Paul Lo Duca

Lo Duca struggled through 2007, save for a .393 batting average in May and big September that bumped up his home run and RBI totals. Lo Duca strained his hamstring in late-July, then talked his way back into the lineup only to aggravate the injury and land on the disabled list, which didn't play well with Mets management. That incident, paired with his open criticism of the team during its tailspin, punched his ticket out of town. Lo Duca signed with the Nationals in December after Brian Schneider was acquired from Washington in a trade, but he was heavily mentioned in Senator George Mitchell's investigative report on performance-enhancing drugs and could face a suspension from commissioner Bud Selig.

Lo Duca may not have been the Mets' first choice at catcher, as Bengie Molina and Ramon Hernandez may have been higher on their list, but once he arrived in New York, he proved to be a perfect fit. "Captain Red-ass" was a leader in the clubhouse and on the field while proving to be a perfect fit in the No. 2 hole in the Mets lineup. Lo Duca was the subject of the New York tabloids as word about his pending divorce due to charges of infidelity from his wife along with an investigation of a possible large gambling debt came to light in June. However, those two issues and a torn ligament in his right thumb that had successful surgery after the year did little to slow his bat as he had a .338/.369/.450 line after the All-Star break. Lo Duca won't hit many home runs but he should post a solid BA and OBP while scoring plenty of runs as a catcher.

The 33-year-old Lo Duca saw his power fade away in 2005, but his reputation as Mr. Intangible still made him a desirable commodity in the offseason. Don't be surprised if his offense continues to regress, however.

LoDuca, again, wilted down the stretch, and it's long past time a team realized it's not going to get more than 400 productive plate appearances from him. Given that the Marlins have lost Mike Redmond and have no one with much major league experience in-house, even if that light bulb goes off over Jack McKeon's head he may not be able to do anything about it.

This is now the second year in a row where Lo Duca started out hot and then wore down in the second half. The Dodgers need to find a more reliable backup catcher to split time with him in order to keep him fresh. He hit .318 in the first half and only .229 in the second half.

Not enough BA or OBP to get excited about and the power spike in 2001 disappeared last year. In the spacious confines of Dodger Stadium, the power isn't likely to return. He's at that age (30) where catchers begin to deteriorate into little nagging injuries that keep them out of significant action and limit their effectiveness. However, as catchers go expect a season around .700 OPS which makes him a useful grab.