Pirates number six prospect Reese McGuire.
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