Minnesota Twins claim catcher John Hicks
The Minnesota Twins added a pair of players to the 40-man roster on Wednesday with the addition of Byung Ho Park and, to much less celebration, catcher John Hicks.
The Twins held a press conference for the signing of Korean slugger Byung Ho Park on Wednesday at Target Field. Park was added to the 40-man roster, but he wasn’t the only one added to the team’s roster.
Minnesota also claimed former Seattle Mariners catcher John Hicks off of waivers. Hicks is the second catcher the Twins have added this offseason with the earlier acquisition of John Ryan Murphy from the New York Yankees.
Hicks is 26-years-old and has only played in 17 games in the major leagues. Hicks debuted last August with the Mariners playing in 17 games, but only hit 2-for-32 in his MLB appearances. Last season, Hicks hit .245 with six home runs in 83 games at Triple-A Tacoma.
According to the Star Tribune, the addition of Hicks to the 40-man roster currently puts the Minnesota Twins at the 40-man limit on that roster.
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The Twins will go into spring training with Kurt Suzuki slotted as the primary catcher. It is seemed likely that Suzuki will be splitting sometime with Murphy to get Murphy’s bat in the lineup and to get some more offensive production out of the catcher position.
Minnesota has a totally revamped catching ranks with Suzuki, Murphy, Hicks and the signing of Juan Centeno to a minor league deal earlier this week. Chris Herrmann and Josmil Pinto have both left the Minnesota Twins with Herrmann going to the Arizona Diamondbacks and Pinto to the San Diego Padres.
Next: The Byung Ho Park signing!
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