In 2023, Major League Baseball had catcher Diego Cartaya, then a part of the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, ranked #14 in its prospect rankings. Now, he’s not even on a 40-man roster.
Twins outright former top Dodgers prospect Diego Cartaya
After clearing waivers on Friday, Cartaya will stay with the Twins organization in Triple-A St. Paul, according to The Athletic’s Dan Hayes. The Twins’ 40-man roster is now at 39.
Minnesota acquired Cartaya from the Dodgers in exchange for right-handed pitcher Jose Vasquez on January 9. In 29 plate appearances for the Saints this season, the former Dodger prospect is hitting .080/.207/.200 with 18 strikeouts.
Cartaya signed with the Dodgers as an international free agent from Venezuela in 2018. He was ranked #3 in his international signing class by MLB.
Cartaya looked poised to be a Major League All-Star after his first two seasons with the Dodgers organization above the rookie league. He hit .298/.409/.614 with 10 home runs in 137 plate appearances for the Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in 2021 and .254/.389/.503 with 22 home runs in 445 plate appearances amid a call-up to High-A Great Lakes in 2022.
Cartaya struggled immediately after making the jump to Double-A to start the 2023 season, hitting .189/.278/.376 with 19 home runs in 403 plate appearances for the Tulsa Drillers. Last season, the former top international prospect spent time with the Drillers and Triple-A Oklahoma City, hitting .221/.323/.363 with 11 home runs in 400 plate appearances.
Cartaya’s outright is very telling of how the Twins view the catcher’s potential to make an impact at the major league level, and the fact that he cleared waivers indicates the rest of the league feels the same way.
Rocco Baldelli has been opting to start Ryan Jeffers at the catcher position significantly more often than Christian Vázquez this year, whereas the two split the position more evenly the last two seasons.
Vázquez, a two-time World Series Champion, is hitting .152/.194/.273 in 36 plate appearances this season, while Jeffers has been heating up at the plate, going 8-for-24 with three walks over the Twins’ last seven games.
When the Twins acquired Cartaya, they were likely hoping they could unlock the part of him that was so successful in Single-A. If that happened, Vázquez likely would have been DFA'd in favor of Cartaya.