Pirates’ Early-Season Unsung Hero Delivers Again (+)
PITTSBURGH — The life of a backup catcher isn’t necessarily a glamorous one. Playing time is sparse, and let’s face it, a catcher gets beat up more than most other players on the field.
Jason Delay is making the most of his opportunity, however. In the Pirates’ 8-1 win over the Dodgers on Wednesday, Delay tied a career-high with three hits and set a new career-high with three runs batted in.
He became the 13th different player in Pirates history to record 3+ hits and 3+ RBI out of the ninth spot in the batting order.
Thanks to the performance, Delay is now slashing .368/.415/.553 through his first 13 games on the season.
“I’m gonna ride the wave for now and I’m just gonna enjoy it,” Delay said on the start to his season at the plate.
The impact he’s made at the plate is a welcomed addition to what Delay brings to the table. The 28-year-old has always been considered a defense-first backstop.
Last season in 57 games, Delay hit only .213 with a .536 OPS with six doubles, one home run and 11 RBIs and 57 games.
Delay hasn’t forgotten who he is as a player. He still takes pride in the work he does behind the plate, rather than standing beside it with a bat in his hand.
“I definitely worked hard on it this offseason, made some physical adjustments. But, I still really don’t put too much stock into it. At the end of the day, my job is to get the staff to handle the opposing lineup and especially get the starter through it…. any offensive production I can provide is really a bonus,” Delay said.
Delay won’t get the recognition that some of the other more prominent players such as Bryan Reynolds or Andrew McCutchen get, but so far this season, he’s worthy of praise.
He’s excelled in his unglamorous role as Austin Hedges’ understudy and has given the Pirates more than they could have asked for.