The Rockies have informed reporters, including Thomas Harding of MLB.com, that they have signed catcher Grayson Greiner to a minor league deal. He had been in camp with the Twins on a minor league deal but was recently released. Harding adds that Rockies’ minor league catcher Willie MacIver will be out for the next six to eight weeks due to a shoulder issue.
Greiner, 30, has appeared in each of the past five MLB seasons as a backup/depth catcher, getting into 139 total games in those five campaigns with the Tigers and Diamondbacks. He’s drawn walks at a decent 9.1% clip but struck out in 32.2% of his trips to the plate. His .201/.275/.307 batting line amounts to a 58 wRC+. He has -8 Defensive Runs Saved in his career with a negative grade from FanGraphs’ framing metric.
The Rockies have just a pair of backstops on their roster at the moment in Elias Díaz and Brian Serven. MacIver was set to be the club’s regular catcher in Triple-A but it looks like he’ll now miss the next couple of months with that shoulder issue. Greiner will presumably take over that responsibility and could be first in line for a call-up to the majors should another injury arise. One of the club’s top prospects, Drew Romo, is a catcher, though he just reached Class-A Advanced last year and will likely head to Double-A to start this season.
Can’t catch; can’t hit; what do you do?
@GarryHarris some of these front office people must think hes good looking or he has dirt on some of these owners. Don’t see how this guy isn’t playing in Korea right now
I never understood how he stayed so long with Detroit. He couldn’t call a game either.
Backup catchers seem to have a decent shelf life no matter the stats. Look at father son Butera, similar well below average stats but they had decent careers
Sign with Rockies.
It seems like the Detroit Tigers farm system only produces bench players, backup catchers and middle relievers. Hopefully, with Scott Harris in charge, that will change.
Willi Castro came from the Indians’ farm. The Tigers are the MLB version of the SOL until new ownership.