Daily Archives: February 9, 2010
Sherman also says the Mets re-engaged the D-Backs about C Chris Snyder.
However, the Mets asked Arizona to pick up nearly all of Snyder’s $4.75 million 2010 contract, which the D-Backs declined to do.
… from what i recall, the D-Backs want a major-league pitcher in return for snyder… way back when, of course the Mets tried to push Luis Castillo, but, like everyone else, the D-Backs were not interested…
Snyder, who hit 16 HR in 2008, but missed 100 games due to back surgery in 2009, will earn at least $11.5 million over the next two seasons, after which he can be made a free agent.
Original Post at 9:21 am:
Joel Sherman of the New York Post explains how, with just a few simple moves, Omar Minaya can still improve his roster for 2010, such as spending $12 million on free-agent C Rod Barajas, 1B Russel Branyan, RHP Kiko Calero, LHP Jarrod Washburn and 2B Felipe Lopez.
… at least it’s not the actual dropped pop-up from the Yankees game…
Mets RHP Mike Pelfrey told the New York Post he lost 25 pounds, he also discusses the team’s chances in 2010, as well as what went wrong for him in 2009.
“I’m going to come out and have a good year, not only for myself but for the team,” Pelfrey said. “We need to come back and start off good and get the ball rolling.”
In mid-January, I was able to talk with Pelfrey about a variety of issues.
Here is an excerpt, in which we talk the idea of being a No. 2 pitcher, and pressure from fans and media.
Matthew Cerrone: We talk a lot about who is a No. 1 or No. 2 pitcher, or how the team needs a fifth starter, etc., but do those terms mean anything to you guys?
Mike Pelfrey: There’s not really a difference. If you’re one of the five, you are taking the ball every fifth day. When your day comes up, it doesn’t matter if you’re the fifth guy, the fourth guy, the number one guy, whatever, for that day you’re the ace. So, every fifth day, as long as you’re able to take that ball and get the opportunity, it doesn’t matter where you’re slotted in… Say you’re John Niese, when you’re day comes, you’re expected to go out there and give your team a chance to win no matter who you are… You want your teammates to think, ‘Pelfrey’s taking the ball today, we expect a win today.’
Matthew Cerrone: There has to be a job security mindset, though, I would think. I mean, I don’t think that you or Johan Santana, or Oliver Perez probably worry that way, because of the contracts. But, if you’re maybe somebody that’s on a minor-league contract or a young guy, you have to at least be aware of the concept of status, right?
Mike Pelfrey: Sure. When I first come up, I knew that I was the odd man out… I think you’re distracted a lot more when you first come up. I was, I would think about things, “This is a big game for me. If I don’t do this, I could be out of here.’ It weighs more on your mind at that time. But, as you gain more experience, you learn to not worry about that stuff. You learn not to read what the media writes or what people say.
Matthew Cerrone: Did you read that stuff when you first came up?
Mike Pelfrey: I did. Yes, I did.
Matthew Cerrone: But you don’t anymore?
Mike Pelfrey: No, it ate me alive. I wasn’t doing very well. There was a lot of negative stuff. I think mentally, if you hear a lot of negative stuff all the time, you’re going to start to believe it.
Matthew Cerrone: Right, you’ll second guess yourself too, I would think?
Mike Pelfrey: Yep, you start to think, ‘I am bad. I’m not very good.’ You start to believe that stuff. It’s tough. I think the best thing, good or bad, is just to keep it out. I know we kept newspapers and stuff out of the clubhouse last year, and that was Jerry’s thing. I think that was great. Not be able to see that stuff and read it.
Thank you to SMG Transcription for transcribing this interview.
…by the way, it’s always worth remembering, cone was 20–3 with four complete-game shut outs and a 2.22 ERA in 1988, during which he struck out 213 batters in 231 innings… tremendous… yet he finished third in Cy Young voting, behind Orel Hershiser and Danny Jackson…
I will be live blogging from Tradition Field in St. Lucie on Feb. 23 through Match 6, which spans workouts to the first few pre-season games.
I’m thinking we should do a MetsBlog Meet-Up on either Saturday, March 6, or Friday, March 5.
If you will be in St. Lucie around that time, and would like to meet up, let me know which night would be best, using the following contact box:
[contact-form-7 404 "Not Found"]… zuckerman used to work for the Washington Times, covering the Nationals… he’s now on his own, and decided to keep blogging… i hope he raises the money needed to make the trip, as it will be an interesting experiment in user-funded, on-demand content, cutting out the publisher…
Newsday’s David Lennon said on Twitter, “Keith Hernandez and Daniel Murphy already have begun working out together in Port St. Lucie.”
…murphy told me he and keith were supposed to connect in Florida during the winter, but could they could get their schedules to overlap… i’m glad to see them getting in early work before camp officially starts at the end of next week… i believe the plan is to work on murph’s footwork, but also to get him to play more towards second base, more in the hole, meaning he’ll have to be quicker towards the bag… the thing is, murph’s reactions are great… he is quick, and had very good instincts… it seems that he has most trouble when the play takes time to develop…
For more on Hernandez’s work with Murphy, check out Lennon’s blog for Newsday.
According to research from Matthew Carruth at FanGraphs, Oliver Perez lost 1.2 miles per hour on his fastball last season, 15th worst in baseball.
…i have to think that is mostly because of his knee, and not being able to get the right pivot off his front leg…
“I’m excited,’’ Perez said last week at the team’s three-day mini camp, according to Kevin Kernan of the New York Post. “I feel good being here with my teammates.’’
Kernan says the Mets are working with Perez to get a full extension when he throws, putting more weight on his front foot, which will help eliminate, as Kernan described it, ‘that nasty pirouette he does so often when he loses control of the pitch and control of his head.’
…the plan had been for ollie to keep throwing two bullpens per week, in Arizona, until reporting to St. Lucie next Thursday, at which point he will switch to a pre-season routine set to get him ready for the regular season… i have been quite critical of ollie, because he’s just so difficult to watch… i mean, he actually stresses me out, i get fidgety and restless watching him pitch… i want to believe his work in Arizona will get him on the right path, both physically and mentally, something i know for fact was a big topic of discussion between him, his agent, Scott Boras, and Carlos Beltran, with regards to ollie helping the team, and helping himself, considering he will be a free agent again in two years… so, hopefully he’s ready to take things more seriously…
… eric believes there will be four spots up for grabs… it’ll probably end up being two bench guys and two arms, though it will depend on how the team decides to treat the rotation through the first two weeks of the season…
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