BRADENTON, Fla. – The Pittsburgh Pirates are converting 2023 third round pick Garret Forrester to a catcher, splitting his time between first base and behind the plate.
Forrester was selected last year out of Oregon State as a corner infielder, having never caught in college. During a spring meeting on infield defense, he mentioned to the Pirates that he could catch. They put him in front of minor league catching coordinator Chad Noble, along with former catchers and current coaches Ethan Goforth and Gustavo Omana.
“After day one, all of the catching people came back and said ‘That’s a catcher,'” said Pirates farm director John Baker.