Daily Archives: September 24, 2009
Earlier in the week, Jeff Francoeur told the New York Post that soon-to-be free-agent RHP Jason Marquis would love to pitch for the Mets.
Yesterday, Marquis told Troy Renck of the Denver Post he hoped a lot of teams 
would have interest in him, adding:
“I hope there are a lot of teams that want a guy that can win 15 games and work 200 innings.”
…by the way, marquis told francoeur he would love to pitch in New York… and, last i checked, there are two teams in this city, unfortunately… also, money talks… end of story… if some team is willing to give marquis a Gil Meche-type deal, i bet he’ll take it, whether that team is in New York, in Colorado or on the moon…
The 31-year-old Marquis is 15-11 with a 3.84 ERA for the Rockies.
He was born and raised in Staten Island, NY.
Tagged News |Terence P from Marist sent in an e-mail, writing:
“You write a lot about ‘hard-working, tough, passionate players,’ but what does that even mean? And who exactly does this describe?”
Excellent and important question, Terence.
I’m talking about players who hustle, who value winning over individual performance, players who play through pain, who never want a day off, and who inspire their teammates.
According to my eyes, having seen what I’ve seen before games, on field, in spring training, etc., in terms of the team’s premiere players, I would describe David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, Johan Santana and Francisco Rodriguez as working hard, as being passionate and being mentally tough.
I think the Mets are fortunate to have these players, who are also their best performers, and the team would be wise to build around them going forward… I wouldn’t ‘break up the core,’ as people like to say, because I believe these five men have the right set of values and worth ethic to win.
However, they need to be surrounded by teammates who embody the same characteristics – and I’m not sure that has been the case the last few seasons. Jeff Francoeur and Daniel Murphy fit in to this dynamic, as does Alex Cora.
For what it’s worth, the idea of Team Chemistry in baseball is often misconstrued. I hear people discuss Team Chemistry in terms of players getting along, being friends, partying together, being buddies, etc., but this is meaningless when on 
field, and not what Team Chemistry is about.
Instead, from what I can tell when talking to former players, Team Chemistry is really about having players who are ‘all on the same page,’ who trust one another, who will fight for one another, all of whom have the same goal and will do whatever is necessary to achieve it… whether they personally like one another as people is ‘nice,’ but far from a requirement.
I am willing to bet that if the Mets were to cut ties with, say, Luis Castillo, Carlos Delgado, Brian Schneider and Oliver Perez, as well as a few players from the bench - not necessarily because of work ethic, but also because of performance and presence – and replace them with new people, new players who have not experienced what we all have experienced the last three seasons, players who do not overshadow and who respect Wright, Reyes, Beltran, K-Rod and Santana, I bet the Mets end up having great Team Chemistry, and a group of players able to withstand baseball’s eight-month marathon.
Of course, Chemistry, passion and work ethic are only part of the equation… the team also needs to drive the ball, get on base, pitch well, play good defense, play smart, and manage their bodies every game, every day as individuals, which, as we’ve seen, is easier said than done.
Tagged News |Omir Santos is batting .259 with 21 extra base hits, 37 RBI and a .295 OBP in 91 games for the Mets this season.
“He has played extremely well for us for a period of time,” Manuel said, regarding Santos. “How that would manifest itself over the course of a year is still somewhat unknown.”
…it’s a fair question, and one that is always asked when discussing a back-up catcher and how he’ll perform as a full-time starter… you know, the whole diminishing returns thing… santos has struggled against left-handed pitching, he has shown signs of power, but was also missing in action through much of the summer… he had a hot August, but is hitting just .174 in September, though, to his credit, he has been sick most of the month… in short, i still am not 100 percent sure of what he can be, and how much of the workload he can handle in 2010…
Meanwhile, rookie C Josh Thole is batting .300 in 13 games, but has just one hit in his last 14 at bats.
“Obviously, it’s a very important position,” Manuel said, prior to yesterday’s game, speaking about who will be his catcher in 2010. “So, we’ll have to kind of wait and see what will fit best… not only from a defensive point of view, but from an offensive point of view as well… I think the jury would have to still be out on that issue… but, defense would have to be very, very important for us.”
…my hunch is the team will return thole to Triple-A next season, and sign a free-agent veteran catcher to split time with santos… i do not think it will be Brian Schneider, who is also a free agent this off season… the popular wisdom suggests a team must have a veteran presence at catcher, as he is the rock, the leader of the infield, the guy who the pitcher will lean on in crisis, etc., but, having Dioner Navarro and Shawn Riggans at catcher, both under 30, didn’t seem to stop the Rays from getting to a World Series with a young pitching staff in 2008… i do not doubt the veteran presence can help, but it’s far from a requirement…
…thole needs time in Triple-A, where he can catch former major-league pitchers, who have more substantial repertoires than he received in Double-A… i bet he gets recalled at some point in the middle of next season, but i get no sense he’ll be on the opening day 25–man roster…
This off season, free-agent catchers will include: Rod Barajas, Josh Bard, Toby Hall, Jason Kendall, Benjie Molina, Ivan Rodriguez and Vance Wilson, among others.
Tagged News |Last night, Mike Pelfrey gave up nine hits, three earned runs, walked three and struck out five in six innings.
…he looked good and looked bad… the good news, however, is that he made adjustments, stuck it out, found his fastball and was able to pitch six innings, when it looked like he might be in for a doozy 
earlier in the night – especially after David Wright booted a ground ball… nevertheless, it’s been a disappointing season for pelfrey…
Pelfrey, said the following to reporters, following last night’s game:
“I definitely need a break, a chance to clear my head and come back next year ready to go. I think any way you look at it, I’ve had a bad year. I’ll try to learn from it and come back next year and set even higher goals than I’ve had this year… and hopefully, I can achieve them.”
…hey, mike, after this season, i think we all need a break to clear our heads…
This season, Pelfrey is 10–12 with a 5.08 ERA in 30 starts, during which opponents are batting .289 against him.
…he doesn’t do the one thing he must do, which is keep the ball down and get double plays, helping to set up his tailing fastball for strike outs, like Brandon Webb… last season, in which he finished the year with a 3.72 ERA, pelfrey got 15 double plays during his 13 wins, but just 14 double plays in games he either lost or got a no-decision… this season, he has produced just 15 double plays all season, nine of which in his 10 wins, with other six coming in either a loss or no decision…
Tagged News |In a report for Newsday about Omar Minaya’s inner-circle, David Lennon writes:
“The Wilpons have been simmering behind the scenes about the Mets’ terrible performance this season and this week’s firing of Peña is the first of what is expected to be a bigger housecleaning within the organization.”
To read quotes from Jerry Manuel, as well as from a team official, speaking about future moves, read Lennon’s report in Newsday, here.
…from what i can gather, Omar Minaya has been told he will remain as GM, i.e., he’ll get at least one more year to finish what he started, assuming this season was a bust mostly due to injury… in short, it is omar’s call on who stays and who goes… i suspect this means keeping Jerry Manuel, who ownership still believes in, as well as a handful of scouts and special assistants, but there will be changes, from minor league assistants to players on the 25–man roster… i’m just not sure they’ll be the drastic-change that some fans are hoping for…
…personally, i would not bring back jerry and omar… i’d move for an aggressive, Face-of-the-Franchise type manager, and seek a young, business-mind GM, who will make all decisions based on an overarching brand… but, i’ll write more about this in The Plan, which i will complete and post in October…
…that said, it’s the Wilpon’s team, and i understand giving omar the benefit of the doubt, because of this season’s injuries… i may not agree with it, but i understand why they’re taking that path… the truth is, they’ll enter next season with a top pitcher, top closer, the best center fielder in baseball and two All Stars under 28 years old on the left side of the infield… that is a strong foundation to build a winning team upon, one most teams would love to have… and so, letting omar take one more swing at it seems fair… i just hope he makes every single decision by thinking not just of next season, but the seasons after 2010 as well… in other words, i worry he’ll be accidentally motivated to make big, sudden moves in an effort to win-at-all-costs, and keep his job, all while jeopardizing the team’s future…
…this is a big off season, omar, and everyone is watching, including ownership…
Tagged News |
