Pittsburgh Review

The Pittsburgh Pirates are preparing for the 2025 season with a focus on developing their young catchers, aided by a coaching staff change. Jordan Comadena has been promoted to Major League catching coach, according to sources from MLB.com. Since 2016, Comadena has served as a bullpen catcher and will continue in this role while also working with the team's catchers.

Comadena's efforts have notably impacted Henry Davis, the top pick of the 2021 draft. Over the past year and a half, he has worked with Davis on defensive skills using weighted balls, specialized drills, and adjustments to his stance. Despite offensive struggles in 2024, Davis showed significant defensive progress under Comadena's guidance. The team is now confident in relying on him as a catcher after limiting his Major League appearances in 2023.

Previously, Comadena collaborated with former Pirate Jacob Stallings in 2019. Their work together transformed Stallings into an effective pitch framer and led to his Gold Glove win in 2021.

The Pirates' current roster includes four catchers: Henry Davis, Joey Bart, Endy Rodríguez, and Jason Delay. Joey Bart is expected to start next season following his successful performance at bat last year. However, there is room for improvement defensively; Bart recorded -4 defensive runs saved per Fielding Bible metrics and -2 framing runs according to Baseball Savant. Both Davis and Rodríguez will compete for the starting position where defensive capabilities will be crucial.

In addition to Comadena's promotion, sources revealed that Matt Hague was hired as the new hitting coach while Brent Strom joined as an assistant pitching coach earlier this offseason. The Pirates are still seeking another pitching coach who could either follow traditional methods or bring different expertise to their bullpen strategy.