So what do we know about our two latest acquisitions? And will these signings help or hurt the Mets? Let's dig through the stat book.
D.J. Carrasco will turn 34 during the second week of the upcoming season. He is the true definition of a journeyman pitcher.
He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 1997, never playing for them. Since then, he has been in the organizations of the Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks. He also pitched for the Fukuoka (watch your mouth!) Softbank Hawks of the Japanese Pacific League. Basically, he was due to be a member of the Mets at some point.
Despite playing for more teams than Jamie Moyer has birthday candles, D.J. Carrasco has lowered his ERA in each of the last five seasons he's played in the major leagues. He went from a high of 4.84 in 2004 as a member of the White Sox to last year's career-low of 3.68 (3.88 with Pittsburgh and 3.18 with Arizona).
There is only one problem with D.J. Carrasco. He's fine over his career when he pitches with no one on base (lifetime .240 batting average against him with the bases empty). It's when he pitches from the stretch that batters take advantage. Over his major league career, opposing batters have hit .303 against Carrasco with runners on base. They also hit .300 against him with runners in scoring position and a whopping .446 when the sacks are full.
Again, please note that those lofty batting averages were not compiled over the course of one season. Those are his CAREER numbers, a career that goes back to 2003 and spans 244 major league appearances.
The verdict: Terry Collins better use him at the start of an inning when there's no one on base, because if he brings him in to put out a fire started by another pitcher, the team is going to get burned.
Now let's dissect Ronny Paulino. Since being promoted to the major leagues in 2005, Paulino has played for two teams. After a cup of coffee with the Pirates in 2005, Paulino became their regular catcher in 2006 and surprised everyone (himself included) by hitting .310 in 129 games (Paulino had a .280 career batting average in the minor leagues).
In his second full season, his power increased, going from 19 doubles and 6 HR in 2006 to 25 doubles and 11 HR in 2007. However, his batting average suffered, going down to .263. In 2008, he lost his starting job to Ryan Doumit and then was traded everywhere during that offseason.
After the completion of the 2008 season, Paulino was first traded from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, who then traded him to San Francisco, who then sent him to Florida, where he spent two seasons as their catcher.
In those two seasons as a Marlin, Paulino's numbers were less than spectacular. In 555 at-bats, he hit .265, with 28 doubles, 12 HR and 64 RBI.
Paulino does bring a few positives to the Mets. In Florida, he became experienced with handling a young pitching staff. With Johan Santana out for the beginning of the season, the rotation will include Mike Pelfrey, Jonathon Niese and perhaps Dillon Gee, all of whom are 27 or younger.
On the offensive side, Paulino is a strong second-half hitter. Over his career, he has hit .290 over the second half of the season (as opposed to .263 in the first half). He is also a clutch hitter. With no one on base, Paulino has a career .262 batting average and .305 on-base percentage. Those numbers increase to .288/.355 with men on base and .287/.358 with runners in scoring position.
With Josh Thole batting from the left side of the plate, Ronny Paulino (a right-handed hitter) will be depended on to bat against left-handed pitching. This is where he excels the most. Against lefties, Paulino is a career .338 hitter and makes outstanding contact, striking out only 67 times in 531 career plate appearances against southpaws.
The verdict: Ronny Paulino will make a fine addition to the Mets, especially as a potential platoon partner (say that five times fast) with Josh Thole. He owns left-handed pitching and has the potential to be an excellent handler of the young Mets staff. (Please note: Paulino is currently serving a 50-game suspension for using a banned substance. As a result, he will not be able to play for the first eight games of the 2011 season, as he has already missed 42 of the 50 games.)
So there you have the Mets' two big Late Fall Meetings acquisitions. Neither player is a sexy pickup, but they both fit under the budget and at the very least, Paulino could prove effective both at the plate and behind it. As long as Carrasco isn't misused (i.e. with men on base), he might not receive the Scott Schoeneweis Serenade (they sound an awful lot like boos) at Citi Field.
D.J. Carrasco and Ronny Paulino. Get used to them because you may be seeing an awful lot of them in 2011 at Citi Field.
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