Kansas City Royals add needed catcher depth
By David Hill
The Kansas City Royals catching depth has taken a hit over the past few days. They addressed those issues by signing Oscar Hernandez.
In theory, the Kansas City Royals should be set at catcher. Salvador Perez has been a workhorse behind the plate, seemingly catching every day. The depth behind Perez was sufficient, with Cam Gallagher as the primary backup and prospects M.J. Melendez and Meibrys Viloria waiting in the wings.
Then came reality. Perez, who missed all of last year due to Tommy Joh surgery, has been sidelined after testing positive for COVID-19. Viloria was then placed on the Injured List, although the reason why was not disclosed. Although catchers Freddy Fermin and Allan de San Miguel were added to the 60 man roster, the Royals needed more depth.
Needing to add something to the roster, the Royals made a move. On Thursday, they signed Oscar Hernandez to a contract, adding him to their 60 man roster pool.
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Hernandez does not exactly have a track record of success in either the majors or upper minors. A Rule V draftee, he spent the entire 2015 season with the Diamondbacks, but only saw action in 18 games, getting 36 plate appearances. Over his time in the majors, consisting of 47 plate appearances, he has produced a .167/.239/262 batting line, hitting one double and one homer while striking out 15 times.
He has not had much success in the upper levels of the minors either. Hernandez owns a lifetime .190/.240/.344 batting line, with 15 homers and 17 doubles, in his 431 plate appearances at AA. While he has been marginally better at AAA, with a .210/.279/.336 batting line, seven homers, and 20 doubles in 365 plate appearances.
What Hernandez is, however, is a respectable defensive catcher. He has a strong arm, throwing out 41% of all minor league base stealers, and has excellent receiving skills. That profile is perfectly fine as minor league depth or organizational filler, which is exactly what Hernandez is right now. If he is pressed into action, the Royals will have a lot more problems than they currently do behind the plate.
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The Kansas City Royals signed Oscar Hernandez as they needed more depth at catcher. Hopefully, that is all he will be – depth to be called upon in case of an emergency.