It is amazing what a 5 for 7 night against the Phillies can do for one’s rep in NYC. Ronny Paulino has been anointed by some as the new starting catcher for the New York Mets.
The immediacy in which some of you are ready to discard my fellow Midwestropolitan, Josh Thole, vexes me.
Alas, poor, poor Josh, native of Breese, Illinois. Yes, I used the word alas in the year 2011. And yes, I did so with a British accent in my head. Please allow me to be a voice of reason during these dark times for our young catcher.
Wouldn’t it be prudent to gather a larger sample size before crowning Paulino the King of Catchers in Queens? Dude hasn’t even unpacked his luggage yet.
The smart play here is to go with a platoon. From what I gather neither has a distinct advantage over the other defensively. Allow Ronny to continue to crush left-handed pitching as he has done for six seasons (.342 BA in 232 games). This in turn puts Thole in a position to succeed against the right-handed pitchers (.297 BA in 107 games).
One thing is for sure, it will be interesting to see how Thole reacts over the next few weeks. Paulino’s absence early in the season gave him quite the opportunity to cement himself as the every day back stop. His .234 average didn’t get it done.
Will Paulino’s bad ass return force Thole to press forcing a return trip to Buffalo? Or will he re-focus and bring his average closer to the .274 clip he has established in his first 115 games?
May 2, 2011 at 8:50 pm |
I’m less concerned with Josh Thole’s hitting than his defense – 7 passed balls in 20 starts is rather alarming.
I thought catcher would be a position of strength with the platoon of Thole & Paulino. I hope it turns out that way.
May 2, 2011 at 9:09 pm |
That is alarming. I wonder if it is a by product of Thole trying to do too much knowing he had a chance to prove he could be the every day catcher.
My hope is he’ll accept the platoon and relax allowing him to develop a bit more.