Paul Lo Duca

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Paul Anthony Lo Duca [Loh-DUKE-uh] (born April 12, 1972 in Brooklyn, New York) is a catcher in Major League Baseball who plays for the New York Mets. Previously, Lo Duca played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1998-2004) and Florida Marlins (2004-2005).

Contents

1 Collegiate Career
2 Professional Career
3 Career Transactions
4 Trivia
5 Highlights
6 External links
7 References

Collegiate Career

Lo Duca played college baseball at Arizona State University. Playing only one year at ASU, Lo Duca was named The Sporting News Player of the Year in 1993, setting school records with a .446 batting average and 129 hits. He was also named a finalist for the prestigious Golden Spikes Award and his 37-game hitting streak remains the second longest in school history.

Professional Career

Lo Duca had his breakthrough year in the majors with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2001 with a great season, which led many to compare him to former Dodger Mike Piazza. While he has not matched that season since – let alone lived up to Piazza's Hall of Fame credentials – Lo Duca has logged some of the best statistics for catchers and been named to three All-Star Games. In 2002, he was one of the best contact hitters in the majors – only Jason Kendall struck out less often and no one had a better percentage of swings and misses[Paul Lo Duca: Biography and Career Highlights]. In 2003, Lo Duca's 25-game hitting streak was the second longest in Los Angeles Dodgers history and, defensively, he ranked first in the National League in throwing out baserunners trying to steal. In 2004, he led National League catchers in runs batted in despite a mid-season trade. While Lo Duca has been relatively healthy, playing in 125 games or more the last five seasons, his numbers generally decline after the All-Star break.

Paul Lo Duca tips his helmet to fans at Dodger Stadium on August 16, 2004. Lo Duca is still beloved by Dodger fans to this day.

Career Transactions

Drafted by by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 25th round of the 1993 Amateur Draft.
Traded from Los Angeles along with Juan Encarnacion and Guillermo Mota to the Florida Marlins for Hee Seop Choi, Brad Penny, and minor league pitching prospect Bill Murphy at the 2004 trading deadline.
Traded to the Mets for two minor league prospects, pitcher Gaby Hernandez and outfielder Dante Brinkley, as part of a Marlins "market correction" where most of their large salaries were traded away.

Trivia

At the start of each game, Lo Duca writes the initials "LL" in the dirt behind home plate, in memory of his mother Luci.

As a child, Paul's mother Luci would toss pinto beans to him in the back yard and he would use a broomstick to hit them. This technique helped him develop his hand/eye coordination and as a result, he has a very low strikeout rate. [Lo Duca's Swing Perfected Early On]

According to an article written by Tom Verducci in the July 17, 2006 issue of Sports Illustrated, Lo Duca is known as "Captain Red Ass" in the Mets clubhouse. The moniker, originally bestowed by teammate Billy Wagner, refers to Lo Duca's hot temper.

Highlights

4-time All-Star (2003-05) as a Reserve, and one All-Star selection as a Starter (2006).

In an eight-year career, Lo Duca has a .285 batting average with 66 home runs and 363 RBI in 772 games. As with many catchers, he has a tendency to start the season strong before his catching duties seemingly wear him out around the All-Star break.

External links

[Paul Lo Duca] at ESPN.com
[Baseball Reference] - career statistics and analysis

References

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