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During yesterday’s game, Johan Santana allowed one run on two hits while striking out four and walking one through three innings.
…according to the scout sitting behind me, his fastball was consistently at 91 mph, while topping out around 92, “which is good,” he said, “for now,”…
Santana, on his pitches, talking to reporters after the game…
“I feel better every day, every start…Today we were working on my change-up and some breaking balls and I felt pretty good…I’m right where I’m supposed to be.”
…yes, the change-up looked good, as did his fastball, but what i enjoy watching is how he is always pitching from ahead in the count, which allows him to utilize the change-up so effectively…
For more on Santana, as well as Pedro Martinez, who pitches today, read Bart Hubbach in the New York Post.
The only real positive stories out of camp so far are Johan, Pagan and Pedro. Good to see Johan building his strength relatively quickly.
What game were you watching? Santana was 1-0 and 2-1 on most of the batters and went 3-2 at least 3 times…
welcome back to the era of dominant pitching! I for one am glad to see it..
Baseball like it ought to be.
Off-Topic: Barry Bonds.
I loathe the yankays. I have very little hatred in my heart, save for the yankays. They’re really the only thing on Earth, in it’s entire existence that I unconditionally despise. That said, I’d rather Barry Bonds sign with them, Detroit, Philly, or Atlanta than be forced out of the game like this. This is a disfiguring blemish on the integrity of the game far more than anything Bonds has ever done. All Bonds did was do what countless other players did, and in doing so raised the popularity of the game to unparalleled heights. He was the best player I’ve ever seen play, and was just outstanding to see hit. To have him disgraced like this would be irreparably damaging to the game he helped build into the fiscal giant it is today, and nauseating to the point that I will lose respect for the Major Leagues.
Want to talk about doing justice for the game? If they really want to do justice for the game of baseball they’ll implement a universal rule set for beginners. Everyone and they’re mother knows that the DH is a TREMENDOUS advantage for a team….so much so it’s grown to be an unfair advantage. How much would a DH benefit the Mets the past few years? While you can’t eliminate it, as many of you would like; it can’t remain as is either. 82 games with, 82 with out for every team in the game is the only way. Secondly, the draft is a total sham, as are the unlimited/unregulated payrolls. The yankays vitiate the game to just sewage proportions. 4 years ago the yankays had the worst farm system in the game bar none. Since then, they’ve already got a strong CROP, not 1 or 2, but a cro/ap of youngsters breaking in this year along with many on the way. Standardize drafted contracts, and then the Royals and Pirates actually will pick the best guys like they should.
All that is neither here nor there right now though. Barry Bonds is front and center, and I want him almost as much as the Mets need him. Sign Barry Bonds…don’t let this be the story of perhaps the best player ever to play the game. This is just gross right now. He was just one of many….there’s no denying that.
None of the other players that did it beat Henry’s
HR record.
So what does that mean? Alice Rodreekyass probably will, and he’s an HGH head….Pujols too…all of them…except maybe Prince Fielder although it wouldn’t surprise me one bit….
It’s a different era anyway, and if you wish to believe Hank Aaron was the greatest home run hitter of all time, by all means…that’s your prerogative, but you’d be wrong. Bonds was in his era, Ruth was in his era, but we both know the greatest home run hitter of all time was Willie Mays with Ralph Kiner a close second….That’s the truth of it….
Who do you think was the best contact hitter? Pete Rose, Ty Cobb, Rogers Hornsby, Hugh Duffy, or Tony Gwynn? It’s not gonna be Pete Rose even though he had the most hits, it’s not Ty Cobb cause he had the all-time high career batting average, and it’s not Hugh Duffy who had the all-time single season mark(.4397)…..it’s Rogers Hornsby because I say so….it’s all a matter of opinion, and that’s one of the greatest things about the game….the debates…
I want Barry Bonds in a Mets uniform this year, and pronto…if they’re waiting until after March so they don’t have to give up a draft pick, that’s fine….but invite him to camp or something now just to “hang out”…ala Freddy Garcia…
The previous has been brought to you by Kherubnym. The opinions voiced in no flect, or are endorsed by, Metsblog. They are the sole opinion of Kherubnym.
Now, back to your regularly scheduled blogging.
*no way reflect *
slightly ironic off-topic post after my above comment…Barry is the poster child for the type of baseball that turned me off in the 90s… it’s time to move on, get real, and watch the kids fight it out. The old PED guys are breaking down and phasing out.. if they’re not, they’re still on the junk. We don’t need that
I’m going to stick my neck out here and say I fully agree with the post about Bonds. He was clearly one of the best players I have ever seen, before all of these issues. I can still see him raking for Pittsburg.
PEDs do not allow you to become better by them selves. You still need to work your a** off and his work ethic is legendary. But all of this is lost in the smoke and flames.
I know many disagree with me, but I would take Bonds in a second. I would hate to see us waste even one year with Johan because injuries prevented us from achieving our goal.
Many will worry about what people will say about us if we bring him in and I say screw them all. Since when do people in this city care what others think anyway. I don’t!!
Sign Bonds and let the chips fall where they may
I don’t think you people realize what signing Bonds will do to the Mets clubhouse…it would be a total circus…worse than the Knicks… I think you’ll put more fans in the stands if you let FMart play (not that I want them to). It’s a tough situation – as of now I’d say that Pagan would probably start in left, but if Alou suffers a major setback (btw, my odds on that: 70-30) Omar will need to go out and work his magic to get a decent outfielder. And no, it should NOT be Bonds or Thames…we need someone who can hit better than .240 without striking out 40% of the time…
Do you really think a third place team would put more fans in the stands than a first place team? I didn’t think so….Bonds = money for the Mets, and wins for us. Plain and simple. That’s the bottom line of the equation. Sure, no doubt there’ll be some extra hoopla surrounding the Mets, but if you notice the media has written several stories over the past month to the effect that how much steroids have become a non-story…no doubt a coincidence after Clemens became the face of steroids in the game…..then again, any publicity is good publicity, right? It’s free….
And no doubt about it that they’ll be a rather sizable contingency amongst Mets fans who “disapprove”, and are disheveled, bewildered, amok at a Bonds signing, but you know as well as I do they’re all gonna be at the games rooting for him to just get that 2 out hit in the bottom of the seventh in a one run game with runners at second and third with all their heart….and when he does you’ll feel the joy of winning more than anything else…after the game no doubt they’ll all go back to tongue in cheek bad mouthing him, but…once that situation comes again….It’s gonna be all Go Barry Go!!…
If the Mets sign Bonds, we win the World Series. I want to win the World Series. I want the Mets to get Barry Bonds…it’s that simple.
Bonds would not equal wins for the Mets.
He’d equal a monstrous distraction from the game – something the players obviously don’t need after last season.
He’d also equal a vertiable bucketload of doubles to left field, and Carlos Beltran breaking down from having to patrol 2/3 of the outfield.
He’d be terrible for this team – or any other NL team. Bonds in 2008 is the epitomy of DH – and the epitomy of why DH is bad for baseball. Players should be able to play, not just hit.
And the 82 with / 82 without DH idea is rediculous. For a start, that adds up to 164. Secondly, it screws up building rosters (do you need pinch hitters who can field, or power hitters who couldn’t catch a cold?). And didn’t you notice that in ‘06, possibly the weakest team in the NL playoffs destroyed Detroit in the World Series?
I second that and I’m not just jumping on here. I have always thought it would be great if we had him and the opportunity has presented it’s self.
Go ahead all of you people who have never done anything wrong, kill me.
Kill me for loving my team so much that I would not overlook any opportunity to make us better.
Santana is here. Let’s not waste this year because we are affaid of what might happen if we bring in Bonds.
I’ll tell you what will happen but you already know.
I’m sorry, I just don’t see how signing Bonds will win the WS for us. I guess he’s going to bring all his WS experience with him to the Mets….ohh, umm, yeah, I don’t think he has too much…
Look, point is, we already have a starter, albeit a fragile one, in Alou. We have backups in Pagan and Chavez. Where do you plug Bonds? You think the home run king is going to accept a bench job when he’s still ready to play every day (or at least be the starter who needs the spelling instead of being the guy coming in off the bench). Also, why don’t you pull up the pinch hit numbers on Bonds – as I recall, I don’t think they’re very good – so he would not be as useful in the 7th coming in…And you can’t ignore the fact that with his arrival there would be 300 reporters who will be running around the clubhouse every day as well as the back covers of him in a Met uniform detailing his steroid-scandal perjury court hearings…
I don’t buy the whole Bonds in NY thing. Do you really want this kind of attention? It seems to me (with Matt opening my eyes to this more than anyone in the past 6 months or so) that teams in NY are under a microscope as it is. I mean, jeez, we have 5 blogs providing updates on scores in spring training games. Clubhouse atmosphere counts for a lot, and team chemistry counts for even more. Bonds has long been known as a bad chemistry guy. Do you really want to turn this team into the Knicks? I don’t think that Bonds = WS. Yes, he’s a great player, and yes, he might be able to mean 2 or 3 or may be even 4 more wins for the Mets with his bat, but the bottom line is, we will lose more because of his presence and be a mockery of baseball to boot. The only reason why the steroid thing is becoming a non-issue is because Barry Bonds is not playing baseball. You put him on the field and it all stirs up again. Please, Omar, not in NY…
OK, that’s four opinions on this with a 50/50 split. Attention on Bonds equals attention off everyone else.
Platoon him with Alou to keep him fresh. I understand your points but I have also heard teammates of his say he is not that bad in the clubhouse.
I believe that we can win without him, but I also believe our chances are better with him.
Let’s run a poll. Have we done a poll on this subject?
I’m glad to hear that about Santana. I was watching the game on SNY yesterday and I was getting worried because the radar gun on the TV had him topping out at about 88, throwing like 86 consistently and it did have his changeup at around 69,70. I thought something was wrong with the tv gun, glad to hear that there was.
The facination with the radar gun has got to end. It is ridiculous. It is about location and decpetion, not velocity. Throw a FB at 88 mph and a change-up at 75 mph as long at the arm slot, ball rotation, and release point are consitent, you have a recipe for success.
Get a guy to throw 110 mph with no other pitch and he will get beat worse than a pinata.
i dont know, man. Haven’t you ever seen Rookie of the Year? The kid had no off-speed pitch and pitched to like a 1.00 ERA. Are you trying to tell me that has no bearing in real life?
A 110 mph fastball will not be hittable by anyone. Don’t kid yourself…
Let me add that I don’t disagree with your original point. It’s just that as I was taught long ago – stay away from extremes and over exaggerations – it makes other good points look false…
It is not ludicrous, difficult, but not obscene.
Assume it takes 0.2 seconds (studies confirm this) to swing a bat.
A 90 MPH FB will take +/- 0.413 second to travel from the release point (assumed to be 54′ 6″ ) to the plate allowing a batter 0.213 seconds to recognize location, speed, and pitch type.
A 110 MPH pitch will take +/- 0.338 seconds allowing a batter .138 seconds to react. This is significantly less time, but if certain elements are eleminated from the decision process, like pitch typeand speed recognition, it is very reasonable to assume a profesional hitter will adjust favorably.
Nah… human reaction time is about 0.2 seconds unless you manage to be scared in which case it’s about 0.1 seconds.
This is why in 100m sprints, they use a gun to start the race (you get the ’scared’ reaction not the normal reaction). It’s also why you get called for a false start if you exert pressure on the blocks less than 0.100s after the gun.
Now you could make a claim that a 110mph fastball is scary… and I’d probably concede the point.
But that only gives you 0.038 seconds at best to locate the pitch. Not enough.
Exactly. While you had a pretty good analysis going there, you missed out on the part where you’re deciding to swing – yes I would agree with you if every pitch was going down the middle, but if you can locate the pitch where ever, then you need to account for reaction time – which is provided pretty well by the other Matt…
i think the only man that can hit a 110 mph pitch is tsuyoshi shinjo, no matter how fast, if its straight he will hit it hard.