For our second installment of “Fun With Comparables,” we’re going to look at the Travis Ishikawa, who will get the chance this year to build on his 2008 minor-league breakout season.  Ishikawa’s first comp is Garrett Jones, currently 28, whose only major-league experience was with the 2006 Twins.  In 84 plate appearances, he hit .208/.262/.338.  Guys who can’t field have to be monsters with the bat, and Jones isn’t.  Ishikawa, on the other hand, is a excellent defensive first baseman who will take the occasional walk.  Jones mastered neither skill.  Now a Pirate, Jones is waiting for something bad to happen to Adam LaRoche.

Ishikawa’s second comp, is listed as “Mike Hocutt.”  I’ve searched high and low and cannot find a thing about any such player at any level of organized ball.  Oh, well.  Let’s move along.

Over parts of four seasons, and 149 plate appearances, Jim Adduci, Ishikawa’s third comp, hit .236/.242/.326, and was out of baseball at age 29. On April 19, 1987, Adduci was actually purchased by the San Francisco Giants from the Milwaukee Brewers, only to be sent back in one week.  (Having a young Will Clark at first allows that.)  On June 4, the Brewers released Adduci, and he finished the season playing for the Taiyo Whales in Japan.

Ishikawa’s fourth comp is former Athletic Dan Johnson.  Johnson can do two things Oakland loves — hit for power and take some walks — but he doesn’t do enough of either to overcome his deficiencies.  His poor 2007 led to the Daric Barton era in Oakland.  The Rays picked Johnson up off waivers last year, and assigned him to Durham, where he was player of the year.  The Rays didn’t have much use for his skills til late-season roster expansion.  Then, on September 9, in his first big-league at-bat with his new team, he took Jonathan Papelbon deep to help pull out a win in the ninth inning of the biggest win in franchise history at the time.  At the close of the season, Johnson went for the payday, signing a seven-figure deal to play in Japan in 2009.

While Ishikawa has promise, his minor-league career is a bit checkered, and he is already 25, so pinning too much hope on his bat might lead to disappointment.  He plays Gold-Glove calibre first base, though, and that might count for a lot with Pablo Sandoval’s stylings at third.  If Ishikawa, like two of his comps, ends up playing some in Japan, he might naturally prove popular there.