JULY 14: Chirinos has improved since Monday, but his status for Opening Day is up in the air, according to Woodward (via Wilson).
JULY 13: Catcher Robinson Chirinos suffered a potentially worrisome injury at Rangers Summer Camp on Monday, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. Chirinos departed after teammate Scott Heineman slid into his right ankle.
The images Chirinos underwent after he exited came back negative, but manager Chris Woodward acknowledged that “it’s concerning to say the least” whenever a catcher rolls his ankle. Woodward and the Rangers should know more about Chirinos’ status Tuesday.
Chirinos was one of the notable offseason acquisitions the Rangers made, as he parlayed an effective 2019 with the division-rival Astros into a one-year, $6.75MM contract. This isn’t the first Rangers go-around for the 36-year-old Chirinos, who was a member of the club from 2013-18.
Defense isn’t Chirinos’ calling card, but he has been one of the game’s steadiest offensive catchers over the past half-decade. Dating back to his 2015 breakout, Chirinos has slashed .234/.340/.452 (110 wRC+) with 71 home runs in 1,615 plate appearances. That type of production would certainly be welcome for the Rangers, whose catchers provided little to nothing at the plate last season. Primary option Jeff Mathis struggled more than anyone else in the mix, registering a .158/.209/.224 line and a stunningly poor 2 wRC+ in 244 trips to the plate.
In the event Chirinos misses time this year, Mathis could once again end up in the lineup on a regular basis. Jose Trevino also figures to make the roster, and Wilson notes that Nick Ciuffo could open 2020 as the team’s third catcher if Chirinos lands on the shelf.
mlb1225
Jeff Mathis
Francys01
Russell Martin is a free agent.
batflip
How in the world did the Rangers trot out Jeff Mathis as their “primary” catcher last year? Surely they have some kid in AAA who could have at least batted over .200, no? Defense isn’t everything…
Ji-Man Choi
They have a kid named Sam Huff who can really hit the ball
Epstein is Altuve’s father
Wow…. don’t follow the rangers but that Mathis guy…. yikes.
Hope Chirinos is ok. What’s his team mate think he’s Manny Machado?
jbs32
Defence isn’t everything but Mathis behind the plate is much better than the numbers suggest. Foolish Baseball has a great video on him on youtube, dude cant hit at all but his framing makes such a big impact on pitchers that he’s a positive player.
24TheKid
Sorry man, Jeff Mathis is nothing more than a meme.
CNichols
A 2 wRC+ is unbelievable and likely historical in terms of the lack of offensive production. That’s 98% below league average.
I’m not saying Mathis isn’t a good defender, but WAR valuations have defensive components, including framing. So an elite defensive catcher like Austin Hedges can post a very bad 47 wRC+ and still have a positive 1.4WAR. Mathis on the other hand posted a -2.1WAR, which seems to indicate that because his offensive output is so bad he is overall much worse than replacement level.
Lets Go DBacks
Mathis was defensively and offensively not close to what he did in Arizona, that is the problem.
thebaseballfanatic
Yesssss!!!! Finally!!!!!
How many players do you think will Mathis this season?
Mrtwotone
Jeff Mathis makes pitchers better. According to some
Rangers29
Hey @batflip… we do… His name is Jose Trevino. He has great defense, and he broke out hitting wise last September. So yes we do… Mathis should be a personal catcher for Minor and Lyles or something like that, and have Trevino play the majority. Will we? No.
Wyoming Bison Expansion Team
Call up the Marlins about Cervelli. Probably the best option if you’re looking at the trade market considering what it could cost to acquire him, practically nothing.
keysox
McCann – White Sox
DarkSide830
McCann is probably going to cost more.
tbone0816
Cardinals could possibly trade you Knitzer
Julio Franco's Birth Certificate
Chirinos is also less known as the main guy who spilled the beans to MLB on the Astros cheating scandal. As a member of the Astros in 2019, and Rangers during the 5 years prior.
He also was involved in the “Beltran’s niece” Twitter account which disclosed many more details of what the Astros did, and was a good friend of Beltran, both during his time in Arlington and Houston.
AND NOW YOU HAVE THE REST OF THE STORY
Rallyshirt
Robinson Chirinos’ character is highly questionable.
DodgerOK
One of the steadiest offensive catchers of the half decade? Yeah, a steady .234. If defense is not his gift, he won’t be around much longer hitting.234.
Tom84
ah i see you conveniently forget his .440 SLG and 10.2 oWAR. What is this, 1940?