The Milwaukee Brewers further bolstered their catching core Monday afternoon by trading for journeyman catcher Michael McKenry of the Atlanta Braves in exchange for cash considerations.
McKenry has been in the majors since 2010 when he made his first appearance with the Colorado Rockies, but has bounced around the league ever since.
He was originally drafted by the Rockies in the seventh round of the 2006 draft and moved up through the organization until reaching the majors in September of 2010, but played only six games with the team before season’s end.
He was traded to the Boston Red Sox the following March, before being moved to the Pittsburgh Pirates in June, at which point he joined the team and played out the remainder of the season. He averaged around 60 games a year with the Pirates, and then the Rockies, who reacquired him in 2014.
In 2016, he’d been with three previous clubs already, including the Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, all of whom placed him in their respective Triple-A affiliates.
McKenry is a career .238/.318/.406 hitter who is having a nice upswing at the Triple-A level so far this year, batting .292/.409/.518 with six home runs and 32 runs batted in, in 51 games.
He joins an already stacked position in Colorado Springs, alongside Josmil Pinto and Andrew Susac. but will also be vying for a spot against the Brewers currently rostered catchers Martin Maldonado and Manny Pina.
Although McKenry doesn’t seem to bring anything exceptional to the plate, he does bring a good amount of major-league seasoning, which at least two of his position-mates do not possess, and could provide a solid alternate and possible guide in a youthful core with limited all-around experience.
Considering the team just traded away one of the most talented players in one of the most difficult positions to fill – at least with any great skill– it’s likely that they’re hoping that with enough quantity, at least some quality has to surface.
Jonathan Powell is the Brewers Staff Writer for Outside Pitch MLB. Follow me on Twitter @JP_OPSN.
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