The picture you see above is not from Old-Timers Day in New York, that was real, live MLB action!
The Indians have signed right-handed reliever Scott Atchison to a minor-league deal.
Atchison, 37, pitched for the Mets in 2013, throwing 45.1 innings with a 4.37 ERA. Here are some other figures from recent years:
| Year | Age | Tm | G | GF | SV | IP | HR | BB | SO | WP | ERA+ | WHIP | HR/9 | BB/9 | SO/9 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 34 | BOS | 4.50 | 43 | 8 | 0 | 60.0 | 9 | 19 | 41 | 4 | 97 | 1.283 | 1.4 | 2.9 | 6.2 |
| 2011 | 35 | BOS | 3.26 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 30.1 | 0 | 6 | 17 | 2 | 133 | 1.220 | 0.0 | 1.8 | 5.0 |
| 2012 | 36 | BOS | 1.58 | 42 | 7 | 0 | 51.1 | 2 | 9 | 36 | 2 | 269 | 0.994 | 0.4 | 1.6 | 6.3 |
| 2013 | 37 | NYM | 4.37 | 50 | 10 | 0 | 45.1 | 4 | 12 | 28 | 5 | 82 | 1.257 | 0.8 | 2.4 | 5.6 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com
As you can see, he was very effective in 2012 with the Red Sox, so I suppose there's some upside to him, but pitchers his age are rarely improving, and a relief pitcher on a minor-league deal is not someone you should get too worked up about. According to pitchF/X data, Atchison throws a 90-91 MPH fastball, along with a slider (possibly a cutter), curveball, and changeup.
No harm in signing guys to minor-league deals.