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Omar Minaya just talked with reporters from the dugout.
…to give a sense, he sits in the dugout on the bench, surrounded by 20 reporters and a camera from SNY…in this case, a reporter sat to his left and to his right, as well…it’s an old bit to them, but for me it was interesting to see…
…obviously, there were a lot of questions about who is hurt, when will they be ready, and so on…
According to Minaya, Moises Alou will have surgery and should be on a bike roughly one week later, “hopefully.” He is expected to be back in four to six weeks, as had been reporters yesterday.
Minaya said, although he has already identified a few teams who have a surplus of outfielders, if he were to make a trade it would be for a player who is not an every-day guy like Alou – but who is better than a guy like Angel Pagan – and that it would likely be towards the end of the spring, not now.
Of course, it was pointed out to him that Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds are still on the market, to which he smiled and said, “Well, we are happy with the guys we have.”
In terms of people like Carlos Beltran and Luis Castillo, i.e., guys in camp who had off-season surgery, the team prefers not to rush them. The goal, as he pointed out, is for every player to be ready for opening day.
Lastly, when pressed on the issue, he said he would only begin to get worried about the team’s injuries if this is all still going on during the last week of camp.
…he can say that all he wants, but i sense from his body language and reptitive rhetoric that he knows the difficult situation this team could be in when the bell rings on opening day…and beyond…
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To Omar:
You restored my faith this winter.
Do what you gotta do.
Two words: Xavier Nady
Now this might seem like a very stupid comment, but what about giving a chance to Sammy Sosa. He hit 90 some RBI’s last year for texas. He is right handed, Omar has always had a love affair with him.
He should be cheap, He said he wants atleast 7 million to play but considering no one will pay him close to that I think the mets can get him for around 3 or 4. not too bad. He’d at least be equal to alou, then if alou comes back he can platoon with church.
1. Reyes
2. Castillo?
3. Wright
4. Beltran
5. Delgado ?
6. Sosa ?
7. Church ?
8. Schnieder ?
Whats another ? on this team gonna hurt?
thrilledge could play left field and first base…..at the same -
true strory
thrilledge could play left field and first base at the same time
(my bad about the 2x post)
Yeah, and be an easier out than Schneider at the end of the lineup. No thanks.
Omar, I have the solution to the outfield, first base and right handed bat off the bench:
MARCUS THAMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
get it done omar
what solution is that for? Solution for a .275 OBP? I’ll take the bullpen arm and my chances with Anderson, Easley, Valentin and Clark.
Agreed. Other than the ability to hit some home runs, Thames is pretty much awful. Never walks, strikes out a ton, can’t run, can’t field. Pass.
seems like a random player’s name gets thrown out every week by the press, followed by posts here parroting that that guy’s the solution, get it done omar! Thames is not the solution, please do not get it done, omar.
It seems like he always wants to replace regulars with bench players. Like he wants to catch lightning like he did with Valentin in 2006. I am all for having a solid bench, but If Alou is down for a longer period of time, Church doesn’t hit lefties, and Delgado has the same kind of year as last…our lineup becomes pretty weak. What do you expect with a 42 year old outfielder? It’s just frustrating, hopefully the starting pitching can stay healthy, even though EL Duque is a risk…I don’t know, it’s just evident that the teams injuries and age is an issue, especially you are relying on them so heavily. Guys like El Duque and Alou aren’t just bench players to be replaced with backups. But like Minaya said, I will really be worried if all this is still going on during the last week.
great and wonderfully thought out altru426.
One minor caveat, Valentin was a starter his entire career, and never a bench player. So essentially you haven’t an idea what you are talking about.
Right. Except I wasn’t talking about his whole career. Valentin was not on the roster as the starting 2nd baseman in 2006. He played in 125 games in 2004 and then only 56 games in 2005. He became the starter after Matsui didn’t pan out. Minaya did not plan on him working out like he did, however I was pumped that he did.
So essentially, I do have an idea what I am talking about.
Regardless, the injuries as of right now shouldn’t be a major concern. However, if things haven’t improved by the last week, yes it is something to be worried about.
You aren;t replacing El Duque and Alou for the whole season. Go get guys who are used to starting and will expect to start, you have problems when everyone is healthy.
Just bc someone is a ‘bench’ guy doesn’t make them unqualified to start for a stretch. You just want them comfortable with going back to the bench when the time comes. Otherwise you are gonna have chemistry issues.
dave 27, you are right. just because someone is a “bench” guy doesn’t mean they are not qualified to start for a stretch. and excellent point on the having problems when everyone is healthy. i only get concerned when “bench” have to start for a extended period of time and get worn out. but you raise very good points, good stuff
rant time.
Maybe it is Yankitis (yankenvy?), but it is not required that a team have the best offensive player in the league at every position. It is actually normal to have a couple of stars/studs/big sticks in the lineup to do the heavy lifting, and have them supplemented by role players.
The key is to have a balance in the lineup, and guys that might not be all starts, but can put up solid numbers, get hot for a while and pick up some slack, and play good D and do the “little things” that help a team win.
If the top 4 is in place, that is the meat. CHurch, Schneider, and even Delgado are supplemental pieces that can still do some damage (they do have to carry their own weight), but shouldn’t be expected to put up MVP numbers. Alou would fit into this catagory too.
So, Pagan can handle LF for a month +. Delgado should be in the game, but who knows if he can hit. If not, eventually he will get replaced. Some new spare parts will come in to fill in the gaps.
Look at everyones favorite offensive team, the Phils. Ignoring the fact that their park skews the numbers, they have Rollins, Utley and Howard as the main cogs. Beyond that, 3B last year was a black hole, C fair to OK.
This year, they have Burrell (2 good months in the last 3 years! And an injury risk) – basically our, slightly healthier, Alou. Beyond that, retreads, back ups and role guys. ALthough I wouldn’t mind having Jenkins about now!
Well said. Though there should be some concern, the panic button shouldn’t be hit yet. Pagan is having a very nice spring, and could probably sustain a platoon to fill the needs for a month or so. Clark can fill in a bit. Nobody in their right mind expected Alou to play more than 100 games anyway so it’s an opportunity to solidify the bench. I’m more concerned with guys like Carlos and Carlos not getting their time in so that the timing is there for opening day. Besides, the young guys are showing alot of hunger right now. It’s nice to see.
I am actually hoping that Clark makes the team. Besides it looks as though Valentin might be healthy and does not mind starting in AAA. That would give us Easley, Anderson, Pagan, Castro, Gotay with Chavez healing and Valentin waiting.
Between Clark/Anderson/Pagan RF would be fine and a platoon of Anderson and Easley at 1B could spell Delgado for a while.
Meant to say LF.
thats a bad example bc everyone is a better offensive player when they play for philly so while they may not have the cache of the big name at every position thanks to their little league park everyone is a HR threat, shane beeferino had 12 HRs last year, need i say more.
so we need more big time hitters the runs needed to win whereas the phils dont bc basically anyone can produce there.
Not really. That’s like saying that the Phils need more big time pitchers in order to win because they have the band box. The most complete team will usually win 7/10 times. The Phills still have to pitch in that park and other teams offenses get better there too.
i disagree i think if everyone played in the same stadium the most balanced team would ultimately come out on top but thats not the case. i think when constructing your team if your stadium is an extreme pitcher park or hitter park that needs to be taken into consideration.
Ok then what do you do if you are Philly? Focus on pitching because that will be what wins you games because of the bandbox and then not score enough on the road? Or go the other way and forget pitching. Make your offense so great at home that its hard to win but get lit up on the road too?
Or in the Mets case. It’s a pitchers park so you sign really good pitchers? or go get great offensive players?
It’s got to be a balance of both — no matter where you play. Look at the Rockies, they’ve always been able to hit (obviously, not as well on the road), but they were never good until they got some good young pitching that could survive in their ballpark (and humidor or not, it’s still a hitter’s park — those gaps are huge in the outfield).
Yes, the Mets have been at their best when they’ve had great pitching (in a pitcher’s park), but those teams also had a lot of good hitters, too. 80s: Hernandez, Carter, Strawberry, etc. Late 90s/00: Piazza, Ventura, Fonzie, Olerud/Zeile. This team: Wright, Reyes, Beltran, and hopefuly Delgado.
It’s fine to have great pitching, but you need good offense to go along with it (and vice-versa).
All I ever hear from my phillie-fan friend is how horrible the Phils’ 3-5 starters are. The Phils are gonna have to score 8 runs/game to win for those starters.
silly argument. It makes no sense if you think about it, because it’s not like they are playing against themselves.
That would make for some interesting Rollins quotes, however.
Can someone explain to me who in the Phillies lineup I’m supposed to be terrorized by besides Rollins, Utley, and Howard?
Pedro Feliz?
Geoff Jenkins??
Chis Coste?????
you’re right. I think the braves have a better lineup.
I would add Pat Burrell to the list. I know his numbers aren’t great, but he always seems to hit that big crippling home run.