Global Mets Blog

The Fall of A Star

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Lavan) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 07:29:00 +0000

The dream has ended for the Mets. It's sad since that dream did not really get a chance to blossom. But with the waiving of once highly touted prospect Fernando Martinez, the organization can finally move past what has become a pipe dream.

Signed by Omar Minaya back in 2005 at the age of 16, Fernando was seen as the next great thing, twice being listed as the organization's top prospect by Baseball America. But ever since that point his status within the organization has been on the decline. After an outstanding 2008 season in which he split time between rookie ball and the AA team (hitting .292 and an OPS of .785 along with 8 HR and 43 RBI in 90 games), his skills began to diminish noticeably. Martinez was finally called up during mid-season but was unimpressive during his short 29 game stint in the majors. In 100 plate appearances, Fernando hit just .176 and an .517 OPS with 1 home run and 8 runs batted in. His minor league statistics fared much better (.290 batting average, .877 OPS 8 homers but just 28 RBI's in only 45 games).

Injuries truly began to catch up with Martinez in the 2010 season. Again making a very brief appearance in the majors (only 7 games), he simply could not stay on the field on a consistent basis, and was unimpressive when he was, compiling a .254 batting average with an OPS of .765.

2011 wasn't much better for the former can't miss prospect. Again he missed significant time with a combination of injuries, including a right hamstring strain which has caused him to miss a total of 64 games over the course of three seasons. Hitting .260 and notching a rather mediocre .746 OPS combined with another 8 home runs and 30 RBI's.

It is upsetting to see someone who is still so very young be cut loose without any compensation but because of the chronic injuries and the reported arthritic knees, the move should come as no surprise to Met fans who simply grew tired of waiting for the former blue chip prospect. His talent is still there but there is simply no question that the brightest star in organization has fallen.

UPDATE:
On Wednesday, January 11th Fernando was claimed by the Houston Astros.

My Mets 2011-2012 Offseason Wishlist

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Lavan) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 04:32:00 +0000

After another disappointing season for the New York Mets, it is time to continue the rebuilding process in an effort to get better. In order to do so, I believe that the Mets must make these moves during the offseason.

Priority #1: Re-sign Jose Reyes

Coming off a season in which he had the best year of his career (.337 average, .384 on base %, .493 slugging) including the first batting title ever for the Mets, this task will prove difficult but the injury risk will likely scare some teams away from signing him to what has been deemed "Carl Crawford money". I personally believe that there are really only three teams that will truly be in the Reyes hunt. Those teams will be the Mets, Milwaukee, and to a lesser extent the Angels. I think an offer of 5 years 85 million (averages to about 17 per year) is the max contract that should be offered to him. Anything over that I am willing to part ways.

Priority #2: Improve starting rotation

Our starting rotation should be improved with the return of Johan Santana, who outside of wins and strikeouts had a better year statistically than CC Sabathia in 2010, but I personally believe it is time to cut bait with Mike Pelfrey. He is simply too inconsistent from year to year. Many thought that coming off a much improved 2010 season Pelfrey had turned a corner. It turned out not to be the case. Pelfrey's 2011 season was marred by inconsistency. A 7-13 record a 4.74 ERA a batting average against of .286 and a WHIP of 1.47. To fix this problem I wouldn't mind seeing Chris Capuano coming back but if that is not the case I personally wouldn't mind seeing, Paul Malhom, Edwin Jackson or Scott Kazmir come in to be the back of the rotation pitcher. Also keep an eye on Adam Wainwright. He has a $10 million vesting option for next season which may not be picked up. If he becomes available he should immediately jump to the top of the pitching list.

Priority #3 Improve bullpen

While most of our pitchers did pitch well our bullpen needs to be completely revamped. With the closer spot open and Bobby Parnell proven to be ineffective I think that our short list of relievers should include Matt Capps. He is only 28 years old (Jonathan Broxton is the only other closer available under 30). Last year Capps was ineffective but in his split time between Washington and Minnesota in 2010 he went 5-3 with a 2.47 ERA, a .265 average against, and a 1.26 WHIP.

I think those moves would certainly would improve the team and with the surplus of young pitching that we have I see us at least in contention next year. Look for Matt Harvey or Jeurys Familia to come up at some point during the year next season if they continue on the path that they are on. If the Mets do lose out on Reyes, look for Ruben Tejada to fill the leadoff role nicely.

The Making of Lets Go Mets Go!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Peters) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 18:11:00 +0000

I came across this documentary which looks at the making of the greatest music video ever created. You have to click the "watch the entire film for free" button to view the entire video.

Why Trading Away Francisco Rodriguez is a Good Thing

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Lavan) — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 20:30:00 +0000

After a long day at work on Tuesday, I come home only to hear that closer Francisco Rodriguez has been traded away to the Milwaukee Brewers. My initial thoughts consisted of "Why would we do that? We're still in the Wild Card hunt." and "Uh-oh, here comes the fire sale." But after a few days of thinking about the deal, it actually makes sense. Here's why.

With Jose Reyes becoming a free agent and given the current financial situation that the team is in, the Mets could not afford (literally and figuratively) to pick up the option of $17.5 million if he had finished 55 games this season. Having already finished 34 games, it seemed in all likelihood that the option would be picked up and the Mets would lose Reyes.

Reyes has become invaluable to this team in what could possibly be an MVP type season. Hitting .354 with 30 stolen bases, 15 triples, an on base percentage of just under .400 (.398) [that's a good thing], and slugging a shade under .530 (.529) Reyes will likely land a big contract somewhere including with the Mets now that there is no worry of K-Rod reaching his mark.

With the contracts of Rodriguez, Oliver Perez, Luis Castillo and Carlos Beltran all coming off the books, the organization can make a legitimate offer to Reyes.

But, the risk with that comes with this trade is that the bullpen becomes unsettled with no roles set for players like Bobby Parnell, Pedro Beato, Ryota Igarashi, and Jason Isringhausen. This could mean that the team falls out of contention and the fire sale begins. This is something that no fan ever wants to see. If that happens then the already slim turnout at Citi Field will become an empty cavern.

The K-Rod trade makes sense, but it will not be worth it if there is no payoff.

All Star Break - Reflections On The First Half

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Peters) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 04:36:00 +0000

I think that in the first half of the season the Mets basically did what they needed to do to remain competitive in the second half and possibly make a playoff run. After starting out 5-13, they spent most of April and May trying to fight back to .500, and have basically hovered at or around .500 ever since. They’re going into the break at 46-45.

They were of course plagued by injuries to guys like David Wright, Ike Davis, Johan Santana and Chris Young which probably should have marked the end of their season, and probably should have placed the Mets 15 games under .500 at this point, but thanks to some unexpectedly good play from guys like Dillon Gee, Justin Turner, and Daniel Murphy combined with the MVP numbers of Jose Reyes and quality pitching from Chris Capuano, Jon Niese and R.A. Dickey, the Mets were able to stay afloat (unlike the Marlins who went 5-23 during the month of June). Taking into account the low expectations coming into the season and the injuries I think that Met fans have to be pretty happy with the first half of the season. If they can get David Wright, Ike Davis and Johan Santana back healthy in the second half, the Mets could be a good candidate for a team to make a late season run for the wild card. If it looks like those guys aren’t going to come back and produce like we expect them to, then the Mets should work on trading at least Beltran and K-Rod and anyone else that might bring back some talent or help dump salary.

Last season the Mets were 8 games over .500 at the All Star break and things were looking great… they finished a pathetic 79-83, so obviously it could go south in the second half like last year, but to me this team has shown that they are not the same team as last year, they fight back late in games, they get hits with runners in scoring position and two outs and the pitching is much improved. In either case, I'm looking forward to the second half of the Mets season this year.

The Reason for Jason Bay's struggles

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Lavan) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 01:06:00 +0000

So far in the 2011 season Jason Bay has been a shell of his former self. Many people are wondering why that is. It seems people are stumped that someone once so good can be this bad. I have a theory about his struggles. I believe that Bay is still suffering some of the after effects from his concussion suffered last year.

For those who need reminding, this is what happened against the Dodgers last July, http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=10206385. Although he remained in the game for five more innings, Bay did not return for the rest of the season.

What makes me believe that Bay is still suffering from Post Concussion syndrome is that his day and night splits are drastically different. In 26 night games and 94 AB's Bay a batting average of .160, an on base percentage of .243, and slugging just .213 with 10 runs scored 15 hits 1 home run 7 RBI's 10 walks 25 strikeouts and 2 stolen bases.

In just 13 day games and 46 AB's Bay has less strikeouts, about the same amount of runs scored, walked, hits, and stolen bases with a way higher average, on base percentage and slugging percentage with .304 .429 and .416 respectively. Now those numbers alone hint at my theory but what confirms this is Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Mourneau has the same issue. After his concussion Morneau has struggled to return to his potential MVP form this season. Morneau's day/night splits also hint at the lingering affects of a concussion. One explanation for this happening is that after a concussion, the bright stadium lights make it difficult to see and can cause headaches for those who have suffered a concussion. With the fluorescent lights, which shine brighter than natural light, it is not hard to see that this is possible.

It is difficult to know whether or not Bay will return to his old form this season, if ever. But with this "discovery" I urge fellow Met fans to be patient and let Bay try to find himself.

The Best Moment from the Mets Opening Day Loss

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Peters) — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 19:27:00 +0000

Did anyone catch this "mistake" by SNY at the end of last night's Mets game?

As many of you will instantly realize, that "opening day and here's the first pitch" audio clip was taken from this now infamous Family Guy episode...

Unbelievable... at least it was cut off before the "and the season's over" part played...

The Rise and Fall of Oliver Perez

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Lavan) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 18:12:00 +0000

Today officially marks the end of an era. Or as some would call it, an error as the Mets have officially released Oliver Perez from the team. Having failed to live up to his 36 million dollar 3 year contract, this result certainly was not unexpected. But it is sad to think about what once was for the Mexican Titanic, as he is referred to by some.

Perez first arrived here in New York 4 1/2 years ago in a deal that brought back Roberto Hernandez to the Mets in exchange for Xavier Nady. He came very much unpolished but with a lot of potential. He was wild, and could barely get anyone out (sound

familiar?) but with a blazing fastball, and a wicked slider and curve, many batters were prone to striking out against the lefty.

Making his Mets debut on August 26 of that season, he struggled in his first two starts before pitching a complete game shutout in the second

game of a double-header against Atlanta on September 6th. Having only expected to pitch in the regular season, Perez was called upon to pitch Game 4 of the NLCS against St. Louis where he earned his first (and only) post season win, despite giving up five runs in 5 1/3 innings. After Steve Trachsel's horrendous performance in Game 3 (what turned out to be his last ever start for the Mets), Perez was called upon to pitch in Game 7. Having

pitched brilliantly for 5 1/3 innings he allowed Jim Edmonds to get on base, then came a moment that shall live on in Met lore.

The next season Ollie won 15 games and had a 3.56 ERA, which led many to believe that he was starting to turn a corner towards consistency. In the 2008 season Perez struggled early in the season, but after the midnight massacre of Willie Randolph and his staff, Ollie performed much better after tweaking his wind-up to more of a bowing motion. After failing to escape the 5th inning in his second to last start, Perez was tapped to pitch what would turn out to be the last ever game at Shea. He went 5 1/3 innings allowing 2 runs in the process. Making many fans including myself feel as though he had turned a corner as was ready to become more consistent.

In 2009 after signing his big contract Perez failed to live up to expectations, going 3-4 with a 6.82 ERA and often struggling with velocity and control allowing 58 walks in 66 innings. 2010

faired no better for Ollie. On May 15th he was sent to the bullpen after refusing to be sent to the minors despite his poor play. June 5th he was put on the 15 day DL with an injury to his right knee. With some people claiming it was a ploy by the team to have Perez sent away, after this the league investigated and declared it was legitimate. From July 21st on he made just six more appearances all in relief including the final game of the 2010 regular season where he walked in the game winning run in the 14th inning.

Ollie may be seen as a complete and total failure by many fans. But but we shouldn't forget those moments that made us think about what could have been.

Can You Hear the Drums Fernando?

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Monaco) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 01:25:00 +0000

Fernando Martinez catches a lot of flack from Mets fans... I've heard comments about how he is "finished" or he was never that good to begin with. Frankly all these fans are dead wrong, this looks to be a BIG breakout year for Fernando. Martinez, who just turned 22, is on the same level as your average college senior, and if a recently drafted college senior slugged a respectable .455 at AAA the baseball world would be in a tizzy over him. In 116 games in AAA, Fernando has hit 20 home runs, slugged .490 and has an OPS over .810. Fernando has shown there has been no hiccups in his development, just nagging injuries that have slowed his rapid ascent but have not robbed him of his talent in the least bit. Fernando is still a 5 tool prospect who has immense power potential and while his speed has not necessarily translated to stolen bases he is a smart base runner with a good quick burst. To all the naysayers...Fernando's 2010 was very similar to Colby Rasmus' 2008 when he was just 21 with similar minor league experience. Mets' fans, I implore you not to give up on Fernando, before he ends up like Carlos Gonzalez.

Introducing the New Regime

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Lavan) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 03:36:00 +0000

With the announcement of Terry Collins as the new manager on Sunday the new regime was completed. With Sandy Alderson leading the charge and Paul DePodesta along with JP Riccardi in the background we should see a rise in the team relatively soon. I for one am not a fan of Collins (Melvin was my choice) I am certainly glad it is not Wally Backman. Having only held a Major League job for less than a week due to personal issues, one can only imagine what other skeletons would come out of the closet if he were to be named manager.

Collins makes sense for this team. While his record isn't as flashy as some would like (10 games above .500), many within the organization are big fans of him. While he is no spring chicken at the age of 62, Collins is considered by many to be energetic and a likable personality. While that doesn't exactly win games, his former position of Minor League Coordinator should help with the young players on this squad.

Alderson seems to know what he's doing. After building the 1980's Oakland A's and after the change in ownership, Alderson drafted two of the "Big Three" and set the table for what has become a cultural phenomenon that is Moneyball. What will become of the team is unknown at this point. But I sure am liking the direction that it's heading in.

The Mythical Blame Game (Part 1 of 3).

noreply@blogger.com (Jayson A.) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 08:29:00 +0000

We as Mets fans obviously live and die with every pitch. And it's very much appreciated. However, some of the things I've been hearing lately are just downright outlandish. I could write (or Wright if you really wanna be Mets based with the lingo) a friggin novel on this but I'll try to keep this brief since people's attention spans are as short as Jerry Manuel's patience with bullpen personnel.

1) Carlos Beltran- I notice that fans are putting the blame on his return to the lineup to the current slump we are in. Let's face it though, the ENTIRE offense is in a slump. Even before the dreaded west-coast swing, we had a 6 game homestand against the Reds and Braves and went 2-4. The only games we won were two Santana 3-0 shutouts he pitched. In the four losses the Mets scored a combined 9 runs with 6 of them coming in one game. I read things about how Beltran doesn't care or he brings the entire team's clubhouse down...which is absolutely ludicrous. How was he doing in 2006-2008 when he totaled 101 HR and 340 RBI? All fans want to remember him for was that strike 3 looking at Adam Wainwright. Yes it's heartbreaking...but looking back at it: would you really expect a ROOKIE pitcher to throw that SICK curve on an 0-2 count with the bases loaded, 2 outs IN A GAME 7??? That took serious guts. That NLCS by the way he hit 3HR, 4RBI and batted .296/.387 OBP
He isn't batting well whatsoever right now, it's plain as black and white. But why does someone like him get lashed at, when there is a player whom everyone seems to have a crush on who historically cannot light a candle to Beltran...

2) Jeff Francoeur- Okay, it's an upgrade to a player who barely plays anymore (Ryan Church). He has 11 HRs on the season and 7 of which have either tied or given the Mets the lead. He comes to play everyday. He played on a broken hand even though the Mets were WAY out of contention last year. He's got a cannon at RF. Grit. Determination. Clutch. Except he's really not. He's one of those players in which you see he'll do some great things every now and then because he's streaky. Remember how hot he started in April? That's a distant memory now. He is 15 for 89 since July 1st. Granted, the 3 HRs he has in that time span have been timely- and I'm even venturing to bet that people will thank him for winning Tuesday's game because he pinch-ran. His ability to get runners in scoring position to score is an absolute joke. His splits: .212 BA/.303 OBP/.313 SLG/.616 OPS. You compare that to Jason Bay who gets the ire of Mets' fans as well and he's Ruthian in comparison: .271 BA/.338 OBP/.448 SLG/.826 SLG. And yes, those aren't great numbers for someone you're giving the big bucks too- but you're also asking Bay to protect guys like Francoeur and Barajas/Blanco/Thole in the lineup (prior to injury). And he's not batting behind Pujols unlike that Matt Holliday guy (more on him another time).

And so on.

Mets First-Half Awards.

noreply@blogger.com (Jayson A.) — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 17:48:00 +0000

Heading into the All-Star Break, the Mets find themselves in a good position. At 48-40, they are 4 games back of the NL East leading Atlanta Braves and a game back of the Wild Card leading Colorado Rockies. A 2-4 homestand to conclude the first half against NL contenders Cincinnati & Atlanta was a bit of a setback; but those two wins were both Johan Santana shutouts. The team is playing better than what most of the prognosticators had them at the beginning of the season (80-82) and that's been aided by some players who have produced more than we could have imagined. With that being said:

MVP: David Wright. This is a no-brainer...even though I read on some boards that it should be Angel Pagan. Wright has gotten a lot of flack for his strikeouts (his 97 is 6th most in MLB) but that easily balances out with his 102 hits, .314 BA/.392 OBP/.924 OPS, 14 HR/65 RBI/15 SB performance. The reigning NL Player of the Month has been integral in the team's "surprising" first half success and has done a superb job covering for rookie Ike Davis who bats behind him- giving Ike more pitches to hit.

MIP (most improved player): Angel Pagan. Pagan at times had shown flashes of brilliance; but that was overshadowed by consistent injuries & boneheaded decision making. However he has for the most part remained healthy, played much smarter baseball and is having by far the best year of his MLB career- far exceeding expectations filling in for Carlos Beltran at centerfield. Nobody knows if he will be able to keep with his .315 BA/.372 OBP/6 HR/40 RBI/19 SB performance because he hasn't played more than 88 games in a season but right now with Beltran returning; he suddenly finds himself no longer being the guy many considered to be the odd-man out in the OF platoon. He's also the reason why the Gary Matthews Jr. experiment bombed.

Blessing in Disguise: Daniel Murphy's knee injuries. Slated to be the Mets' opening day starter in 2010 at 1st base, Murphy twisted his knee in Spring Training on a run-down play. This forced Jerry Manuel to go with a platoon of Mike Jacobs and Fernando Tatis at first base to begin the season. With that being a fail for the ages- Ike Davis was called up from Triple-A Buffalo and while he was slated as the 1st baseman of the future; we didn't expect him to be the 1st baseman of the now. While rehabbing from the twisted knee, Murphy re-injured it and has been shelved for the rest of this season. It was a good run but with the way Davis has been playing; Murphy's time as a starter on the Mets are likely to be over even when he does return next season.

Most Important Resurgence: Mike Pelfrey. After a disappointing campaign last year in which he went 10-12 with a 5.03 ERA/1.51 WHIP/.289 BAA, I personally thought to myself that this young gun NEEDED to find himself in 2010 because it had been apparent that most of the younger pitchers around his age (Lincecum, Gallardo among others) had done so. Well, outside of the final three starts of the first half Pelfrey has answered the call. He already has equaled his 2009 win total and even has a save to his record in the 20 inning marathon in St. Louis. He has also lowered his ERA significantly (3.58) although his WHIP (1.44) and BAA (.276) are still causes of concern heading into the 2nd half. Still though, when the Mets needed to stop the bleeding, Pelfrey was there as the band-aid with 7 of his wins coming after a Mets loss.

Guy to Come Out of Nowhere: R.A. Dickey. With the Mexican Titanic (Oliver Perez) and John Maine ineffective prior to being placed on the DL, the 35 year old journeyman was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo and has been way more effective than anyone could have imagined. Mixing in one of the hardest knuckleballers ever seen in MLB with a mid-80s fastball has worked wonders for him, befuddling hitters to the tune of 6-2 with a 2.77 ERA/1.31 WHIP/.263 BAA. Everyone is wondering if and when the other shoe is going to drop...but that doubt decreases after every start. With him and Jonathon Niese holding down the back of the rotation admirably; the Mets would find themselves in boiling water without these two but particularly without Dickey's efforts.

If there's anything else I left out or if you have differing opinions, lemme hear em. And so on.

Mustrash Talk

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Peters) — Tue, 11 May 2010 18:09:00 +0000

Obviously I'm a big fan of Keith Hernandez both during his playing days and now that he's in the booth.

But somehow I didn't know this existed... Bloomberg Sports has a series of clips featuring Keith trash talking about fantasy baseball... it's pretty sweet.

Here's just one of the many great clips...

Batting Reyes Third

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Peters) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 04:58:00 +0000

There is talk that Jerry Manuel will attempt to use Jose Reyes in the three hole in the beginning of the season at least until Carlos Beltran returns from the DL.

Jose is one of the best lead off hitters in the game. As I have documented before, as Jose Reyes goes, so go the Mets. Personally I think Reyes is best suited to leading off, getting on base, and causing havoc on the base paths, batting him third can only mean that in a good situation, other runners ahead of him will prevent him from stealing bases. That being said, I think I understand Jerry's logic.

The way the lineup looks with Reyes batting first is a mess. Assume you bat Reyes first and the combination of Wright and Bay in the 3-4 slot or the 4-5 slot. In those cases the Mets will have to either bat...
1) Luis Castillo, Angel Pagan, or Daniel Murphy in the 3 hole, or
2) Daniel Murphy or Jeff Francoeur in the 5 hole.
both options are bad.

Reyes
Castillo/Pagan/Murphy
Castillo/Pagan/Murphy
Wright
Bay
Francoeur
Castillo/Pagan/Murphy
Catcher
Pitcher

Reyes
Castillo/Pagan/Murphy
Wright/Bay
Wright/Bay
Francoeur/Murphy
Francoeur/Pagan
Castillo/Pagan
Catcher
Pitcher

If you slide Reyes down to number 3, then you lead off with Castillo and Pagan 1-2, Reyes third, and bat Wright/Bay in the 4-5 spot, you can then put Francoeur in at 6, Murphy at 7 the catcher and pitcher at 8 and 9.

Castillo
Pagan
Reyes
Wright/Bay
Wright/Bay
Francoeur
Murphy
Catcher
Pitcher

The other benefit of this is to lead the game with three switch hitters with a little speed, and plus Castillo taking pitches at the top...

So I see where Jerry is going with this, but I don't know whether screwing around with Reyes in the lineup coming off the injury is such a good idea.

The Interlocking NY

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Peters) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 23:15:00 +0000

Our friends over at Mets Police really got me thinking Mets fans...

I've always been a big fan of the Mets interlocking NY logo. You'll notice it appears in the top corners of this website. I like it much better than the logo used by that other team in New York, but I digress.

The other day, Shannon came across some photos from the Mets equipment truck showing the interlocking NY logo where the outlined Y clearly overlays the outlined N.

At first I didn't think much of it, figuring it had been used before. As it turns out Shannon was able to track down some older photos with the same logo.

Typically, whenever the NY logo is used it appears that the N and the Y are on the same plane as seen here. Notice that this is the case regardless of the color pattern or outline and drop shadow used.

The only place the NY logo appears is on the Mets caps. (although the old Mets patch did have the tiny NY on it). I took a look at my collection of Mets hats the other day and was shocked to find something I had never noticed before...

Since the logos on the caps are stitched on, the N and the Y are not in the same plane. On most hats, the Y clearly overlays the N, as seen here, here and here.

But as it turns out, sometimes this is not the case...

Some caps, clearly show the N overlaying the Y... here and here.

It gets better... I came across an older black cap (black bill) that I own which shows the Y on top of the N on both vertical ends of the N, but the N on top of the Y at the diagonal. Seen here...

I can't believe I've never noticed this before, but it leads me to wonder have the on field hats always used the Y over N logo, or did they ever wear caps with the alternate NY logos? My guess is that the alternates have only been put on replica hats, and the fans have just never noticed.

Gary Matthews for Stokes

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Peters) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 18:10:00 +0000

Calm down Mets fans... I've never seen a fan base get so upset over a trade that involved a mediocre middle relief guy for a fourth or fifth outfielder. The Mets needed another outfielder not only to fill in for Beltran but just in general a team shouldn't only have one backup outfielder.

We're only picking up $2 million of Gary Matthews contract. In fact we're actually paying Kelvim Escobar and Ryota Igarashi more money than we're paying Gary Matthews Jr. So the money is certainly not an issue.

Speaking of those two relief pitchers, the acquisition of those guys essentially eliminated the need for Stokes anyway. We've got an abundance of right handed relievers to choose from this year, nobody should be losing sleep over the idea of losing Stokes.

This was a good deal for both sides. Is Gary Matthews my first choice to be our backup? No, but I can live with him there.

Never Seen Pics of the 1969 New York Mets

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Peters) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 01:36:00 +0000

Long time Global Mets member Victorio Matias tracked down some pictures from Life Magazine depicting "Never Seen Pics of the Miracle Mets".

I gotta say these are some of the best pictures of the '69 Mets that I have ever seen... nice find Victorio.

Met Games of the Decade

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Peters) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 08:13:00 +0000

With the 2000's gone, I'd like to talk quickly about the games of the decade that stand out in my mind.

Game of the Decade

Without question, I'm giving the overall best game of the decade to October 16th, 2000. It was Game 5 of the 2000 NLCS, Series MVP Mike Hampton pitches a complete game three hit shutout, Todd Zeile's three run double in the 4th put the Mets up 6-0. Rick Ankiel throws two more wild pitches in the 7th (after throwing 5 pitches to the backstop in the first inning of game two) effectively ending his pitching career. The Mets dominated the whole game winning 7-0 and taking home the NL Pennant for the first time since 1986. I was there. From the fourth inning on, big Shea was electric as everyone anxiously awaited the pennant. There was nothing like it.

Best Regular Season Game

The best regular season game of the decade goes to June 30, 2000 (The 10 run inning). Three games back of the Braves for the division, the Mets were trailing the Braves 8-1 in the bottom of the 8th inning on fireworks night at Shea, on any other night many of the fans would have gone home. Mets tie the game on a series of hits and four straight walks, Mike Piazza comes up to the plate with the go ahead run on base, and you just knew it, Piazza caps the inning with a three run homer to go ahead 11-8, Mets win and pull to within two games of the Braves. I was there for that one too...

The best game in a losing effort

As much as this game might be the worst game of the decade, that we still have yet to recover from, on October 19, 2006, the Mets played in one of the most exciting games in all of baseball for the entire decade. Of course the Mets lost Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS on Yadier Molina's two run homer off of Aaron Heilman and Carlos Beltran's subsequent bat on the shoulder, but Mets fans will remember this game for one defensive play by Endy Chavez, at the time dubbed the "play of the franchise" by Gary Cohen, and a surprise gem from Oliver Perez. Oh right I was at that game too... I'm still waiting for Beltran to swing.

Honorable Mention

The first game in NY after 9/11 with the Piazza home run
The Benny Agbayani homer in the 2000 NLDS
The 2006 clincher
Maine near no hitter before the 07 collapse (which included a brawl)
Santana's gem before the 08 collapse
10/22/2006: The Mets trailed 7-1 and Delgado hit a grand slam for his 400th home run, and trailing 7-6 in the 9th, Beltran wins it with a two run walk-off

Those are just some of the games that stick out in my mind... thoughts?

What The Bay Deal Means To The Mets.

noreply@blogger.com (Jayson A.) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 21:11:00 +0000

So Jason Bay finally decides to sign with the Mets for a deal that is 4 years and averages around 16 mil/season. And I ain't mad about it. I'm one of those who actually preferred getting Bay over Matt Holliday because he would be the cheaper option and while he hits for a lower average; everything else is about the same. Some of the positives I take from this move:

1) The OF is now set with him, Beltran and Francoeur. Last year in Boston, Bay did have a perfect fielding percentage and recorded 15 assists. Now yes, Citi is a much bigger LF than Fenway is, but this will certainly be an improvement over the adventures of Daniel Murphy or Angel Pagan out there defensively.

2) He's a legit clean-up guy that we can insert right in-between Beltran & Wright. Placing back Wright at his natural #5 slot will allow him to do what he does best, and that's to drive runs as opposed to feeling forced to get everything all at once. Bay doesn't hit for the best average (career .280) but adding someone who can get you 25-30 HR, 100-105 RBI and a career .376 OBP is what the doctor ordered.

3) I know this is simply an intangible, but Bay thrived under the pressure for playing for a big-market team for a year plus out in Boston...so that should be no problem for him.

4) While this isn't solely about Bay...to those who talk about players who are afraid to play 81 home games at Citifield remember the only reason why we were last in HRs last year is BECAUSE OF THE TEAM WE WERE FORCED TO FIELD. Did it affect the Phillies, Marlins, Braves, etc? No. How about Mark Reynolds, who decided to have a personal home run derby here? No.

The best part about this is that all the pressure is gonna be on the Phillies now to deliver as being the heavy favorites to not only win the division, but the NL as a whole. The Mets if they remain healthy this year, get Pelfrey & Ollie's heads right and continue our strong bullpen pitching from last year can keep up easily. Not making too many changes in the roster this year might actually be a positive, as there is a better chance to build team chemistry which has been lacking the past few years. Now we need a 1B (I'm with the LaRoche idea 100%) and we should be fine.

Jason Bay is a Met

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Peters) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:58:00 +0000

According to Mike Francessa's "major news", pending a physical Jason Bay has agreed to a 4 year deal worth 66 million with the Mets.

Jon Heyman has also confirmed that a deal has been reached.

Joel Sherman is reporting the deal has a 5th year vesting option.

I've said since day 1 that Holliday is the better player, but Bay is the better deal. Holliday will likely sign a much longer contract for more money per season (probably more than 5 years at more than 100 million). Considering out commitments to Santana (who is still owed 98.5 million over 4 years or 118 million over 5 years if we pick up the 2014 option), plus Wright and Reyes have more money coming their way. Its hard to believe the Mets could really afford to give Holliday such a high cost/long term contract. Plus I think Jason Bay is a guy who can be a leader for this team, which is obviously something that has been missing the last few years.

The Bay Ultimatum.

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Monaco) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:03:00 +0000

There has been a lot of talk about the Mets telling Jason Bay and Bengie Molina to "take it or leave it" on their offers, or more scarily, some fans are calling for the Mets to put a time limit on the offers... This my fellow Mets fans is a bad bad idea.

Last Year, the Nationals made an offer to Adam Dunn at this point in the season, most analysts and Dunn himself scoffed at the idea of going to the Nationals. Mr Dunn kept fishing for a bigger better contract however when the market dried up, the Nats who never rescinded their offer or played hardball with Mr Dunn, wound up with him at their asking price. Many people do not believe there is another team bidding on Jason Bay and Bengie Molina, however we are not in the position to be issuing ultimatums, maybe there really is another bidder. The smart thing to do is to leave our offer out there and not say "take it or leave it" to anyone. If the Mets are the only bidders sooner or later they will sign.

Take it or Leave It

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Peters) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 04:24:00 +0000

The last few days I cant help but think the Mets are getting played by Jason Bay's agent. We heard last week that there was some "mysterious team" that had offered Bay a 5 year deal. If this were true, why hasn't he accepted their offer yet? Not only that at this point it seems like the Mets are the only team left standing in the Jason Bay sweepstakes. The Rex Sox signed Cameron, the Angels picked up Matsui, the Mariners traded for Bradley, The White Sox picked up Pierre, the Yanks got Granderson, the Cards are working hard on Matt Holliday. Who else is even bidding on Bay right now?

The Mets made Bay a 4 year 65 million dollar deal 9 days ago, and nobody has topped our offer. Its time for Omar to call Bay's bluff. Omar should call Bay and his agent tomorrow and say that our offer is good through the weekend, after that he can go find his 5 year deal elsewhere.

What Me Worry?

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Monaco) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 01:03:00 +0000

There is a lot of Doom and Gloom with Mets fans at the moment, with John Lackey headed to Beantown and the Phillies having a happy Halladay, in all honest Met fans need to take a deep breath and be HAPPY that these moves happened.

Its tough to see a prize like Roy Halladay go to a hated rival, but the phillies did not gain anything with this move. In fact they traded off several prospects AND their top pitcher to make what is at best a lateral move. Roy Halladay is a dominating pitcher, he is also 33 years old and is set to make more than 20 million a year to play in philadelphia, but surprise, Cliff Lee was phenomenal last year for the Phils, is younger, would have signed for less AND wouldn't have cost their team any of their future players. Be happy those morons out in Philly screwed up this badly.

Now on to Lackey, Lackey is staying in the AL, which is a good thing for Mets fans, and the METS didnt overspend on an aging pitcher with declining numbers! why so upset? Rejoice the mets didn't lock up a downward trending player who in 2 years will be worth a fraction of his cost.

The mets can still make some smart moves that could pay off just as well if not better than what the phillies and red sox did.
Step One: Replace Daniel Murphy at First Base.
As I've alluded to in earlier posts, Adam LaRoche is the answer, if not him perhaps Hank Blalock would be a cheaper option.
Step Two: Sign 2-3 Mid-level Starting Pitchers
A lot of talk is made about Tony LaRussa and Dave Duncan being geniuses, but they really aren't in fact they fail to rehabilitate most of their veteran starters and tend to send a lot of young promising pitchers to the operating table. What the Cardinals' Front office does so well is they identify promising, talented veteran pitchers who are way under their market value, sign a few of them and when one or two pans out they look like geniuses. This is why signing a Jason Marquis, a Joel Pineiro, and/or a Brett Myers (or even Ben Sheets depending on his contract demands) is the right move.
Step Three: Get a Warm Body with a Decent Glove
Matt Holliday would be ideal, but if we miss out on the sweepstakes, don't throw in the towel, there are a few cheap, short term options with the hope of going after Carl Crawford next year. Randy Winn could be an excellent addition to the Mets' outfield, Rick Ankiel would be a cheap option with an excellent arm and a good glove roaming the outfield, Yes Mr Ankiel is coming off a bad year, but he'll be awful cheap and has shown 25-30 HR power in the major leagues. Other cheap options include Brian Giles, who has perhaps the best eye in baseball and would certainly sign a 1 year deal, and lets not rule out either Xavier Nady or Austin Kearns, who with all that talent just has to break out sometime.

So rejoice Mets' fans, our outlook should be positive we didn't get Snookie'd like Boston and Philly did.

Free Agent Signing Predictions!

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Monaco) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:38:00 +0000

Just recently I found that Phil Rodgers of the Chicago Tribune had delivered his list of predicting where the upper crust of Free Agents will sign.(From the look of some of his guesses there are certain cacti growing in Mr. Rodgers Neighborhood) Well...it is time for mine as well.

Matt Holliday- Mets

Not a player I am 100% enthralled with, but certainly the premier talent in the 2010 FA Pool. I think the Mets actually do break down and go out and get Mr. Holliday, who signs for a Massive contract.

Jason Bay- Boston

Mr. Bay, despite turning down a rather nice extension, is headed back to Boston. After some quick looks at Matt Holliday and Johnny Damon, the Sox break down and pay the piper to the tune of 5 years 85 Million.

John Lackey- Texas Rangers

There is some talk that the Rangers' ownership problems will keep Lackey out of Arlington, I on the other hand think its a no brainer guarantee that the only team willing to take a massive pay gamble on a older declining pitcher like Lackey has to have stars in their eyes, and when you compete with the Cowboys for attention...that's all a lot of folks in the big D see.

Johnny Damon- Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Despite desperately wanting to stay with the Yankees, Damon turns to the only solid offer he gets this off-season, despite still being very productive, and it is off to Disneyland for Mr. Damon. The Angels, desperate to fill the void of Chone Figgins, Vladimir Guerrero and John Lackey, get their name and a pretty productive outfielder.

Aroldis Chapman- New York Yankees

Do overpriced, overrated, under seasoned, overseas free agents go anywhere but Boston or the Yanks? El Duque Jr. Cashes the big check, pin stripe fans get 2 years of an underdeveloped Phil Hughes clone, before shipping him off and watching him prosper elsewhere.

Miguel Tejada- San Francisco Giants

It's off to the Bay Area for Mr. Tejada, He'll be productive and fit right into the free swinging, walk averse Baby Giants.

Chone Figgins- St Louis Cardinals

A team that has been looking for a true lead-off man and a second baseman since their small dose of a productive Tony Womack, finally gets some killer speed, and a real second baseman, in their lineup.

Rich Harden- Washington Nationals

Every once in a while a baseball team comes along and does something stupid in free agency, Pittsburgh with Derek Bell, Colorado with Hampton and Neagle, Texas and Chan Ho Park, and most recently Seattle and Carlos Silva. This is the Nationals chance to vastly overpay. The Nats, despite their horrid on field product, actually have a good chunk of money to spend, they'll look to claim that they are players in the market again this season (after last years attempt at Teixiera and their signing of Adam Dunn) they'll throw massive amount of cash to try and get some talent on their staff.

Mark DeRosa-Philadelphia Phillies

With the Pedro Feliz project over and done, the Phillies will actually make a smart move this offseason and grab a Pennsylvania favorite to man their hot corner

Hideki Matsui- Chicago White Sox

The Sox need a DH and Matsui is probably still one of the best available. He'll get a few years, the Sox somehow know how to keep elderly power hitters productive and moderately healthy.

Jermaine Dye- Minnesota Twins

First stealing JJ Hardy from the Brewers, now signing one of their biggest rivals team leaders? What an off season for the Twins. Jermaine Dye provides some extra pop from the DH spot that, lets face it, Jason Kubel can't keep doing forever (Kubel just cannot hit LHP to save his life...sooner or later that is going to end him)

Vladimir Guerrero- Oakland A's

Mike Piazza, Frank Thomas, Mike Sweeney, finally Vlad completes the Oakland A's position of Designated Washed up All-Star... i mean Hitter...yeah designated Hitter...

Jim Thome- Atlanta Braves

This sounds ridiculous, heck in many ways it probably is, but with the Rachel Zoe thin 1b representation in this year's class, and LaRoche hopefully leaving to head to New York, Atlanta needs to plug this hole. They give Thome a shot at a bargain price.

Well, that's my round up to match Mr. Rodgers feel free to post your own in the comment section

The Case for Adam LaRoche

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Monaco) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:52:00 +0000

In this off season, the NY Mets face a challenge that they haven't had to deal with for 4 long years, this challenge? Finding an everyday first baseman. The answer is plain and simple Adam LaRoche.

Problem 1. First Base Defense: Last year, despite the myth propagated by some even on this blog, Daniel Murphy was a horrendous fielding first baseman. Daniel Murphy had the lowest fielding % of any first baseman (with 70+ GP) in all of Major League Baseball last season. Murphy's error total of 10, places him in a 5 way tie for 4th most errors of any first baseman in all of baseball...except Murphy had at about at least 20 less starts than any other double digit error first bagger.
Whats the best cure for bad defense? a solid above average defender, Adam LaRoche fits that bill perfectly. Last Season Adam LaRoche committed only 2 errors in 148 games, tying him for 2nd best in all of MLB.
Problem 2. Power Hitting: In 2009, the New York Mets experienced one of the worst power outages in MLB slugging only .394, tied for fourth worst in the MLB. While some of our power issues can be blamed on injuries, and even less of them on a larger stadium (Citi Field sure had a lot of HR's hit out of it last season...just not by the Metropolitians). Both of those issues can be addressed by Adam LaRoche.
Adam Laroche is a career .491 slugger, and one who showed an ability to hit for power very well in his visits to Citi Field last season as shown by his hitting .315 with 2 home runs and a .538 slugging % in 9 games at Citi Field. On the injury front, LaRoche has played less than 140 games only twice in his career, once his rookie season, and once in 2008 where he finished with 136. LaRoche is extremely durable, is not considered an injury risk and he will only be 30 years old for the 2010 season.
Problem 3. Late Season Collapses: As we as Met fans all know in 2007 and 2008 the Mets experienced problems winning games in late August and September, this problem cannot be fixed entirely by Adam LaRoche, but the number I am about to post surely will show how he can help out.
.933

That my fellow Met fans is Adam LaRoche's career August and September OPS. When it comes to post All-Star break numbers, you hear lots of talk about the Manny Ramirez's of the league, but Adam LaRoche has a career slugging % of .546, he's well known for tearing apart offenses in the second half and he may well be just the spark plug the Mets need in September to get over their late season hangups.