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Seattle Mariners Season Preview: Chris Iannetta
Will Chris Iannetta return to form in his first season with the Seattle Mariners?
Jerry Dipoto brought an old friend with him when he was hired to right the ship in Seattle. Chris Iannetta spent four seasons behind the plate with the Los Angeles Angels before signing a one-year deal with the Seattle Mariners this offseason.
The 32-year-old had the worst season of his 10-year big league career with the Halos in 2015. Iannetta slashed a dismal .188/.293/.335 across 317 plate appearances. He contributed 10 doubles, 10 home runs and 34 RBI in 92 games. Carlos Perez usurped Iannetta as the Angels’ backstop in the middle of the season.
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Despite his down year, Iannetta will be the M’s starting catcher on opening day. Mike Zunino was thought to be the catcher of the future in Seattle, but things did not go according to plan last year. Z posted a .174 batting average with 11 home runs and 28 RBI across 112 games. The 24-year-old is expected to spend the bulk of 2016 playing in Tacoma with the Rainiers.
The Good
There is no denying that Chris Iannetta experienced a miserable campaign in 2015, but he has been a productive offensive player throughout his career. The veteran backstop has a .231/.351/.405 slash line across 10 seasons with the Colorado Rockies and the Angels. Iannetta does a fantastic job of getting on base. He has posted an on base percentage of .330 or higher eight times during his career.
Iannetta is never going to contend for a batting title, but he is a very useful player. He has proven to be a clutch hitter throughout his career, as he is hitting .261 with runners in scoring position and two outs. The Mariners struggled in this regard last season, so hopefully Iannetta is able to help.
The Providence, RI product is an above average defensive catcher. Iannetta registered a .996 fielding percentage behind the dish in 2015, and threw out 25% of potential base stealers. He tallied 0.6 defensive WAR last season, and he has accumulated 3.9 dWAR during the past decade.
The Bad
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It is pretty clear that Chris Iannetta was not the same player in 2015 as he was in years past. The regression was steep, and it was scary. His poor season scared off many teams, but not the Mariners. Iannetta will turn 33 in April, and it is fair to question whether his best day are behind him.
Iannetta hit a measly .172 against right-handed pitching in 2015. This is not a huge surprise, given that his splits have never been great against righties. The Mariners are expected to use Steve Clevenger as a platoon partner with Iannetta this season. Clevenger came over from the Baltimore Orioles this offseason, and he posted a .280 batting average against right-handers last year.
The Future
Baseball Reference is optimistic about Chris Iannetta in 2016. They believe he will hit .227 with 11 home runs and 42 RBI across 396 plate appearances. The mathematicians over at FanGraphs have a slightly different projection for Iannetta. They predict he will hit .215 with 8 home runs and 31 RBI in 75 games.
Next: M's Add Steven Lerud to Replace Injured Sucre
Representing the Mariners at the All-Star Game seems a bit far-fetched, but I anticipate Chris Iannetta will post numbers in line with his career averages. He was essentially brought in to stabilize things behind the plate and get on base. I am hopeful he will succeed in both aspects, as he helps lead the Mariners back to the postseason.