So the Mets have just come off of a 5-5 road trip which is actually good considering the events surrounding the games. First the Mets started off by winning 3 of 4 from the Giants. They then lost 3 straight to the Dodgers who hold the best record in baseball (and a spectacular home record). Then we won 2 of 3 from the Red Sox who also have a great home record. Now what is amazing (especially the Sox games) is that the Mets did this without their clean up hitter Delgado, their starting catcher Schnider (although Santos has been great), their number 4 starter Perez, and their lead off man Reyes. Also they lost superb backup Alex Cora to a torn ligament in his thumb.They lost Ryan Church to a hip and hamstring issue (which had been bothering him since spring training). Putz was dealing with shoulder soreness in the beginning of the trip. Beltran's knee started acting up and wasn't able to play the field against the Sox. K-Rod had back spasms that forced him to break down and go to a hospital immediately although he appears fine now. It is amazing that the Mets won the series against the Sox. They won against Dice-K and then Big Pelf stepped up against Beckett and both pitched great games but Omir came out the victor against Papelbon and some great defense from Wright, Martinez (who is also now hurt), and Castillo ended a great game.
Now the Mets have some issues to address heading forward. With Church likely to go on the DL (which he should) should the Mets call up top prospect Fernando Martinez (who is playing great so far in AAA despite being 20) and play him everyday? Or do the Mets call up Willy Mo Pena for some much needed power with Delgado and Church being out? Or should the Mets make a trade for someone such as Nick Johnson or Jermaine Dye? I love Johnson but think Dye would be a better fit because he may come cheaper and the Mets could keep Murphy at first rather than moving him back to LF. The pitching has been solid with Santana continuing to be Santana and Big Pelf being very solid (despite some yips that caused balks) especially when his secondary pitches were working like they were against the Sox. Maine seems to be coming around while Redding and Hernandez are pitching well enough. Perez was pitching in some simulated games and pitched pretty well and normal. He stuck out a lot and walked alot. Vintage Perez. Hopefully Sean Green can figure out whats wrong and come around. Hopefully Putz and K-Rod can get and stay healthy. Hopefully Parnell continues to be awesome (he hit a career high 100mph on the radar gun Saturday against the Sox by the way). I remain cautiously optomistic because of what I saw against the Sox this weekend. The Mets never gave up and played some good baseball (despite some errors and poor pitching Sunday).
Monday, May 25, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
Appreciate What We Have
I want to take this time to appreciate a couple of Mets: one who never gets the credit he deserves and one who usually does but it took some time last year for Met fans to warm up to him. I'm of course talking about Carlos Beltran and Johan Santana.
Carlos Beltran has been spectacular not only this year but for his entire career as a Met with the exception of 2005 where he still played fantastic defense. In Beltran we may have the best CF in baseball. You can argue all you want about CF's who do things better than Beltran but there is not one out there who does everything as well as Beltran. Does Hamilton hit for more power than Beltran? Does Carlos Gomez play better defense? Does Ichiro hit for a higher average than Beltran? Yes they all do. However Beltran is one of the truly underappreciated players in the game today. He plays like a superstar and doesn't get the credit for it. He is a real 5-tool player. He hits for power and a decent average. He plays fantastic defense in the outfield and has a great arm. He has good speed and is a smart base running (all time leader in SB success rate). Beltran makes everything he does look easy especially playing the outfield. He is a quiet guy but wants to win. At first I was not a fan of Beltran but now he has become one of my favorite players. He is underrated by Met fans and does not deserve to be seeing as he excels at every aspect of the game. This year he has been one of the best hitters in the league hitting .383. While that is not going to stay that high as shown by a ridiculous .430 BABIP. Beltran could be on his way to have a monster year.
The other Met who was at first underappreciated is none other than Johan Santana. Santana is spectacular. Arguably the best pitcher in baseball. This year he has a remarkable 6 game start to the year with a K/9 at 12.25, an identical WHIP and ERA standing at .91, and only a 4-1 record. Since last July Santana has been unstoppable even after getting knee surgery in the offseason. Another scary part is that Santana's opposition's BABIP is .275, not far off from his career .286 mark. Santana has been ridiculous and rightfully won NL Pitcher of the Month for April. Santana could be on his way to the one of the best seasons by a Mets pitcher (although Seaver's '69 and Gooden's '85 will be hard to top). Thank you Omar for bringing him in which is now looking like a steal for the Mets even though there is still time for the youngsters in the Twins organization to bloom. There has been talk about the Mets rotation being bad behind Santana. However lately everyone outside how Oliver Perez has been doing their part with solid outings from Livan, Maine, and Big Pelf. Niese will get a start tonight against the Pirates and Redding's return on the horizon. Things are looking up for the rotation especially if Ollie's DL trip sets him straight.
Carlos Beltran has been spectacular not only this year but for his entire career as a Met with the exception of 2005 where he still played fantastic defense. In Beltran we may have the best CF in baseball. You can argue all you want about CF's who do things better than Beltran but there is not one out there who does everything as well as Beltran. Does Hamilton hit for more power than Beltran? Does Carlos Gomez play better defense? Does Ichiro hit for a higher average than Beltran? Yes they all do. However Beltran is one of the truly underappreciated players in the game today. He plays like a superstar and doesn't get the credit for it. He is a real 5-tool player. He hits for power and a decent average. He plays fantastic defense in the outfield and has a great arm. He has good speed and is a smart base running (all time leader in SB success rate). Beltran makes everything he does look easy especially playing the outfield. He is a quiet guy but wants to win. At first I was not a fan of Beltran but now he has become one of my favorite players. He is underrated by Met fans and does not deserve to be seeing as he excels at every aspect of the game. This year he has been one of the best hitters in the league hitting .383. While that is not going to stay that high as shown by a ridiculous .430 BABIP. Beltran could be on his way to have a monster year.
The other Met who was at first underappreciated is none other than Johan Santana. Santana is spectacular. Arguably the best pitcher in baseball. This year he has a remarkable 6 game start to the year with a K/9 at 12.25, an identical WHIP and ERA standing at .91, and only a 4-1 record. Since last July Santana has been unstoppable even after getting knee surgery in the offseason. Another scary part is that Santana's opposition's BABIP is .275, not far off from his career .286 mark. Santana has been ridiculous and rightfully won NL Pitcher of the Month for April. Santana could be on his way to the one of the best seasons by a Mets pitcher (although Seaver's '69 and Gooden's '85 will be hard to top). Thank you Omar for bringing him in which is now looking like a steal for the Mets even though there is still time for the youngsters in the Twins organization to bloom. There has been talk about the Mets rotation being bad behind Santana. However lately everyone outside how Oliver Perez has been doing their part with solid outings from Livan, Maine, and Big Pelf. Niese will get a start tonight against the Pirates and Redding's return on the horizon. Things are looking up for the rotation especially if Ollie's DL trip sets him straight.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Perez
Oliver Perez was first demoted to the bullpen but now he is being put on the 15 day DL with patella tendinitis. Hopefully, he can return from the injury strong and hopefully live up the potential he has flashed at times in his career. The Mets will call up Jon Niese to start Friday. He is not pitching well at AAA but I can't say I dislike the move. It will be good to get him some more innings versus MLB clubs but in no way do I think he is ready to be on the MLB club full time. He still needs time to develop in AAA. I probably would have called up Figueroa but I can't say this is necesarily a bad move.
Update: I actually was not thinking when I originally wrote this article. Calling up Niese is a good move because he doesn't have to be put through waivers to go back tot he minors unlike Figgy.
Update: I actually was not thinking when I originally wrote this article. Calling up Niese is a good move because he doesn't have to be put through waivers to go back tot he minors unlike Figgy.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Peavy
Right now the Mets are not playing great baseball. They have been decent their last 5 games, winning 3 of them. The biggest concern with the Mets is probably their rotation. If I were Omar I would get on the phone with Kevin Towers, Padres GM, and try to work out a deal for Peavy. Yes, Peavy does have a no-trade clause and can dictate if he wants to come to the Mets or not. If Peavy wants to win it would be smart to accept a trade to the Mets. This also wouldn't be a rental player for the Mets because Peavy is signed through 2012 with an option for 2013. He is making $11 this year, $15 million next year, $16 million in 2011, $17 mil in 2012, and $22 in 2013 if the club picks up the option (or $4 mil buy out). The Mets would probably have to give up Fernando Martinez and Jon Niese along with some other players (Flores, Marte, maybe even Dan Murphy). Would the Mets farm system be depleted? Yes, but in my eyes it is worth it because of what we are recieving in return. The Mets would have the deadliest 1-2 punch in baseball in both their rotation and bullpen in Johan, Peavy, Putz and K-Rod. It would take pressure off of Perez and Maine, both of whose biggest problem is their own mind. With Peavy, the Mets could have the best rotation in baseball depending on how Pelfry's arm holds up, if Ollie can reach his potential, and if Maine can build off of his last start versus the Marlins. The Mets time to win is now and Peavy could be the piece that puts us over the top. Plus he is having a not so great season so we maybe able to get him for a bit cheaper than usual. Win now while Beltran and Johan are in their prime and before Delgado's production falls off.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Redding, Church, LOB, and Pitching
So in about 10 days Tim Redding will be ready to come back from the DL and join the major league club. The question is where will he be put? He could be the long man out of the pen or the 5th starter. If he goes to the pen who will be cut? Parnell has options so he can be sent to the minors without chance of losing him but he has been good so far and has become one of Manuel's favorites out of the pen. The logical choice would be Casey Fossum who has not done well at all for the major league club and almost cost them Figureoa. However he is the only other lefty out of the pen besides Feliciano. I would cut Fossum and hope he doesn't get claimed off of waivers. The other option would be to cut Livan and have Redding take over as the 5th starter, or cut Fossum and move Livan to the pen to be the long man which could make sense because Livan has been solid the first few innings and then blows up. The Mets could also try to send Ollie to the minors although he would have to accept the assignment. Ollie has had one good start and 3 bad ones. He needs to turn it around.
Ryan Church has been everything the Mets could have asked for this year. He has had the most pressure put on him from a roster POV. From Manuel claiming Murphy would be the regular LF and Church may lose playing time, to singing Sheffield and Willy Mo Pena. Church has responded well by playing his usual good defense, and hitting well (.358 BA). Manuel however continues to bench him against lefties in place of Tatis (who is one of my favorites) and Sheff (who I'm begining to like a little bit more) . I understand the need to have Tatis and Sheff getting at bats but I think Church has showed he should be in the line up everyday. If you want to get Sheff and Church at bats bench Delgado (who could use a day off because he has been slumping lately) and Murphy and put Sheff and Tatis in. I love Church and think he has done everything we could have asked and is the main reason the trade is looking more and more like a success.
The Mets have done a terrible job at hitting with men on base. The Mets should be doing much better than their record shows. They have several players hitting over .300, with Beltran and Castillo being 1 and 2 in hitting in the league. They will eventually start to hit with men on base but it is a serious problem now. They are putting too much pressure on themselves in these situations.
The Mets other problem is their starting rotation. Santana has been absolutely amazing. He is leading the league in ERA and has just been fantastic. Maine had a rough opening to the season but should come back around and has had a solid outing last game. Pelfry pitched good yesterday but was terrible earlier in the year when dealing with his tendonitis. I don't think he'll be as good as the Mets expected this year. I like Big Pelf alot and think he will eventually be a very good number 2 possibly even number 1 pitcher, just not yet. Livan has been ok and actually better than expected. He pitches good early in the games and then falls apart which has also been Ollie's problem. Ollie has been terrible. He pitched one good game against the Padres and has been terrible otherwise, usually beeing good early in the game then falling apart around the fifth inning. I think he will turn it around but his velocity is down and he needs to make some changes because he can't continue pitching like this.
The one truly bright spot is the bullpen. The Mets pen has been spectacular and should continue to be throughout the year. The Mets for the first time in history have a power pen with Parnell, Stokes, K-Rod, and Putz all bringing the mid-90's heat. Putz's velocity has been down a little bit but I think it'll be back soon. Feliciano hasn't been great but he should get a little bit better. Fossum hasn't been good and I would have liked to see Figuroea stay as the long man after his decent start. I'm really glad he came back after the way the Mets screwed up by cutting him for Fossum. I love Figgy and he'll be good as depth for the rotation/bullpen. Redding will be back soon which will strenghten the bullpen. The Mets will definitely be playing better the rest of th year and won't continue playing as poorly has they have.
Ryan Church has been everything the Mets could have asked for this year. He has had the most pressure put on him from a roster POV. From Manuel claiming Murphy would be the regular LF and Church may lose playing time, to singing Sheffield and Willy Mo Pena. Church has responded well by playing his usual good defense, and hitting well (.358 BA). Manuel however continues to bench him against lefties in place of Tatis (who is one of my favorites) and Sheff (who I'm begining to like a little bit more) . I understand the need to have Tatis and Sheff getting at bats but I think Church has showed he should be in the line up everyday. If you want to get Sheff and Church at bats bench Delgado (who could use a day off because he has been slumping lately) and Murphy and put Sheff and Tatis in. I love Church and think he has done everything we could have asked and is the main reason the trade is looking more and more like a success.
The Mets have done a terrible job at hitting with men on base. The Mets should be doing much better than their record shows. They have several players hitting over .300, with Beltran and Castillo being 1 and 2 in hitting in the league. They will eventually start to hit with men on base but it is a serious problem now. They are putting too much pressure on themselves in these situations.
The Mets other problem is their starting rotation. Santana has been absolutely amazing. He is leading the league in ERA and has just been fantastic. Maine had a rough opening to the season but should come back around and has had a solid outing last game. Pelfry pitched good yesterday but was terrible earlier in the year when dealing with his tendonitis. I don't think he'll be as good as the Mets expected this year. I like Big Pelf alot and think he will eventually be a very good number 2 possibly even number 1 pitcher, just not yet. Livan has been ok and actually better than expected. He pitches good early in the games and then falls apart which has also been Ollie's problem. Ollie has been terrible. He pitched one good game against the Padres and has been terrible otherwise, usually beeing good early in the game then falling apart around the fifth inning. I think he will turn it around but his velocity is down and he needs to make some changes because he can't continue pitching like this.
The one truly bright spot is the bullpen. The Mets pen has been spectacular and should continue to be throughout the year. The Mets for the first time in history have a power pen with Parnell, Stokes, K-Rod, and Putz all bringing the mid-90's heat. Putz's velocity has been down a little bit but I think it'll be back soon. Feliciano hasn't been great but he should get a little bit better. Fossum hasn't been good and I would have liked to see Figuroea stay as the long man after his decent start. I'm really glad he came back after the way the Mets screwed up by cutting him for Fossum. I love Figgy and he'll be good as depth for the rotation/bullpen. Redding will be back soon which will strenghten the bullpen. The Mets will definitely be playing better the rest of th year and won't continue playing as poorly has they have.
Monday, April 20, 2009
WILLY MO!!!!
The Mets signed Willy Mo Pena to a minor league contract. I love Willy Mo since he was playing on the Staten Island Yankees. This is a good low risk/high reward type of move because Willy Mo is still young and has tremendous power.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Figueroa's DFA and Fossum's Up
Nelson Figueroa was designated for assignment today after pitching a decent game in place of Pelfrey. The Mets called up Casey Fossum to replace Figueroa. Fossum was once a top prospect but never panned out. He's a lefty starter who will be used out of the bullpen. I love Figueroa but it makes sense to bring up Fossum because he has more upside and is another lefty to compliment Feliciano.
O'Day Gone and Figueroa's Back
With the news that Mike Pelfrey has tendinitis in arm and will thus be skipped today in the rotation, Nelson Figueroa will be called up to take his spot in the rotation and Darren O'Day will be placed on Rule V waivers, which means if no team claims him he must be offered back to the Angels. I liked O'Day and would have put Pelfrey on the DL instead. However it looks like he will be able to make his next start. I love Nelson Figueroa so I cannot be too upset about the move, especially since he will be the long man out of the bullpen for those days when Bad Ollie shows up. The Mets rotation is clearly the biggest question mark this season. Will Oliver Perez live up to his potential? Will John Maine get back on track after his minor surgery in the offseason? Will Pelfrey live up to his potential and avoid the "Verducci Effect"? Will Livan Hernandez stay solid or will he go back to the guy who had an ERA over 6 last year? Will Johan Santana continue to be absolutely amazing? I am optimistic about the rotation when it comes to Johan, Maine, and Ollie. Pelfrey I am not as optimistic about for this year. I actually love Pelfrey but I dont think he will have as good of a year as everyone expects. I think he will be a very good pitcher in a year or two but I don't think that year is now. Let's hope I'm wrong.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Sheff is a Met
The Mets signed Gary Sheffield yesterday. Sheff was released by the Tigers earlier in the week. I personally hate Sheff more than any player with the exception of Roger Clemens. However this may not be that bad of a move. He was signed for the league minimum which means it won't be a problem to cut him. He is a right handed power bat off the bench which is exactly what the Mets needed. As long as Sheff's personality doens't cause too much turmoil in the clubhouse then I think this move could turn out to be a pretty decent one. The signing will probably end Marlon Anderson's time with the Mets which I have mixed feelings about. He was terrible last year but he was also battling injuries the whole year. I had high hopes for him because I do really like him but he was a bad fielder and a left handed bat without a lot of power. He was however a great clubhouse figure and a good leader. Hopefully Sheff's onfield prescence can overcome Anderson's off field prescence. Also, Sheff going for his 500th HR may bring some more fans into the stands from the Wilpons' point of view.
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