Pirates Back-up Back Stop in Question for 2017

The Pittsburgh Pirates locked up starting catcher Francisco Cervelli to a three-year deal earlier this season securing their starting catcher for the next three seasons. However, they have to make a decision at the back-up catcher role as to who can be reliable in 2017.

The starting catcher role is one that has been answered for the Pirates for the next couple of seasons when they inked Francisco Cervelli to a three year 31 million dollar contract extension earlier this season. However, with as physically demanding as the catching position is,The question for 2017 is who will be the guy backing up Cervelli when he needs a night off.

The Pirates essentially have three options going into 2017 with each having both good and bad elements. Chris Stewart, Elias Diaz, and Jacob Stallings are the top three candidates to help back-up Cervelli in 2017. Each catcher saw time in 2016 and produced for the team in one way or another and will look to crack the Pirates opening day roster come April.

The first option the Pirates have is veteran backstop Chris Stewart. When the Pirates signed Stewart to a two-year contract extension last off-season, it was with the notion that he would be able to back-up Pirates catchers for the next couple of seasons. However, after an injury plagued 2016 season that saw him only catch 34 games, his lowest total since 2010, Stewart will be looking to hit the comeback road in 2017.

Stewart underwent knee surgery by Dr. James Andrews at the end of the season to repair an ailing left knee that forced him on the 60-Day Disabled list ending his season. At 34 years of age knee surgery is going to be a rough thing for Stewart to come back from. The recovery time for his surgery is six to eight weeks putting Stewart at worst a return date sometime in April which puts him in the running for the main back-up catcher.

Stewart's offensive numbers have skyrocketed since he joined the Pirates prior to the 2014 season. In that season Stewart hit a career high .294 with 10 RBI as the Pirates back-up catcher. His offensive numbers dropped a little bit during the 2015 season where he hit .289 but drove in 15 RBI throughout the course of the season. Stewart is not a guy who will provide pop off the bench as he hit his first Pirates home run in three years during the 2016 season in a game against the Cincinnati Reds, but he can be a serviceable MLB player at the plate.

Stewart's calling card throughout his major league career has been defense. He has a career .989 fielding percentage behind the plate committing 19 errors in 2798.2 career innings of work. Stewart also served as the personal catcher for Gerrit Cole during his 19-8 all-star 2015 campaign. With Stewart behind the plate that season Cole went 14-4 and kept his fiery spirit in check. Stewart is a guy focused on all-business. His numbers wont jump out at you, but he does the job he is needed for and does what he can to produce for the team.

The big question with Stewart for 2017 is can he be healthy for an entire season. He will be 35 years old entering the 2017 season coming off an extensive knee surgery. Stewart has never been a full time starter at the major league level, and the Pirates hope he can continue that in 2017. Only time will tell how his knee will be able to hold up and if we will see him behind the dish for the Pirates in the 2017 season.

If Stewart is not ready to go the Pirates do have two younger options that could step in behind the plate in Elias Diaz and Jacob Stallings. Neither have much experience at the major league level and it would be a chance to get their feet wet at the major league level. The problem you run into here is that you are taking away valuable playing time to a young prospect who you are hoping to take over the role one day.

Elias Diaz only caught one game at the major league level in 2016 before himself being place on the 60-Day Disabled list ending his season. Diaz went 0 for 4 in that game and did not commit an error behind the plate. However, that is a very small sample size so lets take a look at the Triple A numbers for Diaz.

Between Double A and Triple A in 2016 Diaz hit .290 with one home run and 16 RBI in 34 games played. Diaz was picked up by the Pirates as an undrafted free agent in the 2008 season and quickly rose through the Pirates system making it as high as the number nine prospect in the Pirates organization, and many regarded him as the catcher of the future for the Pirates.

However, defense has not been Diaz's strong suit throughout his minor league career. He has a career .983 fielding percentage committing 64 errors in just over 4000 minor league innings caught.  These numbers are going to have to improve if Diaz wants to succeed in a position that is ruled by defense. He is also not too hot in the stolen base department either as he has only caught eight men in 13 chances. In a position ruled by defense, these numbers dont help Diaz's case.

The other young Pirates option is catcher Jacob Stallings. Stallings caught in five major league games this season and offensively did pretty well hitting .400 (six hits in 15 at-bats) with two RBI. Those numbers, however, are no where close to his Triple A numbers in 2016 where he hit .214 with six home runs and 28 RBI in 80 games for the Indianapolis Indians.

Stallings had one good offensive year when he hit .275 in 2015 with the Altoona Curve at the Double A level, but other than that his average has not gone above .240 in any other year. Stallings has average power numbers hitting single digit home runs each season and ok run production, but nothing that jumps off the screen.

However, where Diaz fails in defense Stallings excels. In four years in the Pirates minor league system Stallings has committed only 20 errors for a fielding percentage of .992. Stallings does a good job of blocking balls in the dirt as well as he only allowed two pass balls in over 650 innings caught last season. However, the run game is a problem with Stallings as well as he allowed 46 stolen bases in 72 chances for Triple A this season. Again if the young backstops cant stop the run, they dont have that good of a chance to overtake Stewart.

So, the Pirates have a choice to make going into 2017. Go with the ailing veteran catcher trying to come back from knee surgery or go with an inexperienced catcher who is trying to make it at the major league level. The Pirates have minimal holes to fill in 2017 and this is one they can fill from within. Only time will tell who the Pirates use in the back-up role, but whoever is slotted there will be trying to help lead the Pirates back to the playoffs in 2017.

Locke Good, Offense Not Enough as Pirates Fall to the Reds

The Pittsburgh Pirates fell to the Cincinnati Reds 2-1 on a walk-off triple by Jay Bruce that scored Brandon Phillips. Jeff Locke threw 6.0 good innings of work, but could not get the offense he needed to back him up.

For the second straight day, the Pittsburgh Pirates offense fell flat at Great American Ball Park as they fell to the Cincinnati Reds. The Pirates again could not take advantage of key opportunities with runners on base. In total the Pirates left 14 men stranded on the day including a bases loaded situation in the first inning.

Jeff Locke started the game and pitched pretty well in his season debut. In total he went 6.0 innings giving up one run on seven hits while walking two and striking out one. Locke was the beneficiary of some great defensive plays as well as David Freese made several diving stops on the day and robbed more than one player of hits today.

For the Reds, Tim Melville was making his major league debut. The Pirates took advantage of the rookie early on in the game. Jon Jaso and Andrew McCutchen both walked to make it first and second with nobody out. However, the Pirates could not take advantage of the opportunity, however, as Freese lined out and Starling Marte struck out. Gregory Polanco drew a two out walk, but Josh Harrison finished the inning by grounding out to short stop.

This was the formula for the day as the Pirates got on base, but struggle to drive guys in when it counted. Today they left 14 runners in scoring position and only mustered one run on the day. The Pirates were one or two hits away from winning this ball game, but it was not meant to be as the Pirates just could not get it done with runners in scoring position.

The Pirates did draw first blood in the contest in the top of the second. Back-up catcher Chris Stewart stepped up with one out and drove a 2-2 pitch over the left field wall for his first home run of the season and his first as a Pirate. Stewart had not hit a home run since August of 2013 and recieved the silent treatment when he reached the Pirates dugout.

Stewart has been a solid back-up catcher for the Pirates over the last couple of seasons. Stewart is known mostly for his defense due to his .989 career fielding percentage behind the plate. However, since joining the Pirates, Stewart has broke out at the plate. He set a career high in average two seasons ago by batting .294, and added to the average total last season hitting .289.

Stewart has never been a power guy throughout his career as today's home run was only the eighth of his career. As a back-up, however, he is a very reliable guy and a great guy to have in the clubhouse. He signed a two-year extension with the Pirates during the off-season and will continue to be that reliable guy behind the plate whenever the opportunity presents himself.

The Reds responded in the bottom of the sixth as Eugenio Suarez hit his fourth home run of the season tying the game at one. Suarez has been hitting the ball well this season as he currently has a .368 average with four home runs and eight RBI in six game played. He was one of the key players for the Reds this weekend against the Pirates going 6 for 11 with two home runs and four RBI. 

The game would remained tied at one as Locke exited the game and it was turned over to the Pirates bullpen. Neftali Feliz was first out of the pen and, as he has done all year, threw a perfect inning of work while striking out one batter. Feliz has been a great pickup for the Pirates so far on the young season. He has been a key cog in this bullpen that has given up very few runs this season.

Tony Watson pitched the eighth giving up only one hit in his 1.0 inning of work. Watson has given up some hits this season, but has been able to work out of tough situations and keep the opposing team off of the board. Feliz, Watson, and Mark Melancon have done a nice job early on coming out of the bullpen and shutting the door for the Pirates. If they can continue to do that throughout the season, the Pirates will be in very good shape moving forward.

Arquimedes Caminero came into pitch the ninth inning for the Pirates with the score tied at 1-1. Brandon Phillips, another Pirate killer this series, started things off with a lead-off single on a 0-2 pitch to set-up shop for the Reds. Devin Mesoraco was next and he popped up on a 2-0 pitch to Josh Harrison for the first out.

Then, Jay Bruce stepped up with Phillips on first and one out. On the day, Bruce was 1 for 3 to this point and had been held at bay. Caminero had him down in the count 2-2, but Bruce took the next pitch and lined it down the right field line and into the corner. Phillips was able to score from first base and give the Reds the walk-off win.

With the loss, the Pirates drop this series against the Reds losing two out of three games. The Reds owned the Pirates last season, especially at Great American Ball Park where the Pirates were 4-6 last season. Moving forward, the Pirates have to find a way to win these division games so they can take the next step and possibly win the division in 2016.

The Pirates return to the field tomorrow afternoon when they travel to Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan to take on the Detroit Tigers. With the postponement today, the Tigers will have Justin Verlander (0-0 4.50) on the mound. Last time out against the Miami Marlins, Verlander went 6.0 innings giving up three runs on three hits while walking two and striking out five. The Pirates will oppose with left-hander Jon Niese (0-0 7.20). Niese struggled last time out against the St. Louis Cardinals throwing 5.0 innings giving up five runs, four earned, on five hits while striking out seven and walking one. First pitch from Comerica Park is scheduled for 1:10 p.m.

Pirates Bench Full of Versatile Players in 2016

The Pittsburgh Pirates have many different options for their bench in 2016. They have plenty of versatile options and plenty of straight up position players to choose from.

Opening Day is one week away, and one of the questions the Pirates have to resolve is who will be the five players on the Pirates bench this season. It is up to manager Clint Hurdle and his staff as to whether or not they want to go with versatile players at multiple positions or players who are skilled at one or two positions to help the Pirates off the bench. The Pirates have good players in both scenarios that could help them succeed in 2016.

The Pirates look to have a bench full of versatile players this year who can give everyday players multiple breaks. I can see the bench being Chris Stewart, Sean Rodriguez, Michael Morse, Jason Rodgers, and Pedro Florimon. Each of these players have versatility, which could be a key aspect to the 2016 Pirates.

The main stays from last years Pirates bench are Chris Stewart and Sean Rodriguez. Both of these players have proved successful for the Pirates in past years. Stewart is one of the best back-up catchers in the league. He served as Gerrit Cole's personal catcher towards the end of the season and had 14 wins with Cole. This season he will be back and will serve as the back-up catcher/Cole's personal catcher. 

Rodriguez will serve as the super utility man on the bench in either combination. The role was previously played by Josh Harrison, who is currently the starting second baseman. With Harrison in more than a solidified role, the job will now fall on Rodriguez's shoulders. Last season, Rodriguez appeared all over the field for the Pirates playing at first base, second base, short stop, third base, right field, and left field. He has shown the ability to hold his own at all of these positions comitting a total of three errors between the six positions.

The other players in this combination are wild-card options. First we have Pedro Floriomon, a natural short stop who has seen time at second base and the outfield throughout his career. The former Minnesota Twin saw time with the Pirates last season and played mostly second base and short stop. His big hit with the Pirates was his walk-off triple against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Florimon has been most noted for his defense throughout his professional career with a batting average that has been lacking. Florimon has had a pretty good spring with the bat however hitting .242 with one home run and a team high 12 RBI. If the Pirates go this option, it will be a battle between Cole Figueroa, another utility infielder, and Pedro Florimon. Both would provide strong defense to the team.

In this option Jason Rodgers, acquired from the Brewers in the off-season, would also make the team. Rodgers was a late-season call-up for the Brewers last season and performed well in a small sample size. Rodgers hit .296 with four home runs and 16 RBI in 152 at-bats. Rodgers has experience at first base, third base, right field, and left field.

While not as versatile as Rodriguez, Rodgers has shown the ability to play multiple positions throughout his career. In his minor league career, he has a .991 fielding percentage at first base, his primary position, committing 23 errors in 2270.2 innings. Rodgers is still a young player with some minor league options ahead of him. He has some experience in the outfield which could be useful to the Pirates as well.

Rodgers is a swing guy who could go either to the majors or the minors and succeed for the Pirates. Rodgers is a guy I am really excited for. Whether it be now or in the future, he can bring a lot of skills to the Pirates and will be an intriguing option either now or in the years to come.

The final addition to this versatile bench is Michael Morse. Morse could make an appearance on either bench as well simply for the power bat that he brings to the lineup. He can also play first base and both corner outfield position if he is needed there. Morse is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career but has turned it around this spring hitting .345 with three RBI.

Morse could be a very productive bat off of the Pirates bench in 2016, providing some much needed pop late in the game. I feel that Morse's role will change as the season goes on, and he will eventually be used as a platoon in right field for the Pirates. This will help Morse's chances of making the team immensely because it gives the Pirates a back-up option in case of injury to an outfielder.

The bench will be relied on a lot this season not only for days off, but for offense and speed at the end of the game. These five players will provide excellent defense and can handle any position on the field. However, we will probably see more than these guys throughout the season as it always takes more than 25 players to have a successful season. The Pirates have many players that will be helping them on the bench as the 2016 season progresses.

Nicasio Remains Hot in Pirates Win Over the Minnesota Twins

Juan Nicasio continued his hot spring training as the Pirates defeated the Minnesota Twins on the road today by a score of 2-0.

The Pittsburgh Pirates were in split squad action this afternoon, and half the team traveled to Century Link Sports Complex to take on the Minnesota Twins. The Pirates were able to defeat the Twins by a final Score of 2-0. Pitching was very good today only giving up sic hits on the afternoon in 9.0 innings of work.

Juan Nicasio started the game for the Pirates and continued what has been an outstanding spring for the Pirates. He threw 5.0 innings giving up five hits while walking two and striking out eight, Nicasio has really solidified his spot as the fifith starter in the Pirates rotation. Out of the three candidates, Nicasio has had the best spring and has had the most experience.

In his last two innings he has thrown 10 innings and struck out 18 batters. Not particularly known as a strikeout pitcher, Nicasio has really turned it on this spring and has impressed me as the spring progresses. As it stands right now, he is having the best spring out of any pitcher on the roster throwing 15.0 innings while striking  out 24 batters and having yet to give up a run. Nicasio pitched in the bullpen last season and is looking to return to the starting rotation for Pittsburgh here in 2016.

Nicasio has been a bright spot for the Pirates this spring and looks to continue this success into the regular season. Nicasio's best major league season came with the Colorado Rockies in 2013 when he went 9-9 with a 5.14 ERA while striking out 119 and walking 64. He is looking to better those numbers in 2016 for Pittsburgh. If Nicasio can be a reliable option at the back end of the rotation, Pittsburgh could posses one of the best rotations in baseball.

Up next was Neftali Feliz, who will be in the back part of the Pirates bullpen in 2016. Feliz performed well today throwing 2.0 innings giving up no runs on one hit while striking out one. Feliz has also had a good spring pitching to a 1.50 ERA in six inning of work. The former Texas Rangers closer is looking to succeed in a late inning role for the Pirates in 2016.

The Pirates have essentially three closers in the back of their bullpen with Mark Melancon, Tony Watson, and Feliz. If the game gets into the late innings and the Pirates have the lead, there is a good chance that they are going to come out victorious. This will be a key to the Pirates success in 2016. If starters can keep them in the game and the Pirates can score enough runs, this could be a big year for the Pirates.

Veteran Jim Fuller came in to finish the game for the Pirates and threw 2.0 perfect innings while striking out two batters. Fuller collected his first save of the season in the contest and and is also pitching well with a 1.23 ERA this spring. Fuller will be a reliable reinforcement for the Pirates bullpen in 2016.

Fuller spent last season with Triple A Nashville in the Oakland Athletics organization and went 2-1 with a 2.78 ERA. Fuller has been in professional baseball for seven years and has yet to make it to the big league level. This could be the year as he will be pitching in Triple A Indianapolis. If any of the bullpen pitchers get injured, we could see Fuller up at some point during the regular season.

Pitching was very good in this game. They gave up only six hits in 9.0 innings of work and in total struck out 11 batters. Nicasio continued his hot spring and still has not given up a run. Feliz also continued his successful spring and is looking to be a key contributor to the Pirates bullpen during the 2016 season.

The offense did not do much for the Pirates in this one, but did just enough to win the game. Sometimes, that is what is going to happen for the Pirates this year. With a lack of power, the clutch RBI hit will be essential to the Pirates success. Today, they got good pitching and did just enough to win the game.

Chris Stewart lead the offensive charge today, going 1 for 2 with one run scored on the afternoon. The Pirates back-up catcher last season established his role as Gerrit Cole's personal catcher. Together they won 14 games last season and will continue the duo this season. Stewart is a great back up for the Pirates to have as he provides great defense and a bat that can come through in the clutch when the Pirates need him to.

David Freese and Starling Marte each went 1 for 2 on the day with singles in the game. Marte has been putting together a very good spring hitting .429 with one home run on the spring. Freese, who just joined the Pirates, has been in a little slump early on hitting .182 in the early going. Both players will be an essential part to this Pirates team and will help lead them to success in 2016.

Minor league outfielder Elvis Escobar got his first spring training action and went 1 for 1 with one run scored on the afternoon. Escobar spent last season on the West Virginia Black Bears and hit .296 with five home runs and 64 RBI. It will be a long time before we see him in a Pirates uniform, but he is a promising young outfielder for the Pirates to look forward to.

Up next the Pirates come back together as a full squad at McKechnie Field as they take on the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles will be sending righty Miguel Gonzalez (1-3 14.90) to the mound. The Pirates will counter with lefty Jeff Locke (0-3 7.07) as he continues his fight for the fifth starter spot. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m.

Offense Shut Down as Pirates Are Sunk By Tigers

The Pittsburgh Pirates offense was shut out today as they lost to the Detroit Tigers by a final score of 3-0 as their record falls to 3-8 on the Grapefruit League season.

The Pirates pitchers performed pretty well on the mound today, but the Pirates offense was held in check as the Pirates fell 3-0 to the Detroit Tigers. Some key contributors to the Pirates offense strated to heat up but it was not enough to defeat Mike Pelfrey and the Tigers.

The long battle for the fifth starter spot continued as Jeff Locke took the hill for the Pirates. In his last spring outing Locke performed well pitching 3 innings of scoreless baseball while only allowing two hits on the day. The outing before that was a nightmare as he went 2 innings giving up four runs against the Tigers.

This time out, he continued his hot streak as he had an overall solid outing. He pitched 4.0 innings giving up two runs on  two hits while striking out five and walking one. The strike out numbers were a good thing to see for Locke in today's outing. If Locke can improve upon his 2015 strikeout numbers it could go a long way to making him the solid back-end of the rotation pitcher that the Pirates desperately need.

Locke had a slow start to the fifth starter spot race but recently has turned it on. He is in a battle with Kyle Lobstein and Juan Nicasio to see who will round out the starting rotation. Locke came into spring training the likely candidate for the job. However, with the performances of Lobstein and Nicasio so far, Locke is going to have to have a couple of great outings if he wants to remain the fifth starter for the Pirates.

After Locke, a pair of candidates for the 2016 Pirates bullpen entered the game in John Holdzkum and Eric O'Flaherty. Each performed well today and helped their case to be a part of the 2016 shark tank for Pittsburgh.

Holdzkum threw one inning of perfect baseball retiring the side 1-2-3. Ever since his shaky outing in the beginning of spring against Toronto where he gave up three runs in just 0.2 innings pitched, Holdzkum has been solid for the Pirates. Fighting his way back from injury, Holdzkum looks to be a solid option for the Pirates in the middle of their bullpen.

O'Flaherty also had a strong outing giving up no runs on one hit while walking one in his 1.0 inning of work. So far this spring, O'Flaherty has been performing well for the Pirates only giving up one earned run in his four outings. His only real rough spot came in his first outing when he gave up 5 runs, only one earned, and walked one batter. O'Flaherty is looking to revitalize his career with Pittsburgh after a down 2015 season. So far in spring training, he is making a strong case for a spot in the 2016 Pirates bullpen.

Two non-roster invitees finished out the game as Jorge Rondon threw a scoreless inning only giving up one hit and Curtis Partch gave up one run on two hits while walking two and striking out one in his 1.0 inning of work. For the most part the Pirates pitching did very well this afternoon, however the offense could not do anything as the Pirates suffered the loss.

While the offense was not able to score any runs today, there were some positives on the day. Some of the key offensive players for the Pirates performed well at the plate and are starting to get hot over the course of spring training. These minor victories will be key to the Pirates moving forward.

Michael Morse has been working a lot in right field recently and performed well in today's game going 1 for 2 with a walk on the day. With the log jam of first baseman the Pirates currently posses, it will be key for a guy like Morse to learn multiple positions so that he can be useful for the Pirates. Morse does have the ability to play the corner outfield positions and can be used there on his off days from playing first base.

The addition of David Freese also makes it vital for for Morse to be able to play multiple positions. Freese provides a veteran infielder to back up the corner positions. If Freese has success it could mean that Morse gets moved to the outfield to help with depth at that position. Either way, he will be a key platoon piece for the Pirates to use throughout the season.

Another player who performed well today was Chris Stewart. Stewart went 2 for 3 today with two singles increasing his spring average to .300. Stewart will be used to back-up Francisco Cervelli this season and could see some time catching Gerrit Cole. Last season, Cole collected 14 of his 19 wins with Stewart behind the plate. That match will continue in 2016 and could see the Pirates all the way to the 2016 playoffs.

Pedro Florimon continued his spring training success as he went 1 for 2 today increasing his average to .313. With the addition of Freese, it is looking less likely that Florimon could make the roster. However, if he keeps performing well he could find his way with the big league club at some point during the 2016 season. Josh Bell also had a good day at the plate getting one hit in his only at bat of the night.

Don't let the current spring training record fool you, there have been a lot of positives for the Pirates over the course of spring training. we have seen guys like Florimon and Lobstein perform well while doing what they can for the team. There is still a lot of work to be done, but with opening day still 22 days away, the Pirates have some time to work out the cincks that are present in their 2016 roster.

The Pirates are back in action tomorrow as they once again take on the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers will send lefty Matt Boyd to the mound. He comes into the game with a 1-0 record so far in spring training with a 1.80 ERA. For Pittsburgh, it will be the spring training debut of ace Gerritt Cole. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. at McKechnie Field in Bradenton, Florida.