Daily Archives: February 14, 2008
To check out video of Johan Santana’s throwing session today at Tradition Field, go to Steve Popper’s blog for the Bergen Record.
Meanwhile, go to 
to check out video of Pedro Martinez (and his head-band), Billy Wagner’s chat with reporters, and Kevin Burkhardt’s interview with John Maine.
Maine, on whether Santana helps turn the page on the ‘collapse,’ while talking to Burkhardt…
“Yeah, I think so. He’s the best pitcher in the game right now. So, it’s a fresh face. With him coming in it gives the team a different look, and a little different attitude. So, it’s like, last year is over, and with the new additions, especially Santana, we can start this new season.”
According to Maine, he’s not working on any new pitches. Instead, he’s working on the ‘mental part.’
According to a report from Reuters, U.S. prosecutors said free-agent OF Barry Bonds tested positive for steroids in November 2001, only one month after recording his record 73rd home run of the season.
…Update…11:42 pm…
According to the Associated Press, this report was the result of a typo in court papers filed by federal prosecutors.
…so, oops…keep walking…nothing to see here…
Tagged Steroids |As noted earlier, Pedro Martinez arrived in St. Lucie today and talked with reporters outside the team’s minor-league complex.
Martinez, on pitching alongside Johan Santana…
“I know Johan is an ace, and when I get the ball I’m another ace. Every time I get the ball…I’m the ace that day. I’m the guy everyone’s expecting to have fun and that’s going to be me. I believe Johan is probably thought as being as much of an ace as I am.”
Martinez also said he is not really concerned with who will be the team’s opening day starter.
For more on Martinez’s comments, check out the Star-Ledger, New York Post, Bergen Record, and the Journal News.
Tagged Pedro Martinez |In a post to his blog for Newsday, David 
Lennon provides a written transcript from Billy Wagner’s chat with reporters today in Port St. Lucie.
Wagner, on whether he is anxious to see Duaner Sanchez pitch, as quoted by Lennon…
“Yeah, I am. Shoot, he’s a huge key to our bullpen. I don’t think we can expect him to go out there and throw 22 scoreless to start the season, I don’t think we can expect that type of dominance early after not pitching for a year and a half. I think what we have to do is use him in a way that’s not going to hurt him. By September, he’s going to really make a difference in that bullpen that we didn’t have last year. Him being here, if he can get back to his old form, that allows Willie the comfort of having the roles that we want with Aaron [Heilman], Duaner and myself. I think that really takes a lot of pressure off [Pedro] Feliciano and [Scott] Schoeneweis to have to pick up and pitch in situations they really shouldn’t be in.”
…Dirty, as some of you call him, is truly the one to watch…maybe even more than Johan Santana…
Wagner also talks about the ‘collapse,’ Johan Santana and where the Mets rank in the NL East, among other things.
…according to our friend, Jeff Goldman of SNY, it sounds like a pretty quiet, casual day in Tradition Field this afternoon as pitchers and catchers continue to check in, get 
their physicals and do some light running and throwing…
…Pedro Martinez arrived around 1 pm…he did some long-tossing on a back field, then talked with Rick Peterson, and then talked with the media, which will appear later today on SNY…he is looks healthy and in great shape…
…Billy Wagner and Aaron Heilman ran some laps around the entire complex, after which wagner talked with media as well…
…i’ll be checking in with jeff every few hours, each day over the next week or so, to get periodic updates on what is or is not happening down in Port St. Lucie…
Tagged SNY |…if you are at or going to Tradition Field over the next couple of weeks, feel free to e-mail me any pictures or notes…with your permission, i’d be more than happy to try and post it on MetsBlog.com…
To contact me, click here.
In the New York Times, Bergen Record and Star-Ledger, Ben 
Shpigel, Steve Popper and Lisa Kennelly give a quick recap of Johan Santana’s game of catch, as John Maine, Mike Pelfrey and Joe Smith watched from the sidelines.
…learn from the master, young jedis…
John Delcos of the Journal News is patiently waiting for Pedro Martinez to address the media.
Martinez arrived at camp around 1 pm.
According to Delcos, he was sent roses for Valentine’s Day.
…i wonder if they’re from Juan Marichal…
Lastly, in Newsday, David Lennon talks with David Wright, who did not set his TiVo to watch the Roger Clemens hearings.
At ESPN.com, Jayson Stark breaks down various spring training subjects including the biggest story lines, best off-season trades and crowning, as he called it, the “Checkbook Champs.”
In regards to the “Most Intriguing Spring Stories” in the NL, Stark 
(along with 22 “baseball wise men”) voted Santana-mania as number one:
“When last we saw the Mets in September, they were freeing the ‘64 Phillies from their seemingly endless Worst Collapse of All Time purgatory. So even if Johan Santana doesn’t go undefeated, strike out 398 or have a 1.04 ERA, at least he’ll help the Mets change the subject. Might have been worth all the aggravation just for that.”
As for the most improved team in the NL, the Mets took the top spot as voted by Stark and the wise men:
“Here’s how much of a difference maker Johan Santana is: Before the Mets traded for him, they were viewed as one of the National League teams that had done the least to get better this winter. But drop the best pitcher of his time into this mix, and people start changing that tune, faster than you can say, “Whatever happened to Deolis Guerra?” Can one player really make that much of a difference? Sure. When he’s this player. Heck, the Twins went 105-47 when Santana started over the past five years (and only 335-323 when he didn’t). So the Mets might go undefeated when he’s out there.”
And the checkbook champs are (insert drum roll) … the Yankess … the Mets were voted second.
…this is very fun read that touches on some pretty good topics…it definitely signals that spring training is here and gets you pumped for the weeks ahead…
Last week at Baseball Prospectus, prospect guru Kevin Goldstein announced his Top 11 Prospect List for the Mets.
…i had the chance to talk quite extensively with Kevin about the Mets organization, his rankings and the draft…it’s a long interview, so i broke it up in to three parts…the first of which ran Tuesday, which dealt with the team’s overall system and the coming draft…yesterday, i talked with him about the team’s position prospects, and today i will talk with him about the pitchers…
To subscribe to Baseball Prospectus, click here.
Jordan Zakarin: One of the most intriguing guys in the Mets system is Scott Moviel – obviously has a high ceiling, but the Mets were seemingly recently burned with a big right hander in Mike Pelfrey. Are there legit similarities there, and can Moviel perhaps turn into a top of the line prospect?
Kevin Goldstein: I don’t see the similarities really, other than the tall, right-handedness.
Jordan Zakarin: So that’s a good thing?
Kevin Goldstein: Moviel is all projection, while Pelfrey has some really good stuff now — at least the fastball. Moviel is one of those players you can dream on — he could turn into a top of the line prospect, but keep in mind, that every system has this guy. The big, projectable pitcher. A few of them turn into really nice prospects, and most fall by the wayside. Still, to even have a player with that chance is a good thing.
Jordan Zakarin: Sounds like the Mets were pleasantly surprised with his initial performance, though.
Kevin Goldstein: Yes — he took very well to coaching, showed some early feel for a changeup, and threw more strikes than expected.
Jordan Zakarin: Okay, another draftee with upside, Brant Rustich – some say he had some of the best pure stuff in the draft – if he really did gain that command he showed in his pro debut, what’s his ceiling, and is there a chance he’s a starter?
Kevin Goldstein: He’s probably a reliever in the end. Rustich has very good raw stuff, but whoever said it was the best in the draft was smoking something. His fastball/slider combination gives him two plus pitches that profile best in relief, as he doesn’t have much of a changeup. The control hit seems like a total fluke, based on what he did at UCLA, and the fact that he wasn’t throwing strikes in Hawaii.
Jordan Zakarin: He was hurt while at UCLA though, right? He said that really hurt his command, when I talked to him.
Kevin Goldstein: Sure, but not always. It’s not like he was a world beater when his finger was fine. He’s mechanically a little messy, and until he consistently throws strikes, he’s not going to have a lot of believers in him… For a guy with an ERA over six in college, to still go in the second round, that tells you his stuff is pretty impressive — but he’s got a long way to go.
Jordan Zakarin: Okay, another draftee coming from the pen — Eddie Kunz – set up man, or potential closer? Did his tough pro debut take away some of the luster, or was he just tired from non-stop pitching the last two years?
Kevin Goldstein: I see him as almost a borderline closer. It could happen, but I’m not sold on it yet. I don’t think his debut really dinged him too much, even Mets knew that he wasn’t one of those college fast-track relievers and might take a bit to develop.
Jordan Zakarin: So he’s not on the Joe Smith track, per se?
Kevin Goldstein: Not unless he starts throwing a ton of strikes.
…as i said on Tuesday, big thanks to kevin, who took out a huge chunk of time to do another interview with me…
…it seems that the Mets still have some decent prospects, it’s just more an issue of a lack of real close-to-the-majors, high-ceiling guys…the thing is, kevin is more optimistic than i had anticipated about the big picture, maybe because the big league team has a real chance to win…but, there are some younger, further away, high-ceiling guys there, which is better than having just a bunch of future utilitymen…
…as i keep saying, this draft, in which the Mets will have three picks inside the first 33, will be very, very important…
At his blog for the News Journal, Scott Lauber talked with LHP Cole Hamels at Phillies camp today about matching up against Mets LHP Johan Santana and a developing Mets-Phillies rivalry.
Hamels, as quoted by Lauber…
“[Santana] is a tremendous pitcher, on and off the field, just from what you see with his mannerisms on the mound. To go up against a guy like that will just make it more entertaining, especially for the fans. Developing that good rivalry, I think it’s what Philadelphia’s been wanting and needing.”
…it’s odd, with a short stretch of I-95 between them, you would think the two teams should have had a built in rivalry for years, but they haven’t…it’s only been brewing the past two seasons as both teams have been relatively competitive at the same time…
…hamels is spot on with his assumption…living in the philly area for a few years now, i’ve noticed Phillies fans craving a rivalry, especially one with the Mets…well, it’s here and this season should be certainly entertaining to say the least…
Tagged Mike Nichols, Phillies | ← Older posts
