The St. Louis Cardinals announced several roster signings today, among them the return of catcher Eric Fryer–who was signed to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training.
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In 24 games with the Cardinals last season, Fryer hit .368 (14-38) with a .415 on-base percentage. He also threw out four of six attempted base stealers.
Fryer played in an additional 36 games with Pittsburgh, hitting .218 with 8 RBIs. He is expected to be strongly in the mix to serve as the back-up for Yadier Molina.
I am excited to once again be a part of the @Cardinals. Thank you #CardinalsNation for the outpouring of support.
— Eric Fryer (@EJFryer) December 13, 2016
Besides Fryer, the Cardinals also signed free agents Jordan Schafer and Gabriel Lino. Both minor league contracts include invitations to Spring Training.
After appearing in 463 games as an outfielder with Atlanta, Houston, and Minnesota, the 30-year old Schafer has transitioned into a pitcher. Last year, the lefty pitched 49.1 innings between three levels in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization.
Schafer was 1-1 with a 3.83 ERA in 40 appearances with 59 strikeouts, compiling a 10.76 strikeouts/9 IP at the Dodgers Arizona Summer League affiliate, Tulsa (AA) and Oklahoma City (AAA). Of his 49.1 innings pitched, 40 were thrown in Double-A and 6.1 in Triple-A.
Lino is a 23-year old catcher and has played in 464 career minor league games from 2010-16 with the Phillies and Orioles organizations. The right-handed hitting backstop most recently played in 58 games for Reading (AA) and Clearwater (A) with the Phillies organization in 2016. He has a career batting average of .230 with 26 home runs and 172 RBI, while throwing out 33 percent of 457 attempted base stealers.
Signed as a 16-year-old non-drafted free agent by the Orioles in 2009, he was traded to the Phillies along with Kyle Simon for Jim Thome in 2012.
The Cardinals also signed left-handed pitcher Daniel Schlereth and infielder Dickie Joe Thon to minor leaguer contracts, both will report to minor league camp for Spring Training.
Schlereth, a former first round draft pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks, appeared in 94 Major League games for the Diamondbacks and Tigers from 2009-12. He is the son of former NFL player and ESPN personality Mark Schlereth.
Thon is the son of former 15-year Major League veteran infielder Dickie Thon.
photo credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
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