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Val Pascucci is hitting .288 with a 1.065 OPS since signing with the Mets and joining Triple-A New Orleans.
Pascucci has more home runs in 32 games with the Zephyrs than the total produced by Mets left fielders and first basemen in 2008.
Ted Berg: You’ve been hitting pretty well down there lately.
Val Pascucci: Yeah, it’s been going alright. I’ve had a few home runs lately and a couple came off my Albuquerque team from last year, so it was kind of fun to get back at those guys.
Ted Berg: Your numbers have really picked up since you’ve joined New Orleans. Did the change of scenery help?
Val Pascucci: Maybe the change of scenery was good. I felt like I was hitting the ball hard over there with the Phillies, but sometimes baseball goes like that. You’re hitting well, you’re doing well, but the team was losing; it was a tough place to play. It was cold at the beginning of the season, but I always try to do the same thing — drive the ball hard up the middle and have good at-bats. I’ve been doing the same since I’ve been down here (in New Orleans) and just had some more luck.
Ted Berg: When you join an organization, do you look at its needs? Do you look up and down the roster?
Val Pascucci: A little bit. You try to figure out where to go, where you could maybe help a team win. Every offseason you try to find where you’re going to fit in the best, and the Mets seemed to have a need. I had a relationship before with Omar Minaya and some of those guys from the Expos. Hopefully they give me a call sometime to help them out, if they make that decision.
Ted Berg: You’ve had exceptional stats in Triple-A for several years now. Does it ever get frustrating that you’ve seen so little Major League action?
Val Pascucci: I don’t know if the word is frustrated. 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 try to put up numbers, and hope someone takes notice. I mean, obviously every player wants to get to the big leagues. Me, I left after the ‘04 season and played in Japan for two years. Coming back, obviously my goal is to get back to the big leagues and have some success there.
Ted Berg: Is the game any different over there?
Val Pascucci: A little bit. You’ve got to get used to the way guys play. There’s a lot of bunting over there. They pitch a little different — all their pitchers have offspeed pitches they throw for strikes, any count, any time they’ll throw you that stuff. The fans are pretty involved over there, they’re into every game and every player has a chant or song with your name in it for when you come to the plate.
Ted Berg: Did you have one?
Val Pascucci: Yeah, I did…It was a chant, they’d say like, ‘Val! Val Pascucci!,’ and it went on.
…to watch the chant on YouTube, click play below…
Ted Berg: I’m trying to start a movement here. What do you think might endear you to the New York fans.Val Pascucci: Different people have always talked about my name…It’s a big-league name. But hopefully, I could gain fan support if they see me play. Try to win them over.
Ted Berg: Any nicknames?
Val Pascucci: Scooch has always been in there, from Pascucci. And the Boss has come around a few times – I guess everyone talks about my Italian side and ties it into all that.
Ted Berg: Did anyone tell you that you got mentioned on the pre-game show on Wednesday?
Val Pascucci: No, I hadn’t heard that.
Ted Berg: I’ve been making such a stink around the office about how you’d be a good fit for the team, that my colleague Matt Cerrone mentioned your name in a list of potential solutions. So hopefully it starts to catch on.
Val Pascucci: I hope so! I appreciate the support.
…added to by Matthew Cerrone…
…awesome job, ted…to me, he’s hot right now…he’s obviously seeing the ball well, and so if the Mets need a bat with power off the bench, which they do, it would make sense to capitalize on pascucci’s hot hand…i mean, Raul Casanova is basically on the bench as a bat, not a back-up catcher, with the way Willie Randolph has used him, and i have to think ‘scooch’ would be a better option in that role…
To read more on Pascucci, check out Berg’s column at SNY.tv, in which he further profiles the 29–year-old outfielder.
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Once Again I’m the Rickey Henderson of this Post… lol…
I get it with the whole “first” thing (I’ve done it before), but if you were really Rickey with it, you would have mentioned yourself in third-person…
and probably make a point that was a clear “lead-off homer.”
The thing is, if all he did was hit .250 with power, he’d be an upgrade over Delgado.
How come no one has mentioned this chant… its awesome!
Bring in some Italian Blood to fire up this team a little more!
Ok, what is the down side we are missing here? Why isn’t this guy getting a chance over a third catcher?
$12m of Wilpon cash to Delgado? (I hate it when money dictates who plays!)
I agree, at some point though they are going to have to cut their loses.
Because they want him to play, not ride the pine. And they’re committed for the time being to watching Delgado suck eggs.
What I am saying is if we are going to have Evans riding the bench and he should clearly be down getting hits why not give this guy a shot. Having 3 slow catchers on the roster really isn’t a great move either.
Apparently — haven’t seen him myself, but from other posters who have — he’s unimaginably bad in the field. Delgado’s no Keith, but you’d like your utility guys to be able to do something other than pinch hit.
That would make a little more sense. Except that carrying 3 catchers we have just that, catchers.
That does seem a bit odd. There’s the possibility Castro could pinch hit, but as others hae pointed out, it hasn’t been done yet.
i agree completely toomany: we have 3 catchers, so why not pinch hit with castro instead of casanova. hes obviously the better hitter
From what I’ve heard, the guy is really bad defensively.
Even if that’s the case though, he’d be a good bat to have on the bench at least.
lets see this guy… hes going to be a hungry veteran (a la tatis) who wants playing time and is fighting for his job. on top of that, his name will make him a fan favorite
Cerrone, lay off the smack. This guy stinks and the Mets are in trouble if we have to look at him as any kind of help.
I think I’ll take his word before yours, unless, of course… You do have some insightful analysis (possibly seen him in person, because obviously his stats look really good right now) to prove me otherwise.
What makes you think Raul Casanova is a better upgrade?
I have not seen him in person. He may be hot at the dish in AAA, but let’s not ignore the facts: he’s only played in the majors once (and that was 4 years ago, for the frickin’ Expos) and owns a lifetime .177 average as a major leaguer. Sure there’s a Chris Coste factor… but the fact that this guy didn’t even crack it in the Phillies system should let you know that it’s not looking good. I can appreciate the “why the heck not?” factor as well… but someone’s gonna have to go down with an injury for him to get a chance over Delgado or any other starter.
wow, 62 AB. definitely enough AB to make a judgment about a hitter.
yeah. 62 AB. from 4 years ago. for a guy who is 29 years old. you have to put those ABs into context of who this cat is… and he’s never been a very good player. give him a chance if injuries create one. but this guy isn’t better than anyone currently on the bench and i highly doubt he produces anything better than what Delgado will give. you might say “well what do we have to lose by trying” but the reality is we have a lot to lose.
Pascucci was only picked up to take over for Tatis when he earned his eventual promotion to the Met bench.
never been a good player? .277/.391/.492 in the minors isn’t good?
it’s enough that you based your judgment of the guy off 62 frickin’ at bats, but it’s pretty sad that you didn’t take 10 seconds to look up his minor league numbers. the guy has been great in the minors and just has never gotten his shot. too bad for him.
wow, that’s great. he’s like the minor league Carlos Beltran. any time you have enough of a career in the minors to make an argument that you’re a “good minor league player,” the odds are against you being a “good major league player.” i’m not saying it’ll never happen, but the Mets can’t look at Pascucci as a serious solution for Delgado if he continues to be unproductive. maybe a stop gap until they can make a trade… but i doubt he sees serious time with the Mets. we’re in real trouble if we need a career minor leaguer to contribute in a meaningful way, that’s my only point.
as bad as delgado is, i’m willing to try anything, man. this guy’s minor league numbers indicate that he isn’t a bad player at all and may be able to contribute positively. will he put up all-star numbers? no, but if his OBP and slugging % are even 30 points higher than delgado’s i’d be thrilled. you’re right, he isn’t a long-term solution. dunn/teixeira are available next season, so we’ll go after them. but, he could be a stop gap.
Aren’t we in trouble already? – An old first baseman hitting .220 with not much hope for improvement? If Pascucci hits .250, then he’s an upgrade. We wouldn’t be asking him to do too much here.
That Hansel….He’s so hot right now!!
I assumed that the Mets called up Casanova so that they could use Castro as a PH if needed.
Pascucci should fill the most glaring hole on this team… the lack of Italian representation.
LETS GO SCOOCH!
If the Mets lose tonight(not a chance, knock on wood) and Delgado goes 0-3. 300 met fans will call FAN to get this bum in the majors.
I couldn’t help but read this commentary with a thick Italian accent
what the hell are you guys talking about…lol fuc*ing weirdos
how about val venis as a nickname
oh boy.
as a Willie apologist I must admit his move of keeping 3 catchers while not giving PH atbats to Castro is mind boggling…what is the point here?
get a bat up for Casanova, Alou replaces Evans at weeks end, and Valentin can replace Pascucci when he goes cold in 2 weeks.
minor leagurs like Pascucci are not saviors here, dont overvalue the guy, but when guys who are older are in AAA (Tatis?) and are swinging hot bats get them to the majors and use them while they have value, before they go cold….this works for pitchers too…see Aaron Small.
btw people continue to bash Delgado…but lets see the Mets are playing pretty good baseball right now and its because Reyes, Wright and Beltran decided they should play good baseball again…and when those 3 play bad, the Mets will lose, Delgado doesnt win games, and he doesnt lose games he just takes up a couple of at bats and makes normal plays in the field…honestly, getting a new 1B isnt going to improve or deflate the Mets record, its all about those 3 guys.
Huh? Basically, you’re saying “don’t get on Delgado. The other guys are picking up the slack!” If they get a more productive first baseman, it will help the team, just as getting a more productive anything woul dhelp the team. For his position, his offensive output is embarrassing.
He was pretty much embarassing last year, but there isn’t much the mets are going to do about it. He still gets some clutch hits and hes playing a decent position role since the rumors of platooning occurred. Whats going to happen is Delgado will ride out the rest of the year, the Mets will not pick up his option and they will go after Teixiera next year
while I am clearly not a big fan of delgado’s, it should be noted that he hit the ball hard last night. if he can give us ANYTHING, this squad becomes much improved.
I think delgado needs to take Beltran,Reyes, Wright and Tatis and now that Church is back out to dinner. As a big thank you because since they stepped it up he has had the the hot seat extinguished a few degrees. But we still need him to produce if he doesn’t something has to be done.
Im not saying Delgado hasnt been terrible, all I’m saying is replacing him with anyone short of Pujols will do absolutely nothing to help or hurt this team…I mean you are talking about your #7 hitter on a team that clearly has a top heavy lineup…all you need out of the 7 is a guy who can hit HR’s sometimes,
Delgado has one 0 games, he has lost 0 games…so once again Im not saying “dont get on delgado”…im saying your wasting your time, cause just like the catchers position, it doesnt matter what they do in this lineup as our runs need to be generated by 1-5 getting on base.
This has to be the most illogical argument I have ever seen.
Lets break it down:
1)he hasn’t won or lost any game this year: totally baffling statement. Umm baseball is played with 9 guys on the fiels so i suppose there is some truth to this, but a batting average beleow 230, less then 10 homeruns and a poor OPS has certainly influenced lossed more then wins. This is sort of like saying stick anyone at first, they won’t singlehandedly win or lose any games – umm completely wrong, oh defensively his zone rating and his fldg percentage are also below average.
2) Nothing short of pujols will help: umm again what? how about a guy with an ops above 350? or someone who can play well definsively. Here are a list of guys I would rather have: pujols, tex, jacobs, howard, berkman, laroche, youkliss, lee, bruce/votto/dunn, morneua….and I havent even started thinking.
3) He is our 7 hitter: um NOPE, NO AND NEGATIVE – He was supposed to be our clean up hitter and due to a horrifying start he has been DEMOTED to 7, and hitting seven does not give you a break from getting on base, he is NOT A CATHER, and quite frankly I would expect more from my catcher offensively if he were so poor defensively
3) I feel for delgado, a guy who never used hgh and has simply started to grow old, but please dont use this argument ever again it makes NO SENSE
“I feel for delgado, a guy who never used hgh…”
Then again, maybe he did.
Due to t the steroid and hgh era we are in, I can understand why you may quetsion a power hitter, whose skills are detoriarating, but that is a serious allegation. To my knowledge delgado has NEVER been linked to any steroid or HGH scandal, and unless you have facts linking him to something I think its unfair to assume he may have. He is struggling mightily and hearing it from the fans, to add on that he may have used an illegal substance is unwarranted.
As you know players usually lose a step or some bat speed and delgados age, unless they are very rare exceptions, there is no reason to think anything else is a factor.
I’m not “assuming” anything, I’m just pointing out it’s a possibility. I freely admit I have no facts to back it up.
Just to clarify further, you’re the one who definitively stated he “never used hgh.” You don’t know that.
True, I don’t know that, my beef with the original post was based on the argument that delgado isnt winning or losing any games for us and then nothing short of pujols would save us: That I not only assume is wrong, I know it is.
I just juiced up at work to help me type out 30 posts a day.
On a totally unrelated note, this Mike and the Mad Dog interview with Fay Vincent is so boring, I think the space-time continuum just exploded.
Look, I think Delgado is done too, but the games since (and including) his benching has been promising (hopefully):
May 28: 0-0, BB
May 29: 2-4, 1K, 1R
May 30: 1-4, 1BB, 1IBB, 1K, 1R
May 31: 2-4, 1K
June 1: 0-3, 1BB
In other words, 5-15, 4BB, 3K. That’s really pretty good. And 0 HR, which I don’t think is so bad, either. *Maybe* he’s getting his line drive swing back…and in a big spot on the Saturday game, too.
We can hope. And platoon….
and he just missed on a deep fly to right center.
then again, the “just misses” are becoming pretty frequent with him. actually they’ve been pretty frequent for 2 years now. god i cannot wait to sign dunn or teixeira next season.
we cannot give Tex 10 years as i have seen rumored as his demand, or we’ll be dealing with the a much worse version of the delgado situation at the end of his time.
i doubt he gets 10 years from anybody. i would be depressed if someone did give into boras’ ridiculous demands, but it’s happened before i guess.
Here is what I hope happens.
I hope this bum gets called up and shows us nothing. Cerrone, Berg and everyone else on this blog can then STOP HYPING THIS GUY UP.
I’d like to ask Cerrone, Berg, etc., how many games they have seen him play. My guess is not many.