Former Miami Dade College baseball player Victor Caratini got the call of his career last week when the World Series Champions Chicago Cubs called him up to the big leagues as a catcher against the Milwaukee Brewers.
According to the Cubs’ media guide, Caratini, 23, will back up Willson Contreras for the remainder of the season.
Although Caratini’s role is primarily a catcher, he has played first and third base in the minors.
With his experience at different positions, the Cubs believe he “fits in nicely with Chicago’s versatile roster of position talent.”
In the minors for the past three seasons, Caratini, who was born in Puerto Rico, batted .343, .384, and .539 at the Triple-A level. In addition, Caratina put up an OPS better than .900 from both sides of the plate this season.
Before the Cubs called him up, ESPN ranked Caratini as Chicago’s 12th best prospect and Baseball America ranked him as the 17th best player in the minors.
During his lone season at MDC, Caratini hit .377/.467/.549 and received All-Southern Conference First Team, FCSAA All-State Baseball First Team, and NJCAA All-Gulf District Team honors. In addition, Caratini was named the Southern Conference Player of the Year.