The Phillies announced that they’ve signed catcher J.P. Arencibia to a minor league deal and invited him to Major League Spring Training. The Phillies also confirmed their previously reported signing of Ernesto Frieri and announced minor league deals/camp invites for infielder Angelys Nina and right-handers Greg Burke and Gregory Infante.
Arencibia, 30 next month, enjoyed outstanding results at the plate in a short stint with the Rays last season, hitting .310/.315/.606 with six homers in 71 plate appearances. While those results are impressive, certainly, Arencibia’s Achilles heel over the life of his career has been huge strikeout numbers against dismal walk rates, and that continued in 2015. Arencibia walked just once in his 71 PAs but struck out a jarring 22 times (31 percent), which was enough that the Rays didn’t feel he was a part of their 2016 plans; he was designated for assignment and released this offseason.
Arencibia has caught base-stealers at a roughly league-average rate across parts of six Major League seasons, and he graded as a plus framer back in 2013 before posting average and below-average marks in smaller samples from 2014-15. Overall, he’s a lifetime .212/.258/.412 hitter in the big leagues.
Philadelphia could use some catching depth, however, as the only catchers on the 40-man roster there are Carlos Ruiz, Cameron Rupp and Jorge Alfaro, the latter of whom is not yet Major League ready despite his notable prospect status.
As for the rest of the signees, Burke and Infante figure to be depth options. Each has reached the Major Leagues in the past despite slightly below-average control numbers at Triple-A, with the 33-year-old Burke seeing significantly more big league time (4.77 ERA in 77 1/3 innings) than the 28-year-old Infante (4 2/3 innings with the 2010 White Sox). Nina, 27, is a versatile defender that saw action at second base, shortstop, third base and left field in 2015 while hitting .300/.333/.402 in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
Ouch poor Philadelphia Phillie fans maybe if you stop booing everybody in 2-3 years .Free Agents might come play there your team will be fine wait not next year but 2-3 so be cool and learn to cheer your team on .
This comment is so misguided and funny.
Um, ok. Thanks for the advice and reassurance. I guess…
I’ll stop booing if they stop sucking.
When the Phillies had a team all the free agents want to play here many trades were made Cliff Lee Roy Halladay Raul Ibanez just to mention a few. The stadium was sold out every night and the cheers could be heard all the way to New York
N
We do numb nuts……
No one wants to go to Philly because they aren’t good.
When the Phillies were good, they had no problem attracting FA”s.
Lee, Polanco, Ibanez, Papelbon, Thome, Mike Adams plus all the contract extensions they gave out to guys who they traded for/drafted.
Also, no one wants to play in Philly because, well, the Phillies are simply not interested in signing big name free agents right now.
Brixton, hate to break it to you but the Phillies were “not good” when Thome signed with them. But then again, small details are irrelevant when you’re trying to make dumb statements.
Did somebody from the Rays front office move over to Phillies? Seems like they have acquired an unusual amount of former-Rays this off=season. They have acquired Hellickson, Goeddel, Frieri, and now Arencibia off the top of my head.Just a coincidence?
Klentak
Ok
I hope they can trade Ruiz and allow JP to be the back-up.
Wasn’t Ruiz your guys starting catcher? Or was it Rupp
Ruiz lost his job to Rupp, who looks like a stopgag for Knapp/Alfaro.
Much needed depth for catcher. Ruiz needs to stay as his presence will help all the young pitchers. Rupp is a good backup but who knows if he’s anything else.
I hope the Phillies can send Ruiz somewhere, I love Ruiz but his time is up there and he need to go somewhere, maybe KC to back up Perez and help the pitching staff, I’m not totally sure what their catching depth looks like tho, even if they don’t having arencibia back up first wouldn’t hurt either, unless he hits like he did before this year then we have guys like him ruf and Howard to lead the majors in Ks…
I hope the Phillies send Howard somewhere, maybe to Tampa bay for new soda machines and a bag of balls
Feel sorry for JP in a way.
He’s got a lot of power.
Maybe not enough skills to be behind the plate much but
he could have been an okay first baseman or a left fielder.