The Phillies have a minor-league deal in place with outfielder Matt Szczur, according to Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philly. It includes an invitation to participate in MLB Spring Training.
Szczur, 30, failed to crack the majors last year for the first time since he broke in with the Cubs in 2014. The New Jersey native stayed put at Triple-A with the Diamondbacks in 2019, due in no small part to leg issues that limited him to 44 games of action.
When he was available for the Snakes’ top affiliate, Szczur turned in a strong .322/.309/.577 batting line over 172 plate appearances. That output dwarfs his lifetime .231/.312/.355 slash in 667 trips to the plate in the majors.
It’s possible that Szczur could earn an active roster spot with a big showing in camp. He’s capable of spending some time in center and has traditionally performed better against southpaws, making him a possible match to complement presumptive Phillies center fielder Adam Haseley.
This is a great move Matt is a great clubhouse addition and a great move for any team miss him in Chicago
You won’t a better human being in baseball than Matt. We loved him in Chicago. Solid all round player. Good arm, consistent at bats and glove. Really glad to see someone sigh him
Give onto Szczur that which is his.
That took a lot of Gaul.
Let’s see if Szczur will cross the Rubicon this year
Love you knuckleheads
Cape May’s finest
.309 OBP with a .322 BA? Impressive feat!
Was thinking the same thing! Lol
Jumps off the page.
***.322/.390/.577
Thanks!
Roman Quinn is probably gonna be the guy against lefties in CF and should get some late inning pinch running opportunities. Odubel Herrera stands to be the 26th man so I think Szczur is nothing more than AAA depth in case someone gets hurt or if they can move Odubel. He’s a local guy, the Press of Atlantic City does a daily feature in the sports section on he and Mike Trout, titled “local roundup”. Great numbers in the minors though and hope he can contribute if his number is called.
Rock, paper, Szczur?
Szczur salad
Ha!
“Ruzczs” is “Szczur” spelled backwards.
Is that you, Harry???
I’m waiting for that Cobra Forest clown to come up here and say something snarky about this one.
“Merry Christmas to you Phillies fans. Not Gerrit Cole, a lump of real coal in your stocking.”
Girardi-Price-Wheeler-Gregorius…..The Phillies have had a good offseason to this point.Even if the rest of their moves are minor,its a good offseason.
I agree, Regi Green… just posting a ForestCobraAL quote to pre-empt him and his predictable commentary.
First Gosselin, now Szczur. Booking my World Series tickets now.
El oh el good one!
Best artist in the league.
I remember when he lent his underwear to Addison Russell during the playoffs
If he gets any regular burn, Phils fans may suffer several Szczurs.
Healthy, there are worse RH hitting CFers; he’s actually better defensively than you’d think. And he has some flair and life to him. Nice low-cost pickup, Giradi kind of guy.
When the Nats come into town, I can’t wait to see Max Scherzer pitch to Matt Szczur. You got this commentators!
Really wish they’d resign Dickerson. Lineup is looking weak outside of Harper, Cutch and Realmuto.
Barring Phillies cannot find taker for Odubel Herrera, it stands to reason that Szczur will be AAA depth to start the season. However, most the guys in front of him, Quinn, Bruce, McCutchen, suffered injuries in 2019… and it’s likely Quinn will suffer one in 2020 as well. You never know when the guy will be needed. This, it’s good AAA depth.
I’m surprised this signing got a post of its own, honestly. I’d expect this to have been in the “Minor League Signings Round-up” kind of posts MLBTR usually does.
It’s nice that he’s a local guy but at his best in the majors he has never put up good numbers. Looks like the Phillies are finished spending and are now looking under every rock to fill needs..
Good for him and I hope he does well
Not too often the Phillies get a chance to plug a hole with a local Villanova product.
sure hope he’s not expected to start over Haseley. depth is great and all, (even if its pretty bad depth) but not when your depth is starting over the better players.
I don’t know anything about this guy..I guess they know what they are doing..
Interesting
Well, according to this internet thing – Szczur – is pronounced “Caesar” – yes, like the salad.