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Oliver Perez and Mike Pelfrey’s true identities have remained a mystery to me, and I am hoping that the dominant pitchers they can be show up more often. I hope I am wrong, but I feel that they will continue to be up and down all season long.
I ask myself if it is too early to rush to judgment on them, and should I be so critical of their early season performances?
Besides the Atlanta Braves who sport three pitchers with ERA’s of 3.00 or below, the rest of the National League East seems to be faced with similar question marks in their rotations.
The Nationals have one pitcher with a winning record. The young Marlins staff has been decent, but to be honest, I’m not concerned about them in the long run. As for the Phillies, except for Cole Hamels, their pitchers all have ERA’s over 4.00.
The Mets’ payroll is the largest so it is easier to complain, but all that aside, the Mets could be in worse shape. Call me the eternal optimist, but although the sense of urgency is building, 81% of the season is still to be played so I am not allowing myself to panic…yet.
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I think the panic that some fans feel is due to the fact that the Mets seems to be playing the same way in 2008 as they did through most of 2007; i.e., lack of passion, lackadaisical attitude on the field, scoring early and then taking a nap for the rest of the game.
As Matt said, this team is not all that much fun to watch. A fire of some sort needs to be lit under their collective posteriors.
I feel exactly the same way. It seems as if no one learned anything from last year. What happened when everyone thought the Mets had the division wrapped up? You have to play the season out. We don’t know what lies ahead. All we’ve seen is a 31 game sample of the 2008 season, not since the All-Star break in ‘07, or May of ‘07. We have yet to see what is going to happen with this team. For now we have to give certain players the benefit of the doubt. Pelfrey does not have a track record yet, Perez does. I hate when people panic early on.
Perez has a track record of mediocrity, bimodally distributed between dominatiing success and embarrassing failure. Frankly, I’m grateful Pelfrey doesn’t have that kind of a track record.
Personally, I think Pelfrey is a better fit for the bullpen and Perez is a better fit for, oh I don’t know, let’s say the Cubs. Unfortunately when your organizational pitching depth is basically zero (thanks to injuries and ineffectiveness) it doesn’t make sense to move either player out of the role he currently occupies.
And for the record, I’m not panicking and I agree with you 100% that it’s annoying that so many people are, given the reality of how the team has performed and how much of the season remains.
Good points all around. I totally agree with you.
Perez was no more inconsistent than John Maine last year. I did the research. If anything, John Maine was the more volatile pitcher last year.
It’s called being a young pitcher and not having it all together yet. Maine and Perez are essentially the same guy.
Last year is last year. Maine and Perez are not the same guy this year at all.
Has Maine been so great? His peripherals are awful. I expect him to get better, but I expect Perez to get better too.
I do accept that Perez might be putting extra pressure on himself because of his pending free agency.
Well, this year John Maine has 4 quality starts out of 6. In the same number of starts, OP has put up zero. But it’s not all about stats (and I’ll admit that Quality Starts are as bogus a stat as holds or saves). It’s about enjoyment of the game. I get excited to watch Maine pitch. I get nervous when OP gets the ball.
Also, their peripherals may be similar, but it’s not really fair to call them the same player. John Maine has 62 career major league starts compared to Oliver Perez’s 147. They’re close in age, but they’ve taken drastically different routes to get where they are. Obviously, I’d love for them to both become aces, but it sure seems like Maine is continuing to grow whereas Perez has hit a developmental (emphasis on mental) plateau.
Perez actually has 1 QS. And 2 other starts where he only pitched 5.2 innings so he missed by 1 out.
By Bill James Game Score standard, Perez has 3 quality starts in 7 starts. And he’s sucked horribly his last 3 starts. So he was 3 out of 4. Why can”t he turn it around?
Good call. I forgot about his first start of the year.
How does Maine fare on the Bill James Game Score standard?
I’d love to see Perez turn it around. I don’t think he’ll ever be the pitcher he could be because he doesn’t seem mentally tough enough. He’ll shot up in the big spot from time to time (none bigger than the ‘06 NCLS) but it always feels like walking a tightrope with him.
Would you honestly feel more comfortable going to battle with Perez over Maine? If you had the option to only keep one of them at the same cost, who would you choose? I’d go with Maine, and really, it wouldn’t be that difficult a decision.
Again, I hope Perez surprises me. But I don’t see him having anything more than an ordinary career as a number 4 (or so) starter.
I would probably pick Maine, but it is closer than most people give it credit for.
why is everyone obsessed with this “lackadaisical” attitude…if you watch the games you would know that they certainly are not like this. They play hard, and just because they haven’t been coming through in the clutch does not mean that they do not have passion. Actually, I would argue that they want to win TOO much. They are trying too hard to hit with RISP, and if you don’t think that they are trying hard I implore you to look at church, wright, beltran, and reyes while they are batting and notice that when they don’t come through they slam their bats on the ground and are angry about it. How is this not passion? Everyone on this site loves the fact that the mets don’t try hard enough, but this is COMPLETELY off base. Outside of that one comment made by delgado last year which stated that the mets “get bored,” there is no reason to think that the mets lack passion. The thing that they are lacking is clutch hitting and that has NOTHING to do with passion, nor Willie Randolph.
Couldn’t agree with you more. I feel we’re both in the minority on this subject.
I agree with this also. But at the same time, you have to blame someone for the way they are playing. No, it’s not Willie’s job to get a hit with runners on 2nd and 3rd and two out, but it is his job to get the most out of his players. Baseball is a mental game, and having a manager that knows when to kick ass and when to be supportive is important. I’m not saying that Willie isn’t doing that because I don’t know what goes on in the clubhouse, but I do know that there is something of a lack of urgency with this team and from the manager, that it’s still early, we’ll get it together, “he’s my guy”, etc etc.
No they shouldn’t trade everyone or immediately fire Willie, but I think it may take something more direct than just wait and see, because by then it may be too late.
But the thing is that his approach has been similar to that of 2006 and this year, and pasrts of last year, the results have been different (negative). Same approach, different results. This is why I can’t blame Willie.
You’re right to a degree, and again I don’t blame Willie for guys not getting big hits. But in the end, someone’s got to go, and you’re not going to trade Beltran because he’s in a slump. And if it were only him. Nobody but Church is hitting, so who gets blamed? The manager.
The same approach worked in ‘06, no doubt. But that doesn’t mean the approach will work with this group of guys. 06 had different veteran leaders in the clubhouse, maybe not guys who had a huge impact on the field, but combine them with the young guys and you had talent + guidance. Now who you do you look to? Delgado? No. So Willie needs to change his style a little bit to accommodate for having a different type of ball club. And if he can’t adapt as a manager, how blameless can he really be?
I agree 100%. And people completely misinterpret what Delgado said last year.
I kinda agree with that on some accounts. The team is trying, I don’t understand how people can tell a players effort level by their results. Beltran and Wright slam the bat when they don’t come through. Church looked like he wanted to kill someone after watching strike 3. I do think we are pressing with RISP and the lack of late game scoring is alarming. Putting up early runs isn’t a free pass to lay back and let the pitching do the work. As we have seen this year, our bullpen isn’t 100% reliable.
Ollie Perez sucks moose *ock, has Scott Boras as an agent, and needs to be traded before the deadline. Mike Pelfrey is very young with few major (and minor) league games under his belt. Sell OP now and go with Santana, Maine, and Pelfrey the rest of the season and next!
you really have an obsession with moose (expletive)s.
Saw this in Newsday… Thanks to Jeff Kent for nailing him in the chest!
Perez munched on an ice cream cone as he answered questions after the Dodgers took him apart on Monday. As the Mets prepared Tuesday, he played the arcade game, “Street Fighter,” with Aaron Heilman only a few feet away from teammates watching video on laptops.
The ice cream stuff may be a little annoying, but what’s Perez supposed to do on Tuesday, on a game when he’s not going to pitch? Not much point to him scouting the Dodgers, whom he’s not going to face again this series.
How about looking at some film to help determine what is wrong with him? This is an example of why people get so upset with the additudes of millionaire baseball players, its like they don’t care. If you want to play video games, do it at your house on off days. When you are at the park you are on the work clock and should be doing things to get better.
LOL
And how do you know he didn’t look at ANY film? Or he is supposed to be looking at film every waking hour.
Get over yourself.
We are not talking about every waking hour, you need to remind yourself … These guys are paid professionals doing a JOB.
When you are at work it should be ALL business. (well except for surfing metsblog.com of course)
It was his off-day after he pitched. Did you want him to study up a bunch on the Dodgers some more when he wasn’t going to see them again?
What a joke. And keep cheering for “winners” like Jeff Kent.
ez there, take a deep breath… I would never want him to get hurt. No matter how much we dont like it the fact is we need this guy…
Heilman is a different story i would hope he chokes on ice-cream stick.
As for Street Fighter, he should not be playing at work. Do you play StreetFighter at work?
I would be more understanding if he was playing MLB2K8, at least you could sell that as work related.
Ok, the Heilman thing was funny.
EVERY team plays video games in the locker room. Every single one of them. They also get to the stadium super early, several hours before gametime.
Uh-oh, Sid Fernandez II?
It’s not effort the Mets are lacking; it’s confidence. They’ve gone from “I’m going to beat you” to “I need to beat you.” It’s desperation and frustration and fear.
And that comes from the leadership, whether it’s the manager or vocal leaders on the field or guys who lead by example. We miss Cliff Floyd and Paul LoDuca. We need someone the team can get behind. Since no one on the roster is getting that done, the only option is to replace the manager.
They’re not missing confidence. They’re missing talent and health.
And confidence.
And leadership.
And two hardboiled eggs! {honk}
I think there have been visible sign of leadership from some of the players. When Carlos Delgado or Jose Reyes trots to the mound to offer some words of encouragement to the pitcher, that is leadership. When guys are showing up early to batting practice, that shows they know things aren’t working. When Beltran is one of those guys who shows up early despite the flu, and at least makes an appearance as a pinch hitter, that’s leadership.
Those guys might not be Cliff Floyd, Paul Lo Duca or John Franco, but they are are showing something. Plus we’re not in the clubhouse, though everyone thinks they know exactly what is going on in there. All I’m going is what I see on the field and what players say after games. I think there is leadership there, it’s just not translating into good play right now.
I agree. I dont think anyone should have their panic buttons out yet. We still got a whole lotta baseball left to play and time to correct the problem before games really start to make an impact on the standings. Right now we are treading watter and are in the thick of things. I believe we have not played our best ball yet but are warming up to it. Once the offense gets into a rythem we should be fine.
As far as OP and Pelf. Im with regis on this. They are going to be inconsistant the whole year. Pelf i think did not have enough time in the minors to develop the pitches and confidance to consistantly deliver. OP is just inconsistant thats just the bottom line. They both have flashes of greatness but they are just flashes. It will be interesting to see when pedro comes back what will happen, but we should just take each game for just that. We are not going to collapse in may and we are not going to lose the division either.
Its gonna be a dog fight. Everyone knew this. Noone is going to run away with this thing.
“81% of the season is still to be played”
Unfortunately, this is the attitude this team always has. “It’s early. There are 50 games left. There’s still more baseball to play. There are 7 games left…” and so on.
While it is still early on in the season, every game counts. There should be some sense of urgency to win early season games. And there should be a better overall attitude than “we’ll get them next time.” I’m tired of this. I’m tired of lost seasons.
How about the always famous, “the champagne will taste better when we clinch”. Thats an all timer.
When they start to win and dominate, I’ll become optimistic. So far they look totally mediocre
I wouldnt sleep on the Marlins too much. They arent going to win this divisio, but there is no reason to discount their ability to go .500 and make like miserable for one of the other teams in the division. Hopefully its the Phillies with that lefty middle of the order, Olsen and Hendricksen can give them fits if they keep pitching well.
* like = life (only 4 keys off…)
This team needs fire and passion..the two things Chill Will Randolph doesn’t provide. Last year the Cubs were dead in the water until Pinella got tired of it and basically crapped on his team. Those things needed to be said and he got ejected out there arguying a call and off the Cubs went. This team is so dull I can’t even recognize them from early last year. I am sorry but this team is a HUGE investment and I do not want to keep Willie non-chalant his way through games and interviews. I want to have fun watching them play again…
Randolph is not the only manager or head coach who is nonchalant during interviews. That’s just an absurd reason to throw out there as to why they the Mets lack fire and passion.
Why do they lack it then since their “leader” doesn’t even show emotion on his face through the games? He just sits there poker faced. What is the reason then since this thinking is so absurd?
Willie is too easy a mark. To fire him is reacting to the situation. Da Mets need to be Proactive – think outside of the box for once. I bet my bottom dollar that if they fire Willie, nothing will change and the complaints will be the same.
Off topic alert:
Anyone else amused by this:
Beltran had alerted Randolph to his condition just before the game. “He said he had flu-like symptoms,” Randolph said. “He just didn’t feel well.”
You know a guy’s been in baseball too long when he starts SAYING “flu-like symptoms.”
Last week I had flu like symptoms and guess what? I went to freaking work for 8 hours!!
Ever gone to work with fractured bones in your face?
ask aaron rowand… lol
So you are comparing flu like symptoms to a broken cheekbone? I think the apologists have gone to new lengths to back a $117 prima dona.
I cut Beltran slack… the dude had surgery on both of his knees not to long ago… He is going to come around.
Yeah, i am sure you are a regular Ironman at your job who goes to work without calling in sick once….stfu…
Reyes
Castillo
Wright
Beltran
Church
Pagan
Anderson
Casanova
Maine
let’s go mets!
Thats good for about 3 hits and 0 runs against Penny. Nice!
Are some folks on here never happy?
Delgado is on the bench; Anderson is in the game.
At least, that sounds good to me.
The funny thing is he might be right! I think we own Penny though. Let’s go Mets!
Sad when Marlon Anderson is an upgrade to Delcrappo.
What is there to be happy about? Willies “get away day giveaway?” We need to win this game. why are we starting the b-team? if you want to rest people, why do it all at once. and why isn’t castillo resting? especially with Easley having good numbers against penny.
This is another example of the “we’ll get em next time attitude.”
I hate how this site has become entirely encompassed by emotion. I mean, panic? What are you going to do? Run around the streets yelling hysterically? Panic is the word we’re using?
you are right… “we’ll get’em next time guys”
you’re a fan of a team, nothing you do can change the outcome of the games, all of your agony is a waste of time
You really need to stop hanging out with Willy Randolph. Someone might think you are unconscious.
i love how you blindly hating fans just assume people who aren’t going livid over a mediocre start are in love with Willie and think “every-thing’s great!” Give it a rest. I make no statements about my liking/disliking Willie, nor do I need to. You can post “fire Willie” all you want, or whatever it is you like to post, but that’s all it will be, a post on a blog. Good job.
Emotion is a huge part of sports. Have you ever played any sport?
um, yes, and I agree, there’s much more emotion when you’re actually on the team, but even then, I didn’t get on blogs to whine about the losses. I picked my head up and got ready for the next game.
Guys we are 85-77 over our last 162 games. What that means i have no idea. Just though i would point it out. Looking at that record gives me the feeling we are just a good team, not great. Changes do need to be made soon, if things do not change over the next two weeks i would assume that is ample time for the regular lineup to get on a roll. If not, life goes on. Enjoy it anyway, its for your leisure.
What annoys me are articles like this comparing our pitching staff to the rest of the NL or our record to the rest of the NL East.
Being better than the scrub teams in our division is not the goal. That is a loser’s mentality. The goal is to win the World Series, not the worst division in all of baseball. Please focus on this. How do you think we’d stack up with the Red Sox or Angels right now? How about the Cubs who absolutely murdered us two weeks ago? Do you think our pitching and hitting would even make it to game 7 against the Cardinals right now?
This is an overpaid, poorly assembled bunch of underachievers who actually age as you watch them and they are managed by perhaps the worst tactician to ever sit in a dugout.