Daily Archives: February 18, 2010
Here is video of Johan Santana talking to reporters today:
Jose Reyes will earn $9 million this season.
The Mets have an $11 million option on his contract for 2011.
“I don’t want to go anywhere,” Reyes told Kevin Kernan of the New York Post. “I want to finish my career here. Right now, I’m not thinking about contract stuff. I just want to get on the field and try to do my job and put up good numbers and try to help this team win. That’s my goal right now.”
…this is such a big season for him, personally… he has so much to prove… but, also, he looks and sounds like someone who, based on all he went through last season, is ready to step up and be more vocal… and i don’t mean in terms of on-field flair, but off field with reporters, speaking more, being in front of fans, and building his up his personality… he dealt with a lot of inaccurate criticism last summer… the best way for him to combat that is to a) perform on field, and b) control the message in the media, both of which will get the Mets where they want to be in the standing, and get him to where he wants to be contractually…
To read more from Reyes, including quotes about his expectations for this season, and his thoughts on David Wright, and what he and Wright had to deal with last season, read Kernan’s report, here.
…actually, he does look a lot more balanced… also, that’s Hisanori Takahashi to ollie’s left…
To listen to Santana’s Q&A with reporters, check out Brian Costa’s blog for the Star-Ledger.
Updated at 1:10 pm:
Johan Santana talked to reporters today, and said he feels great and he is confident in the team.
He said in not making any major acquisitions for the starting rotation shows the organization has confidence in the pitchers they have.
He believes the key for this years staff is to be ‘consistent.’
He was later asked, ‘Who is the best pitcher in the division,’ to which he replied, “Santana.”
He said he can once again straighten out his arm, he feels good, and he already has command of all of his pitches.
“There is no pain,” he said. “That’s a big plus for me.”
He says he has talked to Oliver Perez about ‘approach,’ adding, “He’s a guy who is always excited and happy and he didn’t have that last year. He’s mentally prepared for this year.”
He said he realizes there are a lot of people saying the Mets are not contendors, but, “We have confidence to win every time. We won’t be surprised if we win if we stay healthy. We have the right pieces to do it. If we’re consistent, we’ll have a chance to win.”
In regards to whether he can win a Cy Young award, he said, “My plan is to win the World Series… That’s what we have on our mind. If I win a Cy Young that’s fine. I’ll try to do my best.”
In the end, he explained:
“This is a game. You’ve got to go out there and perform. No question, the Phillies have been better than us. But, that makes us work harder. It’s gonna be fun, it’s gonna be interesting.”
Original Post at 12:30 pm
According to David Lennon, Kevin Burkhardt and Steve Popper, when Johan Santana was asked to name the best pitcher in the NL East, he said, “Johan Santana.”
…hi, Roy Halladay… deal with it…
According to Adam Rubin of the Daily News, Johan Santana said he recently played catch with Kelvim Escobar, and reports Escobar is unable to grip a baseball are not true.
Original Post at 11:35 am:
Yesterday, in a post to the New York Times, David Waldstein said Escobar felt some discomfort in his right shoulder, while working out in advance of reporting to Tradition Field.
Today, Craig Calcaterra of NBC Sports says, according to a source, “Escobar isn’t even able to grip a baseball right now, and there are concerns that he’s seriously injured.”
Escobar had surgery on his shoulder in 2007.
He missed all of 2008 and pitched only five innings last year for the Angels.
According to ESPN.com, Escobar will make $1.25 million in base salary next season, in addition to a $125,000 bonus if he makes the Opening Day roster. Escobar can also receive up to $2 million in incentives based on games pitched, and an extra $1 million based on games finished.
According to Rubin, Niesen is competing with Arturo Lopez, Jay Marshall, Pat Misch, Travis Blackley, Hisanori Takahashi and Bobby Livingston to be the team’s second left-handed relief pitcher.
SNY will air 16 Spring Training games, the first of which will be on Tuesday, March 2, at 1 pm, when the Mets take on the Braves in Tradition Field.
In addition, SNY’s Mets Hot Stove will air live tonight, as well as next Thursday, at 7 pm, from Duffy’s Sports Grill in Port St. Lucie, during which host Kevin Burkhardt will talk with Jerry Manuel, Jason Bay, Jeff Francoeur, Mike Pelfrey, Mike Jacobs and Newsday’s David Lennon.
To view SNY’s full Spring Training schedule of games, click here.
Johan Santana has arrived to camp, which is good, since today is the deadline for pitchers and catchers to report to camp.
In a post to Twitter, Rich Coutinho from 1050 ESPN Radio writes, “Ollie Perez is here, my god he lost Weight and looks great.”
According to Brian Costa, from the Star-Ledger, Perez is sporting a new goatee, and said, “I had to change something.”
SNY’s Kevin Burkhardt said on Twitter, “Ollie throwing darts this morning,” to see a picture go here.
That said, Steve Popper from the Bergen Record says Perez has some gray hair and a gut, “which is not bringing thoughts of an elite athlete.”
Jerry Manuel is scheduled to address reporters tomorrow.
The Mets first workout open to the public is Saturday.
Perez, Ryota Igarashi, Hisanori Takahashi and Fernando Nieve all threw bullpen sessions this morning, under the watchful eyes of Omar Minaya, Jerry Manuel and Dan Warthen.
Lastly, here are pictures of Igarashi’s bullpen session:
Fernando Nieve pitched a bullpen session on Monday in St. Lucie.
In eight appearances with the Mets in 2009, the 27 year old Nieve went 3-3 with a surprising 2.95 ERA, but walked 19 batters and struck out 23 in 36 2/3 innings before he sustained a season ending hamstring injury on July 19 in Atlanta.
In five appearances and four starts in the Venezuelan Winter League, Nieve went 1-2 with a 2.42 ERA, walking just three batters and striking out 26 batters in 26 innings.
… i don’t know what to make of nieve, who looked dominant at times last season, especially when he has his fastball and slider moving across the zone… i recall thinking he needed a third pitch, something more off speed to keep batters off balance, and i don’t recall him having the ability to pitch deep in to games… and, when he’d lose it, he’d lose it quick… but, he’s intriguing, no question… plus, he’s just 27 years old, so there is the chance, as a pitcher, that he is just now starting to figure it all out…
According to Adam Rubin of the Daily News, “Nieve is out of options and would need to pass through waivers to be sent to the minors.”
Rubin says Jerry Manuel considers Nieve the early front-runner to be the team’s fifth starter.
However, in the New York Post, Nieve explains why he does not want to be considered the favorite.
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