Jordan Pacheco claimed off waivers by Arizona Diamondbacks

It isn’t entirely common to see a significant contributor to a winning team placed on waivers in mid-season, but that was exactly the case with the Colorado Rockies and versatile infielder/catcher Jordan Pacheco. Following the interesting choice from the Rockies, Pacheco failed to pass through waivers, and on Thursday, he was claimed by the Arizona Diamondbacks, who were apparently quite pleased with his arrival.

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The 28-year-old Pacheco hasn’t exactly been a lights-out contributor at any stage of his career, as he has never posted a positive WAR in any full season, but there is positional value to his game, and that is likely something that enticed Arizona’s leadership. This season, Pacheco garnered 80 plate appearances and posted a .236/.300/.347 slash line in Colorado, but they seemingly decided that he was expendable despite his role as the primary backup to catcher Wilin Rosario.

Because Pacheco isn’t a fantastic hitter, as evidenced by his career .281/.317/.379 slash line and only 8 home runs in nearly 1,000 plate appearances, it will be interesting to see what type of resurgence he can have with the D-Backs. Above all, the current version of the Arizona organization seems to value both grittiness and versatility, and with Pacheco in the mix, they have both in abundance.

This is the best case scenario for Jordan Pacheco, who seemed destined for the minor leagues after being designated for assignment, and he’ll be given every opportunity to succeed.