ST. PETERSBURG — Kenny Piper made his Major League debut at Coors Field on Aug. 3 after jumping straight from Double-A Montgomery under unusual circumstances around the Trade Deadline. Now the 28-year-old catcher has carved out a role the Tampa Bay Rays had never quite deployed before: a defensive specialist who enters late in games to catch the highest-leverage outs.
After beginning his career with two starts, Piper has come off the bench in his last eight games, entering almost exclusively to catch in pressure situations — a “catching closer,” as the club has taken to calling it. “I think that we could see that scenario playing out over the month of September,” manager Kevin Cash said. “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.”
Closer Bryan Baker has seen the arrangement up close. “Interesting specialist role he’s got,” Baker said. “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.” Baker added: “He’s back there at those times for a reason. He’s showing it right now, which is pretty fun to watch.”
Piper’s return on Aug. 19 — replacing injured outfielder Victor Mesa Jr. — was itself a surprise. The Rays haven’t often carried three catchers, even with an extra September roster spot, and already had Liam Hicks and Nick Fortes. But Piper’s defensive ability made the math work. Only one runner has attempted to steal against him in the Majors; he threw out Baltimore’s Colton Cowser on Aug. 21 with an 85 mph throw to second base. “It’s one of the better arms in all of baseball,” said Jeff Smith, the Rays’ coordinator of catching and manager development. “His arm combination of quickness and accuracy makes it fun to watch. 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.”
Piper was an 18th-round pick in the 2021 Draft out of Columbia College of Missouri, an NAIA school — never a top-ranked prospect. He reached Triple-A Durham in 2024 and bounced between there and Double-A over the past three seasons. Smith credited Piper’s athleticism, rooted in primarily playing shortstop and third base until about halfway through college, and a “calmness” behind the plate that deepened after Piper spent the offseason with Gigantes del Cibao in the Dominican Winter League. That athleticism has shown in other ways: Piper began 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.
Piper said the role suits him. “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,” he 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.”
With expanded September rosters now in effect, Cash indicated Piper will continue catching late-game, high-leverage innings through the final month of the regular season.