According to Baseball America’s Matt Eddy, the A’s have signed catcher Yohel Pozo to a new minor league contract. Pozo will return to the Oakland organization for a second season after hitting.306/.338/.523 with 18 home runs in 391 plate appearances at Triple-A Las Vegas in 2023.
Despite some nice on-paper production at the Triple-A level over the last two seasons, the hitter-friendly nature of the Pacific Coast League tends to inflate Pozo’s numbers. An .826 OPS over 267 PA with the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate in 2022 translated to only a 104 wRC+, and Pozo’s 2023 numbers in Las Vegas were actually below average (99 wRC+) in comparison to the rest of the PCL’s hitters.
This is probably why Pozo still hasn’t gotten another look in the big leagues since his 21-game stint with the Rangers in 2021. Pozo hit .284/.312/.378 over 77 PA in his debut season in the bigs, which was the highlight of his nine years in the Texas organization. (The Padres briefly had Pozo signed to a minors deal during the 2020 offseason before Texas selected him back via the minor league version of the Rule 5 Draft.) The Rangers parted ways with Pozo last winter, allowing for the Athletics to make the signing.
In addition to catching, Pozo has seen significant playing time at first base during his pro career. Pozo, who is still only 26 years old, will return to the minors as a depth player, with Shea Langeliers and Tyler Soderstrom continuing to receive the majority of catching assignments on the MLB roster.
