On Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013, The Cleveland Indians signed free agent infielder Matt Antonelli to a minor-league deal per a report on Twitter by Matt Eddy of Baseball America.
The San Diego Padres drafted Antonelli with the 17th overall pick in the 2006 amateur draft.
He spent his 2012 season split between the Triple-A Norfolk Tides (Baltimore Orioles) and the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (New York Yankees) where he appeared in 44 games combined. He posted a .201 batting average paired with two home runs and 11 RBIs.
Antonelli’s only major league experience came in 2008 with the Padres. He appeared in 21 games where he batted .193 with one home run and three RBIs.
While this addition will play no significant role with the major league club, Antonelli will provide infield depth to the farm system provided he makes it out of spring training. It was another low-risk signing in an attempt to improve the organization from the top down.
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