The White Sox introduced that they’ve signed catcher Omar Narváez to a minor league take care of an invitation to main league spring coaching. The veteran backstop is represented by ISE Baseball.
Narváez, 33 subsequent month, has had a reasonably uncommon profession. As soon as a bat-first catcher with defensive query marks, he later flipped that profile and have become a strong defender with a tepid bat. Final yr, he didn’t reach both class and ended up spending many of the season within the minors.
From 2016 to 2019, with the White Sox and Mariners, he slashed .276/.361/.411 for a 113 wRC+. However because of his poor defensive metrics, he was price solely 3.1 wins above alternative in 353 video games over that stretch, per the calculations of FanGraphs. He then spent 2020 to 2022 with the Brewers, hitting .233/.318/.350 for an 84 wRC+ however producing 4.6 fWAR in 247 video games because of his superior work behind the plate.
The Mets signed him to a two-year, $15MM deal going into 2023, which become a bust. A major left calf pressure put him on the shelf early within the first yr of that deal and he solely performed 49 video games on the season, hitting simply .211/.283/.297. Early in 2024, he produced a dismal line of .154/.191/.185 in 69 plate appearances. He was launched by early June and signed a minor league take care of the Astros, then hitting .196/.325/.304 in 169 Triple-A appearances.
It’s clearly been a tough patch for Narváez however he has a monitor document of previous main league success, each offensively and defensively, although often not on the similar time. He’s a wise flier for the Sox, who had little confirmed behind the plate. They at present have two catchers on the 40-man roster: Korey Lee and Matt Thaiss. Lee is a former prospect who might nonetheless escape however has hit .188/.227/.313 in his profession to this point. Thaiss, picked up in a money deal final month, is a bit higher on the plate however isn’t thought-about a robust defender.
The membership’s future most likely lies in Edgar Quero or Kyle Teel or each. Quero was acquired from the Angels within the Lucas Giolito/Reynaldo López commerce and Teel from the Crimson Sox within the Garrett Crochet deal. Each are consensus prime 100 prospects however they will not be rapid options. Neither is on the 40-man roster but. Quero has simply 26 video games on the Triple-A stage whereas Teel has 28. Attending to the majors this yr is definitely attainable for each of them however there are not any ensures that they may instantly succeed even when they get there. Narváez provides the membership an skilled backstop that they may lean on if their youthful choices get injured or hit pace bumps.
