Mike Piazza, DH, Oakland Athletics

January 5, 2007 @ 16:00:00

By David Wysocki
Edited by Nicholas Minnix

After 2005, catcher Mike Piazza was a non-entity in the baseball world. The New York Mets looked in a different direction after trading for catcher Paul Lo Duca and Piazza was left without an opportunity to show he could lay it all out like in days past. The San Diego Padres took a chance and were pleased. Piazza led a catching corps that in 2006 was productive offensively and caught the best pitching staff in the National League. Now the slugger, $8.5 million richer and with a log for a bat, will be taking his offensive talents up the coast to Oakland as the Athletics' full time DH.

Piazza, 38, is coming off an impressive season in which he mashed 22 home runs in just 399 at bats. He did it in, for hitters, one of the toughest ballparks in baseball. While Piazza still had trouble throwing out runners, he held down the cleanup spot for an almost anemic Padres offense. In the American League, he could see more opportunities to drive in runs, and he will likely be able to play nearly every game.

The signing means Oakland not only has replaced designated hitter Frank Thomas, but has also added a possible No. 3 catcher. Piazza will almost certainly be slotted into the cleanup spot in Oakland, where a hitter was needed desperately. After seeing starting pitcher Barry Zito (San Francisco Giants) move across the bay, more pressure could be placed on an offense that was sub-par, especially in the playoffs.

Table: Mike Piazza - Seasonal Averages (per 162 games played)

AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	BA	OPS
585	90	181	37	114	66	.309	.930

Piazza certainly has been put into a pretty ideal situation and has added value as a fantasy catcher. In 2007, Piazza will probably be among the leaders among catcher-eligible players in at-bats and he will not have to drag out every inning to kneel behind the plate. As a result, hitting 30 home runs is not out of the question as he makes the switch for the first time to the more hitter-friendly American League.

Piazza may not have any problem approaching 30 homers, but his actual run production will depend on his teammates' ability to get on base and protect him. Third baseman Eric Chavez was once again an offensive disappointment in 2006; first baseman Nick Swisher tailed off and disappeared at season's end. If those guys can bounce back, and with production from outfielder Milton Bradley as well as shortstop Bobby Crosby, the A's could be looking at another playoff run despite the absence of their former Cy Young Award-winning ace. Expecting this would be foolish, though, as inconsistent as the A's hitting really is. A lot of ifs cloud Piazza's fantasy outlook.

Piazza could be one of this year's big-time fantasy steals. He is, for the first time, moving to the American League and, as long as he stays injury-free, could see 500 at-bats for the first time since 2001 when he sent 36 balls packing. At 38, Piazza is no spring chicken, but with catcher eligibility, an increase in at-bats and the potential to hit 25 home runs, he could very easily provide nice value to fantasy teams.

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David Wysocki

David has been a KFFL writer since 2005. He is a San Diego native and a History and Geography student at California State University-Chico. He has a writing background and has appeared in, and helped produce, various local newsletters and magazines on sports and music. He also pitched for the No. 2 nationally ranked Rancho Buena Vista Longhorns his senior year of high school in 2002.

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