2022 Diamondbacks Reviews, #53: Grayson Greiner

Overview

• Rating: 2.17

• 2022 stats: 2 G, 6 AB, .167/.375/.167, 63 OPS+, 0.0 bWAR
• Date of birth: October 11, 1992 (30 years old)
• 2022 earnings: $19,230 (via Spotrac)
• 2023 status: DFA’d by the Diamondbacks in September 2022, now a free agent.

Introduction

A third round pick out of South Carolina in the 2013 draft by the Detroit Tigers, Grayson Greiner was considered an average hitter with a slow arm but plus defence behind the plate. An average hitter, but not very steady, which became visible in his second season, 2015, in the minor leagues, where Greiner had troubles finding consistency with the bat.

He made a small tweak to his batting stance in 2016, adding a little kick, and success returns. FanGraphs feels in a report that year that Columbia-born Greiner has back-up catcher potential. The catcher steadily climbs the minor league ladder and by 2018 he makes his MLB debut as a back-up of McCann.

In 2019 and 2020 the catcher position in Detroit is a mess, but the 6 foot 6 tall Greiner can’t take advantage of it despite most voices calling him the main candidate to lock down the starting role. In 2021 he is once again playing third or fourth fiddle and with no options left by the end of the season, the Tigers release Greiner.

2022 Review

In March 2022 the Diamondbacks sign Greiner to a minor league deal. The catcher position is a bit cloudy in Arizona. It is clear that Carson Kelly holds the position, but while Herrera and Varsho seem to have a first go at back-up, Greiner’s presence on the 40-man roster isn’t out of the question in the near future.

Greiner soon gets a call-up to the major league roster as a COVID-replacement for Jose Herrera. On May 20 and 23 he plays two games against the Cubs and Royals, but when Herrera returns negative, Greiner is sent down again without having to clear any waivers. The following play, showing his short arm, probably didn’t help his cause that much of earning a spot back up.

Herrera isn’t able to hold the spot as back-up catcher but the D-Backs decide to pass on from Greiner who isn’t impressing that much with the bat in Reno. He ends the season in AAA with a 0.708 OPS.

2023 Outlook

Greiner has never hit for much at the Triple A level and at 30 years of age he looks more of a Triple A player who might get an occasional shot at some reps at the highest level.

Greiner will surely get a minor league contract somewhere, but if that will be with the Diamondbacks is a bigger question mark with currently both Herrera and Miroglio in AAA. It makes sense that he’ll probably land somewhere else.