CINCINNATI -- With each passing day, Joey Bart has looked more and more like the guy who will lead the Pirates into spring training as the clear frontrunner for the opening day job at catcher. Yes, there are plenty of backstops in the mix heading into 2025, including Endy Rodriguez and Henry Davis, but it’s hard to ignore what Bart has done this season.
Since being acquired from the Giants in early April, he's put up career numbers at the plate with 13 home runs and 43 RBIs in 73 games, all while establishing himself as a difference maker behind the dish. Sure, his blocking and pitch framing could use some work over the offseason, but talking with a few pitchers in St. Louis, it's clear how much the entire staff respects the work Bart has put in to develop strong relationships and an individual rapport with each and every pitcher he works with. From what I've gathered, these guys truly value what Bart brings to the table in terms of how he prepares and puts members of the pitching staff in the best position possible to succeed.
“He definitely puts his work in. You can really tell,” David Bednar said. “He does a great job from the communication aspect, and he’s a good target back there. It’s easy to build that trust, get on the same page and be convicted in all of your pitches.”
There may not be a bigger advocate for Bart than Bailey Falter, who has been paired with him 14 times this season. In those games, Falter has clearly displayed a strong relationship and trust with Bart, compiling a 3.18 ERA and holding opposing hitters to a .229 batting average with him back behind the plate. There’s obvious comfort, but it all stems from the preparation that goes into it all.
“When we go into our pregame meetings on my start days, he’s locked, man,” Falter told me. “Even when I come in early, he’s already on the computer writing down his notes. I mean, he still has to worry about what he has to do himself, but he does a really good job of taking care of us. I know I wouldn’t be able to do it without him and I’m sure these guys feel the same way, too.”
Considering the manner in which Bart is viewed within that clubhouse, as a team-first guy with a good attitude and a likable personality, it’s hard not to think he’ll go into the offseason with the clear advantage ahead of Rodriguez and Davis. The impression he’s made, both on the field and in the clubhouse, shouldn’t be overlooked.
"There's no one better that we'd want there in that position for us," Colin Holderman said. "He cares, and when you get that connection and go out there, it really syncs up. It makes things a lot easier for everyone."
MORE PIRATES
• After signing a one-year, $3.2 million deal with the Pirates last offseason, Rowdy Tellez is set to become a free agent at year's end. First base will undoubtedly be a position of need this offseason and Tellez told me he would be interested in returning to the team if the opportunity presents itself.
"This team has a good chance to win and I think we showed that we can win," Tellez said. "There were a couple little hiccups there that we took to heart and let it get to us. When you go through it once, it's easier to go through it again if it happens. I think we'll be in a good spot if it happens again."
• More on Tellez: This guy has continued to show value as a veteran player willing to help younger guys in the clubhouse. I've seen him have conversations with guys like Billy Cook and Nick Yorke since they've made their major-league debuts and Yorke said that, in addition to providing him with advice on how to handle things in the big leagues, Tellez has helped him in other ways as well, whether it be with bunt coverages in the field or pitching reports and scouting reports in the dugout.
"He's an awesome teammate," Yorke would tell me. "I can't say enough good things about him."
And this is something Tellez clearly takes pride in.
"That's part of being an older player, being able to talk to them and help the next generation moving forward," he said. "That's what guys did for me, so it's not something you shy away from. I've had one of those careers that's been up and down, so for me it's just about teaching them and trying to talk to them about things when they're struggling or even if they want to come talk to me about anything. I'm always going to be an open book."
• Andrew McCutchen has proven that even at the age of 37, he can still hang with the best of them. It’s part of the reason why he was given the opportunity to return to the Pirates for the 2023 season and why the team chose to re-sign him for 2024. McCutchen has oftentimes looked like the Pirates’ best hitter during a year in which he currently ranks first on the team in walks (57), second in home runs (20) and on-base percentage (.335) and third in hits (101), runs scored (65) and OPS (.760).
The veteran, who has set numerous career and team-oriented milestones this season, has expressed interest in wanting to return for another season in a Pirates uniform. That’s something Dejan Kovacevic reported in Cleveland late last month. As the season winds down and the Pirates go into the offseason with decisions to make, McCutchen will certainly be on the list of players worth bringing back. Ben Cherington has even discussed the possibility of McCutchen returning in 2025, acknowledging that he's proving again he can hit at a level in which he can help the team win games.
“We would love to find a way for Andrew to finish his career in a Pirates uniform," Cherington said last week. "Glad he feels good, feels like he can still do that and still play. As I did last year, as we get to the end of the season, we'll have a conversation with Andrew after the season's over."
But in bringing McCutchen back for his age 38 season, he’d really be limited to one singular role as the team’s designated hitter. Considering the injury issues he's had this season, would that make him a crutch to the Pirates’ lineup, or a valuable asset? Is it worth another season of having him take up most of the DH duties instead of deploying multiple players in that spot? The Pirates clearly think the latter would be the case, as Derek Shelton told me the most important thing is that he’s been a good offensive performer this season. That’s evidently the only thing that matters when considering him for another year as the team's regular DH.
• Carmen Mlodzinski has made a notable transformation since struggling with command and allowing 10 runs over his first five appearances in May. Since then, this is his line through 31 appearances (four starts): 39.2 IP, 28 H, 11 R, 10 ER, 10 BB, 33 K.
Over that time, Mlodzinski has posted a 2.41 ERA and held opposing hitters to a .207 batting average. Prior to landing on the injured list with a right shoulder strain in July, Mlodzinski told me he was experiencing a bit of a struggle finding things that line up with his body mechanically. He was searching, going through ups and downs, and things started to turn in his direction when he found ways to help him both from a mechanical perspective and with some pitch adjustments. Mlodzinski mentioned that he made mechanical changes to his sweeper and added a gyro slider that goes underneath a bat, a change in comparison to the other pitches in his arsenal that go above.
“It’s something to be able to get underneath and it’s something to help my fastball as well,” he told me. “If everything is kind of shooting up, especially from my low arm slot, it kind of gives me the option to get underneath if a guy is starting to cheat up.”
It’s encouraging to see that adjustments to his mechanics and pitch repertoire have helped Mlodzinski take strides in year No. 2. But he also told me that his good outcomes have ultimately come as a result of filling up the zone and throwing strikes on a more consistent basis.
“I think I've made some adjustments to my stuff that have allowed me to miss bats and miss barrels,” Mlodzinski said. “But the most important adjustment for me putting up zeroes has been being in the strike zone, being ahead in the count, attacking and understanding I'm only going to go one or two innings, so I can't give up any free bases."
• Those hoping to see Cook or Yorke focus on one specific position will seemingly have to wait longer. Shelton and company are enamored with the idea of young players being exposed to multiple positions. Cook has played four different positions, including all three outfield spots, in his brief time with the major-league club. Yorke appeared in his first two games at his primary second-base position before playing third on Wednesday and left field in Thursday's series finale. Shelton told me the complexion of the club will determine whether guys like Cook and Yorke will eventually call one particular position home in the future.
“The other thing is performance also tells you that. If you perform, you’re going to get put at a position and stay there,” Shelton said. “The other thing is availability. If it’s a center fielder, we have (Oneil) Cruz there, if it’s a left fielder we have (Bryan) Reynolds there. In (Jared) Triolo’s case, we had Ke’Bryan (Hayes) at third, so it ended up being second. Some of it has to do with the complexion of your club.”
