Manny Pina

Pina only appeared in 15 games in 2020 before he was shut down and sent for surgery on the torn meniscus in his right knee. The small sample actually provides a decent snapshot of his career -- 24.4 K%, 6.7 BB%, .179 ISO. His bat is not all that bad for the catcher position, and behind the plate Pina is a plus, especially so in regards to pitch framing. Those skills could lead to additional playing time in theory, but don't bet on it. Pina has been a career backup and that is unlikely to change at close to 34 years old. Pina is not a recommended play even in two-catcher leagues, but as a desperation fill-in at the second spot, you could do worse.

Pina was left to fill a reserve role in 2019 after the Brewers brought in All-Star catcher Yasmani Grandal in the offseason. The backstop appeared in 76 games for Milwaukee -- his lowest total since 2016 -- slashing .228/.313/.411 with seven home runs and 25 RBI. While Pina displayed a slight uptick in power, almost matching his career-high in homers (nine) in nearly half the plate appearances, he saw his strikeout rate increase to 27.9% while his contact rate dipped to 68.6%, both career-worst marks. He also showed heavy platoon splits, notching a .965 OPS against southpaws while struggling to a .524 mark against right-handers. Pina once again provided above-average defense behind the plate, as evidenced by his six defensive runs saved in 353.2 innings, but the 32-year-old is better suited for a backup role at this point in his career.

Pina spent most of last season as the Brewers' primary catcher, but he shared the duties with Erik Kratz down the stretch, despite hitting .295 after the All-Star break. Pina own a respectable .263 career batting average, which prevents him from doing too much damage in that category and has made him an option in two-catcher and NL-only fantasy formats. Pina's late-season success was nice, but any thought of him remaining the Brewers' primary catcher went out the window with the addition of Yasmani Grandal, one of the most durable backstops in all of baseball. Pina is now 31 and may never again clear 300 plate appearances.

Seeing extensive action for the first time in his career despite turning 30 years old in June, Pina excelled both at the plate and behind it. He regularly threw out opposing baserunners, posted respectable numbers in the triple slash categories, and played the most games of any Brewers catcher despite being slowed by an injury late in the year. His performance last season likely makes him the Brewers' primary catcher heading into this year, but the team figures to use him similarly to how they did in 2017, giving him roughly three starts out of every five games. He doesn't offer much in terms of power or speed, and the lack of playing time will bump him down draft boards a bit. Still, he could hit for a high enough average and compile enough counting stats to be useful in deeper formats.

Pina broke into the majors last season for the first time since 2012 after the Brewers traded away Jonathan Lucroy, giving him a backup role behind Martin Maldonado. That call-up rewarded four years of patience after his last ride with the Royals, one that saw him outrighted from Kansas City and later traded twice, the latter landing him in Milwaukee as a player to be named in the Francisco Rodriguez trade. Between those major league stints, Pina turned into a minor league masher. His .329/.371/.506 line at Triple-A Colorado Springs in 2016 made him a Pacific Coast League All-Star, so it might not be too crazy to think he's a late bloomer at age 29. Of course, Colorado Springs helps make plenty of bats look better than they are. Still, his .254/.346/.394 line in the majors was also decent for a catcher, though in a very limited sample of 81 plate appearances. Jett Bandy and Andrew Susac sit ahead of him on the depth chart entering spring training, so Pina will likely open the year back at Triple-A.

Pina showed last season at Triple-A Omaha that he can take a walk. That's where the positives end as he hit for a poor .238 average with not much power (.371 slugging percentage) over his 259 plate appearances. Going into his age-25 season, it's hard to see Pina contributing much offensively to the major league squad as his struggles to make contact are pronounced. If pressed into duty, owners would be wise to avoid Pina at this point in his career.