The Rangers have signed veteran catcher John Hicks to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invitation, per a club announcement. Outfielder Adolis Garcia, who was designated for assignment earlier this week, will also be invited to Major League camp after going unclaimed on outright waivers, according to the Rangers. Texas also confirmed its previously reported minor league deals with Korean lefty Hyeon-jong Yang and with infielder Brock Holt.
Hicks, 31, didn’t play in the big leagues last year, instead spending the 2020 season at the Diamondbacks’ alternate training site. He’s appeared in parts of five big league seasons between the Mariners and Tigers, logging a combined .235/.280/.391 batting line with 28 homers and 15 doubles in 871 plate appearances.
He’s never graded out as a particularly strong framer, but Hicks has an above-average 31 percent caught-stealing rate at the MLB level and will add some depth to a Rangers club that is presently lacking in that department. Jose Trevino currently projects as the starter, with Jonah Heim and non-roster veteran Drew Butera serving as backup candidates. Top prospect Sam Huff got his feet wet in the big leagues last year, but he skipped both Double-A and Triple-A, so he’s likely in line for additional minor league seasoning.
Yang, as noted in the linked post above, is a former KBO MVP who has long had his sights set on pitching in the Majors. His decision to do so this winter wasn’t particularly well-timed, given not only the economic climate in MLB but also the fact that he’s coming off one of the rougher seasons of a generally strong career in South Korea. Still, he’s made 29 starts or more in each of the past eight seasons and prior to 2020 carried a 3.35 ERA over a seven-year stretch. If nothing else, the fact that he threw 172 1/3 innings last year — nearly 100 more than any MLB pitcher — ought to be of benefit while the Rangers look to monitor the workloads of the rest of their staff.
Well we found Max Muncy’s doppelgänger
Dear Baseball God,
You have blessed the Rangers with the signings of Yang and Holt, but now I ask for one final favor. There will be two corresponding 40-man roster moves as a result of the aforementioned signings, and if you – with your almighty power – can hear me, then I pray to you this: DFA Rougned Odor. If you could manage to accomplish that, you will make millions of people happy all across this world. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Rangers29
It would make 1 fan happy, just 1.
✌️
If there’s a fracas it’s nice to have a guy on your team that can land a punch (Odor).
Wait in line. Us O’s fans have been dealing with Chris Davis for years. It’s our turn.
Chris Davis is my favorite non Rays player. I really pull for him to succeed. I feel bad. I want him to have to have an MVP caliber season so bad.
They’re minor league deals, no no. there won’t be 40 man moves
You don’t have to make a 40 man move when signing guys to minor league deals.
Hicks got a few big hits for us while he was with The Tigers….he has some power. Hope he make a splash this spring.
At least after this dumpster fire season the Rangers are about have, they will have a top 3 pick in next season’s MLB draft.
Unsigned free agent catchers (2021 season age in parenthesis). Some of these can be helpful to a rebuilding team’s young pitchers.
Robinson Chirinos (36)
Tyler Flowers (35)
Bryan Holaday (33)
Jeff Mathis (38)
Matt Wieters (35)
Holaday signed with AZ I believe.
Robby Chirinos….been there, done that twice.
As a Braves fan, Tyler Flowers was solid for us. But he’s not the platoon catcher we have used him for the last few years (except 2020). The guy is a true backup at this point and should only be used as that. He should rarely play, only to give the starter a break every week or other week as needed. And he needs to be on a stupid cheap contract. He can barely hit, and worse, the guy let’s balls get by him allllllll the time. He gets too cute with framing and I can’t tell you how many plays at the plate I’ve seen him drop. Worse than all of that… is he capable of throwing out a guy stealing? In the last 2 years has he throwing out a single guy?? Anyways… 1 year, 1 mil at most for him.
Sam Huff looks the goods hope for u Ranger fans he plays out . If I were in the AL West I wouldn’t sleep on em
Sam Huff appears to have had a pretty solid mlb showing. Maybe he’s more ready for the show than this article gives him credit for. Although I’d be a hypocrite, because my gut says he should prob season a little more in the minors just to be safe but whatever
Huff was pretty solid in the NFL too. But that was a few years ago.
Newly signed Catcher, John should be a good fit in rural Texas,
He’s a REAL…….
HICK !!
I ready for Josh Jung to blossom into a superstar. Rangers really need some building blocks
So sad to see what this ownership and JD has done to this once good franchise. We don’t have a single all star type player that is wanted by another team. (Gallo batting .190 is not all star). This team would have to have a lot of luck to play .500 ball in AAA. So sad.