Others who missed my post on what's been going on have emailed to ask why I haven't been posting to this blog, and whether I intend to come back to it. I'm going to try to get back into the flow of things this week, though it will probably take me a while to catch up on the pitching charts and get back to posting almost daily again.
Thanks to Joyce, Dave and Nostra for keeping this site going with some content while I was busy with all of the other stuff.
Please understand that my goal of return to regular blogging could be derailed if my Mom's condition deteriorates again. Other than that, I'll be back in the next day or so with some thoughts on our depleted Metropolitans.
THREE MOST IMPORTANT METS THIS SEASON
THREE MOST DISAPPOINTING PLAYERS
THREE MOST SURPRISING PLAYERS
THREE BEST STARTING PITCHERS
THREE BEST RELIEF PITCHERS
THREE BEST HITTERS
THREE WORST HITTERS
THREE BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYERS
THREE WORST DEFENSIVE PLAYERS
THREE BEST BASERUNNERS
THREE BEST CLUTCH PLAYERS
THREE WORST MINAYA DEALS
THREE BEST MINAYA DEALS
THREE WORST MINAYA MOVES
THREE BEST FREE AGENT SIGNINGS
THREE BEST ACQUISITIONS
THREE BEST GAMES THIS SEASON
THREE WORST GAMES THIS SEASON
THREE METS WHO NEED MORE PLAYING TIME
THREE WORST INJURIES
THREE INJURED METS MOST LIKELY TO HELP THE SECOND HALF
THREE MOST LIKELY TO NOT BE WITH METS IN 2010
THREE BEST METS PITCHING PROSPECTS
THREE BEST METS HITTING PROSPECTS
THREE MOST SURPRISING ITEMS
THREE BEST METS ANALYSTS
A couple of observations are necessary to set the table for the balance of this piece.
No doubt, the Mets most valuable player is Jose Reyes. Without Jose setting the table, creating havoc on the bases and showing his considerable range at shortstop, the Mets are just not the scary team that opponents have to tackle from the first pitch.
No doubt, the 80-pitch drills and emphasis on going to the opposite field has worked. In fact, it has worked so well that the power numbers have tumbled precipitously. Citi Field also has a say in the new approach to hitting. But the combination of the two has created a conundrum for the Mets' brass. High team batting average and woeful power production is tough to resolve.
And no doubt, there are some key players struggling to be consistent. The primary suspects in this regard are Daniel Murphy (OF was not clearly not his forte and while more comfortable at 1B, he is in a terrible slump), Ryan Church (should never have been taken out of the lineup when he was hot early) and Fernando Tatis (no lefties early meant no playing time). In the pitching department, Pelfrey and Maine have to find some level of consistency.
Making deals becomes a more complex endeavor each year.
The Mets are vulnerable to being taken over the coals. Their needs are great and the market is slim pickings.
While most of us would like to hold on to the two best hitting prospects (Fernando Martinez and Murphy) and two best pitching prospects (Brad Holt and Jon Niese)-if Minaya wants to deal-two or three of these guys has to be in the mix. Sure, there are others that can be put in the fold, but those are the gems. Second-tier prospects like Dillon Gee, Eddie Kunz and Nick Evans (if he actually retains such a designation) can be included, but will not get the job done without the cream. The only players the Mets can move from the active roster will be Ryan Church, Brian Stokes and perhaps John Maine, if he has a several strong starts before July 31.
What's a GM to do?
Well... let's consider all the relevant issues.
The Mets have to generate some power and bide time for Delgado to return. They are getting extremely deficient offensive production from 1B, LF and RF. Including Sheffield, Church, Murphy, Tatis, Reed, Pagan and F-Mart, the Mets have only 15 HR and 79 RBI from 1B and the corner OF spots sans Delgado (4 HR/23 RBI). As a comparison, there are a few players endeavoring at the corner positions, like Raul Ibanez (22/59), Jason Bay (17/64) and Mark Teixeira (20/54), who have similar stats to the Mets compliment of eight players sharing those responsibilities.
It sure seems that Jeremy Reed should at least be platooning at one of the corner OF spots. Sheffield is at best a platoon player at this point in his career. F-Mart shows some promise, but is clearly lacking power at this point in his young career. Platooning is fine as he learns how to play in The Show. The catching platoon of Schneider (a placeholder for Josh Thole, perhaps the most impressive hitter in the Mets system) and Omir Santos is above average. Alex Cora is a terrific middle infield/pseudo coach/role player.
From this observer's vantage point, holding on to F-Mart and Holt is imperative to a success quotient for the future.
So here are a couple of deals that might be able to get done:
Make a deal now with the Orioles for Aubrey Huff and Nolan Reimold. Likely, they could be obtained for Daniel Murphy and Nelson Figueroa. Huff would platoon with Tatis and Reimold with F-Mart. The Mets pick up a lefty and righty bat where they are needed. Granted, they are both lacking defensively, but adequate in a platoon with the complimentary player being a better fielder. While Murphy will likely be a very good pure hitter, there is some question about whether he can provide the requisite power for a first baseman, which appears to be a good position for the youngster.
The followup deal for late July could be John Maine, Jon Niese and Ryan Church for Roy Halliday. A prospect such as Gee, Kunz or Evans (if he comes around) could sweeten that deal for the Jays.
There is no short end of the stick here for anyone and all three teams should improve.
If the Mets can make one or both of these deals, have a healthy Reyes, Putz and Wagner for August and September, it might be a stretch run to remember fondly regardless of what happens with Delgado (not in the picture next year) and Perez (should return to form at some point).
And yet, we fight. To their credit, these 2009 Mets have showed me something. Every time I think we've hit rock bottom and can't recover, we do. Blow after blow, injury after injury, they keep working. They don't quit. They hang in there, they pick each other up and they keep battling. They don't make excuses, they don't blame each other, and most importantly, they've got each other's backs. Could this be the tough team we've all been waiting to see the last couple of years?
The problem is this is only one piece of the winning puzzle. As we all know, there are no moral victories in sports. I am glad we can hold our own against the "good" teams, given our situation, but we still have to be able to close the deal and win those games. What is so frustrating is that we work so hard to get a lead and play well, and then we literally hand the game back to the other team to win - they don't win it, we lose it. We still make that crucial error, that one bad pitch, that one mental mistake, that one base running blunder and the wheels start to come off and we can't close the deal. While we are fighting the other team, we are also fighting ourselves. We are still our own worst enemy, except for maybe the umps, but that's a post for another day.
The Mets have become adept at turning the page and moving on. They have the ability to do this. It is the only way they can get through a 162 game season. We fans only have the very bitter taste of the last two seasons that we haven't been able to move past. Their ability to do this will serve them well in the long run. As a Mets fan I have always come to expect the worst and I am rarely disappointed. Perhaps it is time that I try to move on from the disappointment of the last two seasons take this season for what it is -a tossup. Maybe everyone gets healthy and we play great baseball and we win. Or maybe we fall so far behind in the next month that we can't get back into the race. Who knows? I guess that's why sports are the best reality show around. I do know that we can't afford any more setbacks. I also know they are going to have to keep working and fighting. And unlike other teams, they must fight both their opponents and themselves. They always have to do things the hard way, don't they? They have earned my respect for hanging tough when it would've been a lot easier to fold. If we can translate this toughness into actual wins, we might actually have something here.
As always, the Mets are exasperating and emotionally exhausting. The late great Bob Murphy was right when he would tell us to "fasten our seatbelts". The Met rollercoaster of 2009 is not ending anytime soon. Hang on, if you're tough enough.
So, what's the real fan supposed to do with all the new information we are processing?
Sit back and take it all in stride because there ain't nothin' else you or Omar Minaya can do about it.
Should we listen to all the nut cases who want to deal from weakness and desperation? No way. Talkers talk because they have little insight.
A few observers, like the NY Times Ben Shpigel, are looking at the "BIG DEAL" of the past off-season, which looks a bit tilted to the Mariners since he left out Jeremy Reed out of the equation. He also left out a couple of low level minor leaguers that the Mets dealt away with Endy Chavez, Aaron Heilman, Joe Smith and Jason Vargas, who is pitching lights-out for the M's. Reed has been quite a revelation for the Mets and considerably better than the advance hype. In fact, Reed looks to this observer as a candidate for a regular spot in the outfield. He hits lefties (5 for 5 in his limited opportunities), can run balls down in the OF and has a reasonably good arm. More importantly, he plays all the OF spots well and can even play a credible 1B. No doubt, he is more of an extra base threat than Endy and is more than adequate defensively, though not quite Endy, who is as good as it gets. Not sure if the Mets gave up on Vargas or the M's wanted him, but he has a world of talent and is likely another one of those late-blooming lefties.
Face it, there is not much that can be done except sit back and enjoy seeing understudies, in the form of prospects and castaways, do the best they can under extenuating circumstances.
A look at the Mets roster reveals a pretty nice starting rotation, especially with a strong effort on Friday evening by Tim Redding. Maine is still weak from his recent bout with the flu. With the two lefties, Oliver Perez and Jon Niese, working through injuries and problems, neither is a real candidate for a trade and one or both could be a help during a stretch run. In order to pick up a Roy Halliday, Jake Peavy or Roy Oswalt, the Mets would have to unload Niese and Brad Holt (who is now their top pitching prospect) along with either Fernando Martinez or Daniel Murphy, plus a middle of the road prospect or two. Halliday will likely take Holt, Niese and Martinez. The others, perhaps a bit less. Peavy appears to be somewhat damaged goods and Oswalt is likely not going to be as effective as he was a few years ago. Trading the three top prospects for Halliday, the only reasonable scenario, is risky since it will strip the already depleted farm system. Would Omar trade Holt, Niese, Redding and Murphy and a couple of talented low minor leaguers for Peavy and Adrian Gonzales? Likely yes, but will Kevin Towers make that deal? If the Mets were to go out and get a frontline righty, where does that leave Perez and his $12 million annually?
The bullpen, while not quite as deep as expected, is very strong, with exceptional efforts being put forth by Frankie Rodriguez, Bobby Parnell, Pedro Feliciano and Brian Stokes. For the past 10 days or so, Sean Green can be added to that list. While Green sizes up as a ROGGY, he does seem to be putting together some quality stuff, with nice movement, that allows him to pitch to multiple batters and even multiple innings. Feliciano, his southpaw compliment, who rarely goes more than a frame, is challenged to face too many batters due to his workload, which includes warming-up. For lack of a better second LOGGY alternative, Ken Takahashi will likely stick around, although he is having trouble setting down left-handed hitters. Takahashi is, at best, a placeholder until Billy Wagner returns to the Mets pen in early August. At least that is the hope. Should Wags return come to pass, the Mets will have a unique lefty-righty tandem for the 7th and 8th Innings. Fernando Nieve will now have a chance to show his stuff, but if he doesn't, Minaya will reach out to Elmer Dessins, who is blowing batters away at AAA. There does not appear to be a better alternative for the bullpen than to stand pat, wait to see what happens with Wagner.
The infield may be of more concern than the outfield primarily due to the injuries to Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes. But for Met fans, there has to be some concern regarding the continued durability of Luis Castillo, who has really paid dividends this season with fine glove-work, timely hitting and clever base-running. Moving Murphy to 1B has turned out to be auspicious, as he is clearly a better natural infielder than outfielder. There is really little choice other than to have the game and talented Alex Cora share time with Wilson Valdez while Reyes mends. Tatis is an able platooner at the first sack and a terrific backup for David Wright.
The outfield is where the logjam has been created. It's a little puzzling to try to understand why F-Mart is trumping Jeremy Reed right now. Sheffield backing up both Reed and Church would get him in the lineup several days each week. Gary has clearly withered from overwork. Martinez has talent but still looks slightly overmatched at the plate and needs more seasoning in Buffalo.
Wasn't Ramon Castro was worth more than what the Mets got for him (plus they surrendered $1.3 million)?
Seems very likely that August will see the return of Reyes, Delgado, Wagner and perhaps Perez and Putz. If the Mets are can hang in there within five games of the Phillies, they can make it quite a final 60 days. If only one or two from that group returns and the Mets fall behind by more than seven games, the Phils will be tough to overcome, even with Lidge blowing saves.
Actually, mauled is more like it. I am hearing that we can't expect Jose back until the All-Star Break. Not to worry, his backup, Alex Cora, who can play at least 4 -5 times a week, is ready to play with a torn ligament in his thumb. Cora's backup, Ramon Martinez, is on the DL because he just had surgery on his broken pinkie finger. Have no fear, though, we have the backup to the backup, Wilson Valdez, and I'm sure we will hardly notice the difference between what he and Cora can produce combined and Jose.
The loss of Jose, combined with the myriad of other issues and injuries this team has right now presents the Mets with a major challenge. I would assume Omar has to do something or several somethings if we are to keep our heads above water in the divisional race. I'm not sure we have the chips to do what needs to be done, but this is why he earns the big bucks and I sit here and write posts. He needs to pull a rabbit out of his hat. And the Mets need to dig deep within themselves and keep fighting to stay alive. They can start by taking the series against the Nats and not hang their heads in the wake of this latest stake to the heart. The schedule gets tougher after they leave Washington so they had best get their minds right quickly and make their mental adjustments and any roster moves that need to be made.
So now you can all see what life without Jose looks like. I'm thinking it won't be pretty. I hope I'm wrong and that we do just great without our leadoff hitter. Anyone can bat leadoff and get on base. Who needs an excellent defensive shortstop with a great arm and great speed? Being strong up the middle is overrated anyway, right? Speed? Anyone can steal a base or two and drive a pitcher crazy. Spark an offense? Let another position player do that! Piece of cake.
So assuming we don't pick up another shortstop and we stick with Cora and Valdez, can we re-open the discussion of whether or not all you Reyes-haters still feel the same way after experiencing life without him? That's all I ask of you. And please remember how young Jose is. Just because he is a major leaguer does not mean he doesn't have things to learn and that he has reached his potential. I would prefer he be a Met when he does peak, as opposed to watching him be a superstar with another team.
This terrible series against the Pirates and all this bad injury news has given me a migraine. I guess I'm heading to the DL. At least I'll have plenty of company. OY.
We've wanted to see this team show some toughness. Well, we are seeing just that. It would have been so easy to fold the tents after that lousy half inning of "creative" baseball in Los Angeles. They were swept away in as ugly a baseball series as you will ever see. Lo and behold, they go into Boston, where they have had trouble playing before, and what do they do? They actually take the series. Who are these guys? Then they came home and did exactly what they needed to do and were supposed to do - fatten up on the soft part of the schedule and play well at home. Hopefully, they will continue to do so this week. I like that they are not using injuries or lack of experience as an excuse for losing.
Yet, people still complain. We Met fans want perfection. We want to win every game. Its baseball, folks. You can't win every game. We're doing this with smoke and mirrors. Can't we be thankful that we are doing more than drowning or even more than treading water? Have you guys checked the standings lately? Need I remind you that when you guys whine and complain that you sound more like Yankee fans than Met fans? We're doing fine. It's June 1st. We're more than surviving a rash of what could've been season-destroying injuries. I'm not saying I'm happy with Tim Redding, I'm not. I'm not saying that I'm not getting frustrated with J.J. Putz, I am. I am just trying to look at the big picture and I realize that May could've been so much worse.
I was ready to kill Omar for having us play short. I was yelling about our depleted farm system and what a disadvantage it is to play short in the National League. In hindsight, I probably would've hated it more had he made some dumb panicky move. There are plenty of gm's who would've done this to secure their jobs, if for no other reason. Omar, to his credit, was willing to let this play out and sit tight. Obviously, we don't know whether he got lucky or knew what he was doing, but it is working so far. Other teams would have held us up for a king's ransom, sensing our desperation, had we moved too soon. So, kudos to you Omar. I felt as most of you did on Saturday, that we did not have a shot to win the game with that lineup and Redding pitching. Honestly, though, what was Manuel to do? Wright was in desperate need of a day off. If he had played and struck out 4 times and made an error, we would've been all over him. Shefffield is 40 yrs old and we need to protect him a bit, since he is now our "power" guy. Beltran tried to gut it out (if you'll excuse the pun). One catcher cannot catch 162 games. These are our starters for now. Get used to it. Our starting pitching has kept us winning. If Redding had been decent, maybe we could've pulled it out. And while I'm on the subject of pitching, may I just say with all due respect to Billy Wagner, I don't miss you at all.
So, let's keep the faith people. Let's wrap everyone in bubble wrap, get out the Purell, look for another starting pitcher and hold our collective breath. The month of May could've been a lot worse.
I'm also keenly aware that a sports blogger can only describe what he or she is able to observe, and there are plenty of filters between our laptop and the team clubhouse. Even the regular beat writers, who get paid to peddle their thoughts, don't really know what goes on deep within the heart of a team. The best of the blogosphere make no such pretense, and claim no special insight. The 2009 Mets have not yet stirred my soul that much.
Finally, life's been happening while I've been making other plans. Work is crazy, life is crazy, and everything seems to be in a constant state of flux. We can all relate to that, I think.
Wednesday night, though, got me thinking about the new replay technology baseball's been using in an attempt to get it right. Their intentions are good, I'm sure, but there's something un-baseball-like about stopping the action four times in the last five Mets games to watch the game on TV. That kind of nonsense used to be reserved for the other sports. Not for baseball.
The umpires aren't at fault for using all the tools at their disposal to make the correct call. But it's kind of weird to have built the right field seats at Citi Field in such a way that it makes a home run call a crapshoot. Cookie-cutter ballparks are boring, and a unique layout is a great and necessary thing. But if every ball that hits those seats causes the game to grind to a halt, that's not good for baseball. Green Monster? Fine, there's a street behind the wall they didn't want to move. Lots of room in foul territory? A bowling alley's width between the lines and the seats? Whatever works for that park is cool. But important things, like "where does the wall end and the stands begin", should be more clearly defined.
For what it's worth, that bump in dead center field in Houston is a bad idea, too. Anyone who's played baseball at any level will tell you an uneven playing surface can be tricky at best, and dangerous at worst. I even remember some old ballpark that had stone monuments in center field. In fair territory! I don't know which idiot came up with that idea, but at least that stadium isn't around any more, thank goodness. You want a ballpark with originality and character, that's fine. But the umpires' difficult job shouldn't be made any tougher by stands that jut out over the playing field. Wednesday night's home run call went our way. But here's hoping those calls won't need to be made too often.
My beloved Metsies need some help right now and I'm not too proud to seek help when needed, where needed. I have allowed my mind to drift to a dark place in the last 4 games and Pete figuratively slapped me back to reality and told me I make him very angry when I tell him the season is over. He also tells me that it's a good thing that the Mets don't think like I do. He's right, of course. It still May and there is a lot of baseball to be played and it's not like we haven't had 4 game losing streaks before. The highs are too high and the lows are too low. I need to try to be more even keel and go with the flow - yeah right. A little help could never hurt though, no?
There is no way around this weekend, folks, if you love the Mets, you must be a Yankee fan till the Phillies leave the Bronx. I feel your pain, but in this case, the end does justify the means.
And let's try to collectively keep the faith that the team will again turn things around. Hopefully, the baseball gods have had their laugh and will move on and have their fun at some other team's expense. Have they forgotten what they put us through the last two seasons? Are they that heartless?? One last thought - after this weekend, as far as the Yankees go, all bets are off. Back to business as usual.
The talk radio pundits and even many (not all) in the blogging community fail to realize the extenuating circumstances that the Mets found themselves in upon arriving at Dodger Stadium.
An examination of fact from the 11 inning, 3-2 loss to the Blue reveals no less than five players playing out of position or brand new to the mix. Both Gary Sheffield and Angel Pagan, who manned LF, have hardly played 30 major league games in the OF since the beginning of the 2008 season. Jeremy Reed and Fernando Tatis have less than 20 combined major league games at 1B in their careers. Ramon Martinez, primarily a second sacker, had just flown cross-country only to be thrown into a major league game at SS.
What did any level-headed observer think was going to happen under the devastating circumstances of losing Carlos Delgado, perhaps forever, Alex Cora, for up to two months, and Jose Reyes, for the past five games (and counting)?
Did anyone in their right mind expect there would be no consequences from injuries to key players? Cora has done an outstandingly professional job wherever he was utilized during the past six weeks. He is there to understudy Reyes and Castillo in just such emergencies. But when the backup goes down, it is usually the death knell. Can Martinez really be expected to play perfect baseball after a transcontinental flight? His body clock was about midnight when he made his first error of the evening.
Jeremy Reed, after a couple of better-than-serviceable appearances at 1B was thrown into the fire in the last inning and rushed a pressure-packed throw wide to home. Reed is an outfielder who answered the call to the first sack.
Pagan and Beltran have not played a full game together in the OF in almost a year before last night.
But one overwhelming current factor that exists makes these rash of injuries more plausibly negative than they were before the mid- to late-1980s. Back when I was a kid, teams carried about 10 pitchers. A few carried as few as nine and even fewer carried 11. That meant there were 14-15 position players. Today, teams have roughly 13 position players. A few have only 12. And since most carry only two receivers, that means the backstop on the bench rarely makes an appearance when not catching. For all intents and purposes, the Mets have about 12 position players available at the beginning of any given game. With Reyes on the bench and not really available, it effectively left the Mets with only three players available off the bench.Talk about being ill-prepared?
As long as starters fail to pitch deep into the game, this situation will become more and more commonplace. Don't be surprised if the Mets finish the year with 13 hurlers and 12 position players.
MISSING IN ACTION (as of 5/19)
Billy Wagner (37)
Oliver Perez (28)
Carlos Delgado (36)
Alex Cora (33)
Brian Schneider (32)
MISSING THIRD
What happened to Ryan Church at 3B is somewhat less understandable than all the errors, but something is radically amiss in Metsville when the manager and best player both fail to come to his defense and say they have never seen anything like that before. What?
Clearly, there is a problem between Church and Manuel. One that is likely to move Church to a new address. But Church was hustling and certainly did not intend to miss the bag. A manager must defend his players and take negative issues up with them privately. Joe Torre is a master when it comes to defending and protecting his players. Jerry may have a method, but it is madness to call your player out to the media.
MISSING THE POINT
There were a few bright spots to take away from the past couple of contests.
Mets pitching was very good, especially the bullpen. Mike Pelfrey, for all his less-than-fancy footwork, pitched effectively and gave up only six hits and two earned runs. Ken Takahashi gave up one hit and he and Sean Green gave up no runs in two innings. In the Dodger Stadium opener, Tim Redding made a stellar debut, pitching six full and only yielding two runs on two hits. A five-man bullpen contingent pitched 4-1/3 and gave up only three hits and no earned runs. Brian Stokes, who was running it up to the dish as high as 97-mph, didn't deserve the loss.
Another bright spot was the offensive production of Angel Pagan, who has a nice stroke and tremendous speed. You can't go wrong with Pagan as a platoon or 4th outfielder. The question beckons: Can he do an adequate job defensively?
David Wright continues his torrid May and Ryan Church did go two for two before his misstep. Eight of the Mets 11 hits came from Pagan, Wright and Church.
MISSING THE BROADCAST
Tonight (Tuesday) is one of those weird nights here in Hawaii when the Dodgers are on over-the-air TV (KCAL9 in LA). Because Hawaii is considered Dodger territory, out-of-area Dodger games are blacked out. Therefore, on DirecTV MLB package ($139 annually), SNY is black tonight. I guess I should subscribe to MLB Premium (now $99 for the season). Not a bad deal to listen to Howie and Wayne on WFAN via MLB Audio ($14.95 annually). I love options, but subscribing to all three was not what I had in mind.
Mike's looking after his ill mom. We'll have another post at the conclusion of the Dodger series.
Early spring twinges in the left arm of Johan Santana led to absurdly out-of-proportion speculation. John Maine, rehabbing from shoulder surgery, wasn't pitching like his old self. Well, of course not. Sean Green looked unhittable.
Lets face it, trying to develop a team in NY is a nightmare. Critics abound and expertise is in short supply, or virtually non-existent when it comes to those who man the microphones of sports talk radio.
So, where are we after 1/5th of the season?
MOST SURPRISING POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT
It has to be Omir Santos. This 28-year old is showing significant defensive prowess along with some pop in his bat. Pitchers love to throw to receivers who are "quiet" behind the dish. Watch this guy carefully. Nothing moves but his hands. A rifle and accurate arm combines with the savvy of a veteran backstop. Put Omir in a reel with a bunch of other catchers, ask a panel of retired hurlers to watch and Santos will come out the favorite. That's what made Jerry Grote such a standout defensive player. Santos has a better bat and far more power. A little less obvious is that the emergence of Santos has made Ramon Castro expendable while he is still a valuable role player to a team in contention or to a team building a pitching staff. And with Josh Thole looking like a quality left-handed bat and backstop of the future, the Mets may also be able to unload Brian Schneider at the close of the season. A platoon of Thole and Santos may serve the Mets well for quite some time.
Honorable Mentions
Bobby Parnell has electric stuff and decent control. From what he has shown so far, he could become a great 8th inning setup guy or a quality starter. Not a bad start for Luis Castillo, who, if used wisely, could be a real cog in this wheel if he keeps it up with proper.
MOST SURPRISING NEGATIVE DEVELOPMENT
The struggles of Oliver Perez might not be that surprising, but considering what the Mets are paying him, it should be considered a tragedy of monumental proportion. No doubt, he should NOT have been pitching in the World Baseball Classic. Oliver is a head case who needs a full spring regiment and coach supervision. Allowing Nelson Figueroa to pitch in the WBC is fine. Any pitcher making big bucks should be banned from such a competition.
Dishonorable Mention
Sean Green may actually be the Sean Green of the second half of 2008. ROGGY at best.
BEST METS BENCH EVER?
Fernando Tatis
Always delivers something at the plate, gives 110% at all times, shows some speed, power and can play every position reasonably well. Nice reclamation project by Omar.
Alex Cora
Has all the tools and knows what he is doing in every situation. Plays all the infield positions well. Fine addition to the mix from an all-around standpoint.
Jeremy Reed
What's not to like about this guy? Gap power. Contact. Good glove and arm. A throw-in who adds depth.
Gary Sheffield
The jury's still out on this acquisition, but Sheff is still a feared right-handed bat and can play all the corners in a pinch. Something for nothing? We'll see.
PITCHING DEPTH
The Mets sport the greatest left-handed starter of the past decade and two very promising young right-handers in Pelfrey and Maine. Jon Niese has all the tools and Livan Hernandez has the heart and smarts. B+ to A- staff at the moment. There is also Tim Redding making some noise in his rehab and Perez, who can reemerge at any time. It also seems that Parnell could step up and plug a hole. And don't forget that Figueroa did a very nice job in his one starting appearance. So, the Mets are not really in bad shape when it comes to the arms race.
The bullpen is perhaps a bit better than most of us could have expected. K-Rod has pretty much been lights-out with an occasional scare. Putz has been OK to good, but not great in the 8th Inning. Feliciano is consistent against lefty bats and not so against righties. When will Jerry realize that he is one of the preeminent LOGGYs and nothing more? Parnell and Stokes have been very good and could perhaps be used a bit more frequently. Early glimpses of Ken Takahashi are impressive and, in case no one is noticing, Elmer Dessens has been mowing them down at Buffalo. Could there be a role for him in the near future? The only real problem out of the pen has been Green, who has been awful. Speculation is that his arm slot is off, but this is the same guy who struggled mightily in the second half of last year supposedly due to overwork. Green for Dessens is the call. And of course, Redding might be in the mix soon with Billy Wags now on the 90-day horizon.
MVPs
Carlos Beltran IS the player all of us assumed he always could be. Johan Santana is not only a great pitcher, but is a competitor extraordinaire. Francisco Rodriguez may have been the best buy of the off-season. However, Ollie was the worst.
THE FUTURE
In case no one has been paying attention, the Mets have five position players in their minor league system that are potential stars of the future. Fernando Martinez is playing solid ball at Buffalo. Wilmer Flores is a 17-year old phenom with power who is at least three years away. Josh Thole is the Mets catcher sometime in the next two years. Shawn Bowman is tearing it up for the B-Mets, while hitting for average and power with a decent glove. Who knows? Bowman could end up platooning at 1B with Murphy in 2010 or playing some 2B. No matter what, he could be a terrific right-handed utility player a la Wigginton. Lefty swinger Lucas Duda is also among a talented group of first-sackers in the Mets system. Keep your eyes on all of these studs on MiLB.com.
The arms are less clear, but in far greater numbers than the everyday players. Here is my current list:
THREE BIGGEST QUESTIONS
What to do with Ollie?
Will Castro, Green or Church be moved?
Can Billy Wags make it back for the last two months of the season?
THE TV EQUATION
No doubt that the MLB Network is Da Bomb. If you love baseball, you have to love the way the game is wrapped and featured on the new network. Terrific commentary from the baseball analysts like Harold Reynolds, Barry Larkin, Dan Plesac, Joe Magrane and Al (the Grimace) Leiter. Strong studio work from the rest of the cast. The mini-field demos in Studio 42 are a blast. Wish the same could be said of SNY, where the Mets games are the only high-quality product due to the profound talents of Bill Webb and Co. and a group of talented broadcasters in Gary, Keith, Ron and Kevin. Bobby Ojeda has not really been much better than Maz. There has to be a better analyst out there somewhere (or did MLB Network get them all?). The rest of SNY's sports programming features Talking (or more aptly--Shouting) Heads who do not not do it for this viewer. Nothing wrong with a show like Loudmouths, with two engaging NY personalities. But why mimic it on the other shows? Adding Joe Benigno to Daily News Live does not add to a discussion that features beat writers and print journalists. Enough with the radio talkers. If we want to hear their take, all we have to do is tune into their daily rants for 15 minutes. Except for Mets games and an occasional Loudmouths, SNY has lost this baseball lover to MLB Network.
I should clarify, though, and say that I wasn't necessarily expecting them to perform badly, as I often found myself doing earlier in the season. I thought they had turned the corner partway, but I think this club is capable of playing very good and very bad baseball. Moreover, either seems possible on any given day.
The 2006 Mets, starting to become a distant memory, was the last incantation of this club that I trusted to play sound baseball more often than not. They earned my trust by being both resilient and dependable over a period of time.
I guess last year's club was resilient, too, given all that they had to overcome from their bullpen, but that bullpen was the very reason that you couldn't trust them. It was never truer that a game was never over until the last out. Indeed it sometimes felt that the game wasn't over until my heartbeat went back to normal, which often didn't happen until halfway through the postgame show. Some of those wins were almost as tough as the losses.
The bullpen certainly is much less of a problem this year, but I don't have any solid read on this club yet. Even during the winning streak sloppy play injected itself at times, and I still feel that if the Mets are down even a run or two late they are very likely to lose the game.
Jerry Manuel has done some good things as a manager, but the longer I watch him the less impressed I am with his in-game management skills. He did a good job resurrecting this team last season, but I wonder if essentially any manager that wasn't Willie Randolph wouldn't have accomplished the same thing.
I think that, despite the nice week they just enjoyed, this Mets team is still at something of a crossroads. This season could still go either way. I guess that's why I have no clue what to expect tonight.
I'd like to have that feeling of trust in this team where I have confidence that they will put yesterday's bad game behind them and play a solid game tonight, but I really don't have any strong feeling what to expect from them tonight. They still seem to me a team that is equally capable of coming out strong or looking sloppy and lethargic. At least for this Mets fan the trust is not there yet.
| Jonathon Niese (1-0) | ||||||||||||
| Date | Opp. | IP | R | ER | H | K | BB | HR | ERA | WHIP | Team Result | Pitcher Result |
| 5/8 | PIT | 6 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3.00 | 1.17 | W | ND |
| May (1 Games) | 6 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3.00 | 1.17 | 1-0 | 0-0 | |
| Season (1 Games) | 6 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3.00 | 1.17 | 1-0 | 0-0 | |
| Month By Month | |||||||||||
| Month | Starts | IP/Start | H/9 | K/9 | BB/9 | HR/9 | ERA | AVG | OBP | SLG | |
| May | 1 | 6.0 | 10.5 | 7.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.00 | .292 | .292 | .333 | |
| Season | 1 | 6.0 | 10.5 | 7.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.00 | .292 | .292 | .333 | |
The Mets' first true series win of the season extends their winning streak to 7 and puts them four games over .500. Last year it took the Mets until July 10 to get 4 games over, in game 6 of an eventual 9-game streak.
This team still has some issues, but at least their winning the games they're supposed to win right now. They're taking advantage of the other team's mistakes and minimizing the damage from heir own -- something that was clearly not happening early on.
Livan Hernandez wasn't great, pitching out of trouble constantly. Still, he went 6 innings and only allowed a couple of runs. He's giving the Mets some innings and a chance to win most of his starts, and you really can't ask for much more than that from him.
[Note: This was posted May 11, 2009]
Jon Maine was fairly hard on himself after this one, but I was happy to see him pitch a game with only 2 walks. Although obviously still not at his best, Maine is starting to look like a dependable starter again.
For all of his early struggles, I find it impressive that opposing batters are only hitting .195 against him. Walks and the propensity for the real bad inning have hurt him so far, but I'm starting to feel a lot better about Maine.
Gary Sheffield is really doing a decent job in the outfield when he gets a start there. He's not hitting a ton yet, but has looked better at the plate. I'm still skeptical of his chances for success in this role, but not quite as much as I was.
[Note: This was posted May 11, 2009]