RON PAULINO
4/21/81; NDFA '97; Dominican Republic
R/R; 6-3, 190
| Level |
BA |
OBP |
SA |
AB |
2B |
3B |
HR |
BB |
K |
SB |
CS |
| 1999 R |
.253 |
.319 |
.410 |
83 |
2 |
4 |
1 |
8 |
19 |
1 |
2 |
| 2000 A |
.289 |
.354 |
.415 |
301 |
16 |
2 |
6 |
27 |
71 |
3 |
2 |
| 2001 A+ |
.290 |
.353 |
.392 |
352 |
16 |
1 |
6 |
36 |
76 |
4 |
1 |
| 2002 A+ |
.262 |
.321 |
.412 |
442 |
26 |
2 |
12 |
39 |
87 |
2 |
1 |
| 2003 AA |
.226 |
.283 |
.390 |
159 |
6 |
1 |
6 |
12 |
35 |
0 |
2 |
| 2003 A+ |
.235 |
.308 |
.309 |
81 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
8 |
8 |
1 |
0 |
| 2004 AA |
.285 |
.344 |
.480 |
369 |
23 |
2 |
15 |
32 |
62 |
3 |
2 |
Paulino put himself back on the prospect track with a very good 2004 season, after
taking a step backward in 2003. He looked fairly promising after reaching full
season ball relatively quickly. He started 2000 as J.R. House's backup at Hickory,
but played so well he eventually shared C/DH duties with House. He had a good 2001
season at Lynchburg, but the Pirates sent him back there for 2002. He was a Carolina
League All-Star in both 2001 and 2002, but seemed to stall offensively. The Royals
selected him in the Rule 5 draft after the 2002 season. He didn't make their roster
and was returned to the Pirates. He started 2003 in AA, but aside from showing
decent power didn't hit well. He got demoted and didn't hit well back at Lynchburg,
either. I've seen comments about him having been playing hurt, but don't know whether
that's accurate. In 2004, he significantly increased his power while still hitting
for average. His plate discipline has generally been borderline. It's hard to say
whether he'll be able to adapt at higher levels, because he has a long, slow swing.
Paulino is agile behind the plate and has a strong arm, but has not done well at
throwing out runners. He played a little at 1B early in the season when Ryan Doumit
was catching, as the Curve wanted both in the lineup. The Pirates placed him on
the 40-man roster after the season to keep him from becoming a minor league free
agent. He opened 2005 as the starter at Altoona. Given Ryan Doumit's need for
playing time, however, Paulino might be the better choice to be called up to serve
as a backup in the event of injury.
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