On December 1st, the Arizona Diamondbacks signed reliever Ricky Karcher to a minor league deal, per Matt Eddy of Baseball America.
Karcher, a 13th-round pick by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2017 draft from the University of Michigan, embarked on a four-season journey through the minor leagues before making his rookie debut last June.
Coming into the 10th inning with his team leading 5-4, Karcher pitched a scoreless bottom half while allowing only one base runner.
On his rookie debut, he picked up the first save of his MLB career.
However, this would also be the only appearance that he would make with the Reds, as he was moved back to triple-A almost immediately after.
Last season in triple-A, Karcher allowed 32 earned runs in 60 innings of work, he also struck out 70 batters.
A recurring hurdle in Karcher’s career has been his struggle to consistently locate the strike zone. Despite boasting a commendable strikeout percentage, he walked nearly a quarter of the batters he faced in triple-A, averaging 10.7 walks per nine innings—an area demanding improvement for sustained success at the highest level.
With a fastball nearing 98 MPH, if the Diamondbacks can get it under control, Karcher can prove to be a valuable asset in their bullpen depth.
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