MVN: Most Valuable Network

We continue our series of Rockies player reviews with a wrapup of all the remaining offensive players.

Chris Iannetta

It came a year later than we thought, but Iannetta became a productive offensive catcher.  He didn't hit for a terrific average (.264), but he hit for power.  Oh, he hit for power -- .241 ISO power, with 18 homers in 333 at bats.  That's pretty good.  What's also good were his 56 walks, which led to a more-than-solid .390 OBP.  The one real issue?  The strikeouts: Iannetta struck out 92 times in a little more than half a season.  That's pretty bad, and explains the low average.  But it's hard to find much to complain about here.

Tom's Grade: B+
Drew's Grade: B+

Yorvit Torrealba

Torrealba, on the other hand, was bad.  In retrospect, we really shouldn't have expected that much from a career .250 hitter, but Torrealba essentially is what Iannetta would be if he didn't walk and didn't hit for power.  The Rockies might want to consider trading Torrealba, since right now they're paying quite a bit of money for a backup catcher.

Tom's Grade: D
Drew's Grade: D+

Jeff Baker

Splitting time with Clint Barmes at second, for the most part, Baker had a line a lot like Iannetta's: fairly low average, lots of strikeouts, decent power in about half a season.  Defensively, he wasn't exactly a butcher at second, but he's not great, either.  Baker could turn out to be a high power/low average guy, but at 27, time is running out for him to lock down a full-time job.

Tom's Grade: C+
Drew's Grade: C+

Clint Barmes

Between Tulowitzki's injuries and Nix's struggles, Barmes got quite a bit of playing time in 2008 and responded with his second decent season in the major leagues.  His .290/.322/.468 line is pretty good for a middle infielder, and he also hit 11 homers.  His season was actually slightly better than his 2005 season (when he hit .289/.330/.434).  On the other hand, he doesn't have the potential of Baker, so he's probably looking at being a utility infielder in 2009.

Tom's Grade: B-
Drew's Grade: B-   Would have been higher if he didn't have such extreme home/road splits.

Ian Stewart

Stewart strikes out a lot.  (There seems to be a common theme here.)  In 266 at bats in the majors this year, he struck out 94 times.  That's beyond awful, and it contributed to him batting .259 for the season.  He did hit 10 homers and can get a lot better if he can cut down on the strikeouts.  But considering all the hype he got while he was in the minors, I would think he would be a lot better than this right now.

Tom's Grade: C+
Drew's Grade: C

Ryan Spilborghs

Spilborghs has found a nice niche as the Rockies' fourth outfielder for the last couple of years.  After hitting .313/.407/.468 this year, he's a career .302 hitter, and some argue that he should be the Rockies' everyday center fielder.  I don't think he's really good enough defensively for that to happen, and anyway, I think part of his success has been the fact that the Rockies have limited his exposure.  For his career, he's a .333 hitter against lefties while hitting .285 against righthanders.

Tom's Grade: B
Drew's Grade: B+