Royals Sign J.R. House
The Kansas City Royals have signed J.R. House to a split contract.
This isn’t stunning news, and I only mention it because I was obsessed with House last winter as a nice low-risk / high-reward guy, at a time when the Mets had no backstops on their MLB and AAA rosters. The 29-year-old catcher had yet another strong year offensively in AAA in 2008, hitting .306 with 18 HR, 25 doubles and 60 RBI in 454 at-bats. He also drew 53 walks and whiffed 52 times.
In 3 Major League at-bats with the Astros last year, House had no hits and one RBI. From 2003-2008, he has 60 big-league at-bats. Hard to figure why this guy hasn’t been given more of a chance — it’s not like power-hitting catchers grow on trees. Though, much of his early career was derailed by injuries. If he can ever remain healthy, he could be an All-Star. Maybe he’ll finally blossom in Kansas City.
