Mike's Mets

Remember all the disaster theories about our rotation after Zito took his cash in SF? Remember all the talk of how Omar Minaya dropped the ball? Well those theories through the first 20 games are nothing more than silly memories.

Mike Pelfrey is a cause for concern, as he just doesn't appear to be ready for the big show yet. But with the other 4 starters doing their part, Omar's gameplan of stockpiling serviceable arms this winter has given the Mets a security blanket few teams enjoy. Even if Pelfrey ultimately goes down to AAA after his next start, we'll have viable (if not sexy) options ready to take his place and help this team win. Sosa, Vargas and Humber all are pitching well enough to help if called upon. Sosa would seem to be the logical next candidate. In short, the rotation will be fine.

As for the pen, the walks clearly have to come down. But in the chaos that seemed to follow the Duaner Sanchez loss in March, we have found 3 or 4 guys that seem more than able to handle the 7th and 8th innings. That's just the cushion Aaron Heilman needs to nurse his tendinitis and be healthy for the 2nd half. And once Mota is back, we'll have a bullpen of Wagner, Mota, Heilman, Smith, Feliciano, Schoeneweis and Sele awaiting our opponents in the late innings.

Not too shabby.

Not too shabby indeed. Although I think that the Mets should never feel satisfied. We'll have a much better sense of how things will shake out by game 40. If the pitching staff looks at all shaky I don't know why they don't even consider going after Roger Clemens. I mean all he costs is money. We don't have to give anything up for...prospects or what not. This is obviously a staff that is built on the "now"...Glavine, Hernandez (and then Pedro when he finally returns) are all ancient men...whats the harm of adding one more.

I just don't want to go through the nightmare this year that we experienced last year. If this team is fortunate enough to make the playoffs, I want them to have a pitching staff that they can rely on. As great as Maine & Perez were last year in game 6 and 7...we forget how surprising there starts were. And we got killed in game 3 with Traeschal pitching...he was terrible.

Wouldn't you rather go into a playoff series with Glavine, Martinez, Clemens and then Hernandez?

With Maine and Perez coming out of the pen? That would be a pitching staff that would put fear in the eyes of most lineups.

http://www.americanlegends.blogspot.com/

Good, timely article. Obviously there is a lot to like about the early going.

My guess is that Pelfrey figures out what he is doing that is flattening out his speedball. Maybe he is overthrowing it, I don't know, but the pitch doesn't look much like it did the one time I caught him in spring training. Thankfully Coach Rick isn't facing a full schedule and can devote some time to the problem.

Again guessing, but I doubt Scott Schoeneweis is going to be a long term Met. He has always been a mediocre pitcher, good enough to play but no star; and today he is still all that plus he is 33 years of age. I only hope some day somebody explains why they signed him to three years in the first place.

Mike, I really like this post. I could have called some of this, but certainly not all of it. Joe Smith has been positively nasty.

I think that another bad start on Pelfrey's part warrants a call-up for Vargas. Pelfrey needs serious work on his secondary stuff and is obviously suffering from a lack of AAA experience. The kid needs time; he's young, he's had most of his experience against aluminum bats, and he doesn't have a full repertoire.

As for the bullpen, I think Burgos should go down in favor of Urdaneta, even before Mota comes back. Like Pelfrey, Burgos is young, might have been called up too quickly, and needs work on pitching something other than his fastball. We let John Maine work that out for a bit between last year and this off-season, and that certainly paid dividends. I think that at the end of the day, both of them are gonna be studs and shake the pejorative label of "one-pitch pitcher."

Guys,

1. The essence of Mike's post is right on. We are fine. Even the media has the Mets as BY FAR, the class of the NL and as opposed to the 2 past yrs we have more depth both in youth, quality and quantity.

2. As the stats bear out, Maine is very good. I cant harp on it enuff. I really like him. He IS the pitcher we were looking for when we got Kris Benson. He might not be dominant ie Petey dominant, but last yr out of nowhere he came up from AAA when we needed him and strung to together a 30 inning scoreless streak. Imagine you are the offense and you know THIS guy will keep you in a game...the confidence that gives you. This yr he is at it again going 3-0 with a micro-cold resistant ERA......AND as for Clemens ..maine gave a clutch shut out in the NLCS...what more do you need from him?

3. I like Burgos. He brings a righty flame thrower to the table and he is getting better. He might have to go down, but he is definately in the mix for this yrs bullpen, even long term. I also echo the urdanetta call, I think at some point he also contributes.

4. Right now my biggest concern is that long man role. Sele has not really 'excelled' there. Possibly Park or Sosa might do better.

5. And Mike; While I dont want to see Pelfrey traded, I am envisioning two 'strikes' against him. Humber, Deolis, jon nieve and Mulvanney are close behind him and in the mix for next yr. AND he is a top tier prospect who Minnesota, Houston, and the Cubs WILL ask for in a trade for Zambrano, Santana or Oswalt.
B. On that note: Glavine most likely retires after this yr, Petey we must be carefull with and next yr is his walk yr.(as is EL Duque). So once again we must talk about importing a top tier pitcher if not WITHIN this season, the next off season. I belive Zambrano is looking for 15 Mill per.

Salman - I still think Pelfrey's problems are more about pressing than about not being ready. Sure, he needs to refine his secondary pitches, but he can do that in the majors under Peterson's tutelage if he can relax and start pounding the bottom of the zone as he did this spring.
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J. Mark English - By all accounts, Clemens won't come here. That's fine with me. I think we have enough without him, especially if Pedro makes it back. I just could never truly accept Clemens as a Met.
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dd - I think he'll be a Met for at least 2 years of that 3 year contract. At least he threw some strikes last time out.
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Matt - As I said to Salman, I still think Pelfrey has a chance to turn it around up here, although he needs to do it quick. Urdaneta has a 5.59 ERA in New Orleans, and has given up a couple of homers already. I think he needs work down there.
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Ed - None of those other names have the ceiling of Pelfrey, and I would hardly characterize any of them besides Humber as "close", and I don't see Michael Devaney as more than a fringe prospect. I just wonder if the tremendous cost in multiple top prospects of landing a Santana or Zambrano would be worth it in the long run. You'd have to give up Pelfrey and probably 2 others out of Milledge, Gomez, Humber and Martinez.