The Pirates announced Monday that they’ve signed catcher Joe Hudson to a minor league contract and invited him to Major League Spring Training.
Hudson, 29, spent the 2020 season with the Mariners and appeared in nine big league games, going 3-for-17 with a pair of walks and five strikeouts in 20 trips to the plate. That marked Hudson’s third straight season with at least a taste of the Major Leagues, although both the nine games and 20 plate appearances were career-highs for the journeyman backstop. Overall, he’s a .167/.219/.200 hitter in a minuscule sample of 33 plate appearances.
Beyond his limited big league time, Hudson has logged 102 games at the Triple-A level, batting .249/.323/.411 with 13 homers, 14 doubles and a triple in 383 plate appearances. He’s thwarted a whopping 43 percent of the 505 stolen base attempts against him in the minors since being drafted by the Reds in the sixth round back in 2012, and Baseball Prospectus gives him generally strong marks both in terms of pitch framing and pitch blocking.
Jacob Stallings and Michael Perez are the only two catchers on Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster at the moment, and they lack an MLB-ready prospect behind the dish. Hudson joins fellow non-roster invitee Andrew Susac and 2017 fourth-rounder Jason Delay as depth options for the Bucs who could see action in Triple-A. Delay hasn’t played above Double-A yet and struggled there in 2019, hitting .234/.286/.398 in 67 games.
All contracts with the Pirates are minor league deals.
Because they are a minor league team.
Are you guys here all week and should I try the veal?
They were running short on Joes.
Why all the comments for this player?
You kids need to come up from that basement and have some of mamas cookies.
Very few are on the Hudson.
Sometimes the threads tend to wander.
The Pirates are the piñata this year,taking over from the Orioles and other clubs.
It’s a shame Hudson never caught Rivera. That would have worked well in New York.
(IMO) It’s not if Stallings will be traded, but when.
I don’t think he will be traded soon. Simply because I don’t see another team paying the prospect price to aquire him. He has a lot of value to a team with nothing but young pitchers.
I’d like to see Detroit try and deal for him. They’re staff is farther along, and its about the point to add that catcher.
Love it. Excellent 3rd string catcher.
WOW HOT STOVE IS HEATING UP
It will even more once the Pirates make the splash for Drew Hutchison.
Triggered.
Rooting for Pittsburgh. Great franchise absent some of the recent incompetence. Looks like they are embracing a total teardown. GOOD ! Blow it up now
Looking at Hudson stats he has bounced around a little but it seems like he has never really gotten a chance to play in the majors. Most likely a AAA catcher with a couple of call ups during the season.
But do they have any pitchers left to eat an entire season’s worth of innings…
Good question. No names come to mind.
Mitch Keller, Chad Kuhl, Steven Brault should all pitch to a under 4 era. Of course the later 2 could easily be traded. 5 rookies and a veteran or 2 off the scrap heap will compete for the other 2 spots.
They have groomed Brubaker to be the fourth starter.
I am somewhat surprised that they did not keep Williams to be the innings eater.
Ponce will be one of the starters.
I think that he will be the next one up also.
However,I was very surprised that they kept throwing Holland after they finally brought Ponce up last year as he did not pitch all that badly.Maybe NH signing of the guy whose name I always forget and who went to Milwaukee for Ponce will end up paying dividends after all.
When do game tickets go on sale
Central is weak ! Bucs sign an innings eater plus bench bat? Who knows let young pitchers throw. Having Evans all year will help this team . He is a player they need more.
Don’t be so negative on the pirates. They are doing a total blow up. Best thing to do. I would rather see kids playing hard than overpriced veterans. Buccos will be good in two years
Watch out for Keller and Hayes
I just felt bad for the Pirates and the fans that the three very fine years had to come when the Cardinals were so strong.
Se la vi.
All of the central was strong during that time. Was the bets division for most if not all of those years.
Maybe 5.
Pirates have some good young guys on the roster and a lot of promising young guys in the minors. I give them three years and they will be competitive. Now if we can just get a new owner so we can keep these guys when they get to the show that would be super!