At the end of November, the author wrote a post concerning Atlanta’s acquisition of Corban Joseph entitled — for purposes simultaneously of information and also very mild amusement — entitled “Atlanta Signs Basically Tommy La Stella“. The main point of that brief dispatch: that Corban Joseph, a below-average defender with compelling and probably overlooked offensive skills, was a sensible and economical replacement for the recently traded La Stella.

What I didn’t know at the time — indeed, couldn’t have known — is that the Atlantans would less than two weeks later acquire a player arguably more similar to La Stella than even Joseph himself. Today, the Braves signed former Oakland infielder Alberto Callaspo to a one-year, $3 million deal.

Here are the Steamer projections for the triumvirate, prorated in each case to 550 plate appearances:

Name Age Pos PA BB% K% HR AVG OBP SLG wRC+ Off Def WAR Corban Joseph 26 1B/2B 550 7.8% 14.3% 13 .258 .320 .399 101 0.4 -0.5 1.9 Tommy La Stella 26 2B 550 9.2% 10.3% 5 .273 .343 .366 99 -1.9 -2.1 1.4 Alberto Callaspo 32 2B/3B 550 9.7% 11.0% 8 .252 .326 .353 93 -5.8 -1.4 1.1

Callaspo is older than La Stella by some margin, but possesses similar defensive value, nearly identical plate-discipline projections, and also probably a power profile that more nearly resembles La Stella’s. Of some interest with regard to Callaspo is his batted-ball skill. Over that past three years, Callaspo has produced just a .259 BABIP — one of the lowest figures, that, among qualified batters during that same interval. The Atlanta front office probably has some feelings about how much that says about Callaspo’s hit tool. In any case, it would appear as though Callaspo is the favorite to start at second base for Atlanta presently.