The Athletics signed veteran catcher Carlos Perez to a minor league contract yesterday, per his transactions log at MLB.com. It’ll be his second stint with the organization.
The 32-year-old Perez — not to be confused with the White Sox catching prospect of the same name — has appeared in parts of four big league seasons but last saw the Majors in 2018. He’s a career .215/.257/.319 hitter in 670 plate appearances between the Angels, Rangers and Braves. He’s posted negative framing marks in his limited MLB time but also boasts an outstanding 38.4% caught-stealing rate.
Perez spent the 2022 season with the Rockies’ Triple-A affiliate in Albuquerque, where he slashed .254/.341/.524 and belted 31 homers. That tied a career-high for Perez, who also slugged 31 homers in 2021 with Oakland’s Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas while batting .269/.337/.572. Both settings are considered extremely hitter-friendly, but Perez has nonetheless had an impressive run in Triple-A over the past couple seasons. Overall, he’s spent parts of nine seasons in Triple-A and batted a combined .281/.350/.482 in 2107 trips to the plate.
The A’s are thin on catching depth in general, with young Shea Langeliers and veteran Manny Pina standing as the only two options on the 40-man roster. Pina is expected begin the season on the injured list, however, leaving Oakland in search of a backup for Langeliers, who’ll take the reins as the starter in Oakland following the offseason trade that sent Sean Murphy to Atlanta.
As it stands, the only other catcher in camp with big league experience is Yohel Pozo, who appeared in 21 games with the Rangers during 2021’s MLB debut. Pozo is the favorite to back up Langeliers early in the year, but if Pina is out long enough for Perez to get built up and game-ready, the veteran Perez could eventually emerge as an option. Top prospect Tyler Soderstrom could also be an option at some point, although scouts have long questioned about his glove at the position. The A’s have continued to develop him behind the plate, but it’s possible he’ll eventually slide to first base or designated hitter.
I’m not sure there’s a worse job in baseball than being a journeyman catcher who bounces around the minors and gets a brief call-up every couple of years. At least Perez had a couple of years in Anaheim so he’s made a little bit of major league money, but the others who spend the majority of their career in the minors beating up their bodies…it can’t be too much fun.
Those that don the tools of ignorance are into that sort of thing.
Then there’s guys like Meneses, who hung in there, spending around eight years in the minors before getting his shot last year at age 30. He’s doing pretty good for the O’s. But your right, there are a lot of players who play for years to get their shot and never make it.
that meneses guy plays for washington, and is a first baseman if not a dh.
You still make several hundred thousands of dollars for throwing/catching a ball and hitting it with a stick. Try being a warehouse or farm worker in states with very weak labor laws.
Wow, simply fascinating news for a’s fans everywhere (BOTH OF THEM)!!!
I think Wynns is the odd man out in SF. He had a decent year with the bat last season and he is good defensively. Definitely an upgrade over Pina in my opinion