4 years agoSan Diego Padres catcher Victor Caratini will be a regular starter to begin the 2021 season. Primary backstop Austin Nola (finger) suffered a fractured finger and still cannot comfortably swing a bat, so Caratini should have plenty of early opportunities. Brought in to be the designated signal-caller for starter Yu Darvish, Caratini is a defense-first catcher with a career .699 OPS and 15 homers in 677 plate appearances. While he'll bat at the bottom of the scorecard, Caratini has demonstrated a knack for getting on base and should have run-producing chances in a loaded offense. The 27-year-old is a low-cost punt in two catcher formats, but his value will be further marginalized once Nola returns or if prospect catcher Luis Campusano ascends quicker than expected.--Andrew Le - RotoBaller
Source: MLB.com - AJ Cassavell