The veteran catcher has guided development of both established and inexperienced Rockies pitching corps
A nine-year veteran, Jacob Stallings is no stranger to working with established as well as inexperienced MLB pitchers.
Back in 2022 while a member of the Miami Marlins, he was behind the plate for every inning (228.2 innings over 32 starts) for teammate Sandy Alcantara during Alcantara’s Cy Young award-winning season.
After joining the Colorado Rockies prior to the start of the 2024 campaign, Stallings is part of a youthful squad that has had 12 players make their MLB debuts, tying a franchise record. The active Colorado roster for the team’s current three-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals has seven first-year players among a bullpen of nine relievers.
Despite that inexperience, Stallings is perfectly content to serve as a steadying influence for the Rockies pitching corps, having already done so during his career that began with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2016 before moving to the Marins in 2022.
“It’s something that I am used to,” Stallings said of his penchant for having worked with youthful pitching staffs. “I’ve done a lot of my career working with young pitchers. We have a mixture here of young guys and guys who have been around the league. So, it’s been good for me.”
As this season has progressed, the native of Lawrence, Kansas has had a major impact on several Rockies hurlers such as right-hander Ryan Feltner.
Through July, Feltner had compiled a 1-10 record. In August, he did not receive a decision in any of his four starts but the Rockies won three of them as the fourth-year MLB pitcher allowed more than three runs in only one contest.
In September, Feltner has flourished, winning two of his four starts with three of those being quality outings.
His earned run average in the month? A sparkling 2.22 (24 IP, 6 earned runs).
“I’ve had a lot of help behind the plate with Stallings,” Feltner said after allowing just six hits and two earned runs in 6.0 innings in a no decision in his most recent start —a 7-3 Colorado loss to St. Louis on Tuesday at Coors Field.
“I’ve said that before … (he’s) just guiding me throughout the game, helping me use my stuff in the best way possible.“
Stallings has seen the growth from Feltner in 2024.
“Just Ryan, specifically, I feel like he’s taking a big step forward this year, especially the second half,” he said. “So, anything I can do to help. It doesn’t change — who’s here, who’s not here. (I) just try to do everything I can to help the pitchers.”
Added Stallings about Feltner: “He’s been great. I think just kind of learning what works for him and what doesn’t usage-wise, whether it’s in Denver or elsewhere. I think we’ve kind of come up with a good formula for him. It took some time but I feel like we’ve really settled into a good spot with him.
”And to his credit, he’s done the work,” Stallings noted. “He’s gone out and executed. So he’s been doing a nice job.”
Colorado Manager Bud Black noted the importance of having a veteran catcher like Stallings on not just Feltner but the entire pitching staff.
“Jacob has really bounced back and had a really good 2024,” Black said. “I think he has been an invaluable part of our team pitching, especially with Feltner. We paired him with Feltner a lot this year just because of that because I felt as though Jake would have a big influence on Ryan.
“But he’s had it on the whole pitching staff here,” Black continued. “He’s a veteran catcher. He knows how to work a pitcher through a game. He knows how to work a young bullpen through the end of the game. Scouting reports, game calling — all the little subtle things of who’s not going to beat you, who you got to go after, who’s on deck, how many outs there are, what pitches are the pitcher’s best pitches that night. All those things he has full control of. It’s very, very comforting to the pitchers and it’s comforting to the team.
“As you go through a game, it’s a catcher who ‘gets it’ who’s in control. It’s invaluable. It’s rare that you see a really successful team not have a catcher who does that.”
Stallings, who played collegiately at North Carolina, sees much promise in Colorado’s youth-laden bullpen — a group that has performed admirably despite its lack of Major League experience.
“Especially in the bullpen, these guys have done a great job,” he said. “We’ve had a couple of hiccups the last couple of games. But outside of that, ever since most of those guys have been called up, they’ve been really, really good. It’s exciting organizationally when you have power bullpen arms down there.
“It’s a hot commodity,” he added. “So, if you’ve got it, it’s a real weapon.”
When you combine that “hot commodity” with Stallings’ wealth of experience behind the plate, good things could be on the horizon for Colorado pitching in the future.