According to multiple reports, including SNY’s Kevin Burkhardt, it is quite likely that the Mets will end up putting Ryan Church on the disabled list, as he continues to feel dizzy following a concussion from last week.
[Poll=104]
Frankly, I’m hoping to see Valentin, because this team needs the Power of the Stache, or Pascucci, because if he doesn’t get called up soon, SNY’s Ted Berg is going to jump out a window.
[Poll=105]
If I had the wheel, I would go with Beltran, Tatis and Chavez, while sending down Evans, who I would replace with Valentin, with Pascucci replacing Church.
For more on Beltran, by the way, be sure to scroll down and check out Mike Nichols’s post. Good stuff, Mike.
[Poll=106]
{ 85 comments }
Again, people who have seen Pascucci marvel at how bad he is in the field. As bad as the offense has been, can we afford shoddy defense anywhere else on the diamond?
It’s not either/or. Pascucci can play 1B against lefties, get some occasional time in LF if he can handle it at all, and be a power bat off the bench. Valentin can legitimately back up all three IF positions and provide leadership.
Pascucci replaces Church while Stache replaces Evans.
Or, if you want to keep Evans on the roster, send down Casanova.
The defense at 1B and LF has been rather putrid (Chavez aside) so I dont really see how he could be more than a slight downgrade.
I would go with Pascucci first, because Valentin just started playing in St. Lucie and cant really be ready yet. In a few days if Church goes on the DL then maybe Valentin is ready to take a spot.
They need Valentín. He’s one of those guys that makes everyone better just by being there. I know people think it’s stupid when I say this, but it’s true that having just one guy with a positive attitude who works hard, despite being a reserve, who shows concern for his teammates, and goes out of his way to encourage them has a tremendous impact on the team. I think the downfall of the early 2000’s Mets was when they let go of Todd Pratt and some of the veterans like Robin Ventura and Todd Zeile. Valentín is both the Todd Pratt cheerleader, positive thinking guy and the Ventura/Zeile-like veteran that understands the game, how it’s played, and that the players look up to.
Put Valentín there, and Beltrán will improve, Reyes will improve, even Delgado. That alone will help get this team turned around.
Wow. I . . . um . . . agree wholeheartedly! Valentin will be a positive influence, whether or not he hits.
Yes, we do need the stache. Maybe we can even get him into some sort of routine where he gets 5 or 6 games over every 2 weeks to keep Castillos knee strong (relatively speaking). He would add some pop, the good de, and it couldnt hurt having him back around reyes again.
I am just not so sure that he can play 2nd that well anymore. I would think that is why, besides the obvious, that he is looking at 1B and LF.
Thats another reason not to scoff at the idea of Scott Hatteberg being brought in. The guy has been around the block, can handle the stick, and most importantly like you said about Valentin, he is a smart veteran who understands the game.
I always hesitate to bring in yet another oldster, but this wouldn’t be any four-year deal. I think it’s the smart move, short of someone like Sean Casey being made available.
I voted for A-Hern only because Reyes needs to get benched and someone with decent D has to take his place
If Wright was benched every time he had a bonehead error in 2006 and 2007 he would have sat out 25 games each year.
but 3 in a row?? that’s just asking for it
LOL
AHern is hitting under .200 in AAA
Comments by flushing_is_burning just show the kind of idiots in our fanbase, and their knee jerk reactions to a long season. Bench Reyes because of his bad De. HAAAAAAAAAAA
I would think that this is the same John from flushing that hates Beltran and wants him sent off for Aaron Rowand.
I’d start Tatis and Evans. It’s good to balance the lineup.
Reyes – Castillo – Wright – Beltran – Delgado – Tatis – Schneider / Castro – Evans / Chavez
How is Beltran not 100%?
seriously. I wondered this myself.
Some posters on here are so anti-Beltran that they would pick Kaz Matsui to play CF over him. It’s because he does not grit his teeth or look dirty like Aaron Rowand.
I’m inclined to agree with this statement. I like Joe Benigno, but he was so, so off-base and wrong with his rant on Beltran last week.
No, but I wouldn’t mind Tsuyoshi Shinjo as long as you could platoon him so he wouldn’t have to look lost at the plate vs. righties…
I mean, I understand people like to just mess with poll results, but can someone that truly thought that the Mets would be better with Nick Evans or Damian Easley, or 90% of the major league outfielders for that matter, please explain why?
I chose Nick Evans basically because I feel that if he is up at the ML level, he should be playing everyday and not rotting on the bench.
That being said, if the option was there, i’d send Evans back to AA or AAA…he’s looked overmatched the last couple of days and i’d like to see someone like Pascucci or Valentin to see if you get lightning in a bottle (or just start Endy Chavez to get him “in a little groove” as Willie likes to say).
right…I see promise in Nick Evans as well. But to include him in your list of your (anyone’s list, not you specifically) three desired outfielders in place of Beltran is something I just don’t understand.
nevermind…didn’t want to make a big issue out of it. I think it’s a statement by some who want to show their displeasure with what Beltran has given us to this point.
I pick on all the little stuff Beltran fails at, but really there is no way anyone should want him out of the OF or lineup with the present roster of Mets. The only other CF is Chavez and he forgot how to hit.
As for Evans, he needs to just exhale, the game is no different from Binghamton to Queens, if they throw it a foot off the plate, it is still not a strike here.
unless glavine is pitching. then he gets that call.
Just an OT PSA:
Pedro is pitching tonight against David Price, 2007 overall #1 draft pick. Should be quite a game.
Price is working back from an injury too, if I remember correctly. I think his last time out was his pro debut.
sign sosa and bonds, platoon ‘em in left.
I was going to say, “But they have no range anymore,” but then I realized they’d be replacing Alou. :D
the poll is not about confidence in Beltran, it is confidence in Beltran and the cast of characters flanking him now…
If Church is indeed headed for the dl this situation is more serious than the dizzies and his season is basically a wash…
Randolph is essentially managing the 2005 Mets again, with Beltran playing the role of Floyd, Wright imitating himself and ideally Reyes stepping up beyond where he might be at the moment. Santana is Pedro and the rest is totally up in the air.
The poster refering to Beltran is not talking about the confidence part of the poll but in the part that not everyone selected Beltran as one of the OF’s.
right
The NY Times had an article today about Church and his concussion. Apparently, several doctors were critical of the Mets for letting Church play with a concussion. That may have influenced Omar & the Wilpons to send Church to the DL for a couple of weeks.
That NYT article is scary. I admire Church’s fire, but he can’t be the 17 year old quarterback here. It is astonishing that the Mets principally relied on Church’s word before pinch hitting him.
Everyone should read that article and Church should go on the DL, as much as it hurts to say that. This is a larger question and I’d rather the Mets lose the division than have a brain damaged OF who rushed himself back.
Especially considering what happened to Koskie. Get this guy on the DL, and quickly please!
honestly, you don’t mess with this sort of thing. this could be his career if he is rushed… it’s very touchy. he goes on the 60-day DL, no question. see ya in September, Ryan!
Church should have been put on the DL the day after his injury. He’d be halfway done with his stint already.
Here’s my question, though. Would a less desperate Willie Randolph have kept Church out of the lineup instead of pinch-hitting him each day? I’m sure flying him out to Colorado and putting him into games did wonders for his treatment…
Well if it’s as serious as we think he would still have been out the same amount of time. The only difference is we would have had an extra bench player those few games.
Let me amend something, I see now that fools have actually voted NOT Beltran, ugh.
I don’t usually result to name calling on here but fool is very adequate for anyone who did that.
The ballot was confusing.
…are there hanging carloses involved?
People have a very selective memory when it comes to Valentin. He was a great story in 2006 after getting off to a miserable start, and he disappeared in the playoffs. The Mets need to do whatever it takes to keep him in the organization, because he is going to be a great coach. I’ve talked to a couple of people who know him (not very recently) and he eats, sleeps, and breathes baseball. Also, when the subject of Baseball IQ comes up, he is more or less a genius.
I have no problem seeing him come back up in a limited role, with the focus being on him winding down his career as a player and moving into a new role. I believe he still owns a team in Puerto Rico, but whether he still does or not, from what I understand he was very hands on with it and really played a huge role in its day-to-day operations. You can never have enough good people around like Valentin. I don’t know how much he will be able to help as a player at this point, but he’s a great baseball man. Come to think of it, that might be considered a threat to some people.
I assume you think Willie will think him a threat? Unlikely, Willie loved Valentin, and from everything I could understand vice versa.
Valentin helped remove Franco last year too from what I take.
Why in the world would you assume that?
You assume wrong.
I’m not exactly the most anti-Willie person around here, by the way. I’ve never said a bad word about the guy without trying to back it up. I wasn’t even thinking about him.
Anyway, I was only talking about him being a possible threat to some people IF he were to move into a coaching role. I didn’t name anyone because it would be impossible to do that before that were to happen, if it ever did happen. But I could see him being a real threat to some of the people in this organization if they were still around. I could see him being a real pain in the behind to people who don’t want to work hard or don’t want to try to get along.
By the way, I still think Willie has gotten a raw deal because he has been undermined from the day he got here.
Agreed whole heartedly. There aren’t enough Jose Valentins in the league.
Let’s make Valentin the first player-coach (manager) since Joe Torre!
pete rose, no?
in an effort to be complete Valentin’s public selfishness when it came to getting enough AB’s to pick up his option year cannot be completely dismissed as we are applauding his character and good clubhouse sense. He’s had his disruptive moments too.
I don’t think he can be an every day player at this stage of his career, but he doesn’t have to be. They have Castillo on a 4-year deal, Reyes isn’t going anywhere, and after Alou is gone, they’ll find someone with more power to put out in LF. So Valentín is a bench guy now. He must have known that when he agreed to his current deal. But he can be everything that the Mets hoped Julio Franco would be, but more.
The last poll should have been two: How confident are you in the defense, and how confident are you in the offense.
Defensively I am alright with this given the injuries, offensively we are going to suffer.
“President Garfield was the first president to be assassinated.” – Chris Russo
it’s not like lincoln was important.
Obviously Lincoln chose to die in the revolution.
Reyes
Castillo
Wright
Beltran
Easley
Tatis
Castro
Evans
Perez
let’s go mets!
If it ain’t broke…
LGM!
I know I am going to get flammed on this by Danny 1986. But, I would not mind seeing Evans in the 2 spot for a couple of games. Just to see if it makes a difference and see if he can be more patient. We know he can’t hit the junk pitches and he will not see anything but with the pitcher due up next. It’s not about Castillo hitting 2nd because everyone HAS to know that I think he is fine there but it’s about seeing what Evans has.
is that the actual lineup or what you want to see?
go after Bonds
Then I go into “Operation Shutdown”
I don’t think you would have to go after him too hard. A Babyruth and some Big League Chew should bring him in at this point.
shouldn’t pagan be ready to return soon?
i can’t tell who’s dumber…the 12% of you who don’t want beltran starting, or the 54% (!) of you who want endy starting.
I guess that is due to Evans seemingly not being able to hit or field. Again, I would get Evans out of the 8 hole. That is an impossible place to hit for a rookie, I have never understood why you do that.
this is really on omar that we don’t have an acceptable 4th outfielder.
Yes, they should only be filling 1 corner with minor league hitters right now, rather than 2.
and he also left them one starter short, while we are at it..
of all the things Omar did wrong this past offseason the OF really isnt on my list.
Beltran, Church, Alou, Pagan, Chavez.
He snuck away with Church and Pagan, and created the depth that the team needed with Alou starting. I can certainly live with it.
More than that, they made a strong effort to play the best hitters in the minors in LF so if there was need for someone, they could get a complete player.
without assuming that Alou, Church, Pagan, and FM would all be injured at the same time, what more should Omar have done?
Funny article on yahoo sports regarding the Mets and the doctored fan attendance numbers. Supposedly, the Mets beat the Knicks as the worst offenders in padding attendance statistics.
It doesn’t matter. Quite honestly, with Alou and Church out for significant time they are screwed. I mean, you guys realize that Chavez, Tatis, Valentin, Evans, Pagan etc. are barely major league hitters at this point? Last night was a nice win, but a week or two of this will get really ugly. Who will pitch to Wright/Beltran no matter where you put them in the order? And Delgado can’t be counted on, but I expect to see him back out there given this situation.
I am hoping (praying) the Church stories are all overblown and he is back tomorrow, they need him and can’t fall any further back in the standings.
So I guess you will not be watching the game tonight, considering all is lost.
Playing ball – then watching the game.
The point is, this lineup won’t consistently score runs without alou, church, and a pulse at 1b. Regardless of who bats 2nd…
Chavez/Tatis/Evans/Pagan may have some initial sucess, but will get exposed before too long. And what do you know about Valentin at this point?
And if they go on another 2-7 tear and fall 10 games back, or even 8 games or so behind the Braves/Phillies, I do not believe they will make the post season in 08.
Um . . . I’d say the chances are pretty slim as it stands.
there is plenty of time left, a favorable schedule, lots of games left against the three teams they trail, little travel in the second half…
plenty of reason for hope that a new manager can turn it around and the Mets can win the division.
I know that it’s been talked about on this blog. Does anybody know if the Mets have approached the Pirates for Nady. There doesn’t seem to be any buzz about it in the news. I’m sure that the Pirates who like to develop young players would consider a straight swap for Pelfrey.
I saw that Zach Duke may be on the trading block, not sure why they would want Pelfrey then.
Besides I think they still feel like they are in contention or something.
We could offer the Perez back. You know, now that we “fixed” him.
I would definitely consider trading Perez. I don’t think he re-signs here.
Pelfrey and two players for Nady and Zach Duke? Interesting… one mediocre arm for a promising lefty that the Pirates screwed up… In a few years, it’s Tom Gorzelanny’s turn to wear the orange and blue! hahaha
I voted for Beltran, Tatis and Evans… just platoon him with Chavez and have Evans play against major league pitching based on match-up where he is not going to be overpowered or look silly in order to make him look good (possible trade chip). If you look at Baseball America’s Top 200 Draft Prospects by going to the site and clicking on the DRAFT link (proceed to the Top 200 Draft Prospects chart under the headline featuring prep pitcher Tim Melville), seems like it is loaded with first basemen (personally, I’d like to see either Hosmer, Smoak or Alonso slip to #18).
Wow. Just wow. This is so, so stupid. The only thing dumber than the options given on this poll are the answers.
Good options for the poll would have been:
Starting outfield minus Church and Alou…Select 3
Pascucci
Nick Evans
Endy Chavez
Barry Bonds
Fernando Tatis
And that’s pretty much it.
Valentin starting in the outfield when he is a career 2nd baseman, can’t hit, is immobile, and is finished as a player is spectacularly ignorant. Wasting a roster spot on a “clubhouse influence” who cannot contribute either on the field or at the plate, and who will take crucial at-bats from better options (’cause you know Willie will give his “proven veteran guy” (with a 95 OPS+ for his career, which is far worse now) clutch at-bats regardless of performance.
Meanwhile, Pascucci is hitting .300 with like 12 HRs in 80 at-bats for New Orleans
This is so dumb, that I cannot even imagine the stupidest and most ignorant of the WFAN hosts (Russo, Francesa, Benigno, Roberts, and Malusis…wow, that’s an all-star lineup of stupid right there) advocating it, although I could be wrong. It is nearly impossible to underestimate sports-talk hosts…and 60+% of Metsblog readers who voted voted for this.
There is no hope for the human race, much less the Mets.
Actually, Valentín hardly played 2B at all before coming to the Mets. He’s a career SS who played some LF with the Dodgers before getting hurt.
And where is this “Willie loves the veterans” garbage coming from? Or did you forget how “in love” he was with Endy Chávez for quite a long time? Endy’s more of a journeyman than a veteran. And I don’t see Willie being too hard on Wright and Reyes, who are really the only two “youngsters” on the team other than Mike Pelfrey.
Though I love your name, and it seems you are right about Valentin, it is in fact the case that Willie falls in love with his veterans, he has buried Endy! early this year and has fallen in love with the likes of Paul LoDuca, Marlon Anderson, Valentin over Gotay when Gotay was raking for about 100 PAs, Castillo disproportionally favored over Gotay, Green over Lastings Milledge, and, most comically, Julio Franco.
Much of this preference for veterans is an organizational thing, signing Slappy, Alou Duque, Anderson, etc. But those represent only 6 particularly egregious examples of Willie blatantly ignoring his younger players in favor of has beens; I’m sure there are more. I’ll give you the point of Valentin being a career shortstop; but your grasping at straws with this next one. And truly, well you needn’t.
And all of this has nothing to do with the fact that our man ‘Stache, while we love him, can no longer contribute to MLB team and we have Pascucci, who is tearing AAA apart, as well as options such as Bonds, Tatis, and even Chavez, or even possibly Evans, who would be better than ‘Stache, with Evans being a possible exception. Nonetheless Metsblog voters went for yet another ineffective geriatric out of a misguided belief that he will bring such vagueries as “grit” and “fire” and on and on over people who can actually hit, and field (sort of, in Valentino’s case).
Oh, and by the way, who wants to write to Matt Cerrone to ask him how the object of his man-crush, Paul LoDuca, is doing? I can tell him about his .200/.300/298 line through 50 ABs and his extended time on the DL, and his ineffectiveness as a starter, as well as his unique ability to make Brian Schneider look like a stud, but perhaps Matt can give me the update on the more important grit quotient, or ejection rate.
Maybe Metsblog posters will start clamoring for him next.
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