Goose Joak Originals: Chris Iannetta, Shawn Riggans, Ichiro Suzuki

Chris Iannetta, Colorado Rockies
by Goose Joak

Chris Iannetta is one heck of an unheralded prospect. His minor league slash stats were great, with equal amounts average, plate discipline and power: .303/.407/.508 (236 games). He continued this last year in Colorado, hitting .260/.390/.505 in limited action (104 games). That's great for a catcher. He turns 26 this year and should be a regular. Look for good numbers again out of Iannetta.


Shawn Riggans, Tampa Bay Rays
by Goose Joak

Have you ever seen Shawn Riggans and Chone Figgins in the same room at the same time? I didn't think so!


Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners
by Goose Joak

For years I've thought this guy should be hitting cleanup, not leadoff. Call be crazy, but here's my case:

1) His OBP is pretty average for a corner outfielder...
2) but his bat control is superb...
3) so you can't really change up your defense on him with runners on base

This should put Ichiro at a significant advantage, who can put the ball about wherever he wants to.

At least to me, the importance of batting average gains a little leverage against pure, BB driven OBP as you put ducks on the pond. Runners from first and second are often able to take an extra base on balls in play. So I think it'd be natural to want to emphasize that in run scoring situations. Also, Ichiro is fast enough to stay out of double plays and disciplined enough not to hit popups. These secondary benefits would also help with Ichiro hitting 3rd or 4th in the order.

Crazy? Maybe.

Anyway, look for another update tonight with some collaborator cards. Also if you're looking for hi-res pictures of 40-man roster types from last year (and eventually this year), JT pointed me to an excellent resource: http://www.mlb.com/pressbox/headshots/index.jsp

I wouldn't want to use it for every card, but for those hard to find middle relievers, using a posed picture here and there might really help out! Besides, I really like posed cards :)