The White Sox continued to add depth to their roster yesterday, signing Soto to compete with catchers Tyler Flowers and Adrian Nieto. After adding Jeff Samardzija, David Robertson, Melky Cabrera and Adam LaRoche, the White Sox appear ready to return to relevancy in the AL Central.
Soto is a very good defensive catcher, so much so that he got the nod over Derek Norris in the Wild Card play in game for Oakland last year. He has a very patient approach at the plate, taking plenty of walks and showing some power at the plate as well. At 32, he may be heading toward the end of his career, but he can definitely still be useful in 2015.
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Although they sport a quality lineup that returns Jose Abreu, Adam Eaton and Alexei Ramirez, the catching position is a spot that is a huge hole for the club. Let’s take a look at the White Sox current catching options:
Tyler Flowers
Flowers is similar to former Jays and current Oriole catcher J.P Arencibia, with power being their only really useful hitting tool. In his first full season in the big leagues in 2014, he hit 15 home runs, but he also struck out 159 times in only 127 games. He’ll likely never hit for a decent average and doesn’t walk a lot, leading to a sub .300 OBP last season.
At 6’4″ and 245 pounds, it’s not surprising that he’s not the most agile. He does hold his own behind the plate however, ranking 7th in defensive runs saved among catchers in 2014. He has a very strong arm throwing out baserunners. If his fielding ability continues to improve, the team can live with his all-or-nothing hitting approach.
Adrian Nieto
Drafted by the Nationals in 2008, Nieto made his major league debut last season in a 48 game stint. His .635 OPS was pretty unspectacular, and his minor league numbers indicate he will probably never be that great of a hitter. He has average fielding ability behind the dish.
It seems like Nieto will be in competition with Soto for the backup catcher spot. Nieto would likely return to Triple-A if he loses that battle.
Soto is an overall better player than both Flowers and Nieto. If the Puerto Rican can stay healthy, there is no reason why he shouldn’t be able to prove that he is a better option than at least Adrian Nieto behind the plate.
By playing well enough this Spring, the veteran could end up stealing starts from Tyler Flowers as well. This signing is a low risk move for the White Sox which bolsters their catching depth and adds some much needed competition.