Pinto 'excited' to play bigger role in 2024

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.

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- René Pinto stood in front of his locker at Charlotte Sports Park on Wednesday morning, paused to collect his thoughts and spoke with a smile. As the Rays’ pitchers and catchers prepared for their first Spring Training workout, Pinto remained the only catcher on the 40-man roster.

With all of 63 Major League games to his name, the starting job belongs to him.

“I want to thank God for this opportunity, and I want to thank the team for this opportunity,” Pinto said. “I'm so excited about it. I'm ready.”

The Rays’ lack of action to address the catching position this offseason was surprising. They parted with the duo of Christian Bethancourt (claimed off waivers in November) and Francisco Mejía (designated for assignment in August) and added only non-roster invitees on Minor League contracts, namely backup candidates Alex Jackson and Rob Brantly.

When camp opened on Tuesday, manager Kevin Cash made it clear the Rays were “going to lean heavy on” the 27-year-old Pinto.

That speaks to how the Rays viewed their external options over the winter, sure. It also says a lot about their confidence in Pinto, which became apparent down the stretch last season. Recalled from Triple-A Durham on July 22, Pinto started 31 of the Rays’ final 61 games, then got the nod over Bethancourt for both of their American League Wild Card Series losses against the Rangers.

“We like René,” president of baseball operations Erik Neander said this week. “We made a difficult decision with Frankie [Mejía] last year to open up some opportunity for René, and we love what he did with it.”

Pinto hit .252/.267/.456 with six homers and 16 RBIs in 39 games last season, an improvement on his forgettable 25-game performance as a rookie in 2022, especially from a power perspective. He struggled with blocking pitches and throwing out runners, but the Rays were nonetheless impressed by what he did defensively.

Pinto graded out among the Majors’ best in terms of his pitch-framing, pop time and arm strength. Cash and Tampa Bay’s pitchers noted that Pinto also became more assertive and vocal behind the plate during the stretch run, key traits the Rays look for in their catchers as they prioritize defense over offense at that position.

“I saw the growth last year. He came up really quiet, and then all of a sudden, it was like one day it clicked and he was having conversations with guys, he was understanding what he needed to do as a catcher who's going to maybe have some more playing time in the future,” top starter Zach Eflin said. “He's done everything he can to learn us individually -- not just myself, but every single pitcher.

“He puts a ton of work in. He's a tremendous person. He's really fun to throw to. He cares a lot, which I think is his biggest attribute. So it's going to be really fun working with him this year.”

Pinto said that experience made him more comfortable. That comfort created confidence, which led to improvement across the board. The Rays’ hope is that trend continues in an even bigger role this year.

“The message is pretty clear: 'It's your runway, your path. Go make the most of it,'” Cash said. “We want him to be himself. We want him to be as outgoing as he can be. Don't change.”

At the same time, Pinto can’t catch every inning for the next eight months, even if the idea might sound good to him after waiting so long for his turn. He’s never played more than 93 games in a season as a professional, and catching is a physically and mentally demanding assignment.

The Rays are comfortable with the idea of beginning the season with Pinto and one of Jackson or Brantly, and they like the group of catching prospects in camp headlined by No. 9 prospect Dominic Keegan. But it’s worth noting that Neander mentioned their intent to monitor the market during Spring Training “to bring in someone else that’s accomplished.”

“This is kind of where we are. If this is where we end up, we’re fine with that,” Neander added. “But if something else develops over the course of Spring Training, we’re going to keep an open mind.”

Whatever happens, Pinto will be ready.