Former Atlanta Braves infielder Paul Janish reportedly signs with Colorado Rockies

Sep 4, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves third baseman Paul Janish (4) fields a ground ball for an out in the sixth inning against the New York Mets at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Once it became clear that the Atlanta Braves weren’t going to offer reserve infielder Paul Janish a contract for 2014, the chase was on to see where (and if) he would land in the Majors for the 2014 season. The first step in that trek for Janish began on Monday.

Multiple outlets including Jon Heyman of CBS and Troy Renck of the Denver post are reporting that Janish has signed a minor league deal with the Colorado Rockies that also includes a Spring Training invite. As Heyman notes above, Janish is best-known (and really, only known) for his fantastic glove on defense, and in Colorado, they can certainly use all the defensive prowess that they can get their hands on.

In 231 plate appearances over 2 seasons with the Braves, the 31-year-old Janish managed only a .183/.260/.231 slash line, and that was certain to relegate him to a pure bench role, no matter where he ended up. Still, there is defensive value in Janish, who most consider to be a top-10 defensive infielder in all of baseball, and it’s nice to see him have an opportunity to compete for a job.