The Texas Rangers have added to an already very deep positional group within the organization.
On Sunday evening, the Rangers signed veteran catcher Chad Wallach to a minor league contract which includes an invitation to spring training. The deal was first reported by MLB Network insider Jon Morosi.
Wallach, who has been with the Los Angeles Angles organization since the middle of the 2021 season, did not appear in the major leagues in 2024, spending the entire year with Triple-A Salt Lake. Between 2022 and 2023, he played in 77 games for the Angeles, but did not have any stats to write home about.
Over those 77 games, Wallach hit .188 with an OPS of .608, eight home runs and 19 RBIs. Ironically however, Wallach was always at his best against Texas. In ten total games against the Rangers during that period, he hit .286 with six hits, two home runs, and five RBIs.
At the Triple-A level, Wallach had a solid 2024 campaign with a .247 average, a .767 OPS, a .430 slugging percentage, and a .337 on-base percentage with 12 home runs and 46 RBIs. Wallach’s season was impressive enough for him to elect free agency rather than return to Los Angeles/Salt Lake, and now he lands with Texas on a nice opportunity to push for a roster spot in spring training.
It will not be easy however as catcher is one of the deepest spots on the 40-man roster for the Rangers. Jonah Heim is obviously locked into the primary role and the team also signed Kyle Higashioka to a two-year deal back in early September.
On top of the duo of Heim and Higashioka, Texas also signed another veteran to a minor league deal in Tucker Barnhart who played 31 games for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2024.
Wallach will likely be competing directly with Barnhart in spring training for the Triple-A role and subsequent fill-in if there were an injury to Heim or Higashioka during the season.
Originally drafted by the Los Angeles dodgers in the 43rd round of the 2010 MLB Draft, Wallach has also spent time with the Cincinnati Reds and Miami Marlins over the course of his career.
He has played in 155 MLB games since making his big league debut in 2017 and has hit just below .200 for his career with an OPS of .590 and 11 home runs. Exactly what role Wallach will have is yet to be determined, but the catcher battle is worth keeping an eye on during spring training.
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