Daily Archives: March 25, 2008
Marty Noble at MLB.com says Jorge Sosa could open the season as the teams’ fifth starter.
Noble writes:
“Jorge Sosa temporarily became an effective solution for a rotation problem the Mets developed in May.
For five weeks, the castaway right-hander provided consistent performances, not to mention six victories in seven starts. Now, with the Mets less than a week from the beginning of their regular season, a similar problem exists. And the club is looking in the same direction for a solution.”
…with el duque and pelfrey pitching their way out of the fifth spot it shouldn’t be a big surprise that sosa is in the mix…that being said, unless someone comes out of nowhere and really runs away with it, i expect willie to play musical chairs with last rotation spot depending on who’s healthy and actually pitching decent...
However, Jon Heyman at SI.com says Mike Pelfrey is likely to be named the fifth starter.
Heyman writes:
“Mets decisionmakers appear set to overlook top pitching prospect Mike Pelfrey’s poor spring and name him the No. 5 starter in coming days, sources said.”
…heyman is great, but he provides information from more anonymous and mysterious sources than anyone, and it kills me…
The Mets defeated the Braves by the score of 5 to 4 in Port St. Lucie this afternoon.
- Jon Niese threw four and two thirds innings, allowing two hits and two runs. He also walked six. His spring ERA is now 3.12.
- Carlos Beltran stole his first base of the spring and scored two runs.
- Carlos Delgado was hitless in three at-bats.
- Angel Pagan picked up another hit and is now batting .338 this spring. He also stole his fifth base.
- The Mets had seven hits, left twelve men on base and hit in to one double play.
For a complete box score, check out MLB.com.
Tagged Mike Nichols |
The Brewers have released RHP Claudio Vargas, according to Tom Haudricourt at his blog for the Journal Sentinel.
Vargas has already cleared waivers, reports Haudricourt, who believes the Brewers may save money on Vargas’s contract be releasing him today.
Vargas, 29, was 11-6 with a 5.09 ERA in 29 games for the Brewers last season, during which he started 23 games.
His ERA has gone up in each of his last three seasons.
…the Brewers fans are freaking out in the comment’s section of haudricourt’s post…they understand moving him, but they cannot understand why he was simply released and not traded…my answer would be: because no team wanted to trade for him, otherwise i am sure he would have been traded…this would suggest vargas may not have as much value as people think…
…i am certain a slew of Mets fans will announce that vargas will make for a better fifth starter than what the Mets have…i’m not sure he will…he might…but i don’t know that he will…again, he may be better than Nelson Figeuroa, he might not…who knows…he’s far from a sure thing, which will likely be the case with any potential number five starter, including Mike Pelfrey or Orlando Hernandez…like with the rest of these players we keep reading about, i’d welcome vargas to the Mets assuming he is not guarenteed a roster spot…otherwise, i’d pass…
According to a team press release, the Cubs have signed free-agent OF Reed Johnson to a one-year contract.
According to both Ken Rosenthal at FoxSports.com and Jayson Stark at ESPN.com, the Cubs had been expressing the most interest in Johnson.
Over the weekend, Omar Minaya told reporters that, while he and his staff will discuss Johnson, like with all available players, he is essentially content with Angel Pagan and Brady Clark.
Minaya planned to meet with team officials to discuss Johnson last night, according to Newsday.
The Mets will face the in St. Lucie this afternoon.
The game will air live on 
, starting at 1 pm.
SS Jose Reyes will hit leadoff, followed by 2B Luis Castillo, 3B David Wright, OF Carlos Beltran, 1B Carlos Delgado, OF Ryan Church, C Raul Casanova, OF Endy Chavez and Jon Niese.
Niese will start for the Mets in place of Johan Santana, who is currently pitching in a minor-league game since he’ll face the Braves next week in the regular season.
According to eyewitnesses, with Brian Schneider behind the plate, Santana has not allowed a run through five innings of work.
Robert Parnell will start tomorrow in place of Pedro Martinez, who will also pitch in a minor-league game.
…Update…1:05 pm…
…i’m eager to watch niese…so, i will live blog my thoughts as the game rolls on…stay tuned…
…Update…1:19 pm…
In the first inning, Niese allowed one hit, no runs and no walks.
…he’s a solid, strong-looking kid…nice fastball, which does not seem to have a ton of movement, but he throws all over the zone, which may or may not be intentional…he has a nice, big, looping curve ball, which appears to be a 12–6 like Barry Zito, who he sort of reminds me of…
…Update…1:31 pm…
In the second inning, Niese allowed no hits, no runs and no walks.
…niese clearly needs more work, and should not be considered for the fifth starter’s spot…don’t get me wrong, he’s a good, young pitcher, but he looks to be very inconsistent, which is totally understandable…he has a lot of arm action, and in this particular game it looks like he’s aiming and forcing the ball a bit…
…also, he’s rushing, futzing with the rubber and looks a bit uncomfortable, despite having not allowed a run in two innings, which is a good sign…again, i can see why people like him, because he is certainly aggressive with a lot of skills, but he still needs work…
…Update…1:41 pm…
In the third inning, Niese allowed no runs, no hits and one walk while striking out one to end the inning.
…he needs a better change-up, though he really has a nice, smooth, deceptive curve ball, which is exciting…his fastball has ranged from 87– to 91–mph fastball, and has generated a few swing-and-misses…
…Update…1:54 pm…
In the fourth inning, Niese allowed no runs, one hits and no walks.
…he is still all over the strike zone, however what i initially thought was him rushing is actually just a very quick style…he works fast…it appears to be irritating the hitters…
…if he can keep changing speeds with his fastball, remain aggressive as he is, plus use his curve ball, which is ‘strong to quite strong,’ he’s going to be effective…
…Update…2:23 pm…
In the fifth inning, Niese got in to trouble, allowing the bases to be loaded, while giving up two runs, before being pulled mid-inning.
…nevertheless, i am impressed by his stick-with-it-ness…he kept working…he fell behind in the count a few times, but battled back, stayed aggressive and did his best…he was not just slinging the ball, but looking to get a grounder…all in all, despite a lot of balls, and not enough strikes, it was a decent day for niese, who is worthy of the hype…
According to WFAN’s Ed Coleman, the Mets have placed Ruben Gotay on waivers.
Meanwhile, According to the Daily News and the Bergen Record, the Mets have also placed RHP Steven Register on waivers.
…i believe gotay will clear waivers, and be returned to the Mets, who like his bat, but worry about his defense…and now with the ankle injury, plus being out of options, i just can’t see how another team will pick him up…
…i’m worried, though, because i like gotay a lot…yes, i understand he has struggled on defense…but his bat is hard to deny, and too good to just throw away…
In seven appearances this spring for the Mets, Register has allowed four runs, no walks and 12 hits while striking out six in eight innings.
…from what i can gather, here’s how this will work…if register is not claimed in the next two days, he must be offered back to the Rockies…if the Rockies pass, he returns to the Mets and can be put in their minor-league system…however, if the Rockies accept him back, he’s on the Rockies, but can go back to the Mets if the two sides can work out a trade…lastly, if he is claimed off waivers, the team who claims register will get him…
…man, Brian Stokes and Joe Smith are really surging towards the 25–man roster it appears…so, if the Mets prefer stokes, with only one open slot in the pen, the move to put register on waivers was really their only option i guess…good luck…
Tagged Ruben Gotay |In case you missed it, 
Butterfield 8 in New York City will be hosting a MetsBlog.com Opening Day Happy Hour for local fans to get together and watch the Mets take on the Marlins next Monday, March 31, at 4 pm, in the season’s first official game of the year.
…it’s a nice place…good food…nine flat-screen televisions…plenty of tables…the host, bartender and the guy who runs the place are all huge Mets fans, and are excited to have us all there, in Mets gear, cheering the team on during the first game of the season…also, audio from the broadcast will be on in the bar the entire game…
In the event you haven’t done so already, please send an e-mail to mattcerrone[at]metsblog.com if you plan to attend.
Butterfield 8 is located between Fifth and Madison on 38th Street.
Last weekend, Mets Weekly returned to for its third season.
To watch the show’s new host, Joceyln Pierce, go bowling with John Maine and Joe Smith, click here, and to take a tour of the player’s parking lot from Tradition Field, click here.
…interesting, maine pitches righty but bowls lefty to protect his throwing arm…
Tagged SNY |As noted on Sunday, OF Reed Johnson was released by the Blue Jays and his now a free agent.
According to both Ken Rosenthal at FoxSports.com, and Jayson Stark at ESPN.com, the Cubs have expressed the most interest in Johnson.
Over the weekend, Omar Minaya told reporters that, while he and his staff will discuss Johnson, like with all available players, he is essentially content with Angel Pagan and Brady Clark.
Minaya planned to meet with team officials to discuss Johnson last night, according to Newsday.
…as i have said before, i believe the Mets are seeking a way to find a player who fits their overall needs better than johnson, pagan or clark, like Xavier Nady for instance…however, nady is far more costly than the team is willing to pay, which is why it looks more and more like pagan will be the team’s replacement for Moises Alou…
In a recent post to his blog for ESPN.com, Jayson Stark wrote:
“The Mets love Marcus Thames, but they’re not
going to trade Aaron Heilman for him.”
According to Stark, while the Mets prefer Thames or Nady, “They continue to kick the tires on a group that includes Reed Johnson, Ryan Freel and Juan Rivera.”
However, in the following day’s Daily News, citing team officials, Adam Rubin wrote that the Mets are unwilling to trade a young pitching prospect, such as Jon Niese, for a player like Rivera, “thwarting any potential deal with the Angels.”
…i also can’t believe the Mets will trade heilman, especially with Duaner Sanchez likely to begin the year in St. Lucie…
…so, if nady is essentially unavailable, and thames and rivera are too expensive, that leaves johnson, who may or may not be better than clark or pagan, which is what Minaya and Company were likely discussing last night…
…now, if thames can be had by paying the way of Jorge Sosa or Scott Schoeneweis, he’s a strong play, but i just can’t see Detroit selling so low like that, especially with Curtis Granderson starting the year on the disabled list…personally, i’d rather have sosa or schoeneweis, because i value pitching, even mediocre pitching, far more than i value bench players…
In a post to MetsGeek, Dan Scotto explains why the Mets should acquire Johnson.
…the thing is, dan did not mention that reed is coming off back surgery, which is probably the single biggest reason he is a free agent right now…i guess they don’t list injuries on the stat page…
Meanwhile, at Mets Fever, Ed Ryan suggests 34–year-old, switch-hitting OF Jeff DaVanon, who is a free agent after being cut by the Padres.
…i’m not sure, but it feels like ed has recommended every single available and unavailable player to the Mets this season…
DaVanon hit .429 in 14 at-bats against lefties last season, but just .205 in 40 games against left-handed pitchers in 2006.
…again, though, are any of these players better than pagan or clark, and if they are only marginally better then where are they all going to play…SNY.tv’s Ted Berg has been writing about the team’s need for this sort of player for months now, long before any one else was discussing the topic…personally, though, i could go either way, and am fine with any of these choices, because i just don’t think this is the end-all-be-all of reasons why the Mets will or will not win in 2008…so, flip a coin, make a choice and be done with it…
Yesterday, Ryan Church was hitless in two at bats against the left-handed Adam Loewen, but had a single to center off the left-handed Jamie Walker.
In 19 at bats this spring, he is batting .166 against lefties.
Following the game, Willie Randolph told reporters that Church will be his right fielder, “obviously.”
Randolph, on Church, talking to reporters:
“He’s getting better and better. He’s had a lot of at bats, he’s taking some pitches, and he’s good that way. I just want to keep seeing him make the progress hitting the ball the other way, and getting the ball through the middle, that’s where he’s gonna make his money…He’s a little bit behind, so he needs at bats, but he’s got plenty of time to get ready…If he just hits the ball the other way against against lefties, he’s gonna be fine…We want him to see him get his hits to build his confidence, but I’m not looking at him as having to get hits to get on our team, obviously. He’s going to be my right fielder.
“What I like about him and Schneider, both, is that they don’t give against lefties. You see some people, they lean a little bit and give…I don’t even mind that I have them back to back because they have decent at bats against lefties if they stay the other way – and that’s what we’ve been working on.”
In a report in the Journal News about Church’s efforts this spring, John Delcos writes:
“On Sunday in Port St. Lucie, Randolph walked up to Church behind the cage during batting practice, put his arm around the right fielder’s shoulder and talked things over. Church listened and every few minutes nodded. ‘He told me to stay within myself,’ Church said. He said, ‘You’re trying to do too much. Listen to the advice you’re getting.’”
In 144 games for the Nationals last year, the 29–year-old Church had 43 doubles and hit .272, but hit .229 against lefties.
Tagged Ryan Church | ← Older posts
