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JACOB STALLINGS
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CATCHER
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Born: December 22, 1989 Height: 6’5″ Weight: 220 Bats: Right Throws: Right Drafted: 7th Round, 226th Overall, 2012 How Acquired: Draft College: University of North Carolina Agent: N/A |
WTM’S PIRATE PLAYER PROFILES |
| The Pirates probably drafted Stallings, a college senior, as high as they did in an effort to conserve pool money for their attempt to sign Mark Appel. He’s known as a clubhouse leader and good defensive player who controls the running game well. He set an NCAA record by throwing out 32 would-be base stealers in 2011, with the result that teams seldom ran on him in 2012. He hasn’t hit for a good average in college, but has drawn a lot of walks, which has helped his OBPs. He’s shown doubles power on a team that doesn’t seem to play in a good hitting environment; he was second on the team in slugging in 2012. He profiles as a potential backup catcher. Not surprisingly, Stallings agreed to terms shortly after the draft. He signed for $10,000, well below the slot amount of $148,000.
2012 Stallings had a solid debut at State College, playing about the way his college record suggested. He didn’t hit for average, but he drew walks and hit some doubles. The obvious problem was striking out in a third of his at-bats. Stallings hit well in July, posting an .826 OPS, but slumped to .624 in August. He played well defensively, among other things throwing out 36% of base stealers. Because the Pirates don’t emphasis the move to first with their young pitchers, that’s an impressive number. Stallings made a cameo appearance at Altoona when the Curve needed a player and got a hit in his only AB. Stallings will be the primary catcher at Bradenton in 2013. It’s obviously a reflection of the team’s high regard for his defensive abilities. If he hits just a little, he’ll have a good chance of reaching the majors. |
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STATS
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| Baseball Reference–Minors Fangraphs MiLB.com |
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CONTRACT INFORMATION
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| 2013: Minor league contract. |
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PLAYER INFORMATION
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| Signing Bonus: $10,000 MiLB Debut: 2012 MLB Debut: MiLB FA Eligible: 2018 MLB FA Eligible: Rule 5 Eligible: 2015 Added to 40-Man: Options Remaining: 3 MLB Service Time: 0.000 |
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TRANSACTIONS
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| June 8, 2011: Drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 42nd round, 1285th overall pick. June 5, 2012: Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 7th round, 226th overall pick; signed on June 13. |
