Yesterday, former Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca appeared on Sirius XM 175 MLB Home Plate. His comments were transcribed by Adam Rubin of the Daily News and are shown below.
After missing all of 2009 with injuries, Lo Duca says he is healthy and ready to return to the game and fill whatever role the signing team needs including that of backup catcher and righthanded bat off the bench.
Paul Lo Duca: “I’m completely healthy. I feel unbelievable. I’ve been hitting the last four or five days constantly and started my workouts. I feel great. My hand feels 100 percent for the first time in a while. My hamstring and my knee finally healed after the surgery I had there. … I want to come back and play. When I started working with you guys (as a part-time analyst) and started really watching the games it really gave me that edge. My heart’s into it and I want to go back in it full bore and [do] whatever needs to be done. I want to play on a team that wants to win and wants a player that wants to win. I’ll do whatever I need to do. If it’s come off the bench, if it’s spot starts, I’ll do whatever they need me to do.”
Lo Duca: “I’m a realist. I’m going to be 37 but my knees feel good. I’ve only had one knee surgery. There’s no issues there. I really feel like I can offer a good bat off the bench to somebody and do whatever needs to be done. … Whatever they want me to do. I’ve played other positions before. If they need me to catch and if something goes down then I can do that as well. Whatever the manager asks me to do I’m willing to do.”
Lo Duca: “Whatever happens I’m looking just to get an invite. If you don’t like me when I’m walking in the clubhouse, hey, you don’t like me, go ahead and send me home. That’s fine. But I’m going to show up in great shape and ready to go. We’ll see what happens. I’m gung-ho. I’m really energetic about coming back. I feel like I still have a lot to offer.”Lo Duca hit .318 with the Mets in 2006 and even made the All Star team that season which included catching David Wright in the homerun derby. Wright and the fiery catcher were best of friends when the Mets chose not to bring him back and replaced him with Brian Schneider.
Lo Duca hit .318 with the Mets in 2006 was even elected to the All Star team that season which included catching David Wright in the homerun derby. It was the only year he was ever elected by the fans as a starter. Wright and the fiery and outspoken Lo Duca were best of friends when the Mets chose not to bring him back and replaced him with Brian Schneider.
Many believed that the organization had become turned off by Lo Duca’s criticism of the team and the effort of his teammates in 2007. Lo Duca wore his heart on his sleeve and was never one to pull punches. As a catcher he defended his pitchers to the max, and he would let an umpire know if he thought they were squeezing his batterymate.
My favorite memory of Lo Duca will always be the double play in the 2006 NLCS against the Dodgers when both outs were made at the plate.
Lo Duca had an injury plagued season in 2008 with the Nationals, which may explain his .248 average. If he is as healthy he says, I wouldn’t put another .280 type season past him. In 1,108 at-bats with runners in scoring position, Lo Duca has a .309 batting average, .330 with the bases loaded. He’s the kind of hitter who would probably have great success as a pinch hitter.
Unfortunately, there’s little to no chance that the Mets would even consider bringing Lo Duca back in a limited role, at least not while Omar Minaya is still calling the shots.
Let’s not parse the footnotes yet. We have to put together a team that will contend for the playoffs in 2010 and beyond. Lo Duca may still be useful, but i doubt we’d sink next year if our additions this off-season included Marquis, Wolf, Sheets, Figgins and either Pierre or Crawford or Granderson, and Nady/Jacobs BUT still jotting in Santos/Thole to catch.
Honestly, he did well for us bu that was in 2006. You can’t assume he won’t be back but we need an everyday catcher, a guy like benji molina. With an addition like that, u geta. Well respected catcher who has helped many developing pitchers. Molina has done that and he was there to catch tim lincecum as he has won the cy young the past two seasons and he won a ring with john lackey in 2003. Offensively u can’t look at career numbers as he has hit better as he has aged. He would be a great addition to this team and we need someone to help our pitchers improve. Anywhere he goes , the pitchers do well and having a guy like that around josh thole could do a lot as thole is not considered a great defensive catcher ( I say this assuming he gets to work with him in spring training).
ANDY, IN MY OPINION, ONE OTHER + TO SIGNING MOLINA (2Y/12M?) IS THAT WITH SANDY, Jr GONE, HE COULD BE BEST AVAILABLE TUTOR FOR OUR 2 INEXPERIENCED BACKSTOPS.
62, Sandy Jr leaving does change the situation somewhat regarding the catcher position. However, do we have any clue that Benjie would have any interest in tutoring his replacement? His personal motivation would be more along the lines of securing a multi-year position for himself to assure the remainder of his career with his next club. Tutoring his replacement is the last concern of his. I still would rather sign an experienced catcher as a caretaker to take the position through the next year only. There are cheaper alternatives that can be obtained with a 1 yr commit that can accomplish the same amount of tutoring and possibly with more dedication to it is they might see a coaching position as the light at the end of the tunnel. As you know I an referring to Kendall and Zaun. Let’s concentrate on LF and 1B for the batting addition to the lineup. Catcher only need be serviceable as a placeholder for Thole. If Thole gets traded, everything changes regarding the catcher position.
Um, I think that ship has sailed.
Let’s not forget the rather unsavory aspects of this chump’s character as well as the ‘roids. No thanks!
..we need some unsavory-ness on this team BIG TIME
Yeah, dude, that’s exactly what the 2010 Mets need…Ambriox Burgos!!!
did i say Ambriox Burgos?
Look above….am i referencing Ambriox Burgos? Maybe i may be referencing…um…Paul LoDuca?
Another clown who misquotes and puts words in your mouth. I think you darn well know what i meant. Go have some cool aid with Danny Krieger lol…and when you come back maybe you’ll be quoting people correctly.
Might be good if you knew what it meant to “quote”, “Clown”!
Sure, what that Mets need is a ‘roids boy who dates 14-year-old girls. Is that your kind of player?
Now your just completely telling lies and that don’t work if you plan to debate me. And it certainly shouldn’t apply to a guy that is a blogger on this web site.
The girl was 19.
Now you’re fabricating a story on the internet associating a ballplayer with a 14 year old girl. That’s exactly what you’re doing.
..and this guy blogs here as well…remember that folks the next time your read his content.
You are right.
My mistake: she was 19.
Remember this “folks” next time I blog. Don’t believe everything you read.
Nineteen, totally legal, and very hot.
my point is there’s no catcher out there we MUST get…Molina would be to die for–5 years ago….we need too much else….Figgins is a gritty guy/tough out…so is Pierre or Crawford or Granderson…as is Nady…we dont need 35 yr old catchers…37 yrs in Paul’s case…
BOB, PERHAPS U MISSED THAT THE OTHER TOP AVAILABLE CATCHING OPTION OUT THERE(BARAJAS) IS ONLY 1 YR YOUNGER WITH A LESS PRODUCTIVE BAT. FOR THOSE CRITICIZING BENGIE’S “SLOW FOR A CATCHER” SPEED, PERHAPS BARAJAS’ SPEED IS IMPORTANT TO MOVE GAME ALONG AS HE’LL RETURN FROM PLATE TO DUGOUT THAT MUCH QUICKER, LMAO! WE’RE LOOKING FOR NO MORE THAN 2Y. ANY CATCHER WE ACQUIRE IS NOT GOING TO BE MORE THAN A ROLE PLAYER; MOLINA’S ROLE WOULD BE LENGTHENING OF THE LINEUP POTENTIAL, 20HR POP BATTING EIGHTH ISN’T A HORRIBLE OPTION. HOW FAST DOES HE HAVE TO BE TO GET BUNTED OVER BY THE PITCHER? OR, ROUNDING THE BASES? BY THE WAY BOB, WITH ALL YOUR TALK OF MURPHY,NADY,JACOBS,GLAUS,BLALOCK…WHO IS YOUR 30-HR+ CLEANUP HITTER? TO ME THAT’S A MINIMUM REQUIREMENT TO CONTENDING!
Mets 62, our needs for the catcher position is 1 yr max not 2 yrs. Thole is in the offing and 2 yrs is too long for him to wait. There are cheaper alternatives to fill the catching postion with a caretaker like Kendall and Zaun for 2010. The batting help for the lineup should come from additions to LF and 1B. A caretaker catcher may also be more amenable to teaching his replacement as he may see a coaching opportunity as his eventual rewared with Sandy Jr out of the picture.
They got 30 million to play with, I could see them signing Lackey although it could be tough, signing Molina, trading Castillo for Pierre, signing Hudson, signing a Glaus to compliment Murphy, although I think Glaus could win the firstbase job and lastly signing Biemel, u got 30 million to play with ur not going to get everything.
Doesn’t Glaus have health issues? Haven’t checked his #’s out..will do…but i don’t want the Mets to woo Lackey all winter long..only to lose him to the Yanks (same with Holliday) so i’ve honed in on a Plan B…and i’d rather add pitching (Marquis, Sheets, Wolf…), trade Castillo for ‘someone’, sign Figgins…Nady (or Glaus/Blalock), either get Pierre or trade for Crawford or Granderson..the last two, btw, i think would fit us better all-around than either Holliday or Bay.
i checked both Glaus & Blalock…Glaus was out about all of 2009 and he’s a big man…the kind of body that breaks down in the mid-30s…he’ll be 34 in August…remember Mo Vaughan?
And Blalock is more swing & miss than Jacobs…i go back to my Nady/Jacobs mix at 1B…both can also play OF and give us some ‘power’ maneuverability with Pierre when he needs rest…
under this scenario though i don’t know what to do with Murphy…’who’ would take Murphy and for ‘what’…? i do like the kid…maybe we just get Nady and pair Murphy with him and forget a Jacobs or Glaus or Blalock..i keep retracing on Murphy at a 1B pairing mode or not…
Well Met’62 (great year!), i suppose Granderson can hit 30Hrs…but because i think there’s no way to get the headline guys like Holliday or Bay…i’ve been trying to conceive of an alternate strategy that would work and would take advantage of spacious CitiField: pitching, defense, speed, small ball, good hitting.
Also, again, i honestly doubt the efficacy of signing either Molina or Barajas or any other catcher FA because these guys are too old, all would want at least, AT LEAST, a 2yr deal…and i do believe that if we do add the pitchers and position players named all weekend in Plan B, we do NOT need help from afar or above on catching…Santos/Thole will be fine with the cast we’ve bandied about all weekend: Marquis, Sheets, Wolf or Harden; Figgins, Pierre or Crawford or Granderson, Nady/Jacobs/DeRosa…..