Pirates Confident in Catching Group for 2027
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates had questions at catcher heading into this season, but the future seems much clearer nearing its finale.
The Pirates have three catchers on their 40-man roster: Henry Davis, Rafael Flores Jr. and Endy Rodríguez, all of whom have performed well in different areas this season.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington spoke about the catcher position group on The Pirates Insider Show on 93.7 The Fan and sees all three playing a big role on the team next season.
"...So we’re down to, I guess, three catchers on the 40[-man roster] and we still believe all three are really capable major league catchers and can be primary catchers on major league teams," Cherington said.
"We hope that this is a little bit of that “Iron sharpens iron” thing that we see in the pitching group where the competition inside that group is pushing all of them. They’re all capable defensively, they’re all capable on the offensive side."
Where the Pirates Catchers Have Excelled This Season
The Pirates have had Davis, Flores and Rodríguez for most of the season, as well as Joey Bart for the first six weeks and then Shawn Ross for two games.
Pittsburgh's catcher trio have all shown why they should play more and where they work best, but have also put themselves in among the better position groups in MLB.
The Pirates catchers have hit 30 collective home runs in 2026, the most for the position group in a single season in franchise history.
Flores and Davis lead the Pirates catchers with 10 home runs each, and Rodríguez also hit seven this season.
Pittsburgh's catchers also rank fifth in slugging percentage. (.416) and OPS (.731), seventh in wRC+ (99), eighth in WAR (3.3) tied for eighth-most home runs, 10th in OBP (.316)
The Pirates don't rank as well defensively, 13th with -1 defensive runs saved (DRS), but the offensive numbers are encouraging.
Where the Pirates Turn To at Catcher in 2027
The Pirates have their three options at catcher, all of whom provide positives and negatives.
Rodríguez looked like he could hold onto the starting catcher role, batting .267/.373/.467 for an OPS of .840, but he continues dealing with injury issues, undergoing season-ending surgery on his left hip labrum on Aug. 26.
He has a seven-to-ninth month injury timeline, so he won't be ready for games until March-May 2027.
Davis is fantastic defensively, tied sixth with +8 DRS, and has caught 17 of 37 batters trying to steal on him, but his offense has been poor, batting .169/.272/.313 for an OPS of .585.
The first overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft hasn't put it together at the major leagues, but the Pirates have faith he can turn it around.
"I think Henry, obviously, is-the offensive side of Henry’s game at the major league level has been a grind for him," Cherington said. "Probably not at the level that we all anticipated it would be. It doesn’t mean it won’t get there.
"We see a guy who's not striking out, who’s hitting the ball hard, generally making contact. Sometimes guys like that are only an adjustment or two away from putting up much better numbers. We all know the defensive side of his game is a strength."
Flores is the most intriguing for next season, as he's hit .286/.354/.556 for an OPS of .910 in 43 games, with six doubles, 10 home runs and 22 RBI serving as that right-handed power bat in the Pirates' lineup.
He aims to become an everyday starting catcher in the major leagues, improving his defense and game-calling, putting him in a good position to excel next season.
"Flo’ has come up and really looked like a big piece of the lineup offensively and showed power and good at-bats and he’s hung in there against some good pitching and he’s done some really good things defensively too, throwing better..." Cherington said.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.