More Minor League Signings: Ozzie Chavez and Rene Tosoni

Matt Eddy of Baseball America tweeted re the already-known Jim Hoey signing but adds the signing of two more players: SS Ozzie Chavez, last seen in the Phillies organization; and OF Rene Tosoni, last of the Twins organization.

Chavez, 29, is returning to the organization that signed him as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2000. He spent 2001-08 with the Brewers organization, making it as far as Nashville before signing with the Phillies org in 2009. He left the Phillies for the White Sox in 2011 but was released and ended up back with AA Reading with a short midseason interlude in independent ball. I can't find any record of where he played during the 2012 regular season. He did play SS for Toros del Este in the Dominican Winter League this season after Brewers farmhand Hector Gomez went down with an injury, putting up a .300/.364/.704 line in 26 games.

Tosoni, 26, was drafted in the 36th round of the 2005 draft by the Twins (looks like a draft and follow to me.) His last (and only) time in the majors was with the Twins in 2011, where he hit .203/.275/.618 in 60 games. Only 42 of those games featured defensive appearances, with 38 of those coming in left field. He can play all three outfield positions but he's mostly stationed in left or center. Tosoni played in 4 levels last year, mostly for AA New Britain. He was injured for part of the season but his demotion to AA was partially due to Other People's Injuries--like the Brewers, the Twins had a lot of ouch in their minors in 2012. Unfortunately for Tosoni, he put up a .233/.296/.615 line in the Eastern League; this gave the Twins ample reason to boot him off their 40-man roster this fall. At this point I'm not sure what the Brewers are doing with him but they've both lost a lot of Nashville's 2011 OF to free agency and may need to cover for Brock Kjeldgaard's AFL injury.

Oh, and he's Canadian. Of course.