Community Projections: Ty Wigginton

There have been rumors circulating about it for a while, but the O's have finally signed 1B/2B/3B/OF/DH Ty Wigginton to a two year, $6 M deal.

I had been mildly opposed to signing Ty, but that's when I expected it to be to a Casey Blake type deal (3 years $17 M, I think it was). At the low, low cost of $3 M a year, this is a very solid deal. Wigginton should be worth that even if he only plays for half a season.

I had been concerned that the O's line-up was too left-handed with Huff, Scott, and Pie and no solid right-handed back-up. Wigginton solves that problem in spades (.878 carear OPS versus lefties, with about a .450 wOBA in 2008 against south-paws).

Wiggy plays a whole host of positions on defense (all to various degrees of badness), which gives the team a lot of flexibility. That means that the O's will always have a bat on the bench and also indicates that that bench will be four men deep (Wigginton, Freel, back-up catcher, back-up shortstop). Big fan of not having a 13-man pitching staff.

For now I have Ty projected at:

PA

H

2B

3B

HR

BB

BA

OBP

SLG

wOBA

WAR

400

99

21

0

17

34

.271

.334

.469

.350

1.1

While seeing most of his time at first and DH, and filling in at second and third.

That's worth $5.3 M already, so it's extremely likely that Wigginton will end up being a bargain. Another solid move by Andy MacPhail.