The third member of the 2004 Appy League Champion Greeneville Astros has been traded. Felipe Paulino was traded to the Rockies today for middle infielder Clint Barmes. The other two members of that staff who have been traded are: Troy Patton (Tajada deal) & Juan Gutierrez (Valverde deal). This was the first member of the staff to be traded straight up for another player.
Paulino has always been see as pitcher with a great deal of potential because of his power arm. However, health has been an issue. He made his major league debut during the 2007 season but then missed all of the 2008 season with a pinched nerve injury. After being given an ultimatum of "high noon" by Ed Wade, he worked his way back to the majors in 2009 and again showed promise but struggled. He did strike out 93 batters in 97 2/3 innings pitched but also gave up 126 hits, of which, 20 left the ball yard. His ERA for that year was 6.27.
In 2010, he came to training camp in better shape than ever. He wanted to show he belonged in the big leagues. He showed improvement in key areas (only 4 home runs), but was unlucky in many outings leading to a 1-9 record and a 5.11 ERA.
Ever since Paulino was in the minors, I have heard people talk about him as a potential late inning reliever or maybe even a closer. Maybe that is in the plans for him with the Rockies. I am not sure I see his success as a starter improving by going to the high altitude of Colorado.
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