Last night on SNY’s Mets Hot Stove, Willie Randolph had the following to say regarding Carlos Delgado, who hit just .258 with 24 HR last season…
To watch clip of Randolph speaking about Delgado last night on SNY, click here.
“I think it was as simple as adjustments. Carlos is a very
proud player, but for some reason he got caught up in to just feeling like he was on track but not making the necessary adjustments when he needed to. He kept falling in to the trap of what they were feeding him, instead of dictating what he wanted to do…You have to be realistic, you have to be honest with yourself, and just put your pride aside and do it right, and all proud players have to do that…
“You know, he was swinging at pitches that weren’t strikes, they were balls that were out of the zone. He wasn’t making the adjustment. If you noticed, the balls he would crush were thigh-high and down. The balls he thought he could get to, in his mind, he wasn’t getting to and that was the problem – and he was very stubborn in making that adjustment. But, he’s gonna bounce back, I have no doubt.
“You know, when you’re in the heat of that, you don’t really step out of your body and see it for what it is. Again, he worked hard, he had an idea of what he needed to do, but he couldn’t get out of the rhythm of feeding off that one pitch and they exploited it.”
…for what it’s worth, during his conference call with us last week, delgado acknowledge this need to adjust, which is good, because according to willie he was unwilling to do so last season…and he clearly needs to…because, .258 is not going to cut it…
…as i have said before, at this point, delgado is what he is, which, if healthy, is probably a .280–hitter, maybe more, maybe less, who’ll hit 20 to 30 HR in bunches, and drive in 80 to 100 runs in a slow-burn kind of way…which is more than fine…but he’s not going to carry a ball club…instead, he’s a supporting hitter – you know, fifth or sixth in the order, like he ended the season – who adds protection for younger, more consistently powerful run producers, like Carlos Beltran and David Wright…
For what it’s worth, in his final 130 at-bats last season, Delgado hit .283, while averaging one home run every 18 at-bats, as well as one strike out every four at-bats, both of which are on pace with his career averages.
{ 57 comments }
My prediction: .268/36/116 in his walk year.
C.R.E.A.M.
???
“Cash Rules Everything Around Me, CREAM get the money, dolla dolla bill yalllll.”
Speaking of which, I am pleased to announce I will be seeing the Wu at Hammerstein Ballroom this coming Saturday.
Just in time to get primed for a showdown in Big D. Go Big Blue!!!
Fire Isiah.
That would be wonderful, especially coming out of the 5th or 6th hole.
Delgado will be integral this year because the Mets need him to produce as a #5 hitter. If he struggles and they bat him 6th it creates a very lefty-weak lineup at the bottom with Delgado, Church, and Schneider. Its tough to go into too many games with a bottom of the lineup that will be exposed by almost any lefty reliever or force you to PH when you dont want to. Not to mention that Easley is the only righty bat that backs up both Delgado and Church. If they both struggle against lefties, then Endy will have to come up big against lefties again as Easley will be playing a lot of 1B.
Delgado needs to produce as the #5 so Alou can protect him and split up the lefties. That may be too much to ask unless he sucks it up and gives into the fact that he cant catch up to that one pitch anymore.
…if he does that it wont be his walk year. The Mets would be silly not to pick up his option if he does that.
.280 hitter? Doubtful. Remember in 2006 he hit only .265. With the .258 last year it’s a stretch to think he can reach 2006 BA or better. I will take the same homer and RBI production from 2006 though. :-)
dollar dollar bill ya’ll
mark my words people, if he wants to continue playing after 08, he will have a killer walk year.
they all do.
You’re right. Andruw Jones really tore the cover off the ball last year.
walk year = monster year is the biggest fallacy in baseball.
Sure, I’ll give you Andruw, probably the only one. Anyone else?
There are plenty of them. Instead of getting into tit for tat with names, my point is that for every Posada there is a Paul Lo Duca.
For every Paul LoDuca, there is a Carlos Beltran (granddaddy of the walk-month).
b/c LoDuca can be compared with Delgado.
I would argue that LoDuca can be compared with Delgado only in that both played for the Mets at one time.
Although I wouldn’t mind if LoDuca gave him Radomski’s cell number.
all that prideful not making the proper adjustments talk sounds eerily like the Met career of Tom Glavine…let’s hope they don’t end similarly.
maybe. but Delgado doesn’t owe his livelihood to a ridiculous strikezone.
last year Delgado seemed to have a ridiculous strike zone based on what he was swinging at
that was in his head, not the umpires.
I doubt Delgado will get booed off the mound in his final outing as a Met. Won’t be that similar.
I wasn’t being that literal, just saying I hope Delgado’s Met career doesn’t end in a hightened moment of failure and disappointment.
I was just kidding. I know what you meant. Delgado is hardly old. He would be old for a catcher, but to think a 36 year old guy can’t do it anymore is a little over the top.
I mean, look at Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Rafael Palmeiro. OK, so you have a point.
well he came up as a catcher so “old” works for me
GraveDigger,
That’s a good little nugget. I didn’t know that. But anyway, I think he deserves a mulligan for last year. Give him this year.
ultimately I’m rooting for him. Last season was a sad lesson for me in the context of expectations, but I learned from it. Hopefully Willie and Co. did too.
another potential nugget: my screen name is taken from former Met Richie Hebner, who in the offseason worked as a gravedigger to make ends meet. He also swung at an imaginary pebble in the on deck circle. These thoughts keep my mind off “the collapse.”
I remember reading that on the back of Hebner’s baseball card. Always made me laugh.
Delgado needs to hang them up. He will not be any better this year, in fact, he will decline more as EVERY pitcher in the league is aware of how to strike him out, whether they throw 84mph or not. We’d be better off if we signed Shawn Green to a 1year deal to play first base. He’d be more productive than Delgado.
Than we can trade Delgado to an AL basement team for a couple minor league relief pitchers.
Take a nap.
+2
puhahahaa
Agreed re Green…. Willie actually used Delgado’s injury as a reason for the mets collapse at the end of the season. On the contrary, with Green taking his place the Mets actually were better offensively and defensively at first base….
I 100% agree with Matt on this: Delgado is not going to carry a ball club…instead, he’s a supporting hitter – you know, fifth or sixth in the order, like he ended the season – who adds protection for younger, more consistently powerful run producers, like Carlos Beltran and David Wright…
Hopefully Willie will act according to this statement.
Too bad it took Willie 3 years to realize that Beltran is a cleanup hitter.
Too bad it took most of the posters on here 3 years to realize he was not a #2 hitter.
Delgado is definitely a proud guy. I think when he says ‘adjustments’ he means taking what comes his way instead of trying to yank everything. That’s the most logical way a guy his age with his talent is going to produce.
I think we’ll see about 25-30 HR this year, but alot more doubles and balls hit the other way. That’s how I expect him to adjust.
.275 / 28 / 110 / 40+ doubles / .360 OBP / .500 SLG and an OPS about 860 is something I can see the guy doing in his walk year.
Someone teach Delgado how to bunt to the left side of the infield.
Thanks.
Thank You!
I’m so tired of people that say, “He doesn’t get paid to bunt.” He doesn’t get paid to strike out on fastballs thrown at his neck, either. Every once in a while, can you keep the defense honest? It seemed liked every time Carlos wasn’t striking out on a pitch 4 feet out of the strike zone, he was hitting a ground ball to the second baseman playing 60 feet beyond the infield.
Willie’s and Carlos’ comments are all gobbledygook. The fact of the matter is Carlos is in decline.
Even in ‘06 he showed signs of it. He was very streaky. if you’ll remember, Carlos disappeared for a good 6 weeks around may or June that year.
He’s on the downside and I’d be surprised if he does better than last year.
Can we get a spell check on “gobbledygook”?
Any one here think that Carlos might be a bit annoyed at Willie for talking to the press about this issue?
I think that Carlos was listening to the start of Willie’s interview, then he got bored. He missed that part.
yeah, he knew that what Willie was going to say was inevitable so why try to listen
I think Carlos is annoyed at Willie’s comments. He never talked to the press after ALL the games he played poorly. I remember him talking to reporters only after he had a good game. That says something, no?
Did he pull the “I no speak da English” card?
I agree that is one of Delgado’s faults, but I really don’t care if he talks to reporters that ask him the same questions every night or not. Honestly, who cares about what they say? It is scripted anyway. The only people you’ll get useful nuggets out of are Wagner and LoDuca.
All I want from Delgado is for him to hit. Nuff said.
Sometimes its just hard to accept that you’re old.
He needs to continue writing in his Journal.
He should write in big letters underlined on the top of every page: “Don’t swing at s#*t I can’t hit.”
if he continues to swing at certain pitches he can go write for the Providence Journal as far as I’m concerned
I think most hitters post 35 have to make adjustments, Carlos has not done that yet. Once he realizes that he can go the other way and be productive then pitchers will have to readjust to him.
I don’t expect a MVP season but .275 with 25-30/100+ and 40 doubles does not seem like a stretch at all.
“You know, when you’re in the heat of that, you don’t really step out of your body and see it for what it is. Again, he worked hard, he had an idea of what he needed to do, but he couldn’t get out of the rhythm of feeding off that one pitch and they exploited it.”
This is what I can’t stand about Willie Randolph (and many other managers/coaches that do this).
WHAT IS SO FREAKIN HARD ABOUT PULLING DELGADO INTO YOUR OFFICE AND SLAM THE DOOR SHUT, SHOW HIM A VIDEO OF DELGADO SWINGING AT BALLS THAT ARE OVER HIS HEAD AND SAY “LISTEN JACKA$$, THIS IS WHAT YOUR DOING WRONG. YOU LOOK LIKE A COMPLETE TOOL WHEN YOUR SWINGING AT THIS GARGAGE. STOP DOING THIS OR YOUR GOING TO SIT ON THE BENCH.”
IF WILLIE REALLY SEES THIS BEHAVIOR AND DOESN’T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT, THEN HE SHOULD BE FIRED! HAVE SOME BALLS WILLIE AND TAKE CHARGE.
I never understand, why managers/coaches allow this stuff to take place. There is no way, that if I was a manager, and one of my players was being stubborn or “not getting it” that I would stand for it. The player would be cut or on the bench. This isn’t little league where you have to be careful of not hurting peoples feelings. What a disgrace!
Delgado is a veteran. Willie won’t do that to a veteran.
Well if Willie wanted to be fired this would excellent behavior. The players wont put up with a jerk of a manager, they would be all over the GM so fast if a manager started pulling stunts like that.
Managers can’t do that anymore because the players make so much money. The manager can be replaced so much easier than players, and the players know it.
Managers are scared to do things like that because it’s so easy to lose the clubhouse these days. The players are spoiled and have too much power.
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