Categories: News

Phillies sign catcher Ryan Hanigan to minor-league deal

Photo by Keith Allison

Good morning! And here you go …

HANIGAN HERE: The Phillies on Wednesday signed catcher Ryan Hanigan to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. If he makes the 25-man roster out of Clearwater, he’d make $1.25 million.

Hanigan, 36, hit .171/.230/.238 in 35 games last year with Boston. He’s far away from his best days (2009-12 with Cincinnati, when he hit .275/.370/.359).

Hanigan joins Bryan Holaday as spring training veteran insurance in case Andrew Knapp doesn’t pan out as backup catcher.

SAUNDERS SPEAKS: Ryan Lawrence of the Philly Voice spoke with new Phillie Michael Saunders

. The most interesting nugget may be that the Phils nearly acquired Saunders as part of the Cliff Lee trade in 2010. He was a last-minute scratch. Instead, the Phils received Phillippe Aumont, J.C. Ramirez and Tyson Gillies.

GRAPEFRUITING: Our series on Clearwater continues today, as Michael Sadowski looks at the newly renamed Spectrum Field (formerly Bright House Field).

Tim Malcolm

Tim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.