Yasmani Grandal isn’t hitting anywhere near his weight and admittedly made an inexcusable mental error that allowed the Colorado Rockies to steal home Saturday night, a blemish for any catcher.

Yet there’s a reason the Pittsburgh Pirates find value in the 35-year-old Grandal, and it has everything to do with the two-time All-Star’s experience and how much he pours into preparation.

“There’s a calming presence about Yaz,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “He’s caught a lot of years. He’s caught a lot of pitchers. He’s played in a lot of big games. That’s the thing that stands out. So, when you have a young pitcher, sometimes having a guy back there that has a little bit of a presence about him, it’s just a little bit of a confidence factor.”

The Pirates place full trust in Grandal’s game calling — from pitch selection to sequencing — and receiving skills, despite some bumpy moments through his first 28 games since returning from the injured list after being sidelined by plantar fasciitis in his left foot during spring training.

It’s why Grandal has been behind the plate for four of rookie right-hander Paul Skenes’ first six starts in the major leagues, including his MLB debut against the Chicago Cubs, his first career win and the showcase against Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“His ability to think the game, that’s why he’s played the game for so long,” Skenes said. “That’s one thing I can tell about why he’s here: His ability to game plan, think the game — all of that — is unlike anything I’ve ever been around, which is really cool.”

Shelton called Grandal’s mid-February signing, just before the start of spring training, a “huge” deal for the Pirates. For one, it added depth at a position that lost starter Endy Rodriguez to offseason Tommy John surgery on his right (throwing) elbow. It provided a 13-year veteran to mentor 2021 No. 1 overall pick Henry Davis as he transitioned back to his natural position after playing primarily in right field as a rookie.

It wasn’t just Grandal’s name that brought gravitas. As enamored as Davis is with the resume, he was more impressed with Grandal’s punctuality at Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla., for spring training.

“I pride myself on rarely getting beat to the field, but he was there before me,” Davis said. “He probably beat me the next three days, as I was trying to figure out when he got there. Every single day you see what he’s doing from a work ethic perspective, then you go back and look at the track record: What’s this guy done? What’s he accomplished? He’s seen so many more pitches, so many more games, so many more pitchers than I have that I just listen as much as I can. Whenever he chimes in on me personally, it’s a moment I’m very appreciative of.”

Grandal’s injury, however, denied Davis some of the grace period that was expected. When Jason Delay underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, it forced Davis to start 16 of the first 20 games after catching only two innings in the majors last season.

The unexpected benefit was that Grandal’s month-long absence required a rehabilitation assignment at Triple-A Indianapolis, where he was able to get acquainted with Skenes before his promotion to the majors.

“We understand each other pretty well, I think,” Skenes said. “We can have candid conversations also about what we think, so it’s great to go to him.”

Where Grandal has earned the trust of Skenes, he was behind the plate for both starts where fellow rookie right-hander Jared Jones allowed six earned runs, at Detroit on May 29 and at Colorado on Saturday. And Rockies star Ryan McMahon timed Grandal’s lob back to the mound to steal home uncontested in the fifth inning.

“That can’t happen, obviously,” Grandal said. “It’s a mental error, pretty much. There’s a few other things that go into it, but let’s keep it at mental error.”

Grandal has three throwing and two fielding errors in 214 2/3 innings over 28 games this season, as the Pirates have been careful with his workload. While Grandal has caught back-to-back games five times since returning to the majors May 4, he has yet to start three in a row.

His .180 batting average should be alarming, even if Grandal had his first multi-hit game in almost a month Saturday. Of his 16 hits, five are for extra bases — three doubles and two home runs — and he has 13 RBIs. What’s worse is his on-base percentage (.207), as he has 17 strikeouts against three walks.

Like Austin Hedges last season, the Pirates didn’t sign Grandal for his offense. He came at half the price — $2.5 million, plus performance incentives — and with similar defensive expectations.

The Pirates are 15-7 in his 22 starts. That’s a .681 win percentage with Grandal catching for a team that is three games below .500 and a half game out of last place in the NL Central.

Lefty starter Martin Perez, who has played against Grandal for years, believes it’s an old-school approach to showing up at the ballpark early and studying scouting reports and video that speaks to his success.

“He’s a great catcher,” Perez said. “He’s smart. He knows how to work with the sequencing with the hitters, what pitch you throw more for strikes in situations. His communication, the way he calls a game is good. When you have a catcher and he’s prepared, it’s really good because not many times you’re going to check. You’re always going to trust what he calls. You just go out there and compete. Anything he calls, you’re going to feel good because you know he’s prepared. Sometimes, you might have something different on your mind and you check him and he’s not going to say anything. One good thing is he’s not selfish.

“He understands how to keep the game close and try to win as many games as we can.”

Pirates All-Star right-hander Mitch Keller said being on the same page about the game plan with Grandal allows him to throw pitches with confidence and conviction and focus on finding a rhythm.

“He’s just very prepared, so I think that’s where a lot of the trust comes from,” Keller said. “He knows the game, knows the hitters. He’s been playing for a long time and he’s been an elite-level catcher for a long time, too.”

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