Daily Archives: February 7, 2008
The Mets and OF Ryan Church avoided arbitration and agreed to $2 million contract for 2008.
Tagged Ryan Church |
Anthony from Yorktown, NY, sent in an email asking…
“Do you think if Mike Piazza retires this year, the Mets would retire his number in CitiField, being the first Met whose number is retired in the new stadium. I think it would be an awesome gesture and the fans would love it. What do you think?”
…that’s a good question anthony…i really look forward to seeing piazza’s number 31 retired…however, personally, the Mets should retire Keith Hernandez‘s number 17 first and foremost…his arrival in 1983 was the stepping stone to the 1986 championship and to me number 17 represents veteran leadership, flawless defense and clutch hitting, which should be bestowed with the honor of never being worn again…also, i don’t blame keith for being upset when he sees the likes of David Newhan or Dae-Sung Koo wearing his number…although it is pretty hilarious to hear how upset he is over that…
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The Mets have retired the jersey numbers of Tom Seaver, Gil Hodges, Casey Stengel and Jackie Robinson.
According to the Boston Herald, “Red Sox RHP Curt Schilling has a 
significant shoulder injury that could end the veteran’s season and is causing tension and friction between the player and the team.
…ouch…i mean, ouch…
…you know, the Red Sox should offer Jon Lester, Jacoby Elsbury and other prospects to the Twins for Johan Santana…or not…
As noted this morning, according to the Associated Press, a video of Pedro Martinez and Hall of Famer Juan Marichal taking part in a cockfight in the Dominican Republic was posted and then quickly taken off of YouTube last night.
The report writes, “Cockfighting is both legal and popular in the Dominican Republic.”
Naturally, PETA has issued a letter to Martinez, c/o Shea Stadium.
To download the letter, go to TMZ.com.
…the word from Shea Stadium is that the video is actually from three years ago…the thing is, i’m not so sure about that…i mean, wasn’t pedro rocking the jerk curl back then…in the video, from what i recall seeing, his hair is really short…anyway…yesterday it was celebrating Johan Santana…today it’s PETA, cockfights and jeri curls…unreal…only at shea…
Tagged Pedro Martinez |
Prospect guru Kevin Goldstein continues his countdown of each organization’s Top 11 Prospects, today unveiling his list for the Mets at Baseball Prospectus.
…thankfully, this list was constructed after the Mets sent four of their top prospects to Minnesota in the Johan Santana trade, so 
we get, in effect, four extra scouting reports….he reviewed the prospects the Mets sent to the Twins last week…
Like every list, OF Fernando Martinez leads the pack, of whom Goldstein writes:
“To hit .271 in Double-A when you are as old as most high school seniors is an impressive feat. Martinez has outstanding bat speed and tremendous power potential to go with a rapidly improving approach, and could develop into a middle-of-the-order force if everything falls right.”
After Martinez, the list looks like:
2. Jon Niese, LHP
3. Eddie Kunz, RHP
4. Wilmer Flores, SS
5. Brant Rustich, RHP
6. Nathan Vineyard, LHP
7. Scott Moviel, RHP
8. Bobby Parnell, RHP
9. Dan Murphy, 3B
10. Ruben Tejada, SS/2B
11. Stephen Clyne, RHP
…it was a bit of a surprise to see flores, the team’s top Latin signee this season, that high on the list…a monster 6’3” at age 17, he’s clearly projectable…
Regarding Flores, Goldstein comments:
“Flores has a huge frame and the potential for plus-plus raw power to go with the hitting skills to make consistent hard contact. Defensively, he has soft hands and an above-average arm. He’s an average runner.”
As for the system as a whole, Goldstein isn’t so high on it, but sees reason for optimism:
“As one official with the team put it, the recent Johan Santana deal “ripped the heart” out of the Mets system, but at the same time, New York just added the best pitcher in baseball to the organization. This is one of the worst collections of talent as it stands right now, but it’s also bad in a very different way from, say, the Astros. Right now, the Mets’ system might be just as bad, but at the same time, it does have more young players capable of taking a step forward this year and making the organization look better 12 months from now.”
…which is as much as you could ask for, given all the recent free agent signings and the santana trade…this year’s three first round picks should prove very important to rebuilding the system…
Tagged Minors |Appearing on the Max Kellerman Show, ESPN 1050’s Andrew Marchand said he was told the Mets will likely be unable to insure 
Johan Santana‘s contract against injury because of the length and amount of money given to a pitcher.
…well, this should not be a surprise…if you recall, i had been saying the cut off would likely be five years…santana is guaranteed six…so, there you go…
Speaking of Santana’s contract, according to Ken Rosenthal in an article for FOXSports.com, the present-day value of his deal is $123.1 million, not $137.5 million.
Lastly, in a report for SI.com, Tom Verducci explains that at 4:55 pm, five minutes before the deadline for a deal, Santana nearly walked away from the negotiations.
In an article for MLB.com, Jim Molony looks at some highly touted 
pitchers and how their team’s chances could hinge on their ability to recover from injuries.
Regarding Pedro Martinez, Molony says…
“The addition of two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana lessens the pressure on Martinez, but if the Mets are going to reclaim the National League East crown this year, they’ll need three-time Cy Young Award winner Martinez to bounce back or at least continue to be as effective as he was following his return last year.”
In five starts during September last season, Martinez was 3–1 with a 2.57 ERA during which he struck out 32 batters and walked just seven through 28 innings pitched.
Tagged Pedro Martinez |The Mets have announced that Billy Joel will become the final artist to perform at Shea Stadium at what has been dubbed ‘The Last Play at Shea,’ on Wednesday, July 16, presented by Citi.
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During yesterday’s press conference, Mets GM Omar Minaya told 
reporters that, “Orlando Hernandez is part of his team’s starting rotation.”
…i love how these guys always talk in the absolute present…it’s very wise…
…i mean, it’s not like he said, “Orlando Hernandez will be in our starting rotation,” which would be a completely different statement…
…that said, as of now, i do believe their goal is to use el duque in the rotation…however, i truly hope the team at least considers using him from the bullpen while working out in spring training, especially if another pitcher steps up to compete and potentially win over the fifth starters spot…
The thing is, as of now, RHP Pedro Feliciano, RHP Aaron Heilman, RHP Duaner Sanchez, LHP Scott Schoeneweis, RHP Jorge Sosa and LHP Billy Wagner are likely to be guaranteed spots on the team’s opening day roster.
…that’s six relief pitchers…the Mets typically take 11 pitchers to start the season…usually they only need four starters through the first few weeks, but with the way this April’s schedule is it appears they’ll need to break camp with all five…and so, since last i checked, 6+5 = 11, there may be only one remaining spot for a pitcher come opening day…
Adam Bostick, RHP Willie Collazo, RHP Ruddy Lugo, RHP Carlos Muniz, RHP Steven Register, RHP Matt Wise, RHP Joe Smith and RHP Brian Stokes will essentially be competing for that one spot.
…therefore, in order for el duque to shift to the bullpen, and be their final pitcher, some one else will need to wrangle the final spot in the starting rotation from him, while all of these eight additional relievers fail…
Tagged Orlando Hernandez |In a column for the Philadelphia Daily News, local columnist Rich Hoffman gives his first-
hand impression of yesterday’s press conference for Johan Santana.
Among other insights, Hoffman writes…
“In the realm of the nauseating, this was even worse than Eli Manning and the fellas parading the Lombardi Trophy through the Canyon of Heroes…The PR guy attempted to shut down the last shutterbugs and begin the news conference by announcing, ‘Johan, your public awaits.’ At which point, I gagged on some vomit…And, in that spirit, Santana raised his hands at one point and showed off all the World Series rings he won in Minnesota. Oh, wait.”
…i love the thought of this guy white-knuckling it back to philly, mumbling to himself about the off-season…
…the best part about these out-of-town columns is that they absolutely stink of jealousy…it borders on sad and laughable, especially considering that they came out on top just a few months ago…i mean, jeez, no matter the situation, their fans are just completely incapable of showing any sort of class…
…seriously, get it together, philly…you won last year…act like it…
…thanks to the great Jason B for the link…
For what it’s worth, the Mets payroll in 2006 was an estimated $101 million, while the Phillies spent $88 million.
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