The Purple Sox doubled down on their ‘run prevention and defense-first’ strategy to roster development Wednesday night time after they agreed to a one-year contract with veteran infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
The signing, as first reported by MassLive’s Chris Cotillo, provides an skilled glove to a disorganized Boston infield. Kiner-Falefa has performed 450 video games at shortstop, 234 at third base – the place he received the 2020 Gold Glove Award – and 90 at second in his eight-year profession with the Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, and Pittsburgh Pirates. He has 12 Defensive Runs Saved in 573.2 profession innings at second, 29 DRS in 1,818 innings at third, and 32 DRS in 3,838 innings at shortstop.
The Purple Sox have Trevor Story as their beginning shortstop, however second and third are up for grabs. Kiner-Falefa, who turns 31 on March 23, joins a listing of infield choices that features Marcelo Mayer, Kristian Campbell, Romy Gonzalez, David Hamilton and Nick Sogard. Kiner-Falefa and Mayer are the presumed prime candidates for beginning jobs.
Kiner-Falefa’s righty bat helps steadiness the lefty-heavy lineup, although his plate self-discipline is one thing of a blended bag. He ranked within the 77th percentile in strikeout fee (Ok%) and 91st percentile in whiff fee final season, however within the second percentile in stroll fee (BB%).
But to a Purple Sox lineup in want of some ‘pop,’ as chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has reiterated for the reason that offseason started, Kiner-Falefa provides just about no energy potential: a lifetime .262/.311/.349 line and 36 residence runs in 918 profession video games, by no means greater than eight in a single season. He ranked within the fifth percentile in Batting Run Worth final season, and homered twice in 138 video games between the Pirates and Blue Jays.
The Purple Sox 40-man roster was at 39, so no corresponding transfer is required.
The deal is pending a bodily.
