Perrotto on the scene: Cervelli building bridges

In addition to a .344 spring average, Francisco Cervelli has four home runs and seven walks. — GETTY

BY JOHN PERROTTO

BRADENTON, Fla. — Sights, sounds and the scene at McKechnie Field …

• Russell Martin is gone but he won’t soon be forgotten by the Pirates.

“Russell is the best catcher in the big leagues,” said backup catcher Tony Sanchez.

While that might be debatable, Martin did receive National League Most Valuable Player votes in each of his two seasons with the Pirates. Not coincidentally, the franchise reached the postseason each year following 20 consecutive losing records.

A few days before Martin signed a five-year, $82-million contract with the Blue Jays in November — the Pirates had offered four years and $56 million — acquired veteran backup Francisco Cervelli from the Yankees for left-handed reliever Justin Wilson.

The Pirates know that Cervelli will not match Martin’s offensive production. However, they want him to take charge of the pitching staff while being an above average catch-and-throw catcher.

With spring training nearly at its conclusion, the Pirates are happy with what they are seeing.

“We’re on the same page, and we like to talk between innings,” said Francisco Liriano, who will start on opening day Monday in Cincinnati. “He’s pretty similar to Russell back there. You can throw anything in the dirt, and he’ll block it for you.”

Cervelli is not a complete zero at the plate, either. While he didn’t get a lot of at-bats during his seven seasons backing up Jorge Posada, Martin and Brian McCann with the Yankees, Cervelli had a .278 batting average and a .729 OPS.

Yet it is the way that Cervelli meshes with the pitching staff that will ultimately determine his success with the Pirates. He has spent plenty of time getting to know the pitchers, going to dinner with each at least once.

“He is a hungry learner,” Clint Hurdle said. “He’s asking questions, having conversations, watching videotape. He takes the job seriously, but he is also a fun guy to have around. We’re glad to have him.”

Backup catcher Chris Stewart, who will begin the season on the disabled list with a strained right hamstring, has a unique view of Cervelli. Both played with Martin in New York during the 2012 season.

“He’s got a good grasp of working with a pitching staff, and it’s just a matter of him forming those relationships,” Stewart said. “I don’t think he’s going to have a problem with that.”

• Clayton Richard, a left-handed starter, has decided to stay in the organization rather than exercise the out clause in his minor-league contract. He will begin the season in the rotation at Class AAA Indianapolis.

While other clubs had interest in Richard, including the Rays, he ultimately felt it was best to stay. He has developed a close working relationship with pitching coach Ray Searage as he continues his comeback from shoulder surgery in 2013.

Richard won 14 games for the Padres in both 2010 and 2012, so he certainly could be a factor.

• Vance Worley has handled losing out to Jeff Locke for the fifth starter’s job extremely well. Worley could have been excused for pouting and/or sounding off.

• The most notable name among the players released from minor-league camp was right-hander Zack Von Rosenberg, the Pirates’ sixth-round draft pick in 2009 after being the winning pitcher in four consecutive Louisiana state high school championship games.

The Pirates gave Von Rosenberg a $1.2 million signing bonus to pass up a scholarship to Louisiana State but he never advanced above Class A. He was 15-25 with a 4.52 ERA in 88 career games.

It is just one more example of how hard it is for scouts to project high school righties.

• On another disheartening note from minor league camp, right-hander Luis Heredia will stay behind in extended spring training because he reported to camp woefully out of shape.

The Pirates signed Heredia to a $2.6 million bonus as an international free agent from Mexico on his 16th birthday in 2010. Four years later, he has logged just 260 innings and has yet to get past low Class A.

Time is still on Heredia’s side, but he needs to overcome the difficult hurdle of not knowing when to push away from the table if he is going to remain a prospect much longer.

John Perrotto, veteran of four decades of Major League Baseball coverage, is a freelance writer for DKonPittsburghSports.com.