Diamondbacks Player Spotlight: C Jarrod Saltalamacchia

Hey look, it’s the new guy on the block.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia, or “salty” as he is ever-so-affectionately referred to by his teammates, joined the Diamondbacks in early May after being released by the Miami Marlins.

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The Marlins released the struggling catcher in the middle of a three-year 21 million dollar deal and when no one claimed him on waivers, Salty became a free agent and was quickly snatched up by the Diamondbacks who were in dire need of offensive help at their catcher position.

While Saltalamacchia has struggled since signing the deal with the Marlins, he has history on his side. At 30 years old, ‘Salty’ is in the middle of his ninth season in the big leagues. He’s spent time with five different teams, starting his career with Atlanta before moving to Texas, Boston, Miami and now in Arizona.

So here’s what Diamondbacks should expect from the newly acquired catcher. Offense and hopefully a good deal of it. His peak years came with Boston from 2011 to 2013 where he cranked out 55 home runs in that span to go along with 180 RBI’s. In Miami his production decreased a little as he only hit 11 home runs and 44 RBI’s. What also stands out is his .722 career OPS.

What you won’t see is defense. Saltilamacchia ranks among the worst defensive catchers in baseball. Since 2012, Salty is tied for worst in errors (30), worst in fielding percentage (.988), and worst in defensive runs saved (-19).

Diamondbacks fans will miss the sterling work behind the play of Tuffy Gosewisch, but the offensive potential that Salty brings will be solid and a nice fit with the also-offensively-minded Wellington Castillo.

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