About that Giants trade…
Posted By Jeff Fletcher on March 28, 2009 1:49 pm
Just read Henry Schulman’s blog about the flipping of Ronny Paulino for 21-year-old Hector Correa. Henry talked to Bobby Evans, the Giants VP of player personnel, who explained Paulino is a good prospect who has had some arm problems:
“He appears to be through all that far as we can tell. He looks ready to go out and compete. He’s got a good arm and we’ve gotten a chance to see him even going back to just after he got drafted, and most recently in the instructional league.”
“He’s just a guy, being drafted where he was, just by reputation, who has a good arm if he can stay healthy.”
Evans said the Giants did seriously look at Paulino as a “nice option” for a backup catcher, but preferred Correa because “anytime you can replenish your system or add to your system a guy with upside, you’re certainly doing a good thing.”
Call me crazy, but this still doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. Talented Class-A pitchers with arm troubles are all over the place. Paulino was a legitimate backup catcher, way better than Steve Holm.
By the way, to those of you who suggested Pablo Sandoval could be the backup catcher, I would find that awfully unlikely for several reasons.
- Sandoval has not picked up a catcher’s mitt all spring (to my knowledge).
- Sandoval is too valuable to put him at risk of injury by catching.
- The pitching is too important to put in the hands of an inexperienced catcher.
On another note Giants fans, check out this little duel between Bruce Bochy and Ken Macha.
I wasn’t thrilled when I heard of the Paulino trade that had him coming to the Giants. I understand that Ronny would have been an upgrade as far as a back-up catcher but I was concerned about what transpired last season.
The starting job in Pittsburgh was his to lose last Spring, which he did, then he seemed to go into a funk and never came out. Maybe it was injuries, maybe he has matured during the off-season, but now he is being shopped around and that sends up a red flag for me.
There is still a need to upgrade behind the dish, but if Holm goes to Fresno he is only a phone call away.
Jeff, I don’t really understand this deal either, but it makes sense in the regards that Sabean has always over-valued pitching, even at the expense of destroying the minor league teams (which already happened), or at the expense of his everyday lineup in the form of offense( see last and current year lineup). Don’t get me wrong, strong pitching is this team’s only real hope this year, but you have to have balance if you hope to seriously contend, and I don’t think the Giants are serious.