BRADENTON, Fla. _ When Jacob Stallings was a freshman at University of North Carolina, he remembers overhearing a clubhouse conversation that intrigued him.
Mike McKee, a senior catcher, was telling someone about a book he really liked called "More Than a Carpenter," by Josh McDowell. Immediately, Stallings said he forced his way into the conversation.
Stallings had grown up going to church every Sunday and considered himself religious at the time, but the mere mention of the book _ essentially an examination of the evidence around Jesus _ sparked something in the Pirates catcher.
"It changed my life," Stallings said. "That was kind of like my light switch."
Although he works a job where it's tough to attend church eight or nine months out of the year, Stallings' faith has been burning brighter and brighter since that moment, when a former teammate _ who's actually now a pastor _ inadvertently gave him something to read and think about.
"It's probably still my favorite book," Stallings said.
On a team and within a sport that doesn't hesitate to embrace religion _ with Sunday morning chapel services across Major League Baseball, as well as plenty of pre- and post-pitch rituals that petition or praise God _ Stallings is well-above league average when it comes to his faith.
Stallings prays between every pitch when he's batting. He organizes the Pirates chapel services and tries his best to practice what he preaches by how hard he works and how he treats his teammates.
"I think my teammates respect my faith," Stallings said. "I hope they see me live it out through kindness and love and all that stuff."
The 2019 season was certainly a tough one for Stallings, especially early. That's when the 30-year-old's faith was truly tested, as the Pirates designated Stallings for assignment in May.
Stuck behind Francisco Cervelli and Elias Diaz at the time, it looked as if Stallings might've been in trouble. But he kept praying and believing and eventually got his opportunity.
The work Stallings did on pitch-framing and game-planning paid off, as he enjoyed one of the better defensive seasons among all Major League Baseball backstops, establishing himself as the Pirates' clear-cut starter once their season resumes.
"It was hard," Stallings said of being DFA'd. "On one hand, you want a team to pick you up and think you're good enough to be in the big leagues. But on the other, I really felt like Pittsburgh was a great place for me.
"I've led a pretty lucky and blessed life so far. So I just tried to do my best and trust that God had my back."
In addition to becoming a catcher the Pirates pitchers really like and trust, Stallings also serves as Pittsburgh's unofficial chapel leader, a liaison to team chaplain Brad Henderson.
It's a role Stallings loves, even though it sometimes means the unenviable task of herding a group of 20- or 30-something men who got home from a night game only 10 or 12 hours prior.
"Baseball chapel is awesome," Stallings said. "It's amazing they give us that resource because we play day games most Sundays and realistically can't go to church."
Still, it's not ideal. In the offseason, Stallings loves going to church with his wife, Amy Beth, and their two kids. Every Sunday he feels like he's "getting pulled to do something in the church." He and Amy Beth try to read their Bibles together every day, too, but it's also reality that baseball makes this sort of stuff hard.
"It's probably my least favorite thing about being a baseball player _ we can't go to church eight or nine months out of the year," Stallings said. "But we have a lot of guys on the team who are believers, so it works out."
Every Sunday that he goes to church, Stallings said he thinks more about going on a mission trip. Haiti really intrigues him. Stallings also would like to visit Israel, although more as a tourist.
If they're not able to attend church live, the Stallings family will stream services from a church back home. Jacob has thought about maybe one day becoming a pastor, although he isn't terribly keen on going back to school.
"Hearing the sermons and talking about mission trips, I feel like I should do something," Stallings said.
The between-pitches praying traces to Sept. 23, 2016, when Stallings had a walk-off hit against the Washington Nationals. Standing in the on-deck circle at PNC Park, former hitting coach Jeff Branson approached Stallings and told him not to be nervous.
"I thought to myself, 'How am I supposed to not be nervous right now?' I was literally shaking," Stallings said. "So I just started to pray. I prayed in between every pitch of that at-bat. I've pretty much done it since."
Stallings, who said he doesn't pray between pitches on defense because there's simply too much information to process, also isn't afraid to admit his faults.
Like any professional baseball player preparing for a game, especially a catcher, he has a thousand things running through his brain _ how to get hitters out, what his starting pitcher wants to work on, who likes to steal and in what counts, not to mention his own offense. Sometimes he doesn't pay as much attention to his faith as he would like.
But as much as possible, Stallings tries to carve out some quiet time to read or pray, with Amy Beth at home and by himself at work.
"Like anybody else, unfortunately, as a society, we tend to be busy and put our quiet time on the back burner and prioritize other things," Stallings said. "It's just about trying to not do that too often."
