The Pirates announced on Thursday morning that they signed the Seeker Tony Wolters a secondary league contract. The former Rockies backstop and VC Sports Group customer will be at camp as an uninvited guest this spring.
Wolters, 28, has been the top catcher in Colorado for the past five seasons due entirely to his gloves. He is a .238 / .323 / .319 career hitter in 1232 plate appearances – a line that reaches 43 percent below the league average (57 wRC +) when pondering for his hitter-friendly home park. Wolters has a career walking rate of 9.9 percent, although this is at least partly a function of the fact that 75 percent of his appearances on the plate happen when he hits eighth in front of the pitcher.
Defensively, Wolters’ track record is quite strong. His 31% career-stealing rate is above the league average, and he is regularly rated as an above-average to excellent pitch maker. All of his defensive notes collectively receded in 2020, but it would be a little rash to judge him severely at 283 entries in a season shortened by the pandemic, when all of his 2400 previous entries behind the plate suggest he is capable of overcoming notch glove.
Notably, the Rockies thought hard enough about Wolters’ glove and athletics to also give him a brief look at second base, shortstop, third base and left field. If the Pirates also believe that Wolters, who was chosen by the Indians as a shortstop in 2010, can move the diamond in that capacity, then it could potentially emerge as a versatile overuse piece off the bench. Jacob Stallings, a strong supporter in his own right, seems likely to get most of the work behind the scenes to start the 2021 season, however.