Introduction
#25-#21
#20-#16

#15 – Juan Francisco, 3B-ish, Cincinnati

Francisco was on last year’s iteration of this Team, and has really only become more like Juan Francisco in the meantime, slashing .286/.325/.565 (.332 BABIP) in 329 Triple-A plate appearances last season and posting a 4.9 BB% against a 26.3 K%. It’s pretty clear that Francisco’s hold over the strike zone is tenuous, but his power is real and his swing exudes unbridled enthusiasm for swinging. (I’ll direct your attention to all of these videos, but especially this one.) Bill James has Francisco projected at .280/.313/.513. Brian Cartwright’s OLIVER has him at .273/.308/.513. I’d be surprised if Francisco batted as high as .270 in the majors, but I wouldn’t be surprised — at all — by an ISO north of .230.

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This is Team Joy Squad for 2011. The introduction and #25-#21 appeared here yesterday.

#20 – Chris Iannetta, C, Colorado

I believe the reader will agree immediately that, should we endeavor to compose a brief list of Modern Catching Greats, it would be difficult to exclude from said list the names Yorvit Torrealba and Miguel Olivo. So it makes sense, then, that Rockies coaches Clint Hurdle and then Jim Tracy would limit Iannetta’s major league plate appearances over these last two-plus seasons in favor of aforementioned Greats. This year, however, only Jose Morales and a cadre of prospects stand between Iannetta and starterdom. Accordingly, the 27-year-old Iannetta will be given at least some kind of opportunity to build on a 2008 campaign that saw him post a 3.6 WAR. Has Iannetta struggled at times? One-hundred percent yes. Might he have defensive deficiencies? Possibly. Has he also displayed power and patience not commonly found at the catching posish? Also affirmative. Also, he’s Italian — which, that counts for something.

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This is Team Joy Squad for 2011, introduced a mere two hours ago.

#25 – Robinson Chirinos, C, Tampa Bay

Chirinos was one of five players who went Tampa-ward this past offseason — along with pitcher Chris Archer, outfielder Brandon Guyer, shortstop Hak-Ju Lee, and Smartest Guy Sam Fuld — for Matt Garza and two prospects. If you ask this guy, the trade was a no-question win for the Rays. Archer and Lee are the prospects, but Chirinos’ story — combined with his talent — makes him the most notable. Chirinos converted to catcher in the middle of 2008 after stalling out as a middle infielder. For reasons that only Nostradamus and/or Robinson Chirinos know, the latter’s bat has been revived by the move. He posted a ZiPS Major League Equivalency (zMLE) of .271/.347/.451 (.289 BABIP) in 318 PA last season and, by conservative estimates, will be the best player in history.

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Many people in my life (and by “many people,” I mean these three interns at FanGraphs who’re paid by David Appelman specifically to keep my self-esteem afloat) have riddled me a question this offseason about Curator of Cosmoses Colby Lewis. These guys have said to me, they’ve said, “Cistulli, with regard to Colby Lewis, are you pee-your-pants excited to watch him pitch this year, or pee-someone-else’s-pants excited?”

It’s a reasonable question, this, on account of how I made my affections for Mr. Lewis quite clear last year — starting with a declaration about his greatness during an opening-day live chat and ending sometime around one of those absurdly successful postseason performances of his.

The answer I’ve given is one that I’m almost totally sure will shock the nation. The answer is this: “In fact, no, I’m not particularly excited at all.”

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As most readers will know by now, Team FanGraphs recently completed a trip to Arizona. I, personally, just returned last night, and will empty at least part of my notebook here, as follows:

• The trip allowed me to see Colorado outfielder and personal cause célèbre Charlie Blackmon twice — once in person (at the Brewers’ Maryvale Park) and once on television. In both cases, he not only confirmed my (perhaps) irrationally high assessment of his abilities, but actually raised my expectations.

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After the jump, I’ve included some audio I recorded with FanGraphs’ Jackie Moore and Dark Overlord David Appelman during a Rockies-Brewers game last week in Arizona.

Not revolutionary stuff, admittedly — and with maybe sub-par audio quality at times — but fun, I think.

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The Mariners’ 2010 season was a colossal failure any way you care to measure it. The offense was both bad and unlucky. For reasons unknown to man and/or beast, manager Don Wakamatsu (before being fired) deployed Ken Griffey and Mike Sweeney with unnerving frequency — both of whom were part of an early season controversy involving the sleeping habits of the former. Milton Bradley had a bit of a Milton Bradley Situation. And somehow the Mariners lost three games behind God’s Most Blessed Angel, Cliff Lee.

Projected Starting Lineup
1 RF Ichiro Suzuki*
2 3B Chone Figgins**
3 LF Milton Bradley**
4 DH Jack Cust*
5 CF Franklin Gutierrez
6 C Miguel Olivo
7 1B Justin Smoak**
8 SS Jack Wilson
9 2B Brendan Ryan

To get a sense of how poor the offense was last year, consider this fact: in 2010, Mariner DHs slashed .194/.269/.340, a figure that compares a little too closely to the .143/.177/.176 triple-slash posted last year by National League pitchers. The team as a whole finised 30th in the majors with 138.4 weighted batting runs below average — a metric that adjusts for park. Basically, if Jason Kendall had started every game at every position, the Mariners would’ve been no worse off — from an offensive point of view, at least.

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Towards the end of January, I wrote a review of the OLIVER projections — and general layout of same — that appear at The Hardball Times (a piece that was complemented by an interview with the giant brain behind the operation, Brian Cartwright). As part of that review, I included a “Kinda Sorta” Prospect List — that is, the top-10 rookie-eligible batters sorted purely by OLIVER’s projected 2011 WAR.

Mr. Cartwright has recently informed me that, since that first post, he has altered the amount of regression on the defensive side of the player projections. As a result, the top-10 list has changed, and so I offer this follow-up.

In fact, below you will find two lists. Because the first list is so rife with catchers, I’ve included a second list of field players sans sans catchers.

With Catchers:

1. Jesus Montero, C, NYA
2. Robinson Chirinos, C, TBA
3. Derek Norris, C, WAS
4. Mike Moustakas, 3B, KCA
5. Wil Myers, C, KCA
6. Matt Young, CF, ATL
7. Devin Mesoraco, C, CIN
8. Jason Kipnis, 2B, CLE
9. Todd Frazier, LF, CIN
10. Ryan Lavarnway, C, BOS

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Episode Sixty-Six
In which the guests are masters of the genre.

Headlines
The History of ottoneu — Recounted!
ottoneu Strategy — Detailed!
Close Friends — Alienated!

Featuring
Niv Shah, Designer
Chad Young, Winner!

Finally, you can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or other feeder things.

Audio on the flip-flop. (Approximately 45 min play time.)

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Episode Sixty-Five
In which the guests are hella mopey.

Headlines
The Stages of Adam Wainwright Grief — Explored!
Best Options for a Cardinal Fifth Starter — Wondered About!
The Meaning of Albert Pujols — Almost Explained!
… and other curious explorations!

Featuring
Dan Moore, Viva El Biridist
Dayn Perry, NotGraphs-ista

Finally, you can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or other feeder things.

Audio on the flip-flop. (Approximately 40 min play time.)

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