Piper's role with Rays? The 'catching closer'

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.

It was crazy enough that Kenny Piper joined the Rays at all this season, having come straight from Double-A Montgomery under unusual circumstances around the Trade Deadline to make his debut at Coors Field on Aug. 3.

It was a little surprising to see him return on Aug. 19, replacing injured outfielder Victor Mesa Jr. The Rays haven’t often carried three catchers, even with an extra roster spot for a position player in September, and they have two they like in Liam Hicks and Nick Fortes.

Piper’s purpose with the Rays quickly became clear, however. The 28-year-old may not play a lot, but he could be behind the plate for some of the most important outs of the game.

“I think that we could see that scenario playing out over the month of September,” manager Kevin Cash said recently. “Just because we have so much confidence with him as far as game-calling, his prep, the interaction with [pitching coach] Kyle [Snyder] and [Major League field coordinator/catching instructor] Tomas [Francisco] on going over the pitchers, and then he's going to give us a good chance to throw guys out.”

After beginning his Major League career with two starts, Piper has come off the bench in his last eight games. In most of those appearances, he’s been tasked with catching in high-leverage situations -- a “catching closer,” of sorts.

“Interesting specialist role he's got,” closer Bryan Baker said, smiling. “It's definitely not easy. He's done a really good job, and he's shown a level of maturity that you don't always see from guys who haven't been around very long.”

Piper’s limited role is allowing Cash to be more aggressive in how he deploys Hicks and Fortes, and the initial idea was to manage their workload considering Hicks hadn’t been a regular catcher with the Marlins. But the fact that Piper has caught some key innings also shows the trust the Rays have in his defensive ability.

“It's been fun to learn how to perform in that role. It's something that I've never done before, but I was anticipating this being an option when I got called up,” Piper said. “I'm happy to fill whatever role the team needs. I think that I have the skills to do it, and to do it well. So, I'm excited to just keep learning and keep helping the team in that way.”

Piper was never a top-ranked prospect, but he is a developmental success story. He was an 18th-round pick in the 2021 Draft out of Columbia College of Missouri, an NAIA school. He reached Triple-A Durham in 2024, then bounced between there and Double-A the past three seasons.

Wherever he went, his top trait was obvious. He’s a talented defensive catcher with a cannon of a throwing arm. Only one runner has attempted to steal against Piper in the Majors, and he easily threw out Colton Cowser on an 85 mph throw to second base on Aug. 21 in Baltimore.

“It's one of the better arms in all of baseball. His arm combination of quickness and accuracy makes it fun to watch,” said Jeff Smith, the Rays’ coordinator of catching and manager development. “You go in to work with him, you go in to see him play -- and you want the other team to try to steal, because you enjoy watching it.”

Smith said there are two other defensive traits that separate Piper. One is his overall athleticism, which Piper attributes to primarily being a shortstop and third baseman until about halfway through his college career. It’s still part of his game, as evidenced by him beginning three of his late-game appearances as a pinch-runner.

“The umpire the other day in Detroit told me, ‘You don't see a lot of pinch-running catchers,’” Piper said, laughing. “I'm thankful for that background, and I do think it helps me a lot as a catcher.”

Smith also pointed to Piper’s “calmness” behind the plate. It was always a strength, Smith said, and Piper has been a popular, well-liked teammate wherever he’s been. But Piper took his poise to another level this year after spending time in the offseason playing for Gigantes del Cibao in the Dominican Winter League.

“No matter what the situation is, you're going to see someone back there that's going about doing his job and helping [his pitchers], but also being very calm in these situations,” Smith said.

No wonder the Rays already trust him, too.

“He's really good back there,” Baker said. “He's back there at those times for a reason. He's showing it right now, which is pretty fun to watch.”