Bucs Dugout · Nov 20, 2019
Examining the free agent catching market
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports The catcher position was a major weakness for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2019. As a whole, the position produced an fWAR of -0.4 last season, fifth worst in baseball.
Not all was bad. Jacob Stallings showed promise in 71 games producing an fWAR of 1.3. He was solid behind the dish both at framing and blocking. Stallings was fine enough with the bat hitting .262/.325/.382 with a wRC+ of 82. With a defense first catcher, you could certainly do worse. Towards the end of the season, I pondered whether or not Stallings could be the everyday catcher in 2020. It may very well end up being his job to lose.