The comments and criticism persist to this day, Jacob Stallings said. Whenever he walks from the on-deck circle to home plate at PNC Park, he will inevitably hear somebody scream something about his father, Kevin, the former Pitt men’s basketball coach.
“They’ll just yell, ‘Your dad was a bad coach’ or something like that,” Stallings said. “It just makes me laugh.”
The fans, Stallings said, are “mostly drunk.” And no, he’s never responded. “It would only make things worse,” he said. “I get a little defensive of my dad, so it might turn into an argument.”
Here’s the funny thing about that whole thing, though: While Kevin Stallings might not have been a very good men’s basketball coach at Pitt — he did go 24-41 over two years and had an 0-18 mark in ACC play in 2017-18 — the elder Stallings apparently did a heck of a job as a parent.
In what is sort of an ironic twist given they look so much alike, Jacob Stallings has actually outlasted his dad in Pittsburgh, something then-Pitt athletic director Scott Barnes never could’ve predicted. And it’s happened because Jacob has been the prototypical coach’s kid, the baseball nerd who just wouldn’t go away.
At 29, Jacob Stallings is well past the age when catchers finally start figuring this thing out. It’s actually when some of their bodies begin breaking down. But during a frustrating season for the Pirates, Stallings has been a bright spot, his performance changing the calculus when it comes to the club’s catching situation.
“He’s an outstanding young man, a coach’s son, a student of the game,” said Pirates bench coach Tom Prince, who works with the team’s catchers. “His resolve is incredible. He never gets demoralized. I’m sure at times he has, but he continues to fight. He continues to work.”
When Jacob was growing up and his dad was coaching at Vanderbilt, he remembers walking into Kevin’s home office and asking what he was doing. So Kevin sat him down and described how he was watching video, what he was looking for and the methodology behind whatever play he was designing.
Then Jacob would watch a game and see the play work, thinking back to those hours spent at home.
In previous seasons, whenever Jacob was called up to the Pirates, he would swing by Pitt’s practices to see his dad and watch the whole thing unfold live, taking notes on how his dad helped implement that video work.
“He really taught me the preparation part,” Jacob said. “It’s something I take pride in, and I think that I got that from him, for sure.”
One of the things that Jacob enjoys most about his job is that prep work, specifically working in the bullpen with pitchers. He’s good at it, too, pushing guys to throw certain pitches and giving them honest feedback on what’s not working.
“It shows them we care,” Stallings said. “It helps us know what they’re working on between starts. If I haven’t caught a guy for three or four starts, I still know what he’s working on. If I get thrown in there, then I know what he needs to do to get guys out.”
There are some interesting numbers behind Stallings’ preparation and how it has affected those he’s been around.
From 2014-18, from High-A Bradenton to Class AA Altoona and Class AAA Indianapolis, the teams for which Stallings caught went a combined 375-332 (.530). The pitching staff never had an ERA over 3.88.
Whether or not those things are related is probably up for debate, but Prince — who managed two of those clubs — does not doubt that they are.
“He’s probably the winningest catcher we’ve had in the minor leagues,” Prince said. “Those teams won throughout the minor league system, and he was a huge factor in that.”
This season has been an interesting one for Stallings. He started the year with the MLB club after Elias Diaz contracted a stomach virus in spring training. After a brief stint in Triple-A, Stallings returned in late May when Francisco Cervelli suffered at least his sixth concussion since 2011.
Because of his defensive work and now also flashing at least a serviceable bat, Stallings has stuck around.
Despite some recent struggles at the plate, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said Stallings has taken “more impactful swings” this season and has “done a nice job transitioning to more activity, more reps.”
Has Stallings taken enough reps to become the Pirates’ preferred option behind the plate, at least this season? It appears so.
Diaz hasn’t started three consecutive games since July 4-6. Since that time, the Pirates have played 44 games, and Stallings has made 24 starts, Diaz 20.
“I feel like I’ve played pretty well,” Stallings said. “It’s been fun. Definitely cool to get my first extended stay. I’ve learned a lot.”
Stallings’ offense remains a possible area of improvement, but his defense has been sneaky good. According to Baseball Prospectus, Stallings ranks ninth among MLB catchers in runs saved by blocking and 15th in runs saved by throwing, a testament to Stallings throwing out 7 of 13 would-be base-stealers.
The one area they’d still like to improve, Prince said, includes framing pitches, specifically at the top of the strike zone to get more calls. So Stallings will work with bullpen catcher Jordan Comadena on his framing with a heavy ball or by catching pitch after pitch out of a machine. (He ranks 23rd in framing runs saved, which is still within starter range.)
As of Wednesday morning, Stallings had made just one error in 316 1/3 innings behind the plate this season.
“He’s always trying to learn, trying to figure things out,” Prince said. “Then when the game starts, he just plays. That’s what you try to do. Then after the game you’ll evaluate it, you’ll see where you can get better, and you’ll move forward.”
It’s the same sort of stuff that Jacob learned all those years watching his dad, who apparently has been spending a lot of time on the golf course. Jacob said his dad’s goal has been to break 70 before golf season is over.
As for Kevin’s son, years of hard work are finally starting to pay off. Perhaps better late than never, Jacob Stallings has proven he’s a legitimate MLB catcher.
“As you’re here more, you start to think about it a little more. What if I never do get a chance to prove that I can do it?” Jacob Stallings said. “But I’ve tried to trust God, honestly. I have a great support system. Thankfully I don’t worry about that stuff too much.
“I’ve always been grateful for the opportunity that I’ve had here. To be honest, I never thought it would be a chance for me. So I’m just grateful every day that I’m here.”
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Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: August 30, 2019, 11:15 a.m.
Updated: August 30, 2019, 5:12 p.m.
