From the Wire … Cubs Acquire Koyie Hill from Reds

May 19, 2012 By 40 Comments

According to multiple reports, the Cubs acquired Koyie Hill from the Reds for cash considerations. Hill signed a minor league contract with the Reds after being released by the Cardinals in the off-season.

Koyie Hill is with the team and is in Saturday’s starting lineup and is hitting eighth.

Welington Castillo is expected to miss four to seven days after an MRI revealed a mild MCL sprain in his right knee.

With the addition of Koyie Hill, the Cubs now have five catchers on the 40-man roster, which stands at 40 players. Koyie Hill was playing at the Double-A level for the Reds and was hitting .195/.250/.341/.591 with three doubles and a home run in 19 games.

The Cubs non-tendered Koyie Hill in the off-season and he ended up signing a minor league contract with the Cardinals that included a non-roster invite to big league camp. Hill posted a .194/.268/.276/.545 line in 46 games with the Cubs last season that included three doubles, a triple and two home runs.

Koyie Hill’s Page on Baseball-Reference

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  • RMercer69

    This should get everybody in a frenzy on this site!

    • http://chicagocubsonline.com/ Neil

       Won’t only be here

    • cubtex

      And it should!

      • J Daniel

        ok, tell me who you and Aaron would like?  Castillo is out.  Clevenger is out.  Soto is out.  

  • RMercer69

    With the injury problems, this might be good for Castillo.

    It’s obvious that Castillo can throw, but can’t catch and handle a staff.

    Koye Hill can be a good tutor for him.

  • MikeT_2008

    Well depth is depth I guess, I mean it was only cash so it is what it is.

  • Rjscanio

    Now that Hill is here we will play 500 ball at a minimum when our bull pen is average with marmol back and we replace K Wood, using the money we will ot have to pay him for another reliever.
    Now is the time to call up Anthony Rizzo.
    Play Clevanger full time ASAP when he heals.

  • notcubbiewubbie

    i have given jed and theo carte blanche on anything they want to do; this however is plain dumb this guy sucked before sucks today and will suck tomorrow. i dont get it i wonder if dempster is behind this.

    • Ryjo723

      No Clevenger or Soto, and no Castillo for possibly a week.  I have absolutely no problem with bringing in a veteran for seven days…

      • BosephHeyden

         Veteran =/= good.
        They traded for him.  That’s a problem in itself, because if they traded for him, that means they could have very easily traded for any other under-performing minor league catcher, paid cash considerations for any catcher in the international leagues, or convinced any number of half-retired catchers to come back for a set amount of games.

      • J Daniel

        Agree!  Really, does it matter?  Who else do we want?     

        Maybe Brenly?

    • http://chicagocubsonline.com/ Neil

      With the injuries to Soto, Clevenger and Castillo there was no one in the system. Darwin Barney was going to be the backup catcher for today’s game.

      • J Daniel

        EXACTLY Neil.  Who else, really?  Bring up a guy from class A?   They would be really overmatched?

        I cautioned everyone a week ago when they were all drinking to much kool-aid.  

        This process is at least 3 years the way they are going about it.  Next year needs to be in a position to improve and the following year a chance to compete.

  • DWalker

    even though he can’t hit, Hill had a good rep for working with pitchers and running a game, better then Soto, but without Soto’s innate physical/batting ability. Considering the top prospect has been looking lost behind the plate since being called up and in general its looking like the cubs have a weakness in their upcoming catchers behind the plate skills, perhaps this move has some long term considerations as a mentor/coach as much as it is an emergency move. Certainly there could have been other has been/never quite there AA/AAA that they might have tried to pick up, but they seem to have gone straight for a supposedly very good club house guy, former team guy and a game caller with the exact strength that is the exact weakness their system is showing right now. With K Wood likely headed to a special assistant role, perhaps Hill will soon be taking on a similar role.  

    • notcubbiewubbie

      whats he gonna teach him how to be a crappy hitter and an average catcher this is a cubbie wubbie post.

      • Tedtop16

        These player moves just show how weak the entire system is in terms of player options.  This is going to take a few years to figure out how to put a good team back on the field.

        • Carmelo

          Please tell me what team can go 4 deep at the catching position in less than a few days–Soto, Clevenger, Castillo all out.  Lalli is nothing more than a converted back-up, saw him catch last week @ Fresno and it wasn’t pretty. 

          • J Daniel

            NONE!  If there were Cubtex or Aaron would have told you already.  They have the answers.

          • cubtex

            I don’t have all the answers but I don’t want to bring back bad players from last year.

      • notcubbiewubbie

        and remember we aint going nowhere this year.

        • cubtex

          Exactly! Fans want to move toward future….not bring back bad players from past!

          • notcubbiewubbie

            yes a cub fan that gets it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • BosephHeyden

    He batted .195.  In Double A.  You cannot possibly convince me that he was the ONLY option.  This is a dumb move.  I would ABSOLUTELY prefer Darwin Barney over Koyie Hill, because, right now, the only starter we had problems with is now in Triple A, and, if the only reason we brought him was because of “familiarity”, they might as well have looked for Michael Barrett, since he caught Dempster at one point, as well.

    • notcubbiewubbie

      totally agree this is the worst possible option fans should boo like crazy when he is introduced today. brutal brutal brutal.

      • http://chicagocubsonline.com/ Neil

        What catcher from the system should they have brought up to back-up Blake Lalli?

        • Tedtop16

          For as negative as my previous comment was, it makes sense to bring Hill back for a time period. He is only costing the team money and it makes sense to bring in a catcher who is familiar with the staff. Plus the CUBS are in Houston next week. It not like they will be playing the Yankees. Good move short term.

        • BosephHeyden

          Since they made a trade for Koyie, that establishes they were willing to go outside the team. That being the case, I think they should’ve either thrown money at Pudge or Varitek, or even signed a lesser named catcher to a contract, then given them the option to go to the minors or get bought out had they performed well. Koyie Hill may be a familiar option, but the Cubs need offensive production from everyone and Hill has not done that.

          • http://chicagocubsonline.com/ Neil

            I understand your points. To the best of my knowledge neither one of the players you mentioned are in game shape after announcing their retirement. I am not thrilled with this move but I understand it. I just hope Soto, Castillo and Clevenger can get back quickly.

          • J Daniel

            Although they have both played many years they haven’t this year.  You want them in the lineup tonight?

          • BosephHeyden

            This may sound like hindsight, but we all saw last night coming. I would have taken either of those two guys over Hill, but they didn’t have to be limited to those two. If they needed a backup so bad, a bit more of a trade gets you Henry Blanco (the price jumps to more money and a low prospect, but he can produce better than Hill). Obviously, there were a lot of catchers available that are better than Hill. We just need to stop letting the players decide who we bring on the team.

  • matthew8510

    johnson in cf baker in rf hill c this is not gonna  be good  i cannot watch

    • cubtex

      This looks an awful lot like last year. All we need is to bring up DeWitt again.

      • paulcatanese

        You’re correct, and I would love to comment on Hill, but I am just speechless.
        The megabytes must be going crazy.

        • cubtex

          Blake DeWitt starting in lf today with Reed Johnson in cf and Jeff Baker in rf would complete this puzzle :) Way to build towards the future!

          • Ripsnorter1

            Come on, Cubtex! This is Team Theo you are talking about! Remember? TEAM THEO!!! TEAM! THEO!!! THEY CAN DO NO WRONG!!! 

            LOL

            Hill must feel vindicated. Last year, he hit .195, and that’s more than Soto this year. 
            Get your head on straight, Cubs fans! This is an UPGRADE!!!  LOL

  • John_CC

    It’s May 19, right?  2012?  

  • paulcatanese

    We want an entertaining team, well put Redford in rf, the all state guy in left,( Dennis Haysbert) Corbin Bensen at third,Kevin Costner (Can pitch the first game)
    and then put him behind the plate, and take the guy from Sniper 1 and 2(Tom Beringer)
    (he can also catch) Wesley Snipe to steal bases, and Charlie Sheen for relief and fill the rest of the guys in. Could be a very entertaining afternoon. If the Cubs are going with Hill again, why not?
    And least but not last, Dennis Quaid can bring it ( a lefty) and Tim Robbins, couple of guys that can throw heat.

    • MikeT_2008

      Sheen is good but Henry (from Rookie of the Year) can bring the heat too, providing his arm is broke or whatever it was that happened.

  • RICK

    Looks like the cubs are going backwards. Koyie Hill he SUCKS

  • Ripken Boy

    We have hit rock bottom, I didn’t even know that Benny Hill was still playing baseball?