The Rangers didn’t just pick up Khris Davis from the Athletics, they also got twenty-five-year-old catcher Johan Heim.
A fourth-round pick by the Baltimore Orioles in 2013, Heim was traded to Tampa Bay in August of 2016, then was the player to be named later in a trade to Oakland in December of 2017.
The switch-hitting catcher made his major league debut last season, on August 25, against the Rangers. He went 1-for-3 with a walk in a 10-3 Oakland victory. He started against the Rangers two more times, going 2-for-3 with an RBI one game and 1-for-4 with an RBI in the other. All in all, Heim appeared in thirteen games, batting .211 with an on-base percentage of .268. He hit .400 against Texas. Unfortunately for Heim, league rules forbid him, being part of the Texas Rangers, from hitting off Texas Rangers pitching in a league-sanctioned game.
If Heim makes the major league club, he will be the backup catcher for Jose Trevino, who will eventually be the backup catcher for Sam Huff.