The Arizona Diamondbacks have added some depth, signing Matt Szczur to a minor-league deal and assigning him to their top affiliate.
According to an announcement on Twitter from the Reno Aces, the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, the team has signed outfielder Matt Szczur to a one-year, MiLB pact with an invite to major league spring training. Szczur himself confirmed the move by updating his Twitter bio late Friday.
Szczur, whose last name is pronounced “SEE-zur”, was previously a member of the San Diego Padres organization, appearing in 161 total games for the Friars in parts of two seasons. In 2018, he slashed .187/.265/.267 in 57 games, adding a home run and three doubles in 75 at-bats.
Prior to San Diego, Szczur was a member of the Chicago Cubs, suiting up in 202 games in Chicago, slashing a cumulative .243/.295/.370 in 338 at-bats in parts of four seasons at Wrigley. In those four seasons, he had eight home runs, 40 RBI and four stolen bases. With the Cubs, his cumulative OPS+ was 78.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
A fifth round pick of the Cubs in 2010 (the same round that saw the selection of Red Sox hurler Heath Hembree), the native of Cape May, New Jersey has logged over 500 games in the minor leagues, the majority of them at the Triple-A and Double-A levels of competition.
Szczur, 29, will now hope to get another shot at the majors. He could, if all goes right, serve as a depth piece for the Diamondbacks, potentially earning some playing time in the summer. Of course, this is depending on how he fares in major league camp later on this winter.
The Arizona Diamondbacks will likely continue to pursue minor league free agents in the hopes of bolstering their upper minor league depth ahead of spring training.