Finally healthy, Manny Piña is in a good place once again behind the plate – and at the plate too
A couple of nagging injuries behind him, Manny Piña is back on track and finally contributing some offensive punch in the bottom third of the Milwaukee Brewers' lineup.
Piña hit his first home run since July 2 in Sunday's 7-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, and he enters the team's upcoming six-game road trip batting .408 with a .987 OPS over his last 17 games.
That surge has raised his batting average 36 points, from .215 to .251, and gotten him back to looking much more like the player who somewhat unexpectedly turned in a career year in 2017 as the Brewers' primary catcher.
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"I was hurt a couple times and I lost my timing, but I was trying to do the best I can," said Piña. "I feel much better now – this month I’m hitting better and last month I was, too
"I just want to keep swinging the bat like I’m doing now and finish the season strong."
Adversity is nothing new to the 31-year-old Piña, who'd spent the better part of 12 years fighting to earn a regular job in the major leagues before finally making his first opening-day roster with Milwaukee a year ago.
He'd bounced from Texas to Kansas City to Seattle to Detroit before the Brewers landed him late in 2015 as the player to be named in the trade that sent closer Francisco Rodriguez to the Tigers.
While infield prospect Javier Betancourt earned much of the initial attention from Brewers observers, it was Piña who made the biggest impact. Betancourt is no longer with the organization.
After breaking into the majors with the Royals and playing five games over the 2011 and '12 seasons, Piña finally made his way back in August 2016 after the Brewers traded Jonathan Lucroy to Texas.
He hit .254 with two homers and 12 runs batted in in 33 games and then entered spring training in 2017 as one of three catchers vying for two spots on the team along with Jett Bandy and Andrew Susac.
A huge month in Cactus League play clinched it for Piña, and he and Bandy went on to form a productive tandem behind the plate for the first six weeks or so of 2017.
Veteran Stephen Vogt was eventually claimed off waivers and he and Piña combined to form a productive duo behind the plate as the Brewers fought all the way to Game 161 before being eliminated from playoff contention.
For his part, Piña was something of a revelation in 83 starts. In a total of 103 games, he hit .279 with nine homers and 43 RBI and might have been even better defensively by throwing out 33.3% of would-be base stealers and picking off six base runners to tie for the major-league lead.
The Brewers entered 2018 with designs on again having both Piña and Vogt behind the plate. But injuries derailed those plans quickly.
First, Vogt was lost to a significant shoulder injury early in spring training that eventually forced him out for the season. A little over two weeks in, Piña was sidelined for seven games by a strained right calf.
That left Milwaukee with Bandy and rookie Jacob Nottingham until Piña was able to return after a seven-game absence. Eventually the Brewers traded for Erik Kratz, replacing Bandy with him, and it's been the two 30-somethings behind the plate since late May.
Piña strained his left biceps on a swing in July, and he missed nine more games as a result. In 23 games since his return, Piña is hitting .319 with a homer and six RBI – a boost that's helped what has been, for most of the season, a very top-heavy Brewers lineup.
For the season, he's hitting .251 with seven homers and 22 RBI. Defensively, Piña has caught 38.5% of would-be base stealers.
While the season hasn't gone according to plan for Piña, he has used his unique perspective to remain upbeat.
"I remember when I got called up. I was 23 years old, and then they sent me down and I had to spend 3-4 years waiting to get called up again," he said. "That’s why I say I don’t get frustrated. I have a strong mind.
"I always work like I don’t have a spot. I was getting ready in spring training 100 percent getting ready for the season. I wasn’t like, ‘Oh, yeah, this is my job.’ I was fighting for everything and even now I do everything the best I can to win.
"That’s what I want to do."
Kratz, who's seen his fair share of catchers during his 17-year professional career, has been impressed by what he's seen of Piña over the last three or so months.
"As a catcher I have always watched different guys that I’ve played against," he said. "Manny spent a lot of time in the minor leagues before he was able to break through and do what he’s done, so I kind of gravitated to watching him even more. I knew how great a thrower he was, but I didn’t know how great he was.
"It’s the whole package. He gets rid of it before it gets to him. It’s incredible. And it’s always right on the bag. To see guys and where they come from and how they play and then get to know them, but he’s a better player and a better person than I expected. He’s so engaged and so energetic and so into his pitcher and so there for his pitcher.
"I love playing with him."
Piña and the 38-year-old Kratz have traveled similar paths to get to their positions – multiple franchises and countless minor-league and winter-league games played but fewer than 300 major-league games to their credit.
That makes the two of them kindred spirits, in a way.
"When you have (a major-league job), the grip’s probably too tight. You just want to hold onto it as long as you can because you know what a blessing it is to be there," said Kratz. "It’s really cool to be able to play with a guy that’s had a similar career and then really take advantage of his opportunity. It doesn’t mean we’re not good players.
"It just means we took a different path."