Staying healthy a secret to Jacob Stallings' success in 1st full season as Pirates starting catcher

Jacob Stallings knew that it was an odd time to talk about his healthy season, given that he was just reinstated Tuesday afternoon from the seven-day concussion injured list.

The Pittsburgh Pirates catcher was playing his 110th game of the season — and making his 101st start behind the plate — to provide different punctuation to the one thing the 31-year-old wanted to prove.

“I’m really proud of how my body held up,” said Stallings, who experienced mild concussion symptoms after taking a backswing to the facemask against the Miami Marlins. “This is my first full season as a starter, so I think that was my biggest question mark: Would my body able to withstand it and still perform? It did, so I’m really happy about that.”

Where Stallings took the long road to the majors, he has established himself as one of the top catchers in the National League since becoming the Pirates’ starter late in the 2019 season. Stallings also has established himself as a valuable team leader. He was voted the team’s Roberto Clemente Award winner as team MVP last season by the Pittsburgh chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America, was nominated for MLB’s Roberto Clemente Award by the Pirates and is a two-time winner of the Chuck Tanner Award as the player most cooperative with the media.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton expressed his “complete confidence” in Stallings earlier this month, starting his campaign for the catcher to win the Gold Glove after being a finalist last year.

“I think all of our pitchers have complete confidence that, regardless of where they throw the pitch, where it is, Stalls is either gonna catch it and put it in a good spot, or he’s gonna block it,” Shelton said.

Stallings is the frontrunner to win the Rawlings award this season. He has only five errors and helped the Pirates set a major league record with 193 games without a passed ball (he was on the IL when the streak was snapped). Stallings boasts a 20 defensive WAR, according to FanGraphs, that is tied for the best in baseball with Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa and Kansas City Royals outfielder Michael A. Taylor and ranks far ahead of any other catcher.

“I think, at least statistically speaking, I think I do it differently than most of those top catchers,” Stallings said. “I think a lot of my value comes from the defensive side of the ball. Whatever statistic — WAR or whatever — most of those guys are offensive guys, or at least more than me. So it’s humbling to be mentioned with those guys because those guys are some of the most talented players in baseball. I still have a lot of work to do, but it’s cool when you are mentioned with those guys.”

Pirates first baseman Colin Moran, a college teammate at North Carolina, called Stallings a “game-changer” who won the Tar Heels “a lot of games.”

“I got to see how good he was in college behind the dish there,” Moran said. “Obviously, he’s if not the best one of the best defensive catchers in the game. I love playing with him. … He’s a special player, and he’s a lot of fun to have on your team.”

What has impressed Moran is how Stallings has evolved offensively. Stallings is having a solid season, with career-bests in hits (87), runs (35), doubles (20), home runs (eight) and RBIs (53). Those totals surpass most statistics of his previous two seasons combined, when he played 113 games.

Stallings also has shown the ability to come through in the clutch. He hit a walk-off grand slam off New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz in a 9-7 win July 18 and added a walk-off single against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 31 to mark his fourth walk-off hit of the season and the seventh of his MLB career.

What is most noticeable to Stallings, however, is how he’s seeing the ball better. He has drawn more walks (47) this season than he did in the previous two (31), a promising sign of plate discipline.

“I think that’s indicative of things slowing down a little bit just because of experience,” Stallings said. “My goal is just to be as consistent as I can. … That’s just the name of the game. I’m not going to go out there and hit 30 home runs probably, so I just need to put together more consistent at-bats, put the barrel on the ball as much as I can.”

And stay as healthy as he can, which Stallings attributes to the work he does to stay in shape on his days off.

“I think there was just more recovery work done on days I’m not playing, as opposed to when I was the backup or splitting time,” Stallings said. “I would try to get more work in on the days I wasn’t playing to stay sharp and that sort of thing. I didn’t really change anything training-wise, just maybe switch it up and get a little smarter with how I work.”