Detroit Tigers sign catcher Brayan Pena to one year contract – MLB News
Detroit Tigers have signed on a one year contract with veteran catcher Brayan Pena, reports detroitnews.com. The Tigers made the official announcement on Monday that they signed the switch hitting catcher to a one year Major League contract.
Pena will be entering the season as a backup catcher to Alex Avilla. With Brayan Holaday expected to start the next season at Triple A, Pena will have an excellent opportunity to cement his place on Tigers’ big league roster.
Although the Tigers have not disclosed the terms of the deal as yet, reports have surfaced that the contract is likely to be worth less than $1m million. Pena’s ability to switch can prove to a great asset for the Tigers in the next season.
Manager Jim Leyland is extremely pleased to have Pena in his team as a backup catcher. The Tigers need more depth and variety at this position considering Alex Avilla missed a large number of games last season injury. Earlier this month, the Tigers acquired
another backup catcher Ramon Cabrera from the Pittsburgh Pirates for the Double A league.
The Tigers will be looking to use Pena against the left handed pitching but they can also need him as a backup for Avila who has a history of missing games with injuries.
Pena had a decent time on the plate last season as he hit .236 with two home runs and 25 RBI’s in 68 games for the Kansas City Royals. It will be interesting to see if he can improve his number in his tenure in Detroit.
"He brings us more experience," said Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski, "and gives us more depth in the organization."
He is a .248 hitter with a .286 on base percentage. Having signed a contract with one of the most elites clubs in the American League, Pena will have an excellent chance to revive his Major League Baseball career.
Other candidate for the backup catching position, Holaday has struggled to give consistent results since the start of his Majors career. In this minor league season, he has hit just .237 with a forgettable .314 on base percentage.
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