The Rangers have signed outfielder Endy Chavez to a minor league deal.
Chavez's season ended prematurely last year when he collided with Yuniesky Betancourt and tore his ACL. While Chavez is coming off major knee surgery and is not expected to be ready for the season opener, his rehabilitation is way ahead of schedule and he's on pace to return sometime in May.
Chavez will earn $1MM if he makes the team with a $1.25MM team option for 2011.
When healthy, Chavez can be a catalyst in the line-up and on the base paths in spurts. He gets exposed if he has to play every day, but if your team needs a spark, he provides excellent value. Chavez won't do anything for your fantasy baseball team, but for a Major League club, he can prove to be an invaluable extremely useful player on a roster.
The 32-year-old has hit .270/.312/.367 in his nine-season career. However, he is better known for his defense, as demonstrated by his lifetime UZR/150 of 15.7.As mentioned Chavez' real value to a team is in his defense. He is truly one of the very best outfield defenders in the game and can play any of the three outfield spots equally well.
Who can forget Game 7 of the 2006 National League Championship Series and the catch he made. In the sixth inning of a 1-1 game, he made one of the greatest catches in postseason history. Had the Mets gone on to win the game it would have put them in the World Series the catch might be considered the best catch ever. (Incidentally, this is perhaps the only game changing, momentum swinging play in a big spot that has not propelled the team on to winning the game.)
With one out and a runner on first, Cardinals third baseman Scott Rolen hit a drive that cleared the left-field wall at Shea Stadium. But Chavez reached high over the wall and snagged the ball at the tip of his glove. The catch took away a two-run home run and instead ended up as an inning-ending double play.
Right now, the Rangers are set in the outfield with Josh Hamilton in left, Julio Borbon in center, Nelson Cruz in right, Vladimir Guerrero at designated hitter and David Murphy as the fourth outfielder, but this is a great signing by the Rangers, one that will pay them fantastic dividends over the course of a long season. Endy Chavez is the perfect role player / bench player for a MLB team.
Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels had this to say of Chavez:
"When he was right, we liked his ability to play all three outfield spots," "He's got a reputation for being a great teammate and a hard worker. He can also handle the bat. We felt he was a good guy to bring in."
I concur. - Mike Cardano
Mike is the founder of Around the Horn Baseball Blog & Extra Point Football.
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The Rangers have signed outfielder 
