My good friend Ted Berg continues to carry the flag for our returning hero Val Pascucci.
Pascucci has some overly inflated minor league stats in the PCL, and a reputation that would make Paul Bunyan blush.
So what about Val Pascucci, a purported Mets savior? How good is this guy? How good can he be with the Mets?
In mid-2008 he had a solid .980 OPS in the PCL, which led Tim Marchman to translate to an .850 OPS in the big leagues (saying it is a Baseball Prospectus number).
Marchman said Pascucci "can be our Vlad Guerrero!"
Aint gonna happen folks, and here's why...
The PCL, for the uninformed, is the hitting haven for mid-20s to mid 30s has been's, or never will be's.
So let's take a peek at the 2009 PCL stats sorted by HRs:
Pacific Coast League: Batting Leaders (click column headers to sort) | |||||||||||||||||||
Name | Team | POS | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | TB | BB | SO | SB | CS | OBP | SLG | AVG | OPS |
Mitch Jones | ALB | RF | 108 | 387 | 72 | 115 | 26 | 3 | 35 | 103 | 252 | 40 | 102 | 9 | 3 | .364 | .651 | .297 | 1.015 |
Sean Rodriguez | SLC | 2B | 103 | 365 | 81 | 109 | 17 | 6 | 29 | 93 | 225 | 51 | 119 | 9 | 2 | .400 | .616 | .299 | 1.017 |
Allen Craig | MEM | LF | 126 | 472 | 78 | 152 | 26 | 1 | 26 | 83 | 258 | 37 | 95 | 3 | 0 | .374 | .547 | .322 | .921 |
Terry Evans | SLC | RF | 135 | 537 | 104 | 156 | 33 | 6 | 26 | 90 | 279 | 40 | 146 | 28 | 5 | .341 | .520 | .291 | .860 |
Bryan LaHair | TAC | LF | 121 | 457 | 72 | 132 | 28 | 2 | 26 | 85 | 242 | 45 | 116 | 0 | 5 | .354 | .530 | .289 | .883 |
Randy Ruiz | LAS | 1B | 114 | 462 | 81 | 148 | 43 | 2 | 25 | 106 | 270 | 47 | 99 | 0 | 0 | .392 | .584 | .320 | .976 |
Matt Carson | SAC | CF | 118 | 440 | 68 | 116 | 29 | 3 | 25 | 77 | 226 | 38 | 94 | 15 | 4 | .327 | .514 | .264 | .841 |
Brendan Katin | NAS | RF | 127 | 459 | 67 | 112 | 33 | 6 | 24 | 92 | 229 | 35 | 164 | 2 | 0 | .305 | .499 | .244 | .804 |
Joe Koshansky | NAS | 1B | 135 | 455 | 72 | 99 | 21 | 3 | 24 | 80 | 198 | 64 | 166 | 7 | 4 | .316 | .435 | .218 | .752 |
Cory Aldridge | OMA | RF | 98 | 354 | 48 | 112 | 20 | 4 | 22 | 71 | 206 | 24 | 86 | 0 | 1 | .361 | .582 | .316 | .943 |
Brandon Wood | SLC | 3B | 99 | 386 | 65 | 113 | 28 | 4 | 22 | 72 | 215 | 36 | 80 | 1 | 1 | .353 | .557 | .293 | .910 |
John Bowker | FRE | RF | 104 | 366 | 82 | 125 | 22 | 4 | 21 | 83 | 218 | 74 | 64 | 10 | 6 | .451 | .596 | .342 | 1.047 |
Prentice Redman | TAC | RF | 108 | 414 | 84 | 123 | 35 | 3 | 21 | 66 | 227 | 33 | 77 | 7 | 2 | .352 | .548 | .297 | .900 |
J.P. Arencibia | LAS | C | 116 | 466 | 67 | 110 | 32 | 1 | 21 | 75 | 207 | 26 | 114 | 0 | 1 | .284 | .444 | .236 | .728 |
Scott Thorman | OMA | LF | 108 | 399 | 49 | 115 | 16 | 2 | 20 | 67 | 195 | 24 | 75 | 7 | 3 | .342 | .489 | .288 | .830 |
Chad Huffman | POR | LF | 135 | 469 | 65 | 126 | 30 | 2 | 20 | 68 | 220 | 57 | 115 | 8 | 5 | .361 | .469 | .269 | .830 |
Brett Harper | ALB | 1B | 103 | 390 | 46 | 114 | 25 | 1 | 19 | 71 | 198 | 26 | 48 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .508 | .292 | .841 |
Dee Brown | ALB | LF | 121 | 396 | 79 | 115 | 35 | 0 | 19 | 80 | 207 | 57 | 63 | 9 | 3 | .382 | .523 | .290 | .905 |
John Lindsey | NEW | 1B | 133 | 443 | 53 | 111 | 22 | 1 | 19 | 83 | 192 | 38 | 112 | 1 | 2 | .331 | .433 | .251 | .764 |
Valentino Pascucci | POR | 1B | 126 | 436 | 62 | 108 | 25 | 2 | 19 | 77 | 194 | 66 | 119 | 3 | 0 | .348 | .445 | .248 | .793 |
The average age of those players is 27. Moreover, many have major league experience, and for the most part, they have been putrid in the big leagues.
Some of the names on that list are quite familiar to Mets fans.
Prentice Redman anyone?
The PCL slugger has tasted the big leagues only once, in 2003, when he hit .125 for the Mets. Now, as he nears age 30, one has to wonder why he hasn't been given his chance...or, you can realize that his numbers are over-inflated by virtue of his playing in the PCL.
In 2008 Dallas McPherson hit 42 HRs in the PCL in only 448 at-bats...McGwire'esque!
Well, in 399 big league at-bats he has 126 Ks and a 97 OPS+
Now I'm personally happy for the Mets AAA fans...Pascucci might make their season a bit more enjoyable.
What I don't have is any illusion whatsoever that Val with make any contribution to the 2010 Mets. He's just not that good.
1 comment:
Have to agree with you. There are a ton of PCL superstars who can barely ride a major league bench.
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