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The Pirates Should Claim Eric Fryer
By Marty Leap
The Pittsburgh Pirates need catching help with Francisco Cervelli still slated to miss three to four more weeks, and they should claim Eric Fryer for said help.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have a lot of issues right now, one of which is the catching position. Francisco Cervelli is still recovering from a broken hamate bone and will not be back for another three or four weeks yet, Elias Diaz is out due to elbow surgery, Chris Stewart is having a miserable offensive season, and Erik Kratz should not be in the Major Leagues. For these reasons, the Pirates need catching help right now.
Yesterday, the St. Louis Cardinals designated catcher Eric Fryer for assignment. This move was made by the Cardinals to create a roster spot for Brayan Pena who returned from this disabled list. I can not believe this is what the season has come to, but the Pirates should claim Eric Fryer off waivers.
Combined between 2011 and 2012 Eric Fryer caught 16 games for the Pirates. Fryer then spent the next three seasons in the Minnesota Twins’ organization, catching 49 games in the Big Leagues, before signing a Minor League deal with St. Louis this past offseason. Fryer then got promoted to the Major Leagues due to Brayan Pena’s injury in April.
Prior to the 2016 season, Eric Fryer had always been a below league average player. Entering the 2016 season Eric Fryer had a .243/.329/.336/.665 slash line in 158 career plate appearances. Fryer’s .300 wOBA and 89 wRC+ were both below league average.
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However, in 2016 Eric Fryer has been a different player. In 41 plate appearances for the Cardinals Fryer had a .368/.415/.421/.836 slash line, to go along with a .368 wOBA and a 133 wRC+. One thing that must be taken into consideration here though is that Fryer has a .452 BABIP this season, so he was due for some serious regression.
Offense aside, Eric Fryer has still been a strong catcher this season. Fryer has a 1.7 dWAR in 2016, and he is a strong pitch framer. Fryer also has two defensive runs saved this season, he has not committed an error, and he has thrown out two-of-four attempted base runners against him.
Even with regression to the norm, Eric Fryer is still a better catching option than Erik Kratz. This is why the Pirates should claim him off waivers. Even once Francisco Cervelli returns form the disabled list, the Pirates would be better off with Eric Fryer as their Triple-A catching depth than someone like Erik Kratz or Jacob Stallings.
Next: The Pirates Should Extend Jordy Mercer
Desperate times call for desperate matters. And right now, the Pittsburgh Pirates are desperate for some sort of catching help. For this reason, in my opinion, the Pirates should claim Eric Fryer off of waivers.