DUNEDIN, Fla. — The past six months have been a time of celebration and mass confusion for Blue Jays catcher Juan Graterol. With the emphasis on mass confusion.
After spending 11 years in the minor leagues, Graterol finally made his Major League debut on Sept. 2, hitting a double and scoring a run for the Los Angeles Angels in a 11-8 loss to the Seattle Mariners.
The Aragua, Venezuela native appeared in six games in total for the Angels, collecting four hits in 14 at-bats, and after so many years slugging it out in the minors thought perhaps he might stick around in the big leagues for a while.
But it wasn’t to be.
Graterol was designated for assignment by the Angels on Nov. 22 and then claimed by the Cincinnati Reds on Nov. 28. And then the real fun began.
He was designated for assignment by the Reds in December, and claimed off waivers by the Arizona Diamondbacks on Dec. 24. Arizona designated him for assignment on Jan. 13, after signing Chris Iannetta. The Angels claimed Graterol off waivers on Jan. 19. The Angels waived Graterol again and the Blue Jays claimed him on Jan. 23. Apparently all the clubs wanted him, but just didn’t have room on their 40-man roster.
But now, the 28-year-old has landed in Dunedin hoping to impress the Jays enough that he might stick around for a while, or at least start the season with Triple-A Buffalo. Of course, Russell Martin is the Jays’ No.1 catcher and the organization brought in Major League veteran Jarrod Saltalamacchia to back up Martin.
Graterol is generally considered third on the club’s catching depth chart, after A.J. Jimenez was released on Feb. 13. He’s thrilled to be with the Jays.
“It’s awesome,” said Graterol. “It’s great. When you look at the roster and I see I have the opportunity to play, I said thanks to the Blue Jays for giving me the opportunity.”
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound catcher admitted there were times during the off-season when he was getting anxious wondering where he would land next.
“It was crazy, you know. I was playing winter ball (in Venezuela) at that time, so I just had to concentrate on the games,” he said. “So I just talked to my agent and he said, ‘Don’t be crazy, relax. Just keep going. I know it’s crazy right now. But it’s okay, just relax and keep breathing. Whatever’s going to happen will happen.’”
Graterol, a lifetime .270 hitter in the minors with a weak .655 OPS, is known as a good defensive catcher and game caller. He’s excited about getting to work with Martin in spring training.
“I asked Russ how he’s been able to be around for so many years, and he said, ‘You know, just be a good teammate, try to help the other guys and if you want to be better, your pitchers have to be better. And always compete. Compete like a winner,’” said Graterol. “I watched him a lot when I was younger. He’s a really good guy and now that I’ve met him, it’s just awesome.”
Toronto manager John Gibbons, a former catcher, has liked what he’s seen from Graterol so far.
“He’s a big, strong kid, does a nice job behind the plate, looks good in BP right now, so we’ll see how it all plays out,” said Gibbons. “We’re glad to have him. We’ve heard nothing about good things about him.
“I’ve kind of been in his shoes a little bit,” added Gibbons, who also spent 11 years in the minors between appearances with the New York Mets. “So I know what he expects. Really, it’s just sticking it out until the gets that opportunity. A lot of times, that’s all it takes.
“But that’s never easy,” Gibbons continued. “You end up signing with a team that’s got that good front-liner and there’s another veteran or two on the team. It’s difficult. But there’s a lot of great stories out there, guys that persevere and end up finally getting that break somehow and the next thing you know, they turn out having a nice little career.”
Gibbons comments were music to Graterol’s ears.
“I’m just coming in every day and doing my job, help the team and learn the pitchers and get to know everybody and just try to learn something everyday,” Graterol said.