Miami Marlins claim Jimmy Paredes off of waivers from Houston Astros

To kick off the 2013 offseason and their long road back to redemption, the Miami Marlins acquired the speedy but yet inconsistent Jimmy Paredes off waivers from the Houston Astros. As mentioned in the news release from the Sun-Sentinel, Paredes has struggled to maintain a solid position with the big league organization as he's shared time with Houston and Triple-A Oklahoma City.

With Oklahoma City last season, Paredes was extremely impressive as he posted a solid split of .287/.345/.462. Taking a look at those numbers would have you believe that he could be a solid offensive threat until you look at his -1.0 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) from his limited 2013 campaign with Houston. A simple glance at his numbers and you can easily figure out Paredes's main issue while with the Astros. Throughout his 135 plate appearances during the 2013 season, Paredes struck out a total of 44 times which would push his strikeout rate to a depressing 32.6 percent. Now, why would somebody like Paredes who's main strength throughout his pro career has been his baserunning ability, be so aggressive at the plate? Simple baseball logic would have you believe that if you're patient at the plate, you're going to get walked. Getting walked would put you on first base which would immediately make somebody like Paredes into a pretty important weapon.

When you look at the big picture, Paredes can be a valuable piece for Miami because of the aforementioned speed and the fact that he can play multiple positions both in the infield and outfield. A better approach at the plate could keep Paredes in the league and turn him into a solid piece for the team's bench.

Of course, I'm not going to hold my breath on an early November pickup but the optimism is there because of his raw abilities as an overall athlete.