Mike Piazza, C, San Diego Padres

February 3, 2006 @ 14:29:34

By Cory J. Bonini
Edited by KFFL Staff

San Diego Padres fans were on the border of being worried and nervous after former All-Star catcher Ramon Hernandez packed his bags for Maryland to play for the Baltimore Orioles. The team brought in catcher Doug Mirabelli from the Boston Red Sox with fellow catchers David Ross and Todd Greene expected to battle for the backup gig to Mirabelli. While solid, the former Red Sox catcher surely was not an upgrade from Hernandez.

A famous face became a Padre Sunday, Jan. 29, when San Diego and free agent catcher Mike Piazza reached accord on a one-year deal worth $2 million. The contract also contains a mutual clause for 2007 worth $8 million. With such a large option, coupled with his age, it is unlikely Piazza plays more than a season in "America's Finest City". In 2005, he did earn the ninth most money in base salary in the Majors at $16.07 million for the year.

While Piazza is not his former self statistically, as evidenced by his precipitous decline in batting average over the past three seasons, the 37-year-old backstop should still give the Padres a solid performer at the position.

Widely recognized as the best hitting catcher of all time, the 12-time All-Star Piazza is expected to start between 90 and 100 games for San Diego. He is expected to spend the rest of his time at first base and will reportedly be the team's designated hitter for interleague play. According to Piazza's agent, Dan Lozano, the Padres told him Piazza can play as much as he wants to at catcher. However, due to his age, it is highly unlikely he will play more than 100 games at the position again in his career.

Table: Mike Piazza - Batting Statistics (2000-05)

Year	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG
2000	NYM	136	482	90	156	26	0	38	113	0.324	0.398	0.614
2001	NYM	141	503	81	151	29	0	36	94	0.300	0.384	0.573
2002	NYM	135	478	69	134	23	2	33	98	0.280	0.359	0.544
2003	NYM	68	234	37	67	13	0	11	34	0.286	0.377	0.483
2004	NYM	129	455	47	121	21	0	20	54	0.266	0.362	0.444
2005	NYM	113	398	41	100	23	0	19	62	0.251	0.326	0.452

While it seems like a decent fit on the surface, one really has to wonder why the 1993 National League Rookie of the Year would opt to remain in the NL to put himself in a situation where he cannot be a full-time designated hitter. That type of role could likely prolong his career, one that will eventually land him in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.

FANTASY IMPACT

Had Piazza switched to the American League, one could make a case for a fair up-tick in fantasy value due to being a full-time designated hitter. Seeing as that is not the case, it is a moot point. There is little reason to believe Piazza is anything more than a late-round pick in the mold of "what you see is what you get" in mixed leagues. Essentially, there are far better options out there to rely on, and he should not be counted on as a starter by any means but as a spot, fill-in reserve.

When it comes to NL-Only formats, due to the disparity in quality of catchers compared to the AL, Piazza could be a player to target later in the draft. Many owners that have been burned by him for the past three seasons will likely be discouraged, and you could be mildly rewarded for giving him a shot if you draft accordingly.

One aspect going against Piazza that will transcend to any league format is the fact that San Diego's PETCO Park is notoriously a poor hitters' park and could further dampen his overall hitting totals.  

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Cory J. Bonini

Cory J. Bonini is a senior editor at KFFL. In late 2002, Bonini joined the KFFL staff as a research analyst. He vaulted himself into one of the industry's leading fantasy analysts.

Bonini has been involved in fantasy sports since 1996. A member of the Fantasy Sports Trade Association as well as Fantasy Sports Writers Association, he has been featured in print, on the radio and is also a published writer on scores of sites. Bonini co-hosted Big Lead Sports on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio from 2011 to 2012.

Bonini was recognized with the 2010 Best Article in Print Award from the FSWA and was a finalist for the same award in 2011. In '11, he finished first overall in the FSWA NFL experts challenge that featured 60 of the industry's best competitors.

Follow him on Twitter @CoryKFFL

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