It was revealed this morning in the Arizona Republic that one of the Diamondbacks’ most asked-about players recently has been infielder Alberto Callaspo. Callaspo is set to back up at second, short, and third this year for the big club. Josh Byrnes stole him a year ago for a mere Jason Bulger.
Callaspo is notoriously hard to strike out – he whiffed in only 6% of his ABs in Triple A last year en route to a .337 average. His Major League equivalent came to .280/.337/.395 in 2006, so yes, he could start for many teams. Baseball America doesn’t go in-depth about his defense, saying just that he can "play anywhere on the field." They liked him enough to rate him the 82nd best prospect in the game and fourth best D’Back.
A quick aside to take a fantasy point of view – without power or stolen bases, Callaspo’s value will be limited to his batting average and runs scored. Those in keeper leagues can take note. He’ll probably get those runs as someone’s #2 hitter one day.
Callaspo was careful when asked if he’d welcome a trade to become a full-timer. The Diamondbacks will probably make every effort to keep him; his development may make Orlando Hudson expendable.
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