General manager Jon Daniels continues to add depth to the Texas Rangers 2018 squad. Texas added another catcher to their Spring Training roster on Thursday. What kind of impact could Curt Casali make in Arlington?
It’s not a blockbuster signing, but the Texas Rangers continue to make improvements this winter. Catcher Curt Casali has been signed to a one-year deal and he receives an invite to Spring Training.
Casali, 29, is a career .199 hitter with 19 home runs and 49 RBIs in parts of four Major League seasons. He only played in nine MLB games last season, but performed above average during his time in the minors.
In Triple-A with Rays organization, Casali hit .263 with five home runs and 48 RBIs in 85 games. He walked 37 times with just 65 strikeouts over 343 plate appearances in the minors last season. He’s not going to be an All-Star, but could be a quality backup catcher.
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Casali is now the sixth catcher on the Rangers roster headed to Spring Training in 2018. The other five are Robinson Chirinos, Brett Nicholas, Jose Trevino, Juan Centeno, and Michael Ohlman. Chirinos is the only catcher guaranteed a spot on the roster in April.
The Rangers also re-signed outfielder Jose Cardona and pitcher Taylor Scott. Both players are signed to minor leagues deals with invites to big league camp. There is a chance that strong play could lead to Cardona in Arlington this April.
He hit .274 with seven home runs and 47 RBIs in 113 games between Double-A and Triple-A last season. Cardona could find himself as an extra outfielder off the bench, if he plays above average this spring.