Valentino Martin Pascucci is a 1996 graduate of Richard Garth High School (CA) where he played baseball, basketball,
football and water polo...Attended the University of Oklahoma where he played baseball for three years helping the Sooners to the Big 12 Championship as a freshman and sophomore...Was a member of Team Italy for the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009.
2011
Spent most of the season with Buffalo (AAA) of the International League, where he won the Stan Barron MVP award, before a September 6 promotion to the Mets...Made his first start for the Mets on September 15...It was his first start since October 3, 2004, the last game for the Montreal Expos...Hit the first pinch-hit home run of his career on September 24 vs. Philadelphia (off Cole Hamels)...It was his first home run since October 2, 2004 as a member of Montreal off the Mets' Al Leiter at Shea Stadium... Finished with three hits and two RBI in nine pinch-hit at-bats...Ranked third in the International League with 91 RBI...Was second in the IL with 76 walks and tied for sixth with 21 home runs and tied for ninth with a .375 on-base percentage...Named the IL Batter of the Week for July 15-July 19 when he hit .400 (6-15) with two doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI, three walks and a 1.133 slugging percentage in four games.
2010
Went to minor league spring training camp with the Mets, but was released before the start of the season...Began year with Camden of the Independent Atlantic League...Signed by the Mets on May 14 and assigned to the Bisons...Missed eight games on the Disabled List with a left ankle sprain from July 19-July 27...Was tied for second on the Bisons with 17 home runs...Led the club in walks and on-base percentage (.398) among hitters with at least 100 at-bats...Hit a home run in his Buffalo debut, May 14 vs. Norfolk...Went deep in three of his first five games with the Bisons...Became just the third Bisons hitter to hit a home run three times in a game at Coca-Cola Field on June 18 vs. Indianapolis...Finished the game 3-4 with five RBI...Hit a home run in back-to-back games twice: June 27-June 28 and August 6-August 15...Posted a season-high eight-game hitting streak from July 28-August 22...Hit .458 (11-24) during that span.
2009
Split the season between Albuquerque (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League and Portland (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League...Joined Portland on June 27...Hit a home run in three straight games, August 5-August 7...Hit .352 (25-71) with 36 RBI with runners in scoring position.
2008
Began the season on Lehigh Valley's (AAA) inaugural team...Joined the Mets affiliate, New Orleans (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League on April 30...Hit .290 (115-396) with 27 home runs and a team-high 81 RBI for the Zephyrs...Recorded a home run in three straight games, May 23-May 25...Was 3-4 with four runs scored, three home runs and five RBI on August 2 vs. Tucson.
2007
Spent the season with Albuquerque (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League...Led the PCL in home runs and finished second in home run ratio (13.15)...Also ranked third in extra-base hits (62), fourth in runs, on-base percentage and total bases, and fifth in RBI and slugging percentage...Had a season-best 14-game hitting streak, May 22-June 4...Batted .353 (18-51).
2006
Played for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic.
2005
Played for the Chiba Lotte Marines in the Japan Central League.
2004
Began the season with Edmonton (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League...Was recalled by Montreal on April 25 and made his major league debut on April 26 at San Diego with a start in right field...Collected first major league hit off the Dodgers' Kazuhisa Ishii on April 30 at Los Angeles...Appeared in 12 games for Montreal before being optioned back to Edmonton on May 28...Was recalled again on September 1...Hit his first major league home run on September 15 at Florida (off Nate Bump)...Had two, three-home run games for Edmonton: April 23 at Fresno and July 18 (Game One) at Salt Lake...Finished third in the PCL in walks and fourth in on-base percentage.
2003
In his first season at the AAA level with Edmonton, Pascucci led the Pacific Coast League and established career highs in walks (101)...had also led the Eastern League in walks the previous season with 93...was a key contributor to the Trappers winning the Northern Division title by setting career highs in hits (129) and RBI (85)...also tied a career
high and shared the league lead with Sacramento's Graham Koonce in games played (138)...ranked 2nd in on-base percentage
( .419) behind Fresno's Brian Dallimore (.427) and 3rd in strikeouts (132)...reached base safely by hit or walk in each of
his first 26 games through April 30 via 24 hits and 21 walks ...was hitting .217 after the May 18th game before going on
a tear and batting .342 (67-for-196) with 11 home runs and 50 RBI in the next 60 games to raise his average to .292 on
July 23...was selected the Trappers' Player of the Month for June by hitting .333 (29-for-87) with 19 RBI in 26 games...among
his game highlights, belted a grand slam on April 16, launched two homers and drove in 6 RBI on July 1, went 4-for-5 with
a pair of doubles on August 14...played 109 games in right field, 29 at first base and two as designated hitter...led outfielders
in double plays (5).
2002
Pascucci led the Eastern League and all AA baseball in home runs (27) and was co-leader of the league in walks (93) with Trenton's Kevin Youkilis, setting two career highs in his second full season at Harrisburg... Finished T9th overall in the minor leagues in home runs and T5th overall in walks... Established career highs also in RBI (82) and strikeouts (115)... Led the club in games (137) and placed third in runs scored (73), while he was of only four Senators' players with 100+ hits, placing fourth with 108.
Blessed with an excellent throwing arm, he played 107 games in right field, 19 at first base, 12 as designated hitter and two at third base... Batted .232 (72x296) with 22 homers and 61 RBI against righthanders and .221(36x163), five home runs and 21 RBI vs lefthanders... Had a balanced attack at home and on the road, hitting 14 homers in Harrisburg, while belting 13 others away from RiverSide Stadium with his best months for the long balls in May (8) and August (7)... Picked up a season-high four hits on two occasions, doing so June 29 at Akron and again July 31 at Erie... Homered in five of seven games May 10-16, collecting a total of 13 RBI in that span... Drove in at least one run in all but one of those games, notching four multi-RBI contests... Drove in a season-high four runs May 16 at Trenton, while repeating the feat July 31 at Erie... Went 2-for-5 with a run scored in three straight games at AA-Bowie August 12-14... Helped lead the Senators to a second-place finish in the EL's Southern Division and served as a force in the playoffs... Guided the team to the EL Championship, but AA-Norwich won the best-of-five final three games to two... Hit .290 (9x31) with four HR, eight RBI, eight runs and 13 walks in 10 post-season contests.
2001
Climbed another step in his career, spending the entire season with AA-Harrisburg... A power hitter, he improved on personal statistics in several categories, especially home runs (21)... Finished fifth in the AA-Eastern League in walks (65) and games played (138)... Played 119 games in right field, 19 at first base and five as designated hitter, while pinch-hitting twice... Hit safely in nine straight games May 1-11, going 13-for-30 (.433) with four home runs and 11 runs batted in to raise his overall average to .288... Excelled in June, batting .317 (32x101) in 27 games... Hit .370 (27x73) in 20 games June 6-27, despite not hitting a single home run... Homered twice in a game on two occasions, doing so May 23 against AA-Portland and again July 8 versus AA-Binghamton... Furthered his development by playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League, with whom he hit .283 (36x127).
2000
Rose as one of the Expos organization's brightest prospects, hitting 17 home runs in pitcher-friendly ballparks... Began the season with A-Cape Fear in the South Atlantic League, where he hit .319 in 20 games in April to earn a promotion to the A-Florida State League's Jupiter Hammerheads... Honored as Topps' FSL Player of the Month in July, as well as being named the Expos' Minor League Player of the Month, hitting .386 with five homers and 25 RBI... With both clubs, he attained an overall total of 82 walks... Despite his 6'6" height, Pascucci showed good speed, picking up nine infield hits and 19 stolen bases.
1999
He was named to the New York-Penn League's All-Star team by virtue of a .351 batting average, seven homers and 48 RBI in 72 games with A-Vermont... Ranked first in the league in runs (62) and on-base percentage (.482), second in average (.351), doubles (26), walks (53) and slugging percentage (.541), and fifth in hits (91) and extra-base hits (34)...
