Player Review: Miguel Amaya

By: Jacob Zanolla

The Cubs had catching problems all throughout 2024, with Yan Gomes experiencing a sharp decline following a solid 2023 campaign.

Miguel Amaya wasn’t much better, hitting .186 with a 45 wRC+ through July 3rd. He made a swing adjustment after this, changing his leg kick thanks to tips from the coaching staff. From July 4th and on, Amaya had a .282 average with a 124 wRC+.

Thanks to his sudden resurgence, Amaya earned more playing time over the new backup catcher in Christian Bethancourt. During the Cubs electric road trip in which they only lost one game, Amaya was easily one of the main producers with 10 RBIs in 7 games. His .407 average and 212 wRC+ helped catapult the team back into a competitive Wild Card race, although it ended up being too late for a true chance to reach the playoffs.

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He doesn’t strike out a lot, but the walks aren’t there either. The lack of hard contact is clear when watching him play, along with the surplus of ground balls. He had a 43.4% ground ball rate, which lead to a .261 BABIP over the course of the season.

While he isn’t great in the framing department, Amaya ranks near the top of the league with blocking, earning 13 blocks above average in 2024. Defense should have been a strong suit of the Cubs team, but it very quickly proved to be a massive weakness. The catching tandem for Chicago, which switched several times, ranked near the bottom of the league in throwing runners out. His caught stealing above average was at -3, or 16th percentile in all of baseball.

There are a lot of improvements that need to be made for Amaya, but his offensive outbreak is really promising, and provides hope that he can be a serviceable backup going forward. The current front office has made it clear that they hope to upgrade at catcher this offseason, with a trade the most likely option, meaning the young catcher from Panama will slide into a lesser role for the 2025 Cubs team.

Player Grade: C-

Amaya was having a horrendous season until the mechanics change in July, which saved him from a much harsher grade. Even with the improvement, the overall numbers are quite disappointing, especially for someone who has the most playing time at catcher.

Photo Credit: Getty Images