What To Make Of The Colorado Rockies Signing INF Paul Janish

August 2, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves shortstop Paul Janish (4) fields a ground ball in the seventh inning against the Miami Marlins at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

According to Troy Renck of The Denver Post, the Colorado Rockies came to terms with infielder Paul Janish to a minor-league contract and an invite to Spring Training.

Here is more on Troy Renck’s take on the signing via The Denver Post:

"The Rockies, like many other teams, will keep looking for depth and value as spring training approaches. They have agreed to a deal with veteran shortstop Paul Janish. He is viewed as Triple-A insurance but will compete for a bench job in spring training with Josh Rutledge and Charlie Culberson. The Rockies, as they did with Reid Brignac last spring, want a shortstop available in the minors in case all-star Troy Tulowitzki is injured again"

You know what you’re going to get out of Paul Janish who is a career .214/.284/.288 hitter with just 7 home runs and 81 RBI’s in 1,080 career at-bats. The guy is simply an insurance policy for the likes of a Nolan Arenado, Troy Tulowitzki, and D.J. LeMahieu. Janish’s best attribute is his fielding, here is a look at his stats position-by-position:

Second Base: 1 error in 58 total chances, 21 games played, 13 starts. .983 fielding percentage.

Third Base: 1 error is 54 total chances, 57 games played, 14 starts. .981 fielding percentage.

Short Stop: 22 errors in 1,281 total chances, 344 games played, 258 starts. .983 fielding percentage.

Janish stepped in for the Braves last season when Andrelton Simmons went down with a broken finger. The utility man didn’t commit an error in 52 total chances in 147 innings. The Rockies could however slide Josh Rutledge into the short stop role if Troy Tulowitzki does go down again (hope not).

The thing about Rutledge is his inconsistency at the plate. Rutledge burst onto the scene in September of 2012 with a line of .274/.306/.469 with 8 home runs and 37 RBI’s. But in 2013, Rutledge couldn’t find his stroke as the second baseman was sent down to Triple-A Colorado Springs as he struggled mightily at the plate. He would hit .235/.294/.337 with 7 home runs with just 19 RBI’s.