Rays aim to reverse fortune behind the plate

This story was excerpted from Adam Berry's Rays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

With Spring Training around the corner, we’ll check in on different parts of the Rays’ roster to review last season, preview this year and look toward the future.

? Previously: The rotation and the bullpen
? Up now: Catcher

Despite finishing last season with one of the Majors’ lowest-scoring offenses and their first losing record since 2017, the Rays have been mostly content to keep their lineup intact, betting instead on better health and bounce-back/breakthrough performances.

With one exception.

The Rays signed catcher Danny Jansen to a one-year, $8.5 million deal in December, viewing him as an ideal fit at a high-priority spot. There’s no denying this was a position of need.

Last season, Tampa Bay’s catchers graded out well overall in terms of pitch-framing (seventh in the Majors, according to Statcast) but were only average in terms of blocking (16th) and closer to the bottom in catching base stealers (24th). All of that looks great when compared to their offensive output. The group of Ben Rortvedt, Alex Jackson, René Pinto, Logan Driscoll and (briefly) Rob Brantly posted a combined slash line of .194/.272/.291, with nine home runs and 53 RBIs.

Will Jansen help solidify that spot in the field and lengthen the lineup? The Rays are counting on it.

Let’s look at the state of things behind the plate:

The new guy: Danny Jansen
Having seen Jansen up close over the course of a seven-year career that was spent with the Blue Jays before he was traded to Boston last July, the Rays believe he can help them in several ways.

Offensively, he has been a roughly league-average hitter in his career, with a 99 OPS+ in 501 games. He has shown the ability to be more than that, though, as he slashed .242/.324/.493 with 32 homers and 97 RBIs over 158 games from 2022-23. As a right-handed hitter who has posted a .775 OPS against left-handed pitchers over the past three seasons, he’s also an ideal platoon partner for Rortvedt or Driscoll.

Defensively, Jansen’s pitch-framing numbers have been up and down over the years, as he graded out below average in that department last season but comes with a strong reputation for working with pitchers. He was also the game’s top-ranked catcher in terms of blocking pitches last season.

Beyond that, the Rays targeted Jansen because of the leadership traits he has shown, especially while navigating the Blue Jays’ unusual home ballpark situation during the pandemic. That’s pertinent considering the Rays’ current ballpark circumstances.

“I'd like to think that … he's going to really add to our production on the field,” manager Kevin Cash said last month at the MLB Winter Meetings. “And having talked to him, I know he'll add to our clubhouse dynamic.”

The returning starter: Ben Rortvedt
As poorly as things went for the Rays behind the plate last season, where would they have been had they not acquired Rortvedt from the Yankees just before Opening Day?

Brought in to be Pinto’s backup, Rortvedt wound up starting 87 games and playing a career-high 112. He held his own offensively in the first half, slashing .270/.365/.368, but he then scuffled through a .164/.242/.207 slash line after the All-Star break.

More importantly, Rortvedt graded out well in terms of his pitch-framing (75th percentile, according to Statcast), blocking (also 75th percentile) and pop time (83rd percentile). As a left-handed hitter, he’s a natural fit alongside Jansen.

Next in line: Logan Driscoll
While he had a few highlights during his first stint in the Majors, Driscoll went just 6-for-35 over 15 games in September. But the Rays promoted the 27-year-old for the final month of the season for a reason, and it’s difficult to ignore the offensive upside he showed while slashing .292/.367/.473 in 70 games for Triple-A Durham last season and posting a .784 OPS across five seasons in the Minors.

There might not be a path for Driscoll to crack the Opening Day roster, but having an MLB-ready catcher in Triple-A is important.

On the farm: Dominic Keegan, Kenny Piper, J.D. Gonzalez
The Rays’ consistent need to acquire help behind the plate underscores the importance of developing a homegrown catcher. They’re hoping Keegan -- their No. 13 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline -- could be that player.

The 24-year-old was known for his bat coming out of Vanderbilt University, hit well in the lower Minors and then slashed .285/.371/.435 in 104 games for Double-A Montgomery last year. Even if he remains an offensive-oriented catcher, can he continue to improve enough defensively to claim a starting job in the Majors?

Piper followed a 20-homer campaign in 2023 by recording a .688 OPS between Double-A and Triple-A last season. The strong-armed 26-year-old should be back in big league camp this spring.

Gonzalez, part of the Rays’ return for reliever Jason Adam and now their No. 27 prospect, is much further away. But the 19-year-old has some intriguing tools, with left-handed power at the plate and a rocket arm behind it. He’s worth watching in the lower Minors.