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Corner Outfielders

AG/DC Jun 09 2008 08:06 AM

Not that it gets Willie off the hook --- in fact it indicts Omar Minaya to some extent for not being adequately prepared, and the medical training staff as well --- but the plague among our corner outfielders has been cruel and unkind. I'm happy for Tatis to be a contributor, but I am unhappy to have an unretired retread third baseman as our starting leftfielder. These are positions where you look to get offense. #1 Corner Outfieder: Alou --- with two extended stays on the DL, he has played in 12 of 62 games as a corner outfielder. Twelve. #2 Corner Outfieder: Church --- A guy who lost his job in Washington for taking too much for granted, took nothing for granted in New York, but ended up Lenny-Dykstra-ing himself into a pemament mental fog. Take away his pinch-hitting appearances and he's managed 45 games as a corner outfielder, less than 75% of Mets starts. #3 Corner Outfieder: Pagan --- Showing more hustle than muscle, he had a hot start, but 28 corner outfield games into his season he injured himself and hasn't been back. In Metrofoolery that has been too typical, he hurt himslef on Wednesday 5/8, but pinch-hit on Sunday 5/11 and didn't DL him until Tuesday 5/13. #4 Corner Outfielder: Chavez --- The Mets healthiest outfielder has been perhaps their least-effective outfielder. At least offensively. All praise to Endy's D. #5 Corner Outfielder: Clark --- Played in four games, got sent down, and when we soon needed him back, he had gotten himself knocked out for the season. #6 Corner Outfielder: Anderson --- A pretender out there in the best of times, Anderson never found his stroke this season, and has been out since 5/24 with a torn hammy. He's neither expected back soon nor expected to contribute much when he returns. With fakirs like Easley and Tatis, Chavez hitting twice a week, and desperate calls for overwhelmed fill-ins like Nick Evans, we need corner outfield bats like we need oxygen. No, I'm not "in love" with Pascucci, I reach for him simply to confront the reality of my surroundings. Wilie aside, I'm having trouble convincing myself Valentine could get an offense out of this situation.

Benjamin Grimm Jun 09 2008 08:25 AM

All very true. Tatis has been overused in left field. He's probably best suited to be a Rusty Staub (circa 1984) at this point, a pinch hitter spending as little time in the field as possible. There was one game (I don't remember which one) where the Mets were protecting a late-inning lead and Tatis was still in left, with Endy on the bench. If ever there was a time for a defensive substitution, it was then, but Willie kept Tatis out there. (I don't recall if Willie got burned by doing that. Probably not; if he had I'd be remembering more of the details.) After his hot September, I was on board with bringing back Alou, but we're seeing how unwise a move that was. It's true that he's a .340 hitter, and it's great to have him in the lineup when he's healthy, but their lack of depth in the outfield is killing the Mets. The "we'll take what we can get from him when he's healthy" approach really doesn't work very well with a position player. (I think it's probably a lot less disruptive with a starting pitcher, like Pedro or Orlando Hernandez. The fact is, everyone fully expected Alou to miss some time this year, and the Mets plan was to have Pagan and/or Endy fill in for him during the time he was hurt. That worked well in April, when Pagan played really well, but for this kind of approach to really work over the course of a season, you need to have that fourth outfielder who's legitimately good enough to be a full-time corner outfielder on a contending major league team. And if they did have that guy, then you don't really need a Moises Alou.

AG/DC Jun 09 2008 08:33 AM

It's not the soundness of bringing back Alou that I'm chagrinned with (we knew we rolling the dice), but the soundness of beta-plans like Brady Clark.

Benjamin Grimm Jun 09 2008 08:36 AM

Well, I think Plan B was Pagan and Chavez. Plan C was probably Marlon Anderson and Brady Clark. Plan D was Tatis and Evans. And now we're struggling to find out what Plan E is.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jun 09 2008 08:37 AM

Tatis as the "everyday" left fielder on this trip tells you what you need to know. And I think Alou's frequent injuries and false proclaimations of his impending return to the lineup causes way more trouble than its worth -- and more attention than its gotten. You could just see shoulders of the entire offense slump once Alou announced he wouldn't return... and you can feel them pressing because they know how inferior a club they are without him. You really can't separate healthy Alou from injured-and-close-to-returning Alou: He's the same guy. That signing has been a complete disaster. I'd prefer he just announce his retirement than fuck over the team by getting injured and perhaps returning at some point again.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jun 09 2008 08:42 AM

AG/DC wrote: It's not the soundness of bringing back Alou that I'm chagrinned with (we knew we rolling the dice), but the soundness of beta-plans like Brady Clark. See, I am saying brining Alou back was unsound, precisely because, as we've seen, faking it as an everyday CO is harder than it looks. I think it would be just as easy to bring in an everyday LF who isn't an injury risk than to find a reserve capable of assuming the awesome burden of relicating Alou's presence.

Benjamin Grimm Jun 09 2008 08:44 AM

Or they can trade Oliver Perez for the best left-fielder they can manage to get, and tell Alou that he's a pinch-hitter, fill-in outfielder for the remainder of the season. Alou, too, may have trade value once he returns. Would a young contending team (like Tampa Bay, perhaps) have use for a veteran DH/pinch-hitter with a solid bat? It may be a stretch (I have no idea what the Rays may or may not need) but veteran players do get dealt to contenders often enough.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jun 09 2008 08:48 AM

I'd trade Alou in a hot second. Scram. Unreliability is the scourge of this team. Pedro, Castro, Alou ... fuck 'em. Out.

TheOldMole Jun 09 2008 08:54 AM

It was pretty much the same last year. It's like the jock student's summation of history in The History Boys: History is just one fucking thing after another. The Mets' outfield history is just one fucking injury after another. They should never trade another outfielder, because no matter how low on the depth chart he is, they'll need him at some point.

AG/DC Jun 09 2008 09:00 AM

]fuck 'em. Out. OK, cleon. We'll clean house. Until then... it's just that Cincinnati always managed to have four-to-five big, bad outfielders ready for regular duty. Whenever Ken Griffey came off the DL, it was always a cryfest over who was going to sit. Why can't rich bitches like New York have that sort of soap opera?

Willets Point Jun 09 2008 09:01 AM

AG/DC wrote: ]fuck 'em. Out. OK, cleon. Why are you calling Lunchbucket, cleon. He's much smarter than that.

Gwreck Jun 09 2008 09:03 AM

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Would a young contending team (like Tampa Bay, perhaps) have use for a veteran DH/pinch-hitter with a solid bat? They already have Alou's Mets predecessor in that role.

AG/DC Jun 09 2008 09:04 AM

Willets Point wrote: Why are you calling Lunchbucket, cleon. He's much smarter than that. Well, ballbusting is a sport too.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jun 09 2008 09:16 AM

="AG/DC"] ]fuck 'em. Out. OK, cleon. We'll clean house. Until then... it's just that Cincinnati always managed to have four-to-five big, bad outfielders ready for regular duty. Whenever Ken Griffey came off the DL, it was always a cryfest over who was going to sit. Why can't rich bitches like New York have that sort of soap opera? Don't put me in a position to defend the bench. Nobody was less supportive than me of its makeup. But I think the problem is much more than a failure to support Alou, it's a matter of having Alou to support in the first place, and worse, the collateral damage that having to patch up the lineup for weeks at a time does to the season.

Vic Sage Jun 09 2008 09:32 AM

i'm with Mr. Lunchbucket. I'm not even sure what the hell he's talkin about... but i'm with bucketman.

AG/DC Jun 09 2008 09:33 AM

Well, he's through with the fruits of TiTTS, that's for sure.

sharpie Jun 09 2008 09:33 AM

I don't think re-signing Alou was necessarily the problem. It was that we had no credible full-time fourth outfielder in place a la Cincinnati. Were we so concerned that, say, Kenny Lofton would pout because he wasn't a full-timer that we opted to have the likes of Marlon Anderson as an outfield backup? Maybe that is what getting Angel Pagan was supposed to be about, but at the time it looked like he was headed to AAA since we had to keep Anderson and Chavez on the big team.

metirish Jun 09 2008 09:39 AM

I remember the last time Alou was coming back to the team I posted how much Alou felt the team missed him and how him being back would be a calming influence on the team ,something like that anyhow, well it's the same again I think, yesterday Burckhardt was talking about Alou and how he thinks Mosis is a great litmus test as to how the team is doing and that Alou feels like he needs to get back before it becomes to late and they get buried in the standings. Alou also said that there is no point rushing back just to get injured again, seems like the club puts way to much into Alou being on the team, he's on the DL all the time for fecks sake.

Vic Sage Jun 09 2008 09:50 AM

to which sour TiTT fruits are you referring -- the trade of young talent for Santana? the trade of young talent for Church & Schneider? I don't think either of those is the problem so far. The Delgado trade? Even this least successful TiTTsian deal helped the Mets. Unless your still holding out hope for Petit (since traded to Az) and Grant Psalmas (?), Delgado (even as a diminished player) has been more productive than Mike Jacobs (albeit at a much higher $$ cost) during the first 2 years after the deal. This third year, Jacobs has been hurt, but is finally outproducing Delgado, as Carlos fades into the sunset. But the trade did what it was originally supposed to do... push us into the post-season in 06. If by TiTTS fruit you referring to the signing of old, broken down ballplayers in general, that's not really representative of the TiTTS philosophy... but you knew that already.

AG/DC Jun 09 2008 09:52 AM

Well, yeah, that's what I'm referring to. Or he's referring to. But you knew that already.

Frayed Knot Jun 09 2008 10:04 AM

Alou claiming he'll "definitely" be back Tuesday. Marlon maybe within a week. I have no idea what's up with Pagan. Wasn't his a "bruised shoulder"?

Gwreck Jun 09 2008 10:11 AM

AG/DC wrote: Well, he's through with the fruits of TiTTS, that's for sure. Could someone spell out this acronym for me?

AG/DC Jun 09 2008 10:12 AM

The Trade in Tomorrow for Today Society.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jun 09 2008 10:12 AM

AG/DC wrote: Well, yeah, that's what I'm referring to. Or he's referring to. But you knew that already. I'm referring to the fruit of TiTTs not being representative of TiTTs? I think maybe I should speak for myself.

Willets Point Jun 09 2008 10:15 AM

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I think maybe I should speak for myself. A capital idea.

AG/DC Jun 09 2008 10:20 AM

You referred, specifically, to Pedro, Castro and Alou. Not to Church and Schneider, as Vic switched the subject to. It's a little late in the game for Vic or most of us to claim to have supported that trade under any banner. I don't think there's any real disagreement here.

AG/DC Jun 09 2008 10:24 AM

As grumpy Met fans, I think we're manufacturing one. I withdraw Titty refernces.

AG/DC Jun 09 2008 12:48 PM

Chris Aguila recently hit six homers in four days, and has 16 total. Pasucci hasn't homered over the last ten games, but is 12-34 over that stretch. Alou is due back tomorry.

Vic Sage Jun 09 2008 12:59 PM

AG/DC wrote: You referred, specifically, to Pedro, Castro and Alou. Not to Church and Schneider, as Vic switched the subject to. It's a little late in the game for Vic or most of us to claim to have supported that trade under any banner. I don't think there's any real disagreement here. now wait a second. I didn't bring up TiTTS. YOU did. I didn't switch the subject, which was Lunchbucket's objections (as i understand it) to filling the roster with broken down players. I was commenting on the inappropriateness of YOU switching the subject, which you did by obliquely referring to the objects of Johnny's scorn (you just specified Pedro, Castro and Alou) as TiTTS-type players. And they are not. You were taking an opportunity to slam TiTTS, in a situation that was not relevant to the discussion. So I attempted to point that out. But I'M the one accused of changing the subject? I was just correcting a misimpression that you put out there. None of the players Johnny was talking about were TiTTS-type players, and i gave current examples of TiTTS type acquisitions so as to distinguish them. While I was certainly not happy about the Church/Milledge deal,and have said so publicly and repeatedly, it was CLEARLY an example of a TiTTS-type move, and so far it seems to be working out. Between that and the Santana deal, it seems hard to make the case that a TiTTS philosophy is to blame for our current situation.

AG/DC Jun 09 2008 01:09 PM

I withdrew the comment so as not to spiral in this direction.

bmfc1 Jun 10 2008 08:53 AM

Erik Karabell made this comment today on espn.com: • The Mets might want to take a look at Chris Aguila in the outfield after he hit his 17th home run for Triple-A New Orleans Monday, knocking in five runs with a 5-for-5 night. Aguila has eight home runs and 20 RBIs in his past 10 games. Yes, this is the same singles hitter who did very little in the Marlins outfield as a part-timer from 2004-06, but he's playing well and hitting for power now.

attgig Jun 10 2008 09:32 AM

looking at the NOZ's minor league [url=http://neworleans.zephyrs.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=t_ibp&cid=588&stn=true&sid=t588]stats[/url], seems like this guy Valentino Pascucci is hitting pretty well also.

Benjamin Grimm Jun 10 2008 09:36 AM

That web page is no longer listing all players on the Zephyrs, as I discovered this morning. You can get the full set of stats at Baseball America's web site, or here.

Vic Sage Jun 10 2008 11:09 AM

I looked up Pascucci's numbers, and it showed a player that made progress at every level until 2004, when, at age 25, Montreal gave him a cup of coffee. He didn't do mucn for the `Spos, and was then released after the season, and disappeared for 2 years (05-06), before popping up again in the Marlins system at AAA Albequerque with another solid year. Then he started this year slowly for the Phillies' AAA Int'l league time before hooking on with the Zephyrs, where he has been tearing it up. I wonder where he was in 2005-06, when he was in his prime? Was he hurt? Selling insurance? what? Anyway, as a RH-ed corner OFer/1bman, he seems a more likely help for this team than Abraham freakin' Nunez.

metirish Jun 10 2008 11:21 AM

="Vic Sage"] I wonder where he was in 2005-06, when he was in his prime? Was he hurt? Selling insurance? what? From Wiki. ] He hit his first career home run on September 15, 2004 and also played in the final game of the Expos' history on October 3. He was released by the Washington Nationals on December 10, 2004, and has not played in the big leagues since. Pascucci spent the 2006 season with the Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan's Pacific League. What did he do for the '05 season? oh hold on , that would mean he was with Chiba for 2005 and 06.

attgig Jun 10 2008 11:38 AM

little sny [url=http://web.sny.tv/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080609&content_id=1463130&oid=36018&vkey=9]article [/url]on aguilla ]"No stats questions, please," New Orleans Zephyrs outfielder Chris Aguila politely requests before proceeding with most interviews. The comment initially might seem perplexing, considering that Aguila leads this season's Zephyrs lineup with 16 home runs and 35 RBIs. Yet, after speaking with the powerhouse left fielder, it becomes obvious that his modesty ─ not embarrassment ─ is the source of his imploration. "I look at myself as a good team player, a good guy to have in the clubhouse," Aguila says. "As far as performing on the field, I don't think there's a particular thing I think I'm just great at, so I just want to try and go out there day in and day out and help the team win." The Redwood City, Calif. native deserves more credit than he gives himself. At 29 years old, the 5-foot-11, 200-pound right-handed Aguila serves as one of the most seasoned and successful members of the New Orleans squad, and one of the few players with Major League experience. "He's been here since Day 1 [this year] and he's been able to contribute a pretty solid presence in the lineup," hitting coach Jack Voigt says. "[Aguila has] played really good defense, he's thrown a number of runners out and he's been a solid player that's got Major League time. You can see when he plays why he has played in the big leagues." Coming out of the 1997 MLB draft as a third round pick of the Florida Marlins, Aguila spent part of three years in the Majors, an experience he says he is very grateful for. From 2004 to 2006, he amassed a .234 overall batting average with 51 hits, 16 RBIs and 26 runs scored. Now a 12-year veteran in professional play, Aguila, who is of Filipino and Samoan descent, applies the lessons he learned playing with the Marlins to dominate with his current club. "I learned that [in baseball,] things are just out of your hands," he said. "My best advice is to just leave it in God's hands and have faith in yourself as a player. [Playing with the Marlins,] I had to realize that all you can do is prepare yourself and work as hard as you can." These words of wisdom have obviously worked well for Aguila, as the left fielder was recently named the Pacific Coast League's Hitter of the Week for the week ending June 1. Batting an impressive .500 (12-for-24) and hitting five home runs in three days, including in back-to-back games, Aguila became the first Zephyr to be named the PCL's Hitter of the Week since outfielder Chip Ambres last June. "He wasn't really doing anything different [during those games] except getting ready to hit a little sooner," Voigt said. "He is a player who is always able to make corrections and get right back to where he needs to be. Those minor adjustments that he made really worked for him this past week." In addition to his workmanlike approach, Aguila strives to establish himself as a true team player on and off the field. "He's very much routine-oriented," Voigt noted. "He knows what he needs to do, and he knows how to get it done. If he's having trouble, he asks for help and he takes suggestions very well. [At the same time,] he's also a very personable guy, he's team-oriented, he wants to win, he's competitive and he's serious about his job." Aguila's strict adherence to team loyalty likely stems from his strong family background and values. Whether he is discussing his first baseball memories of playing with his brother and grandfather at the age of four or spending his time away from baseball with his wife, Aguila always makes a point of placing his family at the forefront of the conversation. Perhaps his most intriguing family hobby, Polynesian fire knife dancing, is also the one he holds dearest. "[Polynesian fire knife dancing is] something that I got involved in when I was in fifth grade," he said. "I started with my family ─ my mom, my dad, and my brother ─ and continued it through high school. Being close to my culture and where I come from is very important to me." After discussing his family, Aguila is not shy about what he hopes to accomplish in the next few years. True to his humble nature, however, he offered an optimistic yet practical response. "I am hoping to just finish healthy and to always work hard and prepare myself for anything," Aguila said. "[I really want] to try and go out and improve every day, to continue to work hard and live in the moment. And I'll just take it one day at a time from there."

attgig Jun 10 2008 11:43 AM

and one on [url=http://web.sny.tv/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080601&content_id=1462237&oid=36018&vkey=31]Pascucci[/url] ]Val Pascucci exists. Until recently, I had spent so much time around the office advocating the guy and playing phone tag with the Mets' Triple-A affiliate's media relations department that my colleagues began to suspect something fishy. Maybe Pascucci was a myth, a figment of my imagination, they suggested. Maybe I unconsciously created a 6-foot-6, 260-pound right-handed masher in a desperate attempt to find a solution for the Mets' offensive inadequacies. But unless I'm the victim of a vicious practical joke, I now know Pascucci is alive and well, knocking home runs in New Orleans and keeping an eye on the big-league team. "Everybody watches the parent club a little bit," he says. "I try to catch them on TV or watch SportsCenter at the end of the night to see how those guys are doing." In 2008, Mets first basemen have hit .236 with a .698 on-base plus slugging this season, the third-lowest figure among National League teams. Left fielders have hit .248 with a .621 OPS, 26th out of 30 Major League clubs. Pascucci, who has experience in both positions, is hitting .288 with a 1.065 OPS in Triple-A. The 29-year-old Minor League veteran has more home runs in 32 games with the Zephyrs than the total produced by Mets left fielders and first basemen in 2008. Yet even with a slew of players on the disabled list, the Mets have yet to call up Pascucci. Instead, they've gone to Fernando Tatis, a 33-year-old journeyman who was a productive Major Leaguer around the turn of the millennium, and Nick Evans, a 22-year-old with fewer than 200 at-bats above Class A. "I knew they needed some sort of right-handed bat off the bench, or even in the lineup," said Pascucci when asked about the Mets' needs. "I thought it might work out, but they called up Tatis and Evans." Pascucci must be getting used to that feeling. He has torched Minor League pitching since 2003 but only seen 62 Major League at-bats, a rough stretch with the Expos in 2004 that produced a .197 average and a pair of homers. In nearly 1,500 Triple-A at-bats, Pascucci boasts an on-base percentage over .400 and an OPS around .930. "You just never know how baseball's going to work out," says Pascucci. "Some guys have great Minor League careers and never get a shot. You can't really control it; the GMs and managers and everybody else make those decisions. The only thing you can control is what you do on the field, so you just try to do your best and put up numbers and hope someone takes notice." Deric McKamey, Director of Minor League Analysis for BaseballHQ.com, says Pascucci's case for the bigs has been hurt by "well below average" speed and defense. "He punishes left-handed pitching," says McKamey, "but there isn't a great demand for a right-handed hitting first basemen who can't help you in other ways." That may be true, but if there's a team that needs Pascucci, it's the one he's affiliated with. Mets first baseman Carlos Delgado has struggled mightily against southpaws in 2008, batting .214 with a .247 OBP and 24 strikeouts in 70 at-bats. Delgado's primary right-handed backup, Damion Easley , is hitting .280 with a .286 OBP against lefties. In a small sample -- 33 at-bats -- against portsiders in New Orleans, Pascucci has hit .364 with a .450 OBP and a Ruthian 1.420 OPS. And he claims to offer more than just a powerful bat. "I've played quite a bit at first, right and left, and I'm pretty comfortable," he says. "And I think people underestimate my speed a little bit. Last year I stole nine bases, and this year, I've run down a few balls in the gap." Pascucci has gone much further than that in pursuit of his Major League dreams. After finishing the 2004 season with the Expos, he went to Japan to play for Bobby Valentine's Chiba Lotte Marines, where he learned to better recognize offspeed pitches. In 2006, he represented Italy in the World Baseball Classic and every day played catch and talked hitting with former Met Mike Piazza. The best hitting catcher of all time told Pascucci that if he kept driving the ball, he'd make it back to the Majors. More than two years later, Pascucci is doing just that. He's just waiting for the call. "You never know, it's baseball," he says. "Sometimes it's just being in the right spot at the right time, and having someone on your side." Playing in an organization bereft of power at first base and left field, Pascucci appears to be in the right spot. And he's finally starting to get some people on his side. Beyond this column, Pascucci has been endorsed by John Peterson at MetsGeek.com and Tim Marchman of the New York Sun. Near the end of our conversation, I confessed to Pascucci that I was trying to start a movement and asked if he had any nicknames that might endear him to Mets fans. He said he's always been called "Scooch," but that struck me as a nickname more befitting a speedy pest of a player, not a 6-foot-6 thumper. He added that teammates have occasionally deemed him "Boss" because of his Italian heritage. I'll ignore the stereotyping and go with that one. A boss is a powerful man, and Pascucci is certainly that. Boss pointed me to a YouTube clip capturing a Japanese cheer in his honor. I've embedded it below. Listen closely. Until Pascucci is hitting home runs in Flushing, that song is all the proof I need of his existence. I'm going to make it my ringtone. Now that I know he's real, I can say without hesitation that Valentino Pascucci should be a part of the 2008 Mets, as a right-handed bat off the bench and platoon partner for Delgado. And maybe sometime soon, fans will sing his name at Shea Stadium.