Todd Zolecki reports in that Tadahito Iguchi may be open to playing third base for the Phillies. This is an interesting development as Iguchi was a great fill in for Chase Utley this season and seems to be a good clubhouse guy. The big question is can Iguchi play a major league 3rd base? His career .986 fielding percentage says that he is a pretty solid defender, but 2nd base is a long way from 3rd and quite a bit closer to the plate. Perhaps the bigger question is what sort of upgrade Iguchi would be for the Phillies at 3rd. His 2005-2006 seasons showed a nice bat with upside averaging 16HR, 70RBI, 12SB and a .280BA. Last year was a down year in BA until he came over to the Phillies, but his other numbers seemed in line.
An estimate of 2008 numbers, assuming he plays most of the season and has a small bump for playing in Citizens Bank and in a heavy hitting lineup:
20 HR
75 RBI
15 SB
.280 BA
Not too bad for a #6 or #7 hitter, and better than the alternatives.
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