Nationals Sign Ex-UL Baseball Great Jonathan Lucroy
Former Louisiana Ragin' Cajun Baseball star Jonathan Lucroy has found himself a new professional organization.
Lucroy, a catcher, signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals over the weekend.
The Nationals have four players who tested positive for the coronavirus this week, along with five others in quarantine after being deemed a close contact to an infected person, postponing their first four games of the 2021 season.
One or both of Washington's two catchers, Yan Gomes and Alex Avila, could be unavailable at the start of their respective season on Tuesday, meaning Lucroy would be on the Major League Baseball roster.
Lucroy signed with the Chicago White Sox in early February but was released last Monday, making him a free agent.
For Lucroy, the Nationals are his 9th organization during his career, all since 2016.
After one at-bat with the Boston Red Sox in 2020, Lucroy was sent to the team's alternate site, where he stayed for the remainder of the season.
Lucroy, who finished the 2019 season with the Chicago Cubs, after being waived by the Los Angeles Angels, made his Major League debut in 2010.
A member of the UL baseball squad from 2005-2007, before being drafted by Milwaukee in the third round of the 2007 amateur entry draft, Lucroy spent his first 6-and-a-half seasons with the Brewers, who, like the Cubs, are members of the National League Central.
A native of Eustis, Florida, Lucroy hit .242 with the Angels in 2019, to go along with seven home runs and 30 runs batted in, prior to leaving for Chicago, where he hit .189 with one homer and six RBI's.
The 34-year old Lucroy has played for the Brewers, Rangers, Rockies, A's, Angels, Cubs, and Red Sox throughout his career, while also spending spring training with the White Sox this year.
A 2016 MLB All-Star, Lucroy has compiled a .274 career average in 10 seasons, to go along with 108 homers and 545 runs batted in.