Father, Christian, Catcher: Pirates’ Jacob Stallings more than baseball player

Faith, family and baseball encompass Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Jacob Stallings.

A baseball player’s walk-up song is his identity.

It can have as great of an association as a batting stance and it can, sometimes, be more memorable than one’s signature haircut or facial hair.

For Jacob Stallings, however, his walk-up song is more than an identity. It’s a way of life.

Stallings, a seventh round pick from the University of North Carolina, has been a mainstay in the Pittsburgh Pirates‘ organization since being drafted in 2012. Another constant in the catcher’s rise through the minor leagues is his walk-up song, “Awesome God” by R-Swift.

“I’ve been using it for five years, now. I would say that was about the time that I really started listening to Christian music,” Stallings said. “That was in a time in my faith where I was reading the Bible a lot and really getting into the word and growing a lot in my faith.

“I decided to change my walk-up song to this and, shortly thereafter, I had one of the best months of my career. So I just kind of stuck with it ever since.”

Stallings started using the song in 2013 while playing for High-A Bradenton. He first heard the rap thanks to his wife, Amy Beth, who included it in “a couple CDs of Christian songs.” The pair agreed the R-Swift single would make the perfect pre-bat track for the devoted believer.

The Kansas native had grown up going to church on Sundays and always considered himself a Christian. Yet, Stallings credits his faith’s evolution to an impromptu conversation during his freshman season at North Carolina.

The Brentwood Academy product was talking to senior catcher Mike McKee when a discussion on the history of Jesus Christ’s life ensued. McKee, the future pastor at Image Church ATL, elaborated upon the historically proven facts and then recommended a book, which greatly impacted Stallings.

“I’m a big history guy, a big fact guy, so that really got me interested,” said Stallings of his discussion with McKee. “He told me to read More Than a Carpenter, the book by Josh McDowell. Other than the Bible it’s the most influential book of my life.

“It kind of lays out arguments against Christianity and for Christianity. It’s just a really cool book. Ever since I talked to him and read that book, I’ve really taken the next steps in my faith.”

Along with continued strides as a Christian, fatherhood welcomed Stallings with the birth of his son Emmitt last March. In less than six months, the Pirates’ catcher describes being a father as ‘fun.’

“It’s been fun so far. He’s been a pretty easy baby,” Stallings said with a smile. “Everybody says, ‘It will change your life’ and you really don’t know what that means until you go through it.”

In addition to receiving daily joy, the 27-year-old possesses a stronger grasp of perspective thanks to the start of his family.

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“Anytime I have a bad night, and I go home and he’s just smiling at me, it’s hard to stay in a bad mood,” he said. “It definitely has helped keep things in perspective and, probably more so than anything else, just keep the bad nights at the field.”

The only bad nights Emmitt has produced, thus far, have been in the car. Stallings says his only ‘complaint’ is the ‘constant crying’ from his son on road trips.

“Whenever my wife has to travel by herself, it’s just constant crying, so I feel bad about that.”

The next car ride for Amy Beth and Emmitt will likely include Stallings. Friday marks the first day major league teams can recall players from their 40-man roster and, considering his career-highs in batting average (.292) and RBI (34), the backstop could be part of the first wave of Pirates reinforcements.

“It’s on everybody’s mind, even if they say it’s not,” said Stallings of September 1. “It’s just one of those things. It’s the part that stinks about minor league baseball — everybody wants to be somewhere else.”

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Whenever his next plate appearance in Pittsburgh may be, you can count on the uplifting lyrics of “Awesome God” ringing inside PNC Park as Stallings steps into the batter’s box.

“It’s cool to be able to do something so easy,” he said. “For other people to come up and say something is cool. It’s an easy way to start a conversation about God.

“I’ve never thought about changing it ever since I got it.”