Iacono had a terrific year for the Arizona League Brewers in 2007, drawing 45 walks in only 204 plate appearances for an on-base percentage of .413 despite a .225 batting average - his totals for walks was 2nd best in the league while his on-base percentage was the 5th best mark. He also took full advantage of the times he got on base, swiping 30 bases and scoring 38 runs in only 47 games. In two years as a professional baseball, Iacono has stolen 46 bases, drawn 60 walks, and scored 55 runs in just 82 games.
The signing of Iacono gives us great outfield depth heading into training camp and a lot of options once the season starts.
4 comments:
Jason
Do you see him more in center or can he play the corner spots too? Like the addition.
He can play all three outfield positions, although he is probably best suited in centerfield. He gives us a lot of depth in the outfield heading into spring training, which will provide for some healthy competition and allow us to move toward our starting rotation and left side of the infield as the last two main pieces left - although we have contracts for two starting pitchers and possibly a third currently pending - not counting Ryan Danly, who will also be in the mix.
Having several high quality outfielders in camp will help us in case we get hit with the injury bug like we did last year or someone comes into camp out of shape. In any regard, we should have a lot more flexibility than in the past to give guys a day off or rotate the DH spot without losing much offensively or defensively.
How many guys will you be bring to training camp, and how many will you have on the final roster? Will the competition be tough in spring training and will there be a lot of cuts? I notice you have signed 6 outfielders, and just wondering where you will make the cuts.
Minimum roster size is 22 and maximum roster size is 24. There is about a 95% chance of us carrying 24 guys on opening day.
Frontier League rules allow us to have up to 35 guys under contract on the first day of camp not counting the 2 mandatory "draft picks" we have to make at the Frontier League Tryout Camp. After a few days of training camp we need to cut to 32 and then to 28 a few days after that. We have to be to 24 within 24 hours of opening day.
Out of those 24 players our plan is to carry 12 pitchers (5 starters, 7 in the bullpen), and 12 position players. Generally speaking, that means 4 outfielders, 4 infielders, and 2 catchers with 2 open spots to work depending on what the needs are. Most teams like to carry at least one bench guy that can play multiple positions in case of injury.
In independent baseball, there is always the threat of players coming into camp out of shape or getting injured in spring training due to poor off-season stretching and conditioning. Last year we have two season ending injuries in training camp with a third guy hitting the DL for two weeks, not to mention the seven tweaked hamstrings we had over the course of the summer. My point is - one broken ankle and the depth chart gets much different. If we don't bring more guys in to camp than you have spots for on the opening day roster, that means you are going to be making some frantic phone calls. And it isn't like there are many talented players looking for jobs in the middle of May.
Hope this helps!
Post a Comment