One breakout saved this group from being a disaster.
Our yearly review series kicks off with the catchers position group, which was one of the more disappointing groups overall, but there was a silver lining with one breakout player.
Henry Davis
There’s no sugarcoating this. Davis was awful at the Major League level. Any preseason optimism that the former top overall pick was going to have his own breakout this year were quickly squashed, as Davis looked overwhelmed at the plate, was a mixed bag behind it, and also struggled with some injuries. He finished the year hitting .144 with 1 homerun and 5 RBIs along with an OPS of .453 in 37 games played. Truly ugly numbers.
And though it’d be easy to write Davis off as a lost cause after this atrocious showing, his numbers in the Minors are too good to close the book on yet. Through 57 games with Altoona, Davis hit .307 with 13 homers and 43 RBIs and an OPS of .956. The guy can hit. Why he’s fallen apart in the Majors is another story, but maybe a new hitting coach can help him figure it out. Despite the terrible year in the Big Leagues, Davis is sure to get another crack at it next season.
Yasmani Grandal
Despite starting off the year injured, Grandal played in 72 games for the Buccos, and the veteran played about as expected — mediocre. Grandal is now three years removed from his last 20 homer season, and the 35-year-old is what he is at this point, and that’s the .228, 8 homer, 27 RBI guy he was this season for the Pirates. But ultimately, he did what he was signed to do, which was provide a veteran option with Endy Rodriguez injured and in case Henry Davis struggled (which we know he did). Grandal was in town on a one-year deal, so don’t expect him back, That’s because among the bad play was this next guy, a solid breakout:
Joey Bart
Bart came to the Buccos back on April 2 in deal with the San Francisco Giants in exchange for Austin Strickland, and it became one of the biggest suprise successes of the year for the Pittsburgh front office. Bart wound up leading all Pirates catchers in games played with 80, and he was clearly the best hitter among the group, finishing with an average of .265 to go along with 13 homers and 43 RBIs. His OPS was .799. Bart was good enough that it made the struggles of Davis and Grandal not as consequential, though he did go down with a hamstring injury in August/September. Bart is arbitration eligible in 2025, though he’s under team control until 2028, and his presence could allow the Bucs some positional flexibility with Rodriguez slated to return in 2025.
Rodriguez got a few games in with the Minors in his return from injury and is expected to be ready to go for next season. With Bart in the fold, Davis still holding some potential and Rodriguez seemingly healthy, this group could easily become a team strength moving forward.
Catchers Jason Delay and Grant Koch also made appearances at the Major League level but played in just 10 games with 22 at bats between them.