The Phillies have signed catcher Brian Schneider to a 2-year, $3 million dollar deal.
Schneider, who is expected to serve as the backup to Carlos Ruiz, grew up as a Phillies fan and went to high school about an hour north of Philadelphia.
Known for being one of the game's top defensive catchers, Schneider has made just 36 errors in 877 games behind the plate (.994 fielding percentage). He has also thrown out 183 would-be base stealers -- most for any National League catcher -- since making his debut in 2000 and has allowed only 35 passed balls.
"We feel Brian is ideal for our ballclub," said Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. "He has played in the NL East for this entire decade, so he knows the opposing hitters in this division well and he has also proven he can handle the bat. He's a guy that we would feel comfortable with playing for an extended period of time, if needed."
Injuries last season limited Schneider to just 59 games with the New York Mets, as he hit just .218 with three home runs and 24 RBI.
For his career the 33-year-old backstop is a .251 hitter with 59 home runs and 356 RBI in 926 games with the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals and Mets.
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