Jose Trevino
Jose Antonio Trevino
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 11", Weight 211 lb.
- School Oral Roberts University
- High School St. John Paul II High School
- Debut June 15, 2018
- Born November 28, 1992 in Corpus Christi, TX USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Catcher Jose Trevino was drafted by the Texas Rangers out of Oral Roberts University in the 6th round of the 2014 amateur draft. He reached the majors mid-way through the 2018 season, but only appeared in 3 games that first year. He then became the team's main back-up catcher starting in 2019, and reached a total of 89 games in 2021, when he hit .239 with 5 homers and 30 RBIs. He was mainly used for his defense, as his highest OPS+ in the three-year span was 94, during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
On April 2, 2022, he was traded to the New York Yankees in return for Albert Abreu and Robby Ahlstrom, as part of a pre-season shuffle of catchers between the Rangers, Yankees and Minnesota Twins: the Rangers had earlier obtained C Mitch Garver in a trade with the Twins, and Minnesota had acquired C Gary Sanchez from the Bronx Bombers. The third deal sent Trevino to New York to share catching duties with Kyle Higashioka after Ben Rortvedt, also acquired from the Twins, went down with an injury at the end of spring training. The Yankees wanted to emphasize defense over offense at the position and Trevino gave them exactly what they were looking for in the early going, with excellent defence coupled with a middling contribution with the bat. However, there were plenty of other players who could hit on the team, and the Yankees had the best record in the majors after 40 games. On May 24th, he did contribute with the bat, though, has he hit his second homer of the year in the 3rd, then in the 11th inning hit a game-ending single to give his team a 7-6 win over the Baltimore Orioles. That marked the start of a 13-game streak in which he went 17 for 36 with 4 homers and 11 RBIs, raising his average from .213 to .309. The Yankees had no choice but to give him more playing time than Higashioka, who was stuck below the Mendoza Line and did not hit his first homer until June 12th. Jose ended up making the All-Star team for the first time and finished the year at .248 in 115 games with 11 homers and 43 RBIs. However, he was pretty much shut out in the postseason, going a combined 1 for 22 as the Yankees were eliminated at the ALCS stage by the Houston Astros. He not only won a Gold Glove as the American League's best defensive catcher, but also won the Platinum Glove as the circuit's best overall defensive player.
In 2023, his offensive production fell back significantly, as he was batting .210 with 4 homers and 15 RBIs after 55 games. His OPS+ was down to 58 and there was no talk of his being an All-Star. He was still contributing with his glove, but given the Yankees' overall struggle to score runs, his lack of offense was more visible. On July 21st, he was placed on the injured list with a tear in his wrist. This was not the result of a specific play, but something he had been dealing with all season, contributing to his offensive woes. He underwent surgery and did not play again that year. The decision to have him end his season at that point was a reflection of how poorly things were going for the team, which was now in last place in the very competitive AL East and was seen as a sign that the Yankees were about to write off the remainder of the season. It was Rortvedt who was called up to replace him, finally getting his first chance to get an extended look with the Bronx Bombers since his acquisition just before Trevino's.
Jose was back as the Yankees' starting catcher in 2024, although he was sharing the job almost 50-50 with rookie Austin Wells. With a team built around the slugging prowess of Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and newcomer Juan Soto, the two backstops were asked to simply concentrate on their defensive duties, and as had been the case in 2022, it worked perfectly in the early going as the Yankees had the best record in the majors in mid-June. However, he was behind the dish when the Boston Red Sox made history at Fenway Park on June 16th, stealing a franchise record nine bases in a 9-3 win over the Bronx Bombers. The meltdown was very public, as the game was broadcast nationally on Sunday Night Baseball. The first six thefts came with Marcus Stroman on the mound, and the last three against relievers, but Trevino caught the whole game as the Sox were running wild. He did throw out Rob Refsnyder, but still, it was not a great day at the office for someone known to be a superior defensive catcher. Indeed, after that performance, Wells began to play more and more, with Trevino relegated to back-up duty. He ended up hitting .215 in 73 games, with 8 homers and 28 RBIs. His OPS+ of 81 was right around his career norms and he hardly saw any action in the postseason, with just 5 at-bats over the three series the Yankees played and only making two starts, with Wells seeing the bulk of the action behind the dish. One of his at-bats was a huge one, however, as he came up with two outs and the bases loaded in the 9th inning of Game 2 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on October 26th. With the score 4-2 in the Dodgers' favor, Dave Roberts replaced righty Blake Treinen with lefty Alex Vesia to face Wells, and Aaron Boone replied by sending Jose as a pinch-hitter. He hit a fly ball to centerfielder Tommy Edman to end the game.
On December 20, 2024, the Yankees traded him to the Cincinnati Reds in return for P Fernando Cruz and C Alex Jackson. He was moving to a team that was looking to a strong defensive catcher and where he was likely to have more playing time that with the Yankees, who were fully committed to Wells as their catcher going forward.
Notable Achievements[edit]
- AL All-Star (2022)
- AL Gold Glove Winner (2022)
Further Reading[edit]
- Ian Browne: "Boston steal party! Sox run over Yanks in historic fashion", mlb.com, June 17, 2024. [1]
- Larry Fleisher (Associated Press): "Yankees C Trevino placed on IL with right wrist tear, likely ending his season", Yahoo! Sports, July 21, 2023. [2]
- Alex Stumpf: "Reds land former All-Star Trevino in trade with Yankees", mlb.com, December 21, 2024. [3]
- Arianna Vedia: "Trevino treats Uvalde Little League team to amazing outing", mlb.com, December 5, 2022. [4]
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