Monthly Archives: May 2006
In today’s New York Daily News, Jose Valentin is given high marks for his excellent job filling the role of second baseman du jour for the New York Mets.
The annual swoon of Kaz Matsui has led to the sudden rise of Valentin who continued his torrid pace last night going 2-4 with a homer. Valentin has been a contributor, driving in 14 RBIs in his last nine starts, something the Mets had been lacking with Matsui’s .211 batting average.
Valentin’s natural position is shortstop, and his error last night was an indication that he is not quite comfortable there just yet. With the arrival of Lastings Milledge, Valentin realizes that the bulk of his spot starts will now come almost exclusively from second base. Chris Woodward will be in the mix as well, and Randolph isn’t going to leave Matsui out of the equation either.
The Mets however should not get to giddy about Valentin’s warming trend. He has not hit better than .250 since 2001 and was a .170 hitter for the Dodgers last year as a fill in. He does have some pop in his bat, hitting 30 homers in 2004.
If you’re looking for some comic relief at the expense of the suddenly streaking part time second baseman, check out The Jose Valentin Experience.
The New York newspapers broke a dam of reporters and apparently flooded Shea Stadium with writers looking to log a report on Lastings Milledge’s first game in the big leagues…
In the Bergen Record, Aditi Kinkhabwala tells a funny story about Milledge making a dugout heater from a coffee can, while Colin Stephenson, in the Star-Ledger, explains that the future is now at Shea…
Meanwhile, in the New York Post, Jay Greenberg looks at Milledge’s arrival from the perspective of the team’s GM, Omar Minaya, and veteran players…
Also in the New York Post, Jon Heyman quotes an American League scout as saying of Milledge, “He’s everything you’d want in a young outfield prospect. This is a great day for the Mets, the Wilpons, Omar and all Mets fans. Lastings Milledge is exciting, he’s electrifying, and he’s a five-tool guy.”…
Of all the reports that aim to track Milledge’s crazy afternoon, from missing two flights out of Rhode Island, to his arrival at Shea, check out T.J. Quinn’s in the Daily News and Jack Curry’s in the New York Times, which notes that Milledge made his appearance in Shea at the same age as Darryl Strawberry…
Lastly, in the Daily News, Bill Madden takes a look at why now was the right time for Milledge’s promotion…
Minaya, as quoted by Stephenson…
“Most likely … the plan is, when Nady is back, Nady’s going to be our right fielder. Nady has performed pretty well, but the situation is one that — this is an opportunity for a kid to get a taste of the major leagues without the pressure of feeling like he has to be the guy. But our right fielder is Xavier Nady.”…
…it’s an ideal situation…no pressure on the kid…but, it’s not like nady has been lights out phenomenal, or, as omar says, he’s done ‘pretty well.’…so, if the kid wants the job and has the ability to steal it away, then it’s up for grabs…if he can’t, it’s nady’s spot when he returns, which is fine by me, since he’s done far better than i think anyone expected…
…a few people e-mailed me asking if milledge’s value goes down if he struggles…no way, man…he’s so young, other teams, including the mets, will just chalk it up to him being too young, and needing more seasoning at triple-a…however, if he excels, other teams become more interested, and the mets realize the value of tremendous young talent, who they appear to have every intention of keeping…
…as i see it, it’s a win-win for the mets…
If you’ve yet to do so, be sure and vote in this week’s MetsBlog Fan Confidence Rating by using the poll to the left…
…thanks…
In his first game in the major-leagues, Mets OF Lastings Milledge was 1–for-4 with a double. 
He did not walk or strike out, but left three men on base…
Appearing on SNY, while addressing the media following the game, Milledge had the following to say regarding…
…that first moment when he stepped in the batter’s box, and the Shea faithful were cheering…
“Wow. I didn’t know I’d get welcomed like that. I was excited. I got a little pumped up…I didn’t know how they’d react to me being here. I knew they supported me. But I didn’t know I was gonna get that much.”…
…whether he was nervous…
“You know what, I really wasn’t nervous. I can’t believe that. Back in 1997, when I was in the (Little League) World Series, I was a little bit more nervous…I don’t know why. I thought I would be, but I was real calm. I relaxed myself, and I was able to perform at a high level.”…
…what Omar Minaya and Willie Randolph told him about his time with the Mets, during the absence of Xavier Nady…
“We don’t know. Right now I’m gonna come out here and play hard for New York, because they wanted me here, and they pushed hard for me to be here, Omar pushed hard for me to be here and Willie pushed hard for me to be here…
“So right now I’m not focused on how long I’m gonna stay here. I wanna focus on how I’m gonna get this team to win. We’re already winning, don’t get me wrong. But I wanna win. I’m gonna find out every way that I can contribute to the team for us to win.”…
…whether he intends to stay here, and not return to Triple-A…
“(laughing) Well, who does. You know, when you get here, and you get to be around a lot of the veterans…when I came in, they welcomed me with open arms…it’s such a great feeling. It’s not a greater moment in my life than to have Tom Glavine say, ‘Hey, congratulations.’ It’s just a great feeling.”…
…what he was thinking about as he approached second base on his double…
“(laughing) Well, I was thinking about not falling down…
“When it landed I was like, well I got that one of the way. So I was even more relaxed when I came up my last time up, because, you know, I don’t have to fight for that hit. I fought for it my first at-bat. I was pretty aggressive…I was real thirsty to get that first hit, but when you get it you kind of calm down – and that’s how you get plenty more.”…
…whether he can get used to batting so low in the batting order…
“Well, I saw more fastballs. I was slotted at eight in spring training, so I kind of got the feel for it…I kind of got comfortable in spring training, learning my role as an eight-hole hitter versus being leadoff hitter. They’re pretty much the same, it’s just, you know, you have to be more select and get on for the top of the order.”…
Appearing on SNY, while addressing the media following last night’s 7–2 loss to the D’Backs, the team’s manager, Willie Randolph, had the following to say 
regarding…
…Lastings Milledge, who was 1–for-4 with a double in his first major-league game…
“The kid handles himself very well. He’s very confident, very poised…but, it’s his first game, it’s nice to get him in there, get his feet wet, and I’m looking forward to watching him play a little more.”…
“He’s got really quick hands…I think he got a curve ball, which he hit for his first base hit – so, hopefully it’s the first of many more.”…
…Alay Soler, who once again struggled in the first inning…
“Well, I hope it’s not a pattern. I thought he had some close calls on some pitches early on…he settled down a little bit, but then later on the homes run hurt him. The big three-run homer kind of took the wind out of sails there. I hope it’s not a pattern, but it’s only two starts for him so we’ll see next time out…
…whether he saw anything good from Soler…
“Uh, yeah, I mean, you know, he settled down here a couple of innings and did pretty well. He just made some mistakes. But, I thought he threw the ball well at times.”…
…Jose Valentin, who was 2–for-4 with a home run, and whether he can win the second base job with his performance of late…
“No, we’re gonna play like we’ve been doing it. Play the hot hand. Get other guys in the rotation when we can.”…
To make room for OF Lastings Milledge on the team’s 40–man roster, the Mets have moved RHP Brian Bannister from the 15–day disabled list to the 60–day disabled list, making it most likely that he’ll return to action around early July…
…the word from florida is that things are touch-n-go for bannister these days, as he is limited to basic physical therapy routines at this point…this could be a good thing for him, though, in that he now has no choice but to take it slow…
The Mets lost to the D’Backs by a score of 7 to 2 at Shea Stadium tonight…
For a full recap, check out the immortal Associated Press…
…a few thoughts…
…Alay Soler has the ability…no doubt…but his command just comes and goes…one inning he has his fastball working, but he can’t get over an off-speed pitch…the next inning, it’s the other way around…he allowed 13 runners to reach base in five innings, and also chucked two wild pitches…that can’t continue, obviously…especially if he’s not going to be striking out a ton of batters…i have faith in him, though, because he seems to have the goods…he just needs to get in a groove, as willie likes to say…ya know, find his rhythm…
…congratulations to Lastings Milledge, who recorded his first major-league hit with a double in the seventh inning…i am quite excited about this kid…he has a little attitude to his game, which i like…also, that chain around his neck reminds me Otis Nixon, which, of course, makes me laugh…man, can you imagine how nervous he had to be coming to the plate with the crowd cheering him on…unreal…as it stands, he’s up for a short time, until Xavier Nady makes it back from the disabled list…however, while appearing on SNY during the game, Mets GM Omar Minaya said, “probably next year,” when asked when milledge will be called-up for good, which is something Cliff Floyd may find interesting…
…Darren Oliver looked awful…not on the mound, where he actually looked pretty good…i mean his face…dude, get some sleep, or take a pseudephed…wow…the man looks exhausted and like he has a cold…get some sleep, buddy…
…actually, lets hope they all get some sleep, and get back to winning tomorrow…can’t win them all, right…take two of three and we’re back to being golden…
Tonight’s lineup…
1. Jose Reyes
2. Paul Lo Duca
3. Carlos Beltran
4. Carlos Delgado
5. David Wright
6. Cliff Floyd
7. Jose Valentin
8. Lastings Milledge
9. Alay Soler
…five of the nine guys in this lineup are under 30–years-old and could technically be with this club for the next four years and beyond…
At Newsday.com, Ken Davidoff reports that free-agent RHP Roger Clemens will soon announce that he will return to the Houston Astros…
According to Davidoff, Clemens will likely earn roughly $3.5 million per month…
…the buzz around baseball has been that clemens will use july 1 as his return date…however, that was based on him not making an announcement until mid-june…it would seem he will now return to action sooner…
The Game…
The Mets (31–19) take on the D’Backs (29–21) for the second game of a three-game set continuing at Shea Stadium tonight at 7 pm EDT…
The Pitchers…
RHP Alay Soler (0–0, 3.00 ERA) starts for the Mets … Soler is making the second major-league start of his career … Last week against the Phillies, he allowed three runs on five hits with five strike outs over six innings …
RHP Miguel Batista (4–2, 4.60) starts for the D’Backs … The D’Backs are 7–3 when Batista starts … Left-handed batters are hitting .365 against him this season … In 16 at-bats against Batista, Cliff Floyd is batting .375, while Paul Lo Duca is just .179 in 39 career at-bats. No other Met has more than six at-bats against Batista …
The Notes…
The Mets are 11–4 with two ties in their 17 series this season…
The Mets have 15 one-run wins this season, tops in baseball…
The Mets are 12 games over .500 for the second time this season, which is their high-water mark…
The Mets, who have at least one home run in 10 of their last 11 games, are second in the league in home runs, and tops in stolen bases with 49…
The Mets have won seven of their last eight games against Arizona…
Carlos Delgado has not hit a home run since May 21. However, Cliff Floyd has a hit in seven of his last eight games, during which he is 10–for-28 with three homers and four RBI – he is batting .333 over his last 14 games…
Heath Bell has not allowed a run in his last 5.1 innings pitched…
The under/over on how many times an SNY announcer references how ‘smart’ Batista is, typically by relaying how many books he reads in the locker room, is two…
The Bleachers…
To chat during the game, go to HotFoot’s Bleachers … or, to access the chat room through IRC, go to server name irc.echo34.com and channel #metsblog…
…enjoy…
