|
2007 Very few teams carry three catchers, but, when they do, one of them is usually Josh Paul. His top four PECOTA comparables include Haywood Sullivan and Fran Healy--a bad general manager and a worse broadcaster. If PECOTA is destiny, then this suggests that, as bad a hitter as Paul is, if he tries any other career related to baseball, he might be worse. 2005 Fate can be cruel: The difference between being Mike Matheny and Josh Paul is not so great as a butterfly's sneeze. If a Paul must be had, we recommend the Angels bag the third catcher concept and go with Ellis Paul, the Boston balladeer. He can't hit but neither can Josh, and he'll keep the team mellow with gently strummed songs of life on the road. 2003 The White Sox love Josh Paul, but even they are coming around to the realization that he’s not going to hit. After a 2002 in which he was beaten out by Johnson and didn’t see the majors until Alomar was traded. Although Paul is the incumbent for the starting job, even with the return of Sandy Alomar, expect Olivo to blow past him this year. 2002 Paul is an organizational favorite who isn't the player Mark Johnson is, but he gets treated better because he was a #1 pick and a local boy. What you see is what you get: his offense is BA-driven, and his defense isn't horrible. He will make a decent backup catcher well into the 2010s, with roster value because he runs well for a catcher and is willing to play third base in an emergency. 2001 Organizational favorites get perks, and Josh Paul got his. He was placed on the postseason roster after a 71-at-bat season, and not even a baserunning mistake in his pinch-running appearance was enough to hurt his popularity. Paul has trouble staying healthy for consecutive weeks, and while playing through injuries sometimes weakens a player’s projection, don’t bet on Paul being one of those guys. He’ll get every opportunity to make the big leagues and play. 2000 Sometimes an organization remains devoted to a prospect the way some people remain devoted to bad ideas, like new math, supply-side economics or czarism. Paul has never hit well, but he carries a nice defensive reputation--he threw out 40% of attempted basestealers--and he was once a high draft pick. He gets good marks for leadership skills. Still, he hasn't hit and doesn't seem likely to start. 1998 Although they won’t admit it, the Sox are probably kicking themselves for picking Paul ahead of A.J. Hinch in the 1996 draft. Paul’s been extremely injury-prone, although he gets good marks for working on his defense.
|