Chavez tearing it up in Venezuela Veteran hoping to make Yankees as reserve catcher in 2007 By Kristen Zimmerman / Special to MLB.com
Raul Chavez has been labeled a "journeyman" for much of his career. He's a 33-year-old reserve catcher, who has spent 16 years in professional baseball, bouncing around from organization to organization and never spending a full season in the Majors.
After the Yankees signed him to a Minor League contract on Dec. 6, his next move will either be in the Bronx or Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the team's Triple-A affiliate. The Yankees signed Chavez with the intent of having him compete with Wil Nieves for the backup catcher position, and Chavez is trying to prove his worth with the bat in his native Venezuela this offseason.
A career .212 hitter in over 405 Major League at-bats, Chavez has turned up the offense against Venezuela Winter League pitchers. In 26 games for the Navegantes del Magallanes, all of which he started behind the plate, Chavez is batting .325 and is in the midst of a 12-game hitting streak. He's also hitting .350 with runners in scoring position.
Chavez and 12 other prospects in the Yankees organization are currently playing in Venezuela, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
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Venezuela Winter League
2B Carlos Mendoza -- After tearing through Venezuelan pitching during the Thanksgiving week, Mendoza has just one hit in his last 13 at-bats to lower his batting average to .287. The shortstop hasn't played since Nov. 30.
3B Marcos Vechionacci -- After being absent from the Navegantes del Magallanes lineup for almost two months, Vechionacci returned on Dec. 6, striking out in a pinch-hit at-bat. He started at third base two days later and went 0-for-3.
RHP Francisco Butto -- Butto picked up his 12th save of the season on Dec. 8 and hasn't allowed a run in his last two outings. Overall, he's 2-3 with a 4.58 ERA.
RHP Gerardo Casadiego -- Casadiego's been one of the Yankees' most consistent relievers in Venezuela this offseason. Since Nov. 15, he hasn't surrendered a run and has recorded three wins over 11 1/3 scoreless innings. For the year, he's 4-2 with a 2.12 ERA.
LHP Edgar Omana -- Omana has appeared in just one game as of late, coming on in relief on Dec. 6. He faced two batters and walked both before being lifted. His ERA still stands at 9.00.
RHP Scott Patterson -- Patterson hasn't pitched since Nov. 16, and he's 1-0 with a 4.30 ERA.
Dominican Winter League
RHP Erick Abreu -- Abreu still carries a hefty opposing batting average (.321), but he also managed to lower his ERA from 1.00 to 0.83 in the past two weeks. He has 13 strikeouts while walking just two in 21 2/3 total innings.
RHP Juan De Leon -- The 26-year-old had another poor outing to raise his ERA to 14.71. De Leon gave up two earned runs in one inning, which gives him six earned runs in 3 2/3 total innings.
RHP Jorge De Paula -- De Paula hasn't had much success this offseason, but he did manage to lower his ERA slightly to 6.04 after throwing a few scoreless innings.
RHP Bryan Villalona -- Villalona is another Yankees prospect who's struggled in the Dominican Republic. He's 0-2 with an ERA of 7.24 and has struck out eight while walking seven in 13 2/3 innings.
RHP Edwar Ramirez -- Ramirez continued to be Licey's most dependable strikeout performer this season, setting down 31 batters and walking just seven in 21 innings. But when batters are making contact against the reliever, they're getting hits. Ramirez has a 5.14 ERA thus far.
Mexican Winter League
SS Ramiro Pena -- Pena joined the Tomateros de Culiacan in late October, but he hasn't made much of an impact. The shortstop was in the starting lineup for the first couple of weeks in Mexico, but he batted just .149 and, lately, has served more as a pinch-hitter and late-inning defensive replacement.
