The Mets made another minor signing today, but this one seemed a lot more interesting to me than Rylan Sandoval. Shawn Riggans, a non-roster invitee, comes from the Rays system, where he spent most of the last two seasons on the DL. Still, Rays fans expected him to resign and win the back-up job in Tampa this year. Most surprisingly, despite his being mostly MIA or hurt so often, CHONE projects Riggans to be the better hitter than Omir Santos, the Mets supposed starter, by a decent margin (.298 wOBA vs. .289 wOBA). In the minors he demonstrated wild plate discipline, but good power, hitting .289/.350/.447. If healthy, he could be a sort of mini-Miguel Olivo, a .250/.300/.420 player, which should be good enough to push Santos to AAA. He can also play in the outfield.
Like many Mets signings, his chances of making the roster are more an indictment of the Mets' talent, not a great endorsement of his. Still, if the Mets are serious about fielding the best team out of Spring Training, or serious about letting Santos flounder in the starting gig for a while, Riggans could see some serious playing time.