New Pirates catcher Luke Maile finds comfort with familiar faces

BRADENTON, Fla. — Luke Maile might be a newcomer to the Pittsburgh Pirates, but the faces that are familiar to the 29-year-old catcher carry some serious weight within the organization.

Maile played for Pirates manager Derek Shelton in Tampa Bay and spent the past three seasons under the supervision of general manager Ben Cherington in Toronto. On Monday, Maile caught a bullpen session for former Rays teammate Chris Archer.

“That always helps, especially now,” Maile said. “There’s so much turnover in this game that anytime you have that familiarity, it’s going to help you to get your feet wet and get comfortable to hear a familiar voice and know what that guy is about.”

Maile signed a one-year, $900,000 deal to provide competition at catcher, where Jacob Stallings is projected to start, as the Pirates attempt to improve their pitch calling and framing after having the worst defensive catching metrics in baseball last year.

“You’re always going to get defense out of me,” Maile said. “That’s always been my calling card and what’s kept me in the big leagues for as long as I’ve been around.”

The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Maile is known more for his catching but is aware the biggest question revolves around his bat. With a .198 career batting average over 215 major league games, he has to prove he can hit. Maile slashed .151/.205/.235 with two home runs and nine RBIs in 44 games for the Blue Jays last season.

If there is a silver lining, it’s that Maile batted ninth in all but three games and slashed .300/.364/.300 when hitting in the No. 8 hole. Maile spent the offseason making minor adjustments to reconstruct his swing and improve at the plate.

“Offensively, I’ve had flashes. I haven’t had the consistency I want, but I know it’s in there,” Maile said. “I’m looking forward to driving some people in this year. My swing feels really good. I made a lot of good adjustments. I know everybody says that year to year, but I’m pretty passionate about the steps that I take and I can’t wait to work with (hitting coach) Rick (Eckstein) a little more and see where it takes me.”

Maile is excited about being reunited with Shelton, a former minor league catcher who was the Rays hitting coach from 2010-16, and said the presence of Cherington “certainly didn’t hurt” his decision to pick the Pirates.

“When we were going through the negotiations it made so much sense that it really didn’t take a long time,” Maile said. “I trusted Ben. He’s got such a good reputation in this game. Looking at the rest of the league and what the options were, it made sense on a lot of different levels.”

Maile arrived at Pirate City a week early so he could familiarize himself with the people he will spend the majority of his time around: pitchers. Working together again gave Archer flashbacks to the 2016 season, when they were a starting battery for five games over July and August.

Archer found it comforting to pitch to Maile, calling him a “really good receiver” who has “shown the ability to hit.” But Archer was quick to note how Stallings improved steadily over the course of the season while building a rapport with the pitching staff and earning a reputation for his preparation.

Even though Stallings is expected to be the starter, Maile is enthusiastic about getting a fresh start with a new team that has a new regime, one he knows better than most Pirates players.

“There’s definitely an excitement here. I guess that’s true every year, no matter where you are in spring training, but here it just feels special,” Maile said. “Guys are pretty energized and are ready to start talking shop, which is cool.

“Me being a new guy here, just observing, it really feels like there is a good buzz here. I think guys are encouraged by what they’re seeing and in early conversations with people and some of the new management that’s here. I know I am, too.”

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