During the 2006 season, catcher Ronny Paulino grabbed the Pittsburgh Pirates catching duties by the horns. This came after he played in two games while making his MLB debut in 2005. Following his 2006 season, Paulino appeared to be on his way to emerging as the team’s long term answer at catcher.
While his offense dipped some, Paulino put together another strong season in 2007. This just furthered the belief that he would have the catcher position locked down for the foreseeable future with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Paulino signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates out of the Dominican Republic in 1997.