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According to Adam Rubin in the Daily News, Ramon Castro is now likely to begin the year on the disabled list.
…in other words, expect Raul Casanova to begin the year as this team’s back-up catcher….by the way, i still sing that song, “Oh, Casanova,” every time i hear or read raul’s name…i can’t make it stop…and i hate myself for it…
Casanova, 35, hit .253 with six home runs for the Rays last season. This will be his ninth year in the big leagues.
Meanwhile, in a column for SNY.tv, Ted Berg argues that Castro must play a lot against left-handed pitching this season, otherwise, “The Brian Schneider honeymoon will end quickly.”
…personally, i had always hoped the Mets would try to acquire a player who can serve as a third-string catcher, among other things, so castro can be used as a bat off the bench more often…this way, there is no fear of burning your back-up catcher, instead castro can pinch hit while a third catcher is ready in the event schneider gets hurt mid game…
…the problem is that i just don’t know who that magical player is…the Mets cannot steal Ryan Doumit from the Pirates, who plays first, outfield and catcher, nor am i sure they’d even want to…you know, a player like Jason L. Phillips, circa 1999 when with the Mets, or a Matt leCroy, circa 2005…
…Update…10:30 am…
…as several readers have pointed out to me in e-mails, Brandon Inge would be a perfect fit for such a role…and they are correct…except that the Tigers do not want to give inge away…also, other teams have serious interest in inge, who will now be a starting player for the Tigers with the recent injury to Curtis Granderson…i mean, if the Dodgers could not pull off a deal for inge, nobody will…aside from all that, yes, inge would be great…
Yes, Jason Phillips would be adequate, but how about good ol’ Alberto Castillo??
Todd Hundley available??
How about Brandon Inge…I understand Mike Francesa likes him a lot :)…seriously..he can catch play the corner Infield and the OF..not a bad guy and with Detroit’s bullpen pitching woes…I think he can be had.
Inge can be had if you’re willing to part with F-Mart and/or Heilman.
Do they have to make room on the 40 man roster for Raul “I’m a” Casanova??
Let me tell you something, my beloved fellow Met fans I think are in for a HUGE rude awakening this year when we have an everyday catcher that can’t hit. Having a catcher – like Schneider – who can’t hit is really something the Mets haven’t had in the past 20 something years if you think about it. Carter-Hundley-Piazza-Lo Duca and even backups like Sassar, Pratt, and Castro have been able to rake. It’s a position the Mets have been very successful at. So if Schneider is hitting .240 come June or July, I fully expect to hear people screaming for Castro to start or for them to trade for an offensive hitting catcher. I PERSONALLY – and I know there will be plenty of disagreers here – think throwing out runners trying to steal second is a little overrated. Calling a good game is one thing – Piazza did it well, which I felt always got overlooked – and I am sure Schneider does that, but not hitting will be his undoing. Maybe in some cities you can carry a Mike Matheny or Brian Schneider type/defensive minded catcher, but I am telling you in New York your catcher has to at least hit .270 or better.
We’ll see.
You’re probably right, in that the Mets have had good-to-very-good hitting catchers for over 20 years. As a fan base, we’re not used to defensive catchers, and the fact that there’s another good hitting catcher across town doesn’t help either.
One problem is that there are so very few good offensive catchers. In the NL, you’ve got Russell Martin, Brian McCann, maybe Geovany Soto, and that’s it.
I don’t think you can totally discount defense, and the effect that can have on pitchers. A good defensive infield is going to reduce baserunners, reduce runs, and reduce wear and tear on a pitching staff. We saw that in 99 with “the greatest infield ever”. Schneider’s not the main factor in the Mets’ infield, defensively, but he is a factor.
Another advantage is that Schneider is far less likely to go ape-doody and get himself tossed in an important game in September.
Well I might agree except I think people underrate Schneider as a hitter a little bit. Im not saying he is a great hitter, but he did bat .268 in 05 and that was sandwiched in between an 04 average of .257 and an 06 average of .256. Again, not great, but not as bad as he was last year at .235. I expect somwhere in the .255- .260 range. Personally, I would have preferred a more offensive minded catcher but the bottom line is if both he and Castro do exactly what they did last year (Castro will prob not be as productive but Scheider will prob be more productive so that evens out), it would project out to 552 ABS with 17 homers and 85 rbi I would be more than happy with that from the 8 spot….wouldnt you?
Schneider will be batting 8th in this lineup, he can hit .200 and I’d be happy as long as the guys ahead of him in the lineup produce and we win. In a close ball game having the ability to make the other team second guess stealing 2nd is huge and won’t show up in the box score. The Red Sox upset the Yankees a few years back because Roberts stole 2nd in the 8th or 9th inning and scored on a single in atleast 2 of those games that I can remember. Its alot harder to score a runner from first when it takes 2 singles than have him steal second and score on 1 single. How many times did Reyes steal 2nd last year with 2 outs and score on a single and the next guy make an out? Having a catcher throw out runners will lower your pitching staffs ERA and create more double play oppurtunities to get out of big innings!
Well put… Brian Schneider’s hitting is not going to make/break our team. if we are relying on him for production, we have big problems.
The projected 8 hole hitters in the NL
AZ – C Chris Snyder .252 avg
Mil – C Jayson Kendall .242 avg
Atl – OF Mark Kotsay .214 avg
Chi – C Geovany Soto .389 avg
Phil – C Carlos Ruiz .259 avg
Cin – SS Alex Gonzalez .272 avg
Pit – SS Jack Wilson .296 avg
Col – 2B Ian Stewart .209 avg
SD – OF Scott Hairston .243 avg
FL – C Matt Treanor .269 avg
SF – 2B Kevin Frandsen .269 avg
Hou – C JR Towles .375 avg
STL – 2B Adam Kennedy .219 avg
LA – 1B Nomar Garciaparra .283 avg
Was – C Paul Lo Duca .272
NYM – C Brian Schneider .235
7 teams out of 16 teams have the 8th hitter batting under .260 last year and only 2 teams have a .300 hitter there. I’m fine with the Schneider/Castro platoon.
our catcher couldn’t hit last year. LoDuca may be the most overrated offensive player this team has ever had. To think, last year at this time, people wanted him batting second! what a mess.
so true…
No one remembers the frustration of watching Juan Pierre and Luis Castillo run roughshod on our catchers a few years back. It might be nice to have a guy out there that quells the running game….
Yeah that sure hitting catcher really helped against the Phillies last year on August 30 when they had, not one, not 2, but 3 stolen bases in the same inning against that same catcher. (Jason Werth even had 2 of the 3 stolen bases)
Remember all it would’ve taken was 1 or 2 games against the Phillies and the collapse wouldn’t have happened or been so great.
10-9 lead into the 9th and Wagner and Lo Duca made it a 11-10 victory for the Phils.
Or if Marlon Anderson wasn’t called out on baserunner’s interference to end the game, the mets win the division by one game. that play still boggles my mind.
That Marlon Anderson play would have tied the game in the 9th. Whose to say the Mets would have went on to win it? The way things were going that series, I say probably not. If Marlon was safe, the game goes into the 10th inning tied, and then Ryan Howard hits a bomb off the right field facing for a walkoff.
Im already calling for Castro to catch over 50% of the games. But he has to stay healthy!
I’m glad at least one person over at SNY can see the Schnide for what he is… I said it before about Church.. between him, Delgado, Alou’s health, and Schnider.. this team will be bat shopping come July…
I have a crazy feeling Fernando Freaking Tatis is going to make this team,haha…………no seriously……..if Gotay goes down then Tatis does play RF and 1B……………..he’s really not that old but has’nt been in the Big Leagues for a few yrs
I guess if they can’t find anyone else he gets a chance
I also like the idea of signing Vargas for depth…….Means Duque on the DL till he is ready….Pelfrey gets better in AAA and when healthy they still have Figueroa, Armas Jr, J.Vargas , Niese and Pel as call up options
Figueroa may make the squad as a long man if Sosa get the starters spot to start or vice versa
I understand releasing Register cause their thoughts are eventually they will have to anyways but they could of bought time……………….If they sign Byun Yun Kim I will snap,haha
I am aginst Claudio Vargas. I am against any pitchers who have era’s over 5. Id rather let Pelfrey pitch to a 5 era than some guy with no potential. I still think the Mets should get Matt Morris. The Buckos would certainly love to dump that contract.
Brian Schneider=Mike Fitzgerald
Unlike most fans here, I’m not expecting much from Schneider offensively. We have been spoiled at the catcher position since I can remember. 90% of the teams out there have no offensive catcher so stop complaining! I would prefer a defensive catcher over an offensive one. Everyone underestimate the importance of a catcher that can throw runners.. Teams are less likely to try to steal. And with less runners in scoring position it only benefits the pitcher. This is especially for pitchers that has a high WHIP like OP. He would benefit greatly if the other team doesn’t get a hit.. steal a base.. and then scores on a single. What is overrated is the standard line for a catcher that can’t hit, but “calls a great game”. What kind of BS is that? I haven’t heard of a catcher that doesn’t call a great game!
Enough of the Inge talk! He is owed 19 mill over the next 3 years. Unless the Tigers are willing to take a huge chunk of that or take on Delgado’s salary. There is nothing to discuss.. This is not fantasy baseball!
There is also no Salary Cap! Im sure the 19 million is down the list on potential problems with Inge.
sorry folks, unrelated but could use some help:
i live in DC and i’m trying to figure out who will pitch when the mets come here 4/15 and 4/16. is it safe to assume they would go 4 man rotation through this series?
no they are going 5 man from opening day on
Straw, the schedule was amended and those games are not in DC. The Mets are home vs the nats 4/15-4/17 with their #3,4,5 starters in line to start.
I know people will go into the “move on” category, but there’s a catcher/emergency 1B with some pop from the right side available. He’s not what he used to be, but still hits about .270-.280. His name is, of course, Mike Piazza.
If you take the name away, and just think about what he might bring skill-wise off the bench, he actually seems like someone worth a call. He’d probably say no to a pinch-hit, fill-in role like the Mets would give him, but maybe one last year in NY might tempt him to do it here were he wouldn’t elsewhere.
I worry about Castro’s back, and despite Mike’s not being a great defensive catcher or good defensive first baseman, he’s better and more available than just about anyone else out there for the two positions.
I’m not huge “bring Mike back” booster, but there does seem to be some synergies between what he could bring and what the Mets need.
i agree, he fits, hes the best option out there it seems….bring him in.
He doesn’t like to play 1B. He is a HORRIBLE First Baseman. His bat may have a little left, but he also isn’t a catcher anymore either. His numbers were decent last year, but that was as a full-time DH. It is not worth a roster space to have a guy with no position and a diminishing skill set sitting on the bench.
he would help this team more than cassanova will
Would he? Perhaps for the couple of games where we need a DH, but that isn’t for a while.
the next time Mike belongs in NY will be when his # is retired at Citi.
I don’t know Mackey. I’m not convinced myself, but while Mike was a bad first baseman, he was not a complete and utter disaster. Degado isn’t exactly a whiz himself out there. Also remember that before his injury, Mike was moved back into the primary backup catcher spot–he was not just DHing. And, from what I understand, Piazza disliked strick DHing about as much as he disliked first base.
Castro has an arthritic back, so expect him to spend significant time on the DL. Our backup catcher options on the farm are pretty thin. We could use right handed bat off the bench that doesn’t K a lot and has power.
Mike isn’t a perfect fit, but he costs nothing but money, and that’s about what the Mets can afford right now. I could see him ending up catching about 40-50 games, especially if/when Castro gets injured, and spotting in for 5-10 games at first with a few DHing games in interleague. That plus some pinch hitting would seem to make him a more than decent bench player for the Mets.
Given what he still seems to have in the bat based on last year, it still seems to make some sense to me. Worst that happens is that we release him and he has his official retirement press conference in a Mets uniform. Best that happens is he ends up being a nice little cog in getting the WS ring he deserves to have as a Met.
I’ll take this Piazza over Cassanova on my roster any day, with Schneider as my starting catcher.
Since we are on the topic of players that appear to be out of baseball…. why not call up Bernie Williams and see if he wants to play? He could fill in in left for Alou and platoon with Church in right a liitle against lefties since he is a monster from the right side of the box….granted he cant throw but he would help this lineup.
How about we build a bench of Piazza, Sosa, Bonds, Bernie Williams, Barry Larkin, and Mo Vaughn? That would cover all our bases.
Well, Sosa had 90 rbi last year, bonds OBP was much better than any Met, and Piazza can still hit, so maybe that would be a real good bench…
SAYING you are comfortable with a .240 hitting catcher is a lot different than when he is ACTUALLY hitting .240. Part of me actually feels that perhaps Schneider could overachieve offensively this year and maybe give us a .270 average. He is, afterall, in a better lineup then he ever was in Washington and as a result COULD see better pitches.
I was actually a big fan of the Mets pursuing Ronnie Paulino, in that I believe he is actually a MUCH better offensive hitting catcher than people give credit too. I still believe he will be a pretty decent hitting catcher. A Ramon Hernandez-type if you will.
BTW, have you ever wondered why there aren’t more better hitting catchers out there? I know that a large part of the job is working with the pitching staff and that the position causes a lot of wear and tear on the body. But you would think that being in the catching position and seeing all those different types of pitches, would give the catcher a slight advantage over every day players. Especially if it’s a catcher who is say facing a pitcher he once caught. It just goes to show you how difficult it is to hit a Major League Pitcher. :)
Jason Phillips circa 1999?? Recheck the stats, I think you meant 2003
As for the Brian Schneider honeymoon, I don’t think the honeymoon will be ending in mid-July when the starting pitchers are calling for him to catch their starts..
itd be nice to have a catcher who could also play some first base. he could start maybe 10 games at catcher, allow us to use castro as a pinch hitter, and protect our catcher’s stamina a bit.
I don’t what his splits are like but a name that comes to mind is Justin Huber, he seems pretty out of favor with the Royals, plays first base, outfield, and he can still catch if he needs to. He’s right handed to balance Delgado and Church. He’s 25 and cheap. Just an idea.
To my original comment….ironically like ten minutes later he was traded to the Padres…
Inge would be a nice fit, but lets not forget he has the contract of a starter, and would be a hefty salary to carry as just a bench player.