This 12 months’s Padres lineup is probably not made solely out of present and former shortstops, however on Wednesday, they added one to the fold. Jose Iglesias, who revived his profession with the Mets final season in spectacular trend whereas additionally scoring an unlikely pop hit with “OMG,” has agreed to a minor league deal with the Padres, one with a non-roster invitation to their main league camp.
Iglesias headed final week’s roundup of distinguished place gamers nonetheless on the free agent market. That’s a very humorous sentence to put in writing, not solely since this spring hasn’t precisely supplied the second coming of the Boras 4, however as a result of Iglesias (who did rent Scott Boras to characterize him this previous offseason) wasn’t within the majors in any respect in 2023 after enjoying with six completely different groups over the earlier six seasons. Nonetheless, I led my overview with the 35-year-old infielder as a result of his 2.5 WAR — a profession excessive, amassed in simply 85 video games — was tops among the many group and since the arc of his 2024 season was so compelling.
Coincidentally sufficient, throughout Iglesias’ absence from the majors in 2023 he spent about six weeks with the Padres’ Triple-A El Paso affiliate. This got here after he’d signed a minor league contract with the Marlins and gone by spring coaching with them; he opted out a couple of weeks into April with out ever enjoying an everyday season recreation inside their group. From there, he signed that minor league take care of the Padres, hitting .317/.356/.537 in 28 video games at El Paso. He opted out twice to check the free agent waters however didn’t catch on elsewhere, and performed his final recreation of the season on June 7.
In December 2023, Iglesias inked a minor league take care of the Mets. He spent the primary two months of final season at Triple-A Syracuse, hitting a good .273/.309/.442. Amid a flurry of transactions on Could 31 — a degree when the Mets had been 22-33 — the workforce optioned third baseman Brett Baty to Syracuse and known as up Iglesias. Supervisor Carlos Mendoza slotted him into the lineup at second base in opposition to lefties instead of the struggling Jeff McNeil, and improbably, the profession .283/.323/.386 (90 wRC+) hitter turned in a scorching .337/.381/.448 (137 wRC+) line in 291 plate appearances. He helped the Mets rally to assert a Wild Card spot and advance all the way in which to the Nationwide League Championship Collection. He was virtually unstoppable in opposition to lefties, touchdown on a leaderboard among the many recreation’s heaviest hitters:
Highest wRC+ Towards Left-Handed Pitchers, 2024
That Ty Cobb-circa-1922 imitation was pushed by an insane .456 batting common on balls in play in opposition to lefties. In the meantime, Iglesias’ general .382 BABIP ranked third amongst all hitters with a minimum of 250 plate appearances. It’s not the primary time he’s put up an improbably excessive BABIP; he did so in 2013 (.303/.349/.386, 102 wRC+, .356 BABIP) and ’20 (.373/.400/.556, 160 wRC+, .407 BABIP) as properly. All of these seasons owe extra to smaller-sample variance than to really hitting the ball exhausting. Final 12 months, his common exit velocity was simply 85.8 mph — 0.4 mph off his profession excessive, set within the shortened 2020 season — which might have positioned within the sixth percentile if he’d had sufficient batted ball occasions to qualify. Equally, his 2.2% barrel price would have positioned within the second percentile and his 30.6% hard-hit price within the tenth. What made his method work was his skill to seek out what Statcast now calls the launch angle candy spot, which is to say balls struck with a launch angle between eight and 32 levels. Iglesias’s 36.2% sweet-spot price would have positioned within the 74th percentile. As his spray chart suggests, he flared a flurry of hits over the heads of infielders into quick proper subject.
For as unlikely as Iglesias’ sizzling bat was, his sudden pop stardom was much more sudden. Since defecting from Cuba to the U.S. when he was 18 years outdated in 2008, he’s taken an curiosity in music manufacturing, and over time he’s made quite a few associates inside the music business, together with singer Marc Anthony. Through the 2023-24 offseason, below the stage identify Candelita, he collaborated with Cuban singer Lenier on a tune known as “No Voy A Volver,” the video for which has since notched over 1.7 million views on YouTube. He additionally wrote “OMG,” a tune about staying constructive amid exhausting instances.
Upon becoming a member of the Mets, Iglesias initially used the tune as his walk-up music, and it turned widespread inside the Mets clubhouse. Quickly it was performed at Citi Area after dwelling runs, and it turned such a sensation that its official launch date was moved up by every week in order that he might carry out the tune stay after the Mets’ June 28 dwelling recreation, instantly earlier than it hit streaming providers. It debuted at no. 1 on the Billboard Latin Digital Music Gross sales chart, and the video has since acquired over 5.2 million views. Just like the workforce’s embrace of McDonald’s mascot Grimace (who threw out the primary pitch at a Citi Area recreation on June 12) and Pete Alonso’s playoff pumpkin, the tune was a kind of unlikely talismans that get absorbed right into a successful season and turn out to be a part of the lore.
Alas, Iglesias wound up on the skin trying in because the Mets assembled their roster for 2025. In keeping with a report from Pat Ragazzo of Mets On SI, the workforce did provide him a one-year deal, which he declined as a result of he needed a number of years, a tall order given Iglesias’ age, modest monitor report, and chance of regression. As a substitute, the Mets signed Nick Madrigal in late January, and a pair weeks later, after re-signing Alonso, president of baseball operations David Stearns stated that they supposed to make use of Iglesias’ roster spot “to maintain some avenues open for a few of our youthful gamers,” with Baty, Luisangel Acuña, and Ronny Mauricio the most probably beneficiaries of that flexibility. All have minor league choices remaining, as does the 28-year-old Madrigal, although after sustaining a fractured left shoulder in late February, he underwent season-ending surgical procedure.
The Mets downplayed the potential of circling again to Iglesias after shedding Madrigal, however whether or not or not that’s associated to the timing of the infielder’s signing with the Padres is unknown. In accordance to the New York Publish’s Jon Heyman, Iglesias will get $3 million if makes the foremost league roster, and may make one other $1 million in undisclosed incentives. As MLB Commerce Rumors famous, as an Article XX(b) free agent — a participant who completed the previous season on a significant league roster or injured record and has a minimum of six years of service time — his minor league contract affords him three opt-out alternatives, one 5 days previous to Opening Day, the second on Could 1, and the third on June 1.
As for the way he suits in with the Padres, supervisor Mike Shildt stated, “It’s all on the desk” in terms of place battles whereas noting that the newcomer “can play second, quick and third very properly. That’s a advantage of what we all know coming in. This man’s a confirmed defender no matter the place you set him.”
Realistically, Iglesias is not more than a backup shortstop at this stage, although he’s been 24 runs above common on the place in the course of the Statcast period. Final 12 months, he was one run above common apiece at each second base (in 477 innings) and third (in 130 innings). A contact-oriented hitter with little energy (51 homers in 12 main league seasons), he’s a good platoon choice, a righty who owns a 125 wRC+ in 449 PA in opposition to lefties because the begin of 2020, and a good 97 wRC+ in 970 PA in opposition to righties throughout that very same span, that means even when he needed to play every single day, he possible wouldn’t be an enormous offensive legal responsibility. That stated, our Depth Charts projection forecasts him for only a .265/.304/.369 (89 wRC+) line.
With Xander Bogaerts shifting again to shortstop following Ha-Seong Kim’s signing with the Rays — a transfer that Bogaerts bought a head begin on when Kim was sidelined with a shoulder harm final September — the Padres infield appeared set, with Jake Cronenworth returning to second base and Luis Arraez enjoying first. Cronenworth cut up final season between first (80 begins) and second (66 begins), and defensively, he’s playable at each positions. Arraez moved between first (61 begins) and designated hitter (46 begins) final 12 months whereas moreover recognizing at second (six begins); he’s near DH-caliber at first base (-3 DRS and -4 FRV in 524 innings). Cronenworth and Arraez each swing left-handed and have more and more struggled in opposition to southpaws. Cronenworth has hit .215/.288/.307 (71 wRC+) in opposition to them in 326 PA over the previous two seasons. Arraez hit simply .271/.310/.333 (84 wRC+) in 204 PA in opposition to them final 12 months and owns a 94 wRC+ in 466 PA in opposition to them over the previous three seasons in comparison with a 132 wRC+ in 1,426 PA in opposition to righties.
Iglesias is well-suited to cowl for both one, enjoying second whereas Cronenworth slots at first if Arraez is the odd man out or the DH. Righty Connor Joe, who’s additionally on the roster, might additionally play first if Shildt is feeling notably platoon-minded, although his extra pure match is in left subject because the quick half of a platoon with Jason Heyward. If Iglesias does make the roster, it stays to be seen whether or not the workforce will carry tremendous(?)-utilitymen Tyler Wade (a 30-year-old lefty) and Eguy Rosario (a 25-year-old righty). Wade owns a profession 64 wRC+, hit for only a 56 wRC+ in 156 PA final 12 months, and tasks to provide a 73 wRC+. Rosario has hit for a 115 wRC+ in 100 PA within the majors, although only a 48 wRC+ in 24 PA final 12 months; he tasks for a way more serviceable 100 wRC+. Each have a sprinkling of expertise within the outfield, although Rosario has but to play the pasture within the majors. Notably, the latter is out of minor league choices.
Like most minor league offers, Iglesias’ signing isn’t more likely to be a high-impact transfer, however as he confirmed final 12 months, he’s a helpful participant who may also add some good vibes to the workforce. Final week, he launched a brand new single, “Solo Tu.” We’ll see if the hit parade continues in San Diego.
