The Orioles have agreed to a minor league contract with catcher Sam Huff, reports MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko. The ALIGND Sports client will presumably be in big league camp as a non-roster invitee this spring.
A seventh-rounder by the Rangers back in 2016, the as-of-yesterday 28-year-old Huff has played in parts of five major league seasons. He once rated as one of the top catching prospects in the sport and carries a decent .247/.301/.430 batting line in the majors. That production comes in a sample of only 272 plate appearances and spite of a 36% strikeout rate, however. Huff’s rate stats have been buoyed by a .350 average on balls in play.
Huff has solid framing grades in his limited major league work but has struggled with blocking balls in the dirt and controlling the run game. He has just an 18.5% caught-stealing rate in his career and has been charged with eight passed balls in 507 innings behind the dish.
The minor league numbers for Huff aren’t bad. He’s tallied exactly 1200 plate appearances in Triple-A and carries a lifetime .258/.338/.476 slash at that level, including 56 homers, 60 doubles, a pair of triples and a 10.2% walk rate. Contact has been an issue for him even at the top minor league level, though; he’s fanned in an untenable 29.9% of his trips to the plate in Triple-A.
With the Orioles, Huff figures to be a pure depth option. Top prospect Samuel Basallo and mainstay Adley Rutschman will handle the catching duties in the majors. Twenty-seven-year-old Maverick Handley got some looks as a glove-first option behind the dish when the O’s were dealing with injuries in 2025 as well, though he’s since been removed from the 40-man roster. Huff can join Handley in Triple-A Norfolk and give the organization an option as a righty bat at first base, too (not that they’re lacking in that regard). He’s logged 73 career games (566 innings) at first base between the minors and the big leagues.
Oh boy! This almost makes up for missing out on Ranger…
Why would you guys need Ranger? You’ve recently acquired the almighty “Big Game” Shane Baz, for a bag of peanuts (according to O’s fans). You guys are set for the foreseeable future. In fact, word is that the O’s are considering a 4 man rotation, giving BGSB an extra start each time thru :p
My mind is going. I thought the headline read, Sam Horn was signed. For those to young to remember, Sam was a Red Sox prodigy of I believe the early 80’s. He was a first baseman who would be perfect today (strikeout, walk, HR). I remember a HR he hit in I think September of 82. The ball hit hard the ad sign in back of the right field bleachers. No ball to my knowledge had been hit there. Sam is probably still swatting them deep in a beer softball league.
You’re off by about 5 years.
Well sure, Baz is going to be the AL Cy Young award winner 3 out of the next 5 years, but Ranger is a cool guy….the O’s are lacking in the je ne sais quoi factor IMO.
Also when I was growing up, my parents would always tell me “You can never have enough pitching!” and I never doubted them.
Baz will be fine now that he’s escaped the minor league bandbox. They’re better off with a young pitcher with upside like him than an older one with declining velocity.
If they could sign Bellinger, they would have a Huff and a puff…
Dude looks kinda like Barry Pepper
Hell yeah Huff, it’s Hufflepuff time.
Huff is the Stuff.
Figured some catching depth would be in the cards at some point. Really just need to sign or trade for that top of rotation type starter and call it an excellent offseason for us.
Correct. They’ll get their guy, either via free agency or a trade. I still think they need to add a bullpen piece or two, but they’re going to be really good.
Can’t believe he is already 28 years old. He might be a decent backup for a while but unfortunately I don’t he will be as good as I thought he would a few years ago.
He looked crappy enough to send to AAA last year with the Giants. Once they sent him down he never returned. He certainly didn’t pass the eye test when I watched him in numerous Giants games in the early season.
Great dude in the clubhouse super friendly! Good luck, Sam!
Sam Huffs Flying Raging Machine
Good luck fellow orange & black.
Really thought he would do better, but overall just disappointing while in SF.
Not the Ranger we wanted
He used to kick butt for the Redskins in the 60’s. Oops can you say that without being censored on this site? Stay tuned
He was great with Sonny J on WMAL. Turn the sound off the TV and listen to the game on the radio…
I loved watching the little documentary about him, “The Violent World of Sam Huff ” It features some primitive trash talking that sounds funny today.
That’s how you counteract a divisional opponent signing a guy that seemingly didn’t want to come to Baltimore. O’s making MONEY MOVES!
Sam Horn is back?!?
Not the orioles news we’re looking for
He misses a lot but when he connects, it goes a long way. Good luck Sam!
There shouldn’t be a comma before “too.”