Catching up: Yasmani Grandal embraces opportunity to mentor Pirates catchers

BRADENTON, Fla. — Yasmani Grandal knew the score when he signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates, who had a gaping hole at catcher and a former No. 1 overall pick eager for his shot.

The 35-year-old backstop, a two-time All-Star in 12 seasons, wasn’t worried about the money. He has more than $102 million in career earnings, but a four-year, $73 million deal with the Chicago White Sox ended with a dismal season in which he lost his starting job.

With Endy Rodriguez lost for the season to elbow surgery, 2021 top pick Henry Davis returning to his natural position after a season in right field and backup Jason Delay the only candidate with more than a handful of games of major-league experience, the Pirates were desperate for depth at catcher entering spring training.

So Grandal signed a one-year contract for $2.5 million plus $1 million in incentives with the Pirates on Wednesday so he could have the chance to prove his playing career isn’t over.

“I just like the opportunity, period,” Grandal said. “I’m excited to be here and happy to be here. This is an up-and-coming team that did pretty good last year, so hopefully I can just help as much as I can.”

Grandal follows in the footsteps of defense-first catchers signed by the Pirates the past two seasons who understood it was their responsibility to help groom their eventual replacements.

Where Roberto Perez played in only 21 games in 2022 before suffering a season-ending torn hamstring and Austin Hedges started 65 games before being traded to the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers, both took time to teach the prospects as proteges while providing stability behind the plate for a young pitching staff.

Like Hedges, Grandal has a history with Pirates farm director John Baker. They were teammates with the San Diego Padres when Grandal made his debut in 2012 and for a short spell the following season. Where former Pirates All-Star catcher Jason Kendall tutored Baker on the finer points of the position, Baker tried to do the same for a young Grandal, who was an All-American at the University of Miami.

“If I were to think about a guy who talked you through situations and stuff like that,” Grandal said, “he was probably the first guy.”

Yasmani Grandal saw opportunity to be the starting catcher for the Pirates and help mentor their young catchers, like Endy Rodriguez and Henry Davis. pic.twitter.com/Yv3foy4o9s

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) February 15, 2024

Grandal plans to do the same by returning the favor for the Pirates, working closely with Davis, Delay and Ali Sanchez, as well as Rodriguez during his recovery, at spring training.

“I’ve had my career, and those guys are just getting started. If I can help them in any way, that’s No. 1,” Grandal said. “Everything else is about trying to win and helping them do a good job behind the plate whenever I’m not there. The catching group is one of the most important groups on a team, so anything I can do for them to help them develop and become their own, I’ll gladly do it.”

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Grandal “was the one that fit best for us” because of his experience, work ethic and attitude. On Wednesday, Pirates manager Derek Shelton stopped short of naming Grandal the starting catcher but indicated he will occupy one spot on the 26-man roster opposite Davis, Delay or Sanchez, which Cherington echoed Thursday at Grapefruit League media day in Tampa.

“Excited to get to know Yas,” Cherington said. “The reputation he has is he’s an incredibly hard worker, takes game preparation really seriously and has a really high standard for competition. A bit of edge around expecting to win, and that’s an element that we want to bring into our team. The left-handed component as a switch-hitter is a nice complement to the rest of our group. So we’ll look forward to getting to know him and then we’ll have a healthy competition for that second spot.”

Davis said he expected as much, given that he started 49 games in right field and caught only two innings in the majors last season and Sanchez has played only seven games in the majors, none since 2021. That left Delay, who has played in 127 games over two seasons and became Mitch Keller’s preferred battery mate, as the lone catcher with experience.

“When Endy went down, I kind of thought there would be a logical course of action, (signing) someone that can consistently help us win games,” Davis said. “Competition, it’s good for everybody. It’s going to make us all better. It’s going to make us a better team at the end of the day.”

For Grandal, the key is staying healthy. He was sidelined by a bulging disc in his back in 2022, then dealt with knee and hamstring problems. That might explain why a catcher who recorded 52 defensive runs saved for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2015-18 had negative DRS numbers the past three seasons with the White Sox, including a career-worst minus-11 in 92 games (79 starts) behind the plate last year.

Grandal split time with Seby Zavala last season before giving way to Korey Lee, a former first-round pick acquired from the Houston Astros in exchange for right-handed reliever Kendall Graveman in late July.

“In the second half, I kinda understood what direction the White Sox were going,” Grandal said, “and, as soon as we got Korey Lee, that was my responsibility to get him to succeed in the major leagues.”

Like his predecessors, the Pirates aren’t expecting as much from Grandal at the plate as they are behind it — although his career .347 on-base percentage is attractive, thanks to a patient approach that saw him draw more walks (87) than strikeouts (82) in 2021. A career .237 hitter, Grandal has a 111 OPS+ and hit double-digit homers seven times in his career, including at least 22 five times from 2016-21. His total dropped to eight homers and 33 RBIs last year.

After enduring a 101-loss season with the White Sox, Grandal is worried less about playing time and concentrating more on contributing to a winning team, whether that’s through his play or his tutelage.

“I love competition. That’s just me,” Grandal said. “The competitor in me says you can go out and play 162. The body, by the end of the year, not so much. I’m a competitor, and I love the daily routine of how to figure out how to win. That’s what keeps me going.”