Fair enough. I think you have to weigh service time as a factor, though I will wholeheartedly concede that if Martinez was wearing out AAA pitching, I wouldn't keep him down for the sake of service time. Since he's not, I would err on the side of getting an extra year of service time out of him. But the Twins' decision to do that with Francisco Liriano arguably cost them the division title last year, for the exact same reason you mention: games in June and July count just as much as August and September. They had Livan Hernandez posting a 7.12 ERA from June onward. It's inconceivable that Liriano couldn't have improved on that with an earlier callup; he was called up in August after posting a 10-2 record at AAA with a 3.28 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 3.65 K/BB ratio, yet the Twins let him start 19(!!!!) games at Rochester. I think you can point to that pretty clearly as one thing the Twins could have done differently and won a division title. On the plus side, my hometown got an extended look at arguably the best pitching prospect they've had since a kid named Mike Mussina rolled through a ways back.
Im not sure the papers had any affect on Wright but I think the comments Minaya made questioning Wright and Reyes may have been just the swift kick Wright needed. I find Reyes to be the one more likely to be affected by outside sources. He still comes across as a child sometimes where as Wright only sounds like one when he talks but plays like a man. I have heard numerous TV and radio personalities discuss the possibility of dealing Reyes if Minaya feels he isnt part of the solution and doesnt mature. Combine that with a reasonable salary for the foreseeable future and the Mets could get quite a haul for Jose in my opinion. If we were to make a move to the shake up the core of this team, thats probably the one I would make though I love Jose. Other news: -Tim Redding returns tonight. Hopefully he can't possibly be worse then Perez. -Speaking of Perez he pitched 3 hitless innings but walked 4 yesterday in a spring training outing. -The Delgado thing looks to be serious. Adrian Gonzalez please...And Peavy. -Fernando Tatis playing SS was a hilarious sight last night. He wasn't awful but if I never see it again I'll be thrilled. -What was Jerry thinking PH Angel Pagan for Daniel Murphy? Murphy is the 4th best hitter this team has with Delgado out and he is here for no other reason then to hit. If he isn't being allowed to hit why even have him on a roster? His defense certainly isn't a good enough reason. - Mike Pelfrey looked good except for the 3 balks last night. But if he goes 6 and gives up only 2 every time out he can balk 3 times. We gave him literally 0 support and had plenty of chances. His secondary stuff looked a lot better though the SF lineup has a way of making everyone look better. -Reyes should be back in the lineup tonight. Both Redding and Livan pitch in this series; we need to win at least 1 of those 2 and hopefully take the 3rd when Maine goes.
Did anyone else just know that Angel Pagan was going to ground into a DP? And can someone please tell me why Sheffield was in front of Wright in the lineup the past few games? Is there something I'm missing?
I think the Mets view Wright as a 3 or 5 hitter but feel he presses too much as a cleanup hitter. I always viewed the lineup like this: Your 3 hitter is always your best hitter, your 4 hitter is your most feared, and your 5 hitter is usually good enough to hit in any spot you put him in. The other point is that sandwiched between Wright and Beltran there is no pitching around Sheffield. If you can't produce between those two, just hang 'em up.
The news on Delgado isnt good...hip impingement, torn labrum in the hip heading for arthroscopic surgery. Timetable for return could be 45 days to career threatening. Arod was back in about 50 days, Utley needed most of the offseason to heal which would equate to post all star break for Delgado. Factor in Delgado being a little older...well I dont like the chances of a return here. Im thinking move Murphy to 1B, where he will likely be next year anyway and see if we can get Dye.
good thing i stayed up last night to watch that garbage. Jesus that was one of the worst games I ever sat through. Church missing 3rd, all the errors, downright embarassing...
Agreed, I dont know what they call that but it wasnt baseball. Everytime we lose its just because we played sloppy. We beat ourselves whether its baserunning, errors, failure to execute simple things like bunts....this is going to come back to bite Jerry.
Did not see that one coming... Santos 2 Run HR of Papelbon 2 outs top 9. Great play by wright and castillo, then ramon martinez 1 ups them. Crazy LETS GO SWEEP!!!!!!!!
Well key HR from Sheff...up 5-2 right now in the 7th, Parnell just got chased after 3 walks including the 1 run he just walked in. Lets go Feliciano and Putz, gotta win these games against the Nats... Going to the Johan game wednesday, sitting in the Pepsi Porch. I have only sat behind home plate, anyone have any opinions on the views from these seats?
I found it tough to see the RF corner from the porch. Other then that its pretty good. I still miss shea as hideous as it was
lol i know what you mean. I loved my upper box seats at shea, perfect view and loved knowing where everything was. It is going to take a long time for me to get that familiar feeling with Citi Field (although a world series this year would help the adustment). And I go to the game for the game, the amenities of the stadium aren't that big a deal to me..
I agree bro. The amenities really don't mean much to me at all. Some other stuff: The King may be on his way as well. Fernando is ripping up AA and finally healthy. At 20 years old you think the prodigy is ready? If he can come in and hit 270 and play good D he's already as good as Ryan Church is. Hes leading AA in XBH with 25 in only 165 AB's. Jonathan Malo is near by as well in case Ramon Martinez is banged up worse then he's thought to be. Why? I don't know considering he isn't supposed to be much of a prospect. When is omar going to get Jerry some help? Nick Johnson and/or Mark Derosa would be a great addition. Beltran is having an MRI today and Reyes is nowhere close to returning. A DL stint is still a 50-50 thing for Church though he's supposedly deadset against it. Schneider and Perez aren't real close either though I don't really miss them.
Omar must have heard my calls because Fernando has been promoted and batting 6th tonight! Church and Reyes to the 15 day DL. Wont miss Church. I bet Fernando does better then 250 and 1 homer in his time here. Also traded cash to cleveland for Wilson Valdez (SS). Right idea, wrong player Omar
This does not look like a NY lineup..... A. Pagan cf L. Castillo 2b D. Wright 3b G. Sheffield lf F. Tatis 1b F. Martinez rf O. Santos c R. Martinez ss L. Hernandez p
David Wright and Jose Reyes aren't too shabby. I didn't think Martinez was considered a bigger (or better) prospect than either of those guys, especially Wright.
That OF should have been capitalized in my previous post. I was posting from my blackberry and was too lazy to capitalize it. It was meant to imply Fernando was the best outfield prospect we have had in the Mets system since Straw. But if you want to be technical Fernando's stats from ages 17-19 dwarf Wright and Reyes' at the same age. Martinez may have been up last year had he not gotten hurt. He lead AA at age 17 in XBH the youngest player to ever do it and was leading AAA again this year. He received a huge signing bonus for an International FA and the Mets supposedly were not even the highest bidders. Supposedly he came here because Pedro had just signed here.
Honestly, if you told me that Livan Hernandez was going to throw a complete game, I would have guessed it would be on a day after a couple extra-inning marathons where the bullpen was gassed, and Manuel said "gotta suck it up, amigo; the bullpen needs a day off." I would not have guessed that he would pitch brilliantly and keep the opposing hitters off balance for 9 solid innings. Unreal. That Sheff signing is looking absolutely genius right now. The old man is hitting out of his mind.
He was facing the Washington Nationals for God's sake. My niece could have thrown a no hitter against these "professionals." Injuries are beginning to take their toll for the Mets. You start losing guys lik Reyes, Delgado and Church and it not only kills your hitting but you start making a lot of errors. I think the team that stays the healthiest will win the NL East, and you can already eliminate the Nats and Marlins.
Wanna know the funny thing? In addition to the 127 pitches Livan threw during the game, it was reported during the pregame tonight (on WFAN radio, was listening on the ride home from work) that he also threw 85 warm up pitches. It took him that long just to get loose. Who says pitchers today are panzies? I love Sheff. Dude brings the intensity we did not have in previous years. actually I think all these injuries are forcing the Mets to play harder and smarter. They know they cant mess up so much. We just came off a 10 game trip to LA and SF who had the 2 best home records in baseball at the time of the trip and then to Boston which is never easy. Going 5-5 without Reyes, Delgado, Schneider etc was ok in my book, though the sloppiness in LA ticked me off. Church I still say is addition by subtraction. Id sooner leave Pagan in RF over him. Im sure he could produce 1hr/12 rbi in 40 games. Ditto for Schneider and how well Omir Santos is playing. I think Church is done as a met and while I'd like see schneider follow him out the door I think trading Castro is more likely.
Yeah, that should have been a 6-4 road trip, not 5-5. Can't believe they handed over that game in LA. Church has been awful this year, no getting around it. But he's a capable big league hitter, something Angel Pagan most certainly is not. I'm okay with Pagan in the 5th OF role; I like him better than Jeremy Reed there, but that's it. Really, the Mets should be platooning Church in RF, given his fairly significant lefty/righty splits, and injury history. I think ideally, they wanted him and Sheff splitting time in RF, with Sheff getting some time in LF and maybe fighting Fernando Tatis to pick up whatever at bats are leftover filling in for the lefties in LF and 1B. As it happened, Sheff forced his way into the lineup as a regular, so good for him. Still, I'm not going to bet heavily on him continuing his torrid pace, not at age 40 when he looked awful the last couple years. And accordingly, I wouldn't be in a rush to dump Church, not when his value is so low. If it's mid-July, Sheff's still hovering around a 900 OPS and Church is back and playing fairly well in limited time, sure. Schneider I think might be gone. The only thing that might save him is the fact that Castro is always getting injured, so it's just a matter of time before it happens again. That and the possibility of a fairly convenient L/R split behind the plate with either Castro or Santos are the only reasons to keep him around. I think Santos calls a good game, he's got some pop in his bat (more than Schneider, to be sure) and isn't a complete liability on the basepaths. His only problem is that he wouldn't take a walk if Jerry Manuel was standing at the plate with a loaded .357 magnum pointed at his head. But all in all, he certainly looks like an upgrade over Schneider.
Which game in LA are you referring to? We gave away all 3. I diagree with you about Pagan. Hes done more in a week then Church has done all year. 4 steals, same great D, great baserunner, and knows how to lay off crappy pitches. Pagan plays well every time we give him a chance and he hustles nonstop. I think reed still has a ton of untapped upside. People forget he was an elite prospect much like Church 7 years ago except reed is being handled correctly right now and theyre putting him in situations he can succeed. He will end up a starter somewhere. As far as Castro and Schneider there's a significant money difference. Schneider is owed 5.5m this year, castro 2.5M. Schneider is not the defensive wizard we were told he was. Castro is hurt frequently and a big baby but I think I like his bat more since we already have a weak link in the lineup named Slapstillo. Plus we have Javier Valentin who is very capable in the minors if Castro should get hurt. I definitely like Santos, he goes up there to hit and he gets the runs in when it matters.
I was visiting a Met's fan site and some fans were saying they hoped Church would get another concussion and miss the rest of the year. That is going a little too far. Looks like Brett Myers could be out a while with a hip injury....all of suddent all kinds of players are getting hip injuries. The Phillies are going to need another starter or two so hopefully the Blue Jays can continual to lose so we can grab Halladay. Peavy would also be a nice addition. I think both of these pitchers could be traded before the trade deadline. Looks like Sheff is playing well, and I saw the Mets brought up Martinez (F-Mart). Only a half game separating the Phillies and Mets.
Ya thats just going way too far about church. I dont like the guy as a player but I dont wish injury. The hip injuries I agree is more then a bit coincidental. Myers was a nice guy when I met him a few years back even though I was wearing a Wright jersey, even signed a ball. I dont think Halladay gets traded and if he does its going to be a raping. Peavy wont be coming to the Mets or Phillies imo, he wont want to play in either city. The prizes are Erik Bedard and Jermaine Dye, affordable because they are in their walk years.
I meant the extra inning one with all the errors and baserunning mistakes, but point taken. Let me rephrase what I was saying about Pagan. There's no question he's been better this year; I couldn't possibly dispute that. I meant that Church is a much better bet to be successful. Pagan's track record is nothing more than a 5th OF type. Good defense, sure, good set of wheels. But before this year, he's done nothing to suggest that he's got more than mediocre plate patience, and he's got power that's on par with your favorite whipping boy, Castillo. He's 27, soon to be 28...he's not going to suddenly hit for power or become a walk machine. Reed is in the same boat, only he's not as good. Same age (their birthdays are just 2 weeks apart) and in 1218 plate appearances, he's got a career .259/.315/.365 batting line. He makes Pagan look like a stud by comparison. Reed WAS an elite prospect, but that was a long time ago. His AAA numbers the last couple years are impressive, but not exactly eye-popping for a 25 to 27 year old in the ultra-hitter friendly PCL. He is what he is: a 5th OF type. If Reed ends up a legitimate big league starting OF, I will be absolutely stunned. The money makes Schneider hard to move; I hadn't considered that. The numbers game would actually seem to suggest Santos is the one to go, because I'm sure he's got minor league options left, but as I type this, he's hitting a game-tying home run. And obviously, he's playing by far the best of the group. I can't imagine they'd demote him unless he goes into a prolonged slump. Swapping Schneider as part of a deal for a player we could use might be possible. He could be salary ballast in a deal for a pitcher with an inflated salary. (Obviously, it would take much more than Schneider to get any player we could use; his value in trade is negative.) I just couldn't justify getting rid of him as opposed to Castro. I love having a catcher who can actually hit.
The Mariners will want a king's ransom for Bedard. Buster Olney (I think) talked about this recently. The Mariners are watching Adam Jones wear out opposing pitchers in Baltimore, and it chaps their collective ***. They're not going to give up Bedard unless they can recoup some real value. Yes, I know, sunk costs and all, but that's what they're apparently thinking. As for Dye, if they haven't traded for him yet, I don't think it's going to happen. Not with Sheffield hitting as well as he has, for that matter.
Ramon Castro traded to the White Sox for Lance Broadway, who will be sent down to AAA immediatly. Move was made to keep Santos up while Schneider comes bac k. Also good to see Beltran back in the lineup, always a nice site to see. Wright was god awful last night at the plate. We should have avoided extra innings when he came up with 1 out and bases loaded in the 8th. But of course wright strikes out and then strikes out in the 10th again. Luckily Santos came up huge. I was surprised to see Shef steal second in the 11th, but obviously that was the game changing steal. Definitely thought that the Tatis HBP was intentional, they had to walk someone anyway and that was a straight fastball to the ***. At least we won though, all we gotta do is stay hot....
The stats on Reed are deceptive. The Mariners messed that kid up big time; tried to turn him into a power hitting OF instead of letting him be the doubles hitter he is. If he can get back to what made him a top prospect in the first place he will be fine and so far he has done well. Its going to take a little time for him to get his confidence back I think. Pagan, all he does is produce when he is given the chance. Say what you want but he plays balls out and produces. Maybe hes not an everyday player but we need more players like him and Santos. The Mariners will want a kings ransom but it may be worth paying. Philly would be locked in to trying to get Peavy who wont want to go to Philly. Go get Bedard and Dye and we're good I think. With perez possibly being shut down with knee tendinitis we may not have a choice unless they want to go the sstretch with Livan and Redding as their 4/5 I like the Broadway move. He was a very high draft pick and worth a gamble. Wright was awful last night, no wonder we gave him the day off today.
Let's assume you're right, that the Mariners messed him up. I certainly wouldn't put it past them. He's 28 in 2 weeks, and has 1220 big league plate appearances and 2158 minor league plate appearances. What, exactly, are they going to do at this point? Players don't just shrug off years of awful performance like that. The only factor in his favor is that Minaya, for whatever reason, has a great track record with reclamation projects. So, to some extent, he's earned the benefit of the doubt. I just don't think he'll ever be more than a 5th OF type, and his track record bears it out, whatever the Mariners did to screw him up. Hey, as long as he's hitting and getting on base, I'm all for keeping him in the lineup. Never sit a hot bat. It's just possible that Pagan has put it all together and is a legitimate corner OF. I wouldn't bet on it, but I certainly concede it's possible. I think he's a useful player and I absolutely believe he has a future on the team. I just don't believe it's as more than a backup OF. I would love to go get another starter. If Redding makes another start, I might hang myself. Livan is becoming a good #5 starter; he's durable enough to eat innings, and he's not getting shelled. I certainly wouldn't mind going after Bedard, but I question what we could give up for him (let alone him AND Dye). At this point, I'll note that if we had signed Adam Dunn, like I'd been screaming for, our corner OF/1B problems would be solved, and then some. It's not a bad move, but I'm not in love with it. I think his status as a "top prospect" for the White Sox was more due to a complete lack of talent in their system, but he could easily be John Maine Part II. I really wanted to keep Castro, though. I'm far from convinced that Santos has suddenly become a slugging catcher. Again, never sit a hot bat, so I'm all for keeping him in the lineup. I'm just not sure I would have been quick to get rid of the one proven hitter we've got behind the plate. I'd have much rather shipped Schneider off; send him back to Washington for Austin Kearns or something, in a swap of bad salaries. There's ample evidence to show that Kearns isn't nearly as bad as his numbers have shown so far, and he could be an interesting buy-low proposition.
I guess puking for a week straight had Beltran pretty ticked. These were his comments after todays game. For a player who rarely speaks, this should be pretty telling about the team's character.... Usually reserved Carlos Beltran sounded off after the Mets lost to the Pirates, 11-6, Thursday and were swept. "The reality of this is coming here to Pittsburgh and getting swept, me, I feel embarrassed," Beltran said. "I don’t think it’s fun. I think we should find a way to play better and to focus more on what we need to accomplish. ... "We have to play better. There’s no doubt we have to play better. I mean, we have to take this personally. It can’t happen. It can’t happen us being able to come here and lose three games just like that. It just can’t happen. Three games with this team — I know they’re a big-league ballclub, but we’re better than them. We’re better than them. And we know we’re better than them, but we have to do something about it. (Nate) McLouth wasn’t there and they still come out and score how many runs — 11? Eleven runs. We have to play better." http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/met...xzz0HUrOMdOH&B
Also Putz is flying back to NY to get his elbow checked...he may need surgery. Luckily Parnell is pitching lights out and Wagner is due back around early August. J.J. Putz is headed to New York to have his sore right elbow examined and Newsday's David Lennon writes that "surgery seems like the logical next step." Putz is bothered by a bone spur in his elbow that doesn't allow him to finish pitches. "I'm not following through because it hurts," Putz said. Putz lost his eighth-inning responsibilities to Bobby Parnell on Wednesday. Jun. 4 - 5:11 pm et Source: Newsday
So far the Phils are 1-3 vs the Mets and the only game they won was a blown save chance by an injured Putz. I dont know why you like anything against the mets and specifically Johan who almost always comes out guns blazing vs Philly. Happ has pitched well the last few times out and very under the radar. I scooped him up in my 18 teams league. Hopefully he doesnt bomb but at the same time I want philly to lose. 2-1 sounds about right since the mets cant hit for poop lately.
