Well the Mets lost in dramatic fashion today and for the second year in a row will not make the postseason. I am obviously very upset and pissed off right now but thinking about the season as a whole, I can't be too upset. I mean it is amazing that we got this far considering all that has happened. We missed the post season by 1 game again this year but it was a good chase. I enjoyed it. I mean look at what has happened to this team and tell me they didn't do good considering. First all the drama with the firing of Willie and Peterson had to effect the players in a negative way. It was a huge distraction for everyone on the team.
Second, the injuries. The Mets lost their number 5 starter for the whole year in El Duqe. Their number 2 starter, Maine, missed a good amount of time and when he did pitch did it with bone spurs in his elbow. Number 4 starter, Pedro, was hurt all season and dealt with the death of his father. He was never able to get into a consistent groove. They lost their starting right fielder Church for half the season and was not able to perform when he did come back. They lost one of the best closers in the game for a significant amount of time. We also lost our starting left fielder Alou for the whole season (except 15 games or so). We lost our fourth outfielder Angel Pagan for most of the season. We also lost Fernando Tatis down the stretch. We lost groundball pitcher Wise at the start of the season. Luis Castillo missed significant playing time and played hurt when he was playing. Both starting catchers, Schnider and Castro, both missed significant time due to injuries. Beltran and Delgado both had surgery in the offseason which can be attributed to their slow starts. 2b Easley got hurt down the stretch. We also lost Trot Nixon to injury. Chavez and Marlon Anderson also missed time due to injuries. 3 of our backup SP lost time due to injuries in J. Vargas, C. Vargas, and Armas. Also consider that Aaron Heilman pitched the whole year with tendonitis which was probably a big factor as to why he sucked. Duaner Sancehz also was pitching for the first time in a year and half since having his pitching shoulder separated.
If I were to tell you way back in April that the Mets would lose all of these guys, chances are you would have probably said the Mets would finish sub-.500 for the year. Yet they didn't. They came within a game of the postseason. It was an exciting season with an amazingly interesting finish to the season. Goodbye Shea Stadium and the 2008 Mets. So Mets fans we'll just have to wait until next year again.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
NEW WRITERS WANTED!!!
OK here's my master plan. I want to get some other writers in order to spread the popularity of the blog. My goal would be to get fans (people who actually know what they're talking about) to write about their favorite team. I know there's some Red Sox and Yankees fans reading my shit so if you would like you can write for this blog. Of course any other teams' fans are also welcome to write as well, I just don't know many people who like other teams... This is just an idea right now and I could end up saying screw everyone else its my blog but if you want let me know and most likely you'll be able to write.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Maine out of the Bullpen?
UPDATE 9/25: Reports are now indicating that Maine will not be used for the rest of the year.
Today John Maine is expected to be activated today from the DL and is expected to be used out of the bullpen. I'm not really sure how I feel about this move. On one hand Maine is effective and helps us get to and through the playoffs I can't say much against it. On the other hand however Maine could have been shut down several weeks ago and had the surgery to remove the bone spurs from his elbow. Doctors have said that pitching now will not further damage the elbow but Maine will be pitching with pain. I probably would have shut Maine down earlier when he first was put on the DL and had him have the surgery then because it would have allowed him more rehab time. Also, Maine is a competitor and he has said that he wants to go out there and pitch because it is fustrating to just sit there and cheer on the team without having a real effect on the games. I have a cautious optimism about this move and we'll see how it turn out....
Today John Maine is expected to be activated today from the DL and is expected to be used out of the bullpen. I'm not really sure how I feel about this move. On one hand Maine is effective and helps us get to and through the playoffs I can't say much against it. On the other hand however Maine could have been shut down several weeks ago and had the surgery to remove the bone spurs from his elbow. Doctors have said that pitching now will not further damage the elbow but Maine will be pitching with pain. I probably would have shut Maine down earlier when he first was put on the DL and had him have the surgery then because it would have allowed him more rehab time. Also, Maine is a competitor and he has said that he wants to go out there and pitch because it is fustrating to just sit there and cheer on the team without having a real effect on the games. I have a cautious optimism about this move and we'll see how it turn out....
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Lucky Charms 9/22/08
- The Red Sox clinched their playoff spot tonight with their win against Cliff Lee and the Indians. I'm personally pissed because I have tickets to tomorrow night's game and was really hoping to see the clincher.
- The Mets have reportedly singed Omar Minaya to a 4 year extension. I think this is a very good move. Minaya has turned this organization around. The Mets have very good players now and have a lot of talent in the lower levels of the minors. The Mets are and will be a good team for some time to come under the rule of Omar.
- Santana stepped up tonight to beat the Cubs 6-2 by throwing a career-high 125 pitches in 8 innings of 2 run ball. Things got dicey in the 9th with Feliciano coming in and getting one out but allowing 2 men to reach base. Luis Ayala came in and got the save.
- The Phillies lost tonight putting the Mets 1 1/2 games behind the Phillies. The Brewers beat the Pirates and are 1 game behind the Mets.
- Santana is amazing and will not get nearly enough conisderation for the Cy Young award. Barring an terrible outing by Lincecum, Santana should finish 2nd in the voting but probably won't. More on this subject to come.
Mets Retired Numbers
The Red Sox will retire Johnny Pesky's number Friday before the Sox start their final series of the season against the Yankees. They are breaking their rules for retiring numbers for Pesky. The rules for a Red Sox number to be retired are this :that he is in the Hall of Fame, that he ended his career with the club, and that he played at least 10 seasons for the Red Sox. Johnny Pesky is not in the Hall of Fame. This got me thinking about the number of numbers the Mets have retired. There is 42 which is universally retired for Jackie Robinson, 41 for Tom "The Franchise" Seaver, 14 for Gil Hodges, and 37 for Casey Stengel. That means only 3 Mets have had their numbers retired. Only 3 Mets have had their numbers retired. Also, there is no system in place that has requirements for one's number to be retired. So why haven't more Mets numbers been retired?
First we'll look at the 3 who have had their numbers retired. Tom Seaver without a doubt deserves it. He afterall was nicknamed "the Franchise." He is the only player who is in the Hall of Fame as a Met and is one of the best pitchers of all time. Gil Hodges was one of the original 1962 Mets. He also came back in 1968 to manage the Mets and a year later managed the 1969 Miracle Mets to a World Series Championship. The '69 Mets are without a doubt one of the best Cinderella stories in baseball. Casey Stengel was the first manager in Mets history and does not merit much of a reason to have his number retired other than that.
Now lets look at players who should possibly have their number retired. Number 17 Keith "Mex" Hernandez, although his best years may have been with the Cardinals, has been one of the most important Mets of all time. He was the first captain in Mets history and he helped lead the Mets in 1986 to their second World Series Championship. He is agruably the best defensive first baseman of all time and he has won an MVP and finished in the top 5 several other times. Not only was he a fan favorite and a key to the dominant Mets teams of the late 80's. Keith has also been important to the Mets even after he ended his career as a player. He has been the Mets color announcer for years and is one of the best broadcasters in the game today. He is also in the Mets Hall of Fame.
The other Met from the 80's whose number many Met fans call to have retired is number 8, Gary "Kid" Carter. Gary Carter, as well as Hernandez, was a main part of the '86 World Championship team. Carter is in the Mets Hall of Fame as well as the MLB Hall of Fame. He requested being inducted to the Hall of Fame as half Met and half an Expo. When his request was denied he asked to be inducted as a Met because that was where he won his only World Sereies Championship. Carter's request was denied because he only played 5 years as a Met as opposed to 12 as an Expo and his years as an Expo were the ones that earned his induction. After his retirement as a player, he worked with the Mets organization and was managing a minor league team in the Mets system. Carter was the second Mets captain and was co-captain with Keith Hernandez in '88 and Hernandez and Mookie Wilson in '89. Carter is one of the best catchers of all time and arguably the best overall catcher the Mets ever had.
The final player whose number should be retired is future Hall of Famer, number 31 Mike Piazza. Mike Piazza was traded from the Dodgers to the Marlins and from the Marlins to the Mets within a week in May of 1998. Piazza was great with the Mets and the Mets only missed the playoffs by one game in '98. The Mets made the playoffs in '99 and the World Series in 2000. Piazza also hit one of the most memorable home runs in history in 2001 in the first game played in NY after 9/11. With the rival Braves up 2-1 in the bottom of the 8th, Piazza hit a go ahead, game winning 2 run HR. This HR mean so much for the whole city of NY because it came only 10 days after tragedy struck the city on 9/11. Piazza is the best offensive catcher of all time and although he didn't have a good arm, he was known for calling a good game. Piazza passed Carlton Fisk for most home runs as a catcher on May 5, 2004 with his 352nd as a catcher. Piazza meant so much to the Met organization and should be inducted to the Hall of Fame as a Met, not a Dodger. Piazza is arguably the most popular Met of all time and his number 31 should be retired.
The Mets should retire Piazza's 31, Hernandez's 17, and Carter's 8. I definitely belive that the Mets should retire Piazza and Hernandez's nubmers and am indifferent about Carter's. Citi Field should have at least 6 (and possibly 7) numbers retired within the next few years: 42, 41, 14, 37, 17, 31, and 7.
First we'll look at the 3 who have had their numbers retired. Tom Seaver without a doubt deserves it. He afterall was nicknamed "the Franchise." He is the only player who is in the Hall of Fame as a Met and is one of the best pitchers of all time. Gil Hodges was one of the original 1962 Mets. He also came back in 1968 to manage the Mets and a year later managed the 1969 Miracle Mets to a World Series Championship. The '69 Mets are without a doubt one of the best Cinderella stories in baseball. Casey Stengel was the first manager in Mets history and does not merit much of a reason to have his number retired other than that.
Now lets look at players who should possibly have their number retired. Number 17 Keith "Mex" Hernandez, although his best years may have been with the Cardinals, has been one of the most important Mets of all time. He was the first captain in Mets history and he helped lead the Mets in 1986 to their second World Series Championship. He is agruably the best defensive first baseman of all time and he has won an MVP and finished in the top 5 several other times. Not only was he a fan favorite and a key to the dominant Mets teams of the late 80's. Keith has also been important to the Mets even after he ended his career as a player. He has been the Mets color announcer for years and is one of the best broadcasters in the game today. He is also in the Mets Hall of Fame.
The other Met from the 80's whose number many Met fans call to have retired is number 8, Gary "Kid" Carter. Gary Carter, as well as Hernandez, was a main part of the '86 World Championship team. Carter is in the Mets Hall of Fame as well as the MLB Hall of Fame. He requested being inducted to the Hall of Fame as half Met and half an Expo. When his request was denied he asked to be inducted as a Met because that was where he won his only World Sereies Championship. Carter's request was denied because he only played 5 years as a Met as opposed to 12 as an Expo and his years as an Expo were the ones that earned his induction. After his retirement as a player, he worked with the Mets organization and was managing a minor league team in the Mets system. Carter was the second Mets captain and was co-captain with Keith Hernandez in '88 and Hernandez and Mookie Wilson in '89. Carter is one of the best catchers of all time and arguably the best overall catcher the Mets ever had.
The final player whose number should be retired is future Hall of Famer, number 31 Mike Piazza. Mike Piazza was traded from the Dodgers to the Marlins and from the Marlins to the Mets within a week in May of 1998. Piazza was great with the Mets and the Mets only missed the playoffs by one game in '98. The Mets made the playoffs in '99 and the World Series in 2000. Piazza also hit one of the most memorable home runs in history in 2001 in the first game played in NY after 9/11. With the rival Braves up 2-1 in the bottom of the 8th, Piazza hit a go ahead, game winning 2 run HR. This HR mean so much for the whole city of NY because it came only 10 days after tragedy struck the city on 9/11. Piazza is the best offensive catcher of all time and although he didn't have a good arm, he was known for calling a good game. Piazza passed Carlton Fisk for most home runs as a catcher on May 5, 2004 with his 352nd as a catcher. Piazza meant so much to the Met organization and should be inducted to the Hall of Fame as a Met, not a Dodger. Piazza is arguably the most popular Met of all time and his number 31 should be retired.
The Mets should retire Piazza's 31, Hernandez's 17, and Carter's 8. I definitely belive that the Mets should retire Piazza and Hernandez's nubmers and am indifferent about Carter's. Citi Field should have at least 6 (and possibly 7) numbers retired within the next few years: 42, 41, 14, 37, 17, 31, and 7.
Monday, September 22, 2008
The Bullpen
The Mets bullpen has been terrible. They've blown 29 saves this year. Yes, 29. Think about that. The Mets record today is 86-69. If the bullpen had not blown even HALF of those games, the Mets would be 100-55. That would give them the best record in baseball with 7 games left to play. Yet the Mets do not have the best record in baseball. They are in 2nd place in the NL East and leading the Wild Card race. The Mets are 1 game back of the Phillies in the loss column and 2 games up on the Brewers in the loss column. This pen is a long way away from the bullpen of 2006, arguably the best in the league. The Billy Wagner injury was an obvious devestation for the Mets bullpen. Here is my take on what I would have done with the bullpen.
If I were Jerry Manuel and Omar Minaya, I would have made several differnt decisions regarding the bullpen. First off lets start with which relievers we have. The only thing different I would have done in regards to the bullpen is called up Kunz on Septemeber 1. This would have given the Mets two young live arms in the bullpen in Kunz and Parnell. Now on to if I were Manuel. If I were Jerry Manuel, I would have done several things differently. First off, I would have used the call-ups more frequently and given the main guys (Smith, Schoeneweis, Heilman, Sanchez, and Feliciano) more days off. These guys have been over used and nearly all of them are among the league leaders in appearances out of the bullpen. I would have used Al Reyes, Parnell, and Kunz more often and in better situations. Reyes was a closer last year for the Rays and Kunz was a minor league closer this year. I have however liked Ayala as the closer because he has done a solid job, except for that game against the Braves, but it couldn't hurt of course to try one of those guys out as well.
There are many Mets fans calling for the death of Aaron Heilman and with good reason. He has been either terrible or great this year, mostly the former. I think he is being effected alot more by the tendonitis than he is willing to admit. This is a huge problem because he does have a good arm with good stuff and has proven to be an effective set-up man. The last thing that you want to do with a guy with tendonitis is over use him and that is exactly what has happened. I think the Mets would be making a mistake to trade him this off-season beause he will not get the market value he deserves. He does deserve some of the shit he gets from Mets fans but I personally hate booing people on the team I am a fan of because it does nothing but harm. It gets in some players heads and makes them ineffective. Should they be able to deal with it? Definitely. But not everyone does.
The Mets bullpen is in crisis mode and that is mainly due to overuse by Jerry Manuel. He is running the bullpen like Willie Randolph was, going to the same guys over and over again despite poor results. I think Manuel has done a little bit better job at handling the bullpen than Randolph but still too much of the same.
UPDATE!: I just read this article over at ESPN.com NL East Race being decided by relief pitching
If I were Jerry Manuel and Omar Minaya, I would have made several differnt decisions regarding the bullpen. First off lets start with which relievers we have. The only thing different I would have done in regards to the bullpen is called up Kunz on Septemeber 1. This would have given the Mets two young live arms in the bullpen in Kunz and Parnell. Now on to if I were Manuel. If I were Jerry Manuel, I would have done several things differently. First off, I would have used the call-ups more frequently and given the main guys (Smith, Schoeneweis, Heilman, Sanchez, and Feliciano) more days off. These guys have been over used and nearly all of them are among the league leaders in appearances out of the bullpen. I would have used Al Reyes, Parnell, and Kunz more often and in better situations. Reyes was a closer last year for the Rays and Kunz was a minor league closer this year. I have however liked Ayala as the closer because he has done a solid job, except for that game against the Braves, but it couldn't hurt of course to try one of those guys out as well.
There are many Mets fans calling for the death of Aaron Heilman and with good reason. He has been either terrible or great this year, mostly the former. I think he is being effected alot more by the tendonitis than he is willing to admit. This is a huge problem because he does have a good arm with good stuff and has proven to be an effective set-up man. The last thing that you want to do with a guy with tendonitis is over use him and that is exactly what has happened. I think the Mets would be making a mistake to trade him this off-season beause he will not get the market value he deserves. He does deserve some of the shit he gets from Mets fans but I personally hate booing people on the team I am a fan of because it does nothing but harm. It gets in some players heads and makes them ineffective. Should they be able to deal with it? Definitely. But not everyone does.
The Mets bullpen is in crisis mode and that is mainly due to overuse by Jerry Manuel. He is running the bullpen like Willie Randolph was, going to the same guys over and over again despite poor results. I think Manuel has done a little bit better job at handling the bullpen than Randolph but still too much of the same.
UPDATE!: I just read this article over at ESPN.com NL East Race being decided by relief pitching
Saturday, September 20, 2008
The Youngsters: Murphy and Evans
By request I am doing an article on the youngsters Murphy and Evans. I already posted on Niese. I am pretty tired while writing this so sorry for the less than spectacular depth.
Dan Muprhy- He is a 23 year old whose position in the future right now is uncertain. He plays 1b, 2b, 3b, and LF. It looks as if the Mets will try to turn him into an everyday 2b which would be great because his bat would be above average at the position. Murphy has been described as a"professional hitter" and looks to me like a Kevin Youkilis type of hitter. He is very patient and works deep into counts. He will hit for a pretty good average around .290 with decent power. Murphy is known for his hard work ethic, which has and should continue to make him a popular player. He has been great for the Mets this year and his stats for this year look like this as of 9/16:
Dan Muprhy- He is a 23 year old whose position in the future right now is uncertain. He plays 1b, 2b, 3b, and LF. It looks as if the Mets will try to turn him into an everyday 2b which would be great because his bat would be above average at the position. Murphy has been described as a"professional hitter" and looks to me like a Kevin Youkilis type of hitter. He is very patient and works deep into counts. He will hit for a pretty good average around .290 with decent power. Murphy is known for his hard work ethic, which has and should continue to make him a popular player. He has been great for the Mets this year and his stats for this year look like this as of 9/16:
MLB: .360/.448/.528, 7 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 15 BB, 16 K – 89 AB, 37 G
AA: .308/.374/.496, 26 2B, 3B, 13 HR, 39 BB, 46 K – 357 AB, 95 G
Nick Evans: He is a 22 year old who is a 1b/LF/RF. He is mainly a 1b and is said to be a very good firstbaseman defensively. Evans has been overshadowed by his good friend and fellow rookie Dan Murphy. However Evans has been very good as well as Murphy. When he was first called up, he was overmatched but has been very productive as of late. The biggest problem with Evans is facing righties. Look at his splits this year.
AA (Binghamton) | |||||||||||
|
| AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | AB | ||||||
| Vs. LHP | .366 | .438 | .699 | 1.137 | 93 | ||||||
| Vs. RHP | .286 | .330 | .498 | .828 | 203 | ||||||
| MLB | |||||
|
| AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | AB |
| Vs. LHP | .338 | .386 | .508 | .893 | 65 |
| Vs. RHP | .143 | .158 | .200 | .358 | 35 |
Unless Evans can better learn how to hit righties, he will be relegated to platoon duty starting against only lefties. He does however crush lefties as shown by his stats above. Evans has potential to be an above average 1b or corner outfielder. Here are his stats for this year as of 9/16.
MLB: .270/.305/.400, 10 2B, 1 HR, 6 BB, 22 K – 100 AB, 43 G
AA: .311/.365/.561, 18 2B, 7 3B, 14 HR, 26 BB, 64 K – 296 AB, 75 G
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Pedro- Mistake or Great Signing?
In the offseason after the 2004 season, Omar Minaya, GM of the NY Mets, signed Pedro Martinez to a 4-year, $53 million dollar deal. There is no denying Pedro in his prime was one of, if not the, best pitcher of all time. However let's take a look at his time as a Met. In 2005, his first year with theMets, Martinez posted a 15-8 record with a 2.82 ERA, 208 strikeouts, and a league-leading 0.95 WHIP. Since that time Pedro has been plagued with injuries and has pitched only 46 games in the past 3 years (most of them pitching while injured). There is no denying that since 2006 Pedro has been merely a shell of his former self. He has put up ERA's of 4.48, 2.57 (5 games), and 5.47(season is not over yet). This is obviously not good at all and not worth the money he is getting. This brings up to the main question: (which may obviously change is Pedro is very effective for the rest of the seeason and helps the Mets to a World Series Championship) Was the Pedro signing a mistake for the Mets?
Based purely on the numbers the answer is no. He had a great year in 2005 and posted a better ERA and WHIP than Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter. However since then his injuries have caused him to miss significant time and for the most part be ineffective when he did pitch. But who would say paying $53 million for 1 great year and 3 years (not full seasons) of poor pitching is a great singing? The answer is me.
Pedro Martinez's signing was a great signing for several reasons. The first reason being his influence on other players on the team. He is one of the smartest pitchers in the game and was able to pass on knowledge to other pitchers on the team which helped them develop. He also is a great clubhouse guy and always seems to be smiling and joking around.
The second reason being that that signing showed other players in the MLB that the Mets were serious about winning which allowed them to go out and sign players like Billy Wagner, Moises Alou, and the best CF in baseball, Carlos Beltran. I also have the gut feeling that if the Mets were not serious about winning, Johan Santana probably would not have approved a trade to come here.
The third and arguably the most important reason being the influence on the international market. Pedro is a huge figure in Latin American countries, especially in his native country of Dominican Replublic. A short list of some of the international signings the Mets have made since the Pedro signing: Fernando Martinez, Deolis Guerra, Wilmer Flores, Francisco Pena, Ruben Tejada, Jefry Marte, and Ceaser Puello. Many Mets fan and non-Mets fans alike may not recognize any of these names outside of Fernando Martinez. All of these players are under the age of 20 with tons of potential. These players turned down much more lucrative deals from other teams to sign with the Mets. This is the "Pedro Effect." Deolis Guerra was one of the four prospects dealt to the Twins for Santana. Fernando Martinez is the Mets number 1 prospect. Wilmer Flores, in some people's view, has even overcome Fernando as the top prospect. These players are young with tons of upside and could become star players in the future. These players also could be dealt in trades for impact players. The Mets are so high on some of these players they have refused to include them in deals for players like Santana.
Pedro Martinez's signing was a great one.
Based purely on the numbers the answer is no. He had a great year in 2005 and posted a better ERA and WHIP than Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter. However since then his injuries have caused him to miss significant time and for the most part be ineffective when he did pitch. But who would say paying $53 million for 1 great year and 3 years (not full seasons) of poor pitching is a great singing? The answer is me.
Pedro Martinez's signing was a great signing for several reasons. The first reason being his influence on other players on the team. He is one of the smartest pitchers in the game and was able to pass on knowledge to other pitchers on the team which helped them develop. He also is a great clubhouse guy and always seems to be smiling and joking around.
The second reason being that that signing showed other players in the MLB that the Mets were serious about winning which allowed them to go out and sign players like Billy Wagner, Moises Alou, and the best CF in baseball, Carlos Beltran. I also have the gut feeling that if the Mets were not serious about winning, Johan Santana probably would not have approved a trade to come here.
The third and arguably the most important reason being the influence on the international market. Pedro is a huge figure in Latin American countries, especially in his native country of Dominican Replublic. A short list of some of the international signings the Mets have made since the Pedro signing: Fernando Martinez, Deolis Guerra, Wilmer Flores, Francisco Pena, Ruben Tejada, Jefry Marte, and Ceaser Puello. Many Mets fan and non-Mets fans alike may not recognize any of these names outside of Fernando Martinez. All of these players are under the age of 20 with tons of potential. These players turned down much more lucrative deals from other teams to sign with the Mets. This is the "Pedro Effect." Deolis Guerra was one of the four prospects dealt to the Twins for Santana. Fernando Martinez is the Mets number 1 prospect. Wilmer Flores, in some people's view, has even overcome Fernando as the top prospect. These players are young with tons of upside and could become star players in the future. These players also could be dealt in trades for impact players. The Mets are so high on some of these players they have refused to include them in deals for players like Santana.
Pedro Martinez's signing was a great one.
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