Wild Things get their catcher
It has taken several years, but it appears that catcher Melvin Novoa will be making his way to Washington to play for the Wild Things.
Washington announced Tuesday that Novoa will be with the team for the 2023 Frontier League season.
A veteran of six seasons in the Texas Rangers organization where he reached Class AA, Novoa had signed with the Wild Things last year but visa issues prevented him from joining the team. Novoa played winter ball in his native Nicaragua. This spring, Novoa played for Nicaragua in the World Baseball Classic.
“Melvin brings veteran leadership to our club. He has a lot of experience in international ball as well as in affiliated with Texas,” manager Tom Vaeth said. “It gives us another guy with Double-A experience who we can add to the mix. We look for him to be a catalyst in the middle of our lineup.”
In 2021, Novoa spent time with Frisco of the Class AA Texas League and hit five home runs in 99 plate appearances. His best seasons with the bat were 2017 and 2019, both in Class A. In 2017, Novoa batted .282 and in 2019 he hit 12 home runs. He played in 345 games in the Rangers’ farm system.