The A’s have designated Nick Hundley for assignment after activating the catcher from the injured list, according to a team media release.
Hundley managed only a .200/.233/.357 slash line over 73 plate appearances for Oakland before going on the IL with back spasms back on June 8. That seemingly minor IL stint led to a much lengthier absence as Hundley underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee ten days later, and the veteran backstop hasn’t since been back on the field. This made Hundley the odd man out of an Oakland catching picture that consists of Chris Herrmann, Josh Phegley, and (at Triple-A) Beau Taylor.
With the experience of 12 MLB seasons on offer, Hundley is likely to find work with another team in need of catching depth, if he doesn’t end up remaining in Oakland’s system after an outright assignment. He signed a minor league contract with the Athletics over the winter following two years serving as Buster Posey’s backup with the San Francisco Giants, with Hundley seeing more playing time than expected given Posey’s injury problems. Over his career, Hundley has hit decently well for a catcher (.247/.299/.405 over 3373 PA), though his framing and caught-stealing numbers have recently been on the decline.
No room, Murphy coming off the IL.
Murphy not on 40 man
40 man slot doesn’t really matter in this case. He wouldn’t get playing time in Triple A regardless, especially after Jonah Heim is back from injury.
I wouldn’t mind seeing the Rangers give Hundley a look for the rest of this season. He can’t be worse than what they’ve been throwing behind the plate to this point.
Well, he’s hot off catching a no hitter for our Single A team.
Daniel you got that right!
Saw Mathis make a bone head throw yesterday that was costly. And he’s there for his defense! No bat at all!
“He can’t be worse…”
Yes he can. Hundley was always a bat-first catcher. His career -87 DRS can attest to that. A bat-first guy is useless if he’s not hitting, and Hundley isn’t. He has a 53 wRC+ this season. And his -0.4 WAR would suggest that the Rangers have someone in their org that’s a better option.
You’re using a 31-game sample to conclude that Nick Hundley can no longer hit. As recently as last season, he was more than serviceable at the plate.
And the Rangers currently have catchers that can neither hit nor play defense, so taking a flyer on a guy that might be able to do one makes some sense.
Many catchers careers end at 35, no idea why but look it up, Hundley is toast.
Tigers have the dynamic duo of John Hicks (.185 with light power, not light-tower power) and Bobby Wilson (.098 – not a typo – and no power). Hundley would be the immediate starter until Jake Rogers arrives in September.
The Yankees might pick him up temporarily until Sanchez comes back. Then DFA him all over again. Not sure who they’d bump from the 40-man though.
Makes sense. They just traded for a minor league catcher but nothing of real experience; Romine a lil
Yankees on line 1
Why would any team want Hundley unless he’s released outright, and it was for nothing more than minor league depth? Catcher is too important a position for any team to employ a 35 year-old bat-first guy that isn’t hitting.
The Astros seem to be doing just fine with a 35-year-old bat-first catcher. And Hundley’s numbers this season were built in 73 plate appearances. That’s not nearly a big enough sample to conclude that the man can no longer hit.
Seems like a good dude, hopefully he catches on somewhere. He fit in well with the Giants
When will the A’s free Beau Taylor? The guy needs to be playing in MLB. He’s way better than Phegley and Hermann, who are two guys the A’s should look to trade, with Murphy/Taylor/Heim as the the depth chart moving forward