Pirates 2025 MLB season previews: Catchers

A three-headed monster is always fun to watch!

Looking ahead to the 2025 campaign, the Pittsburgh Pirates have several strong candidates for who will be their everyday catcher, along with some others that could play key roles in other ways for the team.

Joey Bart

The catcher that played for the Buccos the most in 2024 was Joey Bart, who in some ways enjoyed a bit of a career revival with the club. Though he has yet to live up to his status as one of the top picks in the draft just seven years ago, he did effectively manage to have his best season as a pro last year with Pittsburgh. Several outlets have him ranked as a potential breakout star. ZiPS projects Bart to be an above-average hitting catcher in 2025, and if he can build upon what he did last year, there should be no doubt as to who serves as the main catchers in the Pirates’ game plan for the season.

“Joey certainly took a step forward,” Pirates’ General Manager Ben Cherington said. “He’s certainly, based on what he did this year, earned a spot, and certainly a head start on a spot. We really believe in him and the changes he’s made.”

Endy Rodriguez

One of the players with the most hype around them is former top prospect, Endy Rodriguez. Rodriguez played in 57 games for the Pirates in 2023, as he was called up with a huge wave of young talent, and split reps with Henry Davis and Austin Hedges. Rodriguez seemed to have set himself apart heading into the offseason, but unfortunately had to undergo Tommy John surgery following an injury in winter ball, and having to miss the entirety of the 2024 season. Given the severity of the injury, the big question now is how will he look coming into Spring Training. The team expects him to be a full-participant but are aware that it might not be that easy.

With the uncertainty surrounding newly acquired Spencer Horowitz, Rodriguez could also see some time at first base, a position he has yet to play in the majors, but has shown to be capable of during his time in the minor leagues. Rodriguez is such a multi-capable athlete, that I don’t think the team will keep him on the sidelines for long periods of time, as he could serve as a great utility player.

Henry Davis

The player with possibly the most pressure on their plate is former top pick Henry Davis. Davis spent time last year bouncing back and forth between the minors and Pittsburgh, where he had mixed results. In the Minor Leagues, he had an OPS of .936, and looked like his old self at the plate. With the Pirates, however, he had a lowly .454 OPS, and an abysmal .144 average. He did show improvements behind the plate though, and of course can make an impact at right field where he spent the beginning of his career in the Majors.

Though Davis carries this heavy burden of being a former top pick, he’s still firmly in the mix. The team has reported he’s making some adjustments in camp, and they still see him as a part of their plan for 2025.

Jason Delay

Unfortunately there seems to be one odd-man out in this equation, and that is undoubtedly Jason Delay. Playing in just seven major league games last year, Delay will likely be optioned to triple-a Indianapolis following Spring Training, and saved as an emergency catcher if injuries strike the aforementioned players. Delay isn’t a bad player by any means, but he’s also not a needle mover. Bart came in last year and far exceeded expectations, while Rodriguez and Davis are the heir apparent to the future of the position within the team structure. Delay just doesn’t carry that same kind of status.

I don’t want to say the catchers the Pirates have are all exactly solid, but the prospect of having all three and being able to use two of them in multiple aspects does make this an interesting group to watch.