Not a Rookie: Chris Iannetta

by John Sickels on Feb 23, 2008 3:03 PM EST in News Comment 5 comments

Chris Iannetta was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the fourth round in 2004, from the University of North Carolina. He was considered a very solid defensive catcher, though not a spectacular one. Questions about how his bat would transition to pro ball kept him out of the first three rounds, but his initial exposure was successful: .314/.454/.496 in 36 games for Asheville in the Sally League. Note that he skipped short-season ball and went directly to full-season Class A and thrived. I pointed him out as a sleeper in the 2005 book and gave him a Grade B-.

Moved up to Modesto in 2005, Iannetta hit .276/.381/.490 in 74 games, then .233/.329/.417 in 19 games for Double-A Tulsa. His defense got a bit better and scouts gave him high marks in that regard, projecting him as major league ready with the glove at that point. Offensively his best attribute was strong plate discipline. I gave him another Grade B- in the 2006 book, projecting that he would be a .250-.260 hitter in the majors, with enough walks and power to be of use along with his glove.

2006 was a great year. He started off with a .321/.418/.622 mark in 44 games for Tulsa, hitting 11 homers. Then he hit .351/.447/.510 in 47 games for Triple-A Colorado Springs. A .260/.370/.399 21-game audition in Colorado rounded things out. He continued to show good plate discipline, but the spike in power in Double-A really stood out. I gave him a Grade B+ and ranked him as the top catching prospect in baseball, 25th overall on the hitters list.

Um, that didn't work out too well.

Iannetta opened 2007 as the regular catcher, but a 3-for-25 start, a virus that sapped his strength, and better play by Yorvit Torrealba cost him the starting job. He got sent back to the minors in July. Iannetta returned in August and hit .320 the rest of the way, but word from Rockies camp for 2008 is that he is not guaranteed any playing time this year and may get sent back to Triple-A.

So what happened here? Basically he got off to a slow start, lost confidence, started to press, got sick, and lost his job when the other guy didn't have those problems. He came back and played well down the stretch, so he's hardly a lost cause. Also note the interesting home/road split: .179/.275/.263 in Colorado, .255/.379/.431 on the road. Quite a difference. Was he pressing in front of the home crowd, trying to impress everyone?

Basically, if they let Iannetta play, I think he will bounce back just fine. That said, I did overrate him to some extent last year, and I think the Grade B+ was a notch too high. I should have had him at Grade B. I think I overreacted to the gaudy numbers at Tulsa. In retrospect, I think my earlier assessment of Iannetta back in 2006 was the right one: he's a .250-.260 hitter (neutral park) in the majors, with enough walks for a nice OBP, some power, and solid glovework. Not a star, but a solid guy.

2008 Projections

Shandler: .259/.347/.406
James: .274/.370/.435
ZIPS: .269/.359/.421
Me: .272/.365/.415

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The 04 collegiate catcher draft class

Powell, Thigpen, Suzuki and Iannetta. At the time, we mooted them back and forth, and it is still not clear whether one or two will emerge as solid catchers.

Durability is, as it almost always is for catchers, the major issue. My money is on Suzuki being the one who stays healthy and delivers the goods, but there is no reason why it could not be Iannetta. Those are sweet projections for a solid defensive catcher.

by Mike Green on Feb 24, 2008 10:06 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

nobody commenting on Iannetta...

so I will...

The projections are all better than any season that Torrealba has managed to come up with in his career, yet the big question is whether Iannetta will get a decent shot at winning the starting C job with the Rockies. Given that the Rockies just signed Torrealba for 2 years, I have my doubts. I really hope he doesn't end up being branded as a AAAA guy.

by DenverBears on Feb 25, 2008 1:47 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

perhaps self-contradictory, but ...

I like Iannetta a lot, and believe he'll be a fine above-average catcher. I also like the Torrealba signing... he's going to be able to hit for power against LHP and play defense for the life of that contract, and it wasn't much money. The combined salaries and production for the Rox catchers should be very solid if Iannetta develops. I don't like throwing away those 150-200 "backup catcher" AB's.

Looking at the details of Torrealba's salary, it's probably more appropriate to suggest that 2.75/1yr isn't a lot of money, and the remainder of the contract should make him very tradable if need be (which would mean that Iannetta has asserted himself as the starter fully). Trading a useful player with a 1-year deal usually isn't too hard, especially if he can throw.

by BobbyMac on Feb 25, 2008 3:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I guess I can understand....

the not much money argument, but I'm afraid that the Rockies signed Torrealba to be the starter. Iannetta actually outhit Torrealba in the second half of the season and actually had a slightly better OPS for the season if you don't count his abysmal April, yet by the end of the season Iannetta almost never got in the games.

I'm not sure that giving the ABs to him isn't really throwing away the "backup catcher" AB's. He hit .255/.323/.376, which isn't good. On the road, he hit .212/.292/.326. As for his power against LHP, he hit 1 HR in 99 PA and slugged .356. All in all, I think Torrealba is a suitable MLB backup, but I fear that Hurdle sees him as a starter.

by DenverBears on Feb 25, 2008 4:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

heh...

I forgot the he went against his norm in pounding lefties in 2007, but he still has a career slugging of .465 against LHP.

And I don't mind a team paying a few bucks to put a player in front of a youngster, as long as he's not so good or so expensive that said youngster isn't allowed to beat him out. Sounds like you'd know more about that allowance part than I do... I guess I was thinking "perfect world", and I agree that if Iannetta is viewed as being "blocked", that wouldn't be good for him or the Rox.

by BobbyMac on Feb 25, 2008 7:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs