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May 23, 2008 Mets Hitting Joe Janish

Where Is Pascucci?

So … Moises Alou is placed on the 15-day DL after a stiff wind strained his calf. And the man to replace him on the 25-man roster is … Raul Casanova?

Huh?

I suppose this means Willie Randolph will consider using Ramon Castro as a pinch-hitter, but otherwise this is a real head-scratcher. Why in the world would the Mets not promote Valentino Pascucci?

Take a look at this line:

21 G| 79 AB | 23 H | 7 2B | 7 HR | 16 RBI | .380 OBP | .646 SLG | 1.026 OPS | .291 AVG

He’s a righthanded hitter who is a natural first baseman but playing the outfield for the Zephyrs. Hmm … the Mets could really use a RH power bat who can play 1B and the OF, dontcha think? Wouldn’t it be a nice idea to put a hot hitter like Pascucci at 1B against lefties, with Carlos Delgado struggling mightily?

It’s not a roster issue, because the Mets have only 37 men on their 40-man … and two of the spots are inexplicably being used by Ruddy Lugo and Ambiorix Burgos. Lugo is not a commodity, and Burgos should be placed on the 60-day DL as he’s recovering from Tommy John surgery (a player on the 60-day does not count against the 40-man roster).

I do understand that Casanova played well in his brief stint earlier this year. However, what was the point of signing Pascucci, if he wasn’t going to be considered for MLB play? He’s a career minor leaguer who has proven himself at the AAA level, and never quite been given a fair opportunity in the bigs. We assumed his signing was one of those “lightning in a bottle” moves. But now we know he was just filler material — much like Chip Ambres last year, who was similarly passed over several times despite great numbers when the Mets were desperate for outfield help.

Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.
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  1. Micalpalyn May 24, 2008 at 10:39 am
    I get dibs on this one: I asked if Evans, murphy or Carp would get the first look. Metsblog has announced that Evand won the paper-rock-scissors decision.

    In the last 2-3 yrs we have seen millz, Jacobs and gomez buck convention and get called up..(jacobs after being injured for a LONG time). then again I doubt he does anything but PH.

    In the bigger scheme there are players out there who the Mets could get. I wonder if kendry morales would be worth a look. chone figgins is another guy.

  2. isuzudude May 24, 2008 at 1:02 pm
    Good call, Mic. I’m somewhat surprised the Mets overlooked both Pascucci and Chris Aguila in AAA and opted to call up Evans from AA. What happened to Brady Clark? Evans is a solid hitter but I definitely expect him to struggle in the bigs with no AAA experience. The REALLY good prospects can pull off the jump (Hanley Ramirez, Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera), but the marginal prospects – which I would categorize Evans as – tend to not fair so well. I can’t help but wonder, could this be Omar showcasing one of his “expendable” prospects in an attempt to beef up the OF?
  3. Micalpalyn May 24, 2008 at 2:51 pm
    Brady is out for the year (i heard). I agree, but I dont think much of AAA which (in this ERA) is like the dead zone where players (kendry morales, dallas mcPherson, anderson hernandez, chip ambres…) are held in perpetual limbo. Consider that F-Mart could have been starting today if he was not nursing an injury.