The Chicago Cubs have made an addition to their catching depth, reportedly signing Jorge Alfaro to a minor-league deal.
According to FanSided’s Robert Murray, the deal comes with an invitation to spring training:
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Currently, the Cubs only have two catchers on their 40-man roster with Yan Gomes and Miguel Amaya, so it was expected that they’d add some veteran depth to the mix.
Alfaro profiles as a back-up catcher at this point in his career, having limited run last season with the Colorado Rockies and Boston Red Sox. In 52 combined plate appearances, he slashed .146/.212/.292. His expected batting average was .209. about 30 points lower than his career mark in that category.
He’s a moderately-successful pitch framer, especially down in the zone, but overall he’s pretty average, with zero framing runs in 157 pitches last season, according to Statcast.
For his career, he has 48 home runs and 198 RBI’s in 1,710 plate appearances, slashing .253/.302/.695.
