You can't compare stats without regard to position. That's because it's easier to find someone who can handle1B defensively while driving in runs in the middle of the lineup, than it is to find a quality defensive catcher who can help lead on offense as well. Those guys are very rare. In fact, while quality pitching is an absolute necessity, I believe tcatcher is the single most important individual on the team (since there are so few good ones and the same guy plays almost every day versus 5 starters and 7 relievers who take the mound). With that in mind, it looks like Lo Duca is far above our current catcher corps, both in handling the catcher's job behind the plate and on offense, and so he will be a big part of geting us back to the playoffs. For all you Moneyball fans check out the stikeout to walk ratio; for you fans of defense, calling the game, and handling the pitchers, check out his "catcher's era" and tell me what you think.

 

Here is the summary:

 

CAREER SUMMARY: Begins his 12th season of professional baseball and has posted a .300 or better batting average in eight of the first 11 campaigns, including a career-high .368 mark at Triple-A Albuquerque in 1999...ranks third among all big league catchers with 396 hits over the last three seasons, trailing only Philadelphia's Mike Lieberthal (480) and Ivan Rodriguez (403)...has batted .323 in the first half of the past three seasons, the eighth-highest average in Major League Baseball and fifthhighest mark in the National League...has a 3.52 catcher's ERA over the last three seasons, the second-best mark in the Major Leagues behind Ramon Hernandez (3.51). ..has struck out just 133 times in 1,782 career Major League at-bats or 7.5 percent of his official at-bats at the Major League level... has the same amount of walks as strikeouts (133 to 133) in his Major League career, including more walks than strikeouts in three of his six seasons with the Dodgers... had a 25-game hitting streak from May 17-June 18, 2003, the second longest in L.A. Dodger history and fifth longest in franchise history...has thrown out 120 of 374 runners attempting to steal over his career (32 percent) and has a .990 fielding percentage as a catcher...went 6-for-6 on May 28, 2001 to become the seventh player in Dodger history to record six hits in a game...he and Shawn Green, who became the eighth Dodger with six hits in a game on May 23, 2002, are the only L.A. Dodgers to go 6-for-6 in a game...selected to the 2003 NL All-Star team for the first time in his career and went 1-for-2 in the game played at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago... had a .395 on-base percentage in his minor league career...named in 2000 to the Vero Beach Press Journal's All-Time All-Star Team as the best catcher in the 21-year Vero Beach Dodger history for his accomplishments in 1996...made his Major League debut on June 21, 1998 at Colorado and singled in the eighth inning of that game off Bobby Jones for his first big league hit...collected his first Major League home run on Aug. 7, 1999 at New York off the Mets' Al Leiter.

:wow

Lo Duca is a Fudge Rodriguez type of hitter. He has some pop and an ability to make contact and drive the ball the other way. Plus, he has some base speed. I think he is going to fare very well for the Marlins - but I think we gave up an awful lot.

We gae up an awful lot/ Look what LA gave up. Their Best set up man who is proven and a proven vet ctahcer who is awsome.

Lo Duca is a Fudge Rodriguez type of hitter. He has some pop and an ability to make contact and drive the ball the other way. Plus, he has some base speed. I think he is going to fare very well for the Marlins - but I think we gave up an awful lot.

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I agree I think Beinfest should have given up Stokes instead of Choi or should have kept Murphy

yeah but check his career second half numbers they suck. he hit .226 from the middle of july on last year. and from 2001-03 he goes from a .314 hitter in first half to a .255 hitter in the second half.

yeah but check his career second half numbers they suck. he hit .226 from the middle of july on last year. and from 2001-03 he goes from a .314 hitter in first half to a .255 hitter in the second half.

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so I guess we shouldnt play him then

No too late now we are just screwed, just saying he's not that much of an upgrade esp since we are getting him for the second half.

No too late now we are just screwed

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so we should give up on the season

pretty much after the crap beckett throw up last night down to 3 starters now.

pretty much after the crap beckett throw up last night down to 3 starters now.

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I think you are overreacting a bit.

maybe it will change this year with the trade, who knows

 

all i know is that he is better than what we had by A LOT

well maybe but loduca's numbers in the second half aren't that much of an upgrade

well maybe but loduca's numbers in the second half aren't that much of an upgrade

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again, should we then bench him because in the past he hasnt done well in the 2nd half?

thats what the dodgers did last year and put him at first didn't help any, I just think its a bad trade.

Yeah, we might have overpaid, or just given up the wrong players, but let's give this one until the end of the season to pass judgement.

I am just responding to the guy who said lo duca is a huge upgrade he's not if you look at his second half numbers thats all.

Well, none of those numbers have been in a Marlins uni

 

Let's wait and see

I don't think the uni makes any difference i mean he hit .314 first half last 3 years and .255 in the second. you can't do much better than .314.

Park might, and the lineup he hits in will definately change things.

dodger stadium factor is .917 ours is .955 ours his harder so he should do worse technically.

I'd say the half of the lineup he would be hitting in here is significantly better than LA's though

or about the same

Hitting in the Dodgers lineup is damn near impossible. That team has very little offense - especially last year when they were among one of the worst offenses in ALL of baseball. So take that for what it is worth, Lo Duca had to do a lot of heavy lifting.

 

And let's get something straight here. Fudge only had 16 HRs and 85RBI last year. I called for Conine to hit third because he makes a lot of contact and can hit the ball the opposite way. Lo Duca is another capable hitter, too. He makes a lot of contact and can hit the ball the other way. Put the ball in play - that is what the Marlins philosophy was last year and that is what it will be this year. If they want to win. And dont forget, Lo Duca has got some speed too. With he and Enc, our base running returns closely to what it was last year - and that is a vital factor in generating offense.

or about the same

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Pray tell, how do you figure?

Dont forget also, we have Willingham back in the minors - where he belongs - developing and we also put Redmond back into that backup role he thrives in. Treanor, Nunez - these are pieces that could be packaged for a 5th starter. I wonder what may happen within the next few hours...