Raul Chavez Signs with Blue Jays

by Charlie Wilmoth on Dec 30, 2008 6:06 PM EST

Raul Chavez has signed a minor league deal with the Jays. That I'll miss him a little says much more about the Pirates' catching situation the past few years than it says about him. Chavez posted a 63 OPS+ last year, which actually raised his career OPS+ to 44. He can't hit at all. The only thing he did right was not mess things up behind the plate, and there are about a million journeyman AAA catchers who can do that. Unfortunately, the Pirates' catcher in 2007 was a major leaguer who couldn't.

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He'll Be Missed

But I hope that Team Coonington can find as good a defensive backup as Chavez for the 2009 season. The man can catch and call a game.

by thegunner on Dec 30, 2008 6:45 PM EST reply actions

The backup job

will come down to Diaz and Jaramillo.

North Side Notch

by northsidenotch on Dec 30, 2008 6:53 PM EST up reply actions

Both of whom should be just fine.

by Vlad on Dec 30, 2008 10:26 PM EST up reply actions

Hard to believe such a great player couldn’t find a major league deal anywhere, isn’t it?

by WTM on Dec 30, 2008 7:03 PM EST up reply actions

Do I sense some sarcasm there?

The Utah Jazz

by UtesFan89 on Dec 30, 2008 7:15 PM EST up reply actions

Chavez had his career year at 35

So much for all that research.

by Zadoras on Dec 31, 2008 12:27 AM EST reply actions

Did he?

He hit pretty well at AAA this year, but it was only 85 AB, which is a tiny sample. His best season as something approaching a full-timer was probably 2001, when he hit .302/.347/.450 in AAA… at the age of 28.

by Vlad on Dec 31, 2008 12:28 PM EST up reply actions

The Joys of Being a Pirate Fan

Debating a representative of the most fungible commodity in all of baseball—the good-field, no-hit AAA catcher—as if he really mattered. If you went out in the Mixon Fruit Farm orchards next to Pirate City this March, you’d find hundreds of them growing on the trees. I think some of the gift baskets in the Mixon gift shop include one.

by WTM on Dec 31, 2008 10:13 PM EST up reply actions