Atlanta Braves Morning Chop: Taking Stock, Catching Up
Sep 20, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher A.J. Pierzynski (15) reacts with team mates after driving in the winning run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Phillies 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Braves re-sign veteran catcher A.J. Pierzynski to one-year deal
The Atlanta Braves did not wait to address their question marks behind the plate. Veteran free-agent catcher A.J. Pierzynski is returning to the team on a one-year contract.
The deal is reportedly worth $3 million with another $1 million possible in incentives.
Pierzynski gets $3M from #Braves, as @JonHeymanCBS said. $1M signing bonus, $2M base salary plus chance to earn another $1M in incentives.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 12, 2015
Pierzynski, who turns 39 next month, emerged as one of the few bright spots for Atlanta last season, replacing top catching prospect Christian Bethancourt as the franchise’s regular catcher.
The 18-year veteran started 104 games, hit .300/.339/.430 with nine home runs in 436 plate appearances — good enough for an above-average 112 weighted runs created plus and 2.1 wins above replacement. For the lowest-scoring lineup in baseball, Pierzynski was one of six regular Braves position players to hit above league average. (Two of those players, Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe, were traded at the July deadline.)
The two-time All-Star was one of 11 catchers to post a 2.0 WAR or better last season.
Pierzynski turned down more money from other clubs to re-sign with #Braves, source says. Spends spring training at home in Orlando.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 12, 2015
[ Ed. note: in the light of all kinds of nutty news last week, this stands out and deserves to be highlighted. Count this writer among those who had had some doubts about signing AJP in the first place last December (I was taking a wait-n-see approach; others figured a melt-down was inevitable). Clearly this is a player who is comfortable with what he’s doing and happy to still be playing the game – great to see. ]