Five games isn't a big deal = Reyes

Look the Mets are in a no win situation if they let Reyes play their rushing him and if they hold him out their babying him. If Reyes hadn't had a leg injury then taking two weeks off would be no big deal but after all that rest I don't want him pushing those hammys, that hard this soon. Better safe then sorry in this case, after all; five games is no big deal...

Again on Wednesday, there was no indication for the club that suggested Reyes might be on the Opening Day roster. Several people in the organization had doubted for days that Reyes would begin the season on the active roster. No one said they knew for sure. But they said they would be surprised if he were. source MLB.com

F-Mart sent down...

I'll be curious to see what the futures holds for FMart and I mean when he arrives in NY. The 21 y/o left hander certainly proved this spring that he can hit major league pitching but as his offense has grown so has he, out of center field that is...

FMart in 21 gms., 47 at bats he has put up these gaudy numbers .383/.415/.745 but at the same time it's believe that he's no longer considered a center fielder. With Beltran 33 y/o, only two years left on his contract and playing on bad knees center field would have been the perfect spot for him to gradually start taking over. Now it looks like Francoeur won't be a long term Met and the team will be looking for a center fielder, sooner then later.

For now FMart will be in AAA proving he's not an injury risk and biding his time for a spot on the big league team...

Fernando Martinez was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo Wednesday morning, ending a successful spring training. source Newsday

Escobar & Beltran to the DL...

It's more of a formality at this point, but Adam Rubin is reporting that the Mets have placed Kelvim Escobar and Carlos Beltran on the DL. Since the DL stint can start 1o days prior to the start of the season, if they don't believe one of these guys will not return prior to the last week of May then they can place them on the 60 day and use the roster spot. Sort of save a roster decision for another day....

No great surprise: Kelvim Escobar and Carlos Beltran officially placed on DL to start season. source AdamRubinESPN

Murphy has had prior knee issues...

Dan Murphy is out 2-6 weeks with a knee injury, for anyone watching yesterday it really didn't appear that he did much and if anything it looked like he rolled his ankle. I rem. reading that Murphy had knee issues in college, in fact John Sickels of Minor League ball said "Questions about defense and injuries hurt his stock with scouts". So even though I don't see him as a starting 1B, I still see him as a productive bench player and was concerned that he might have some sort of chronic knee issue..

With JU, Murphy was named 2006 A-Sun Player of the Year and garnered first team all-conference honors after finishing second in the A-Sun with a .398 batting average and 55 RBI despite sitting out eight of the Dolphins' final 10 games with a knee injury. source Atlantic Sun Conference

I asked Steve Popper of the Record via twitter and he clarified that while it is the same knee from college but that it's a completely different injury.

@Mets_Fever - it is the same knee, different injury. MCL this time, PCL last time. source Steve Popper

This is one position that I'm not concerned about replacing the starter, Jacobs starting with either Carter, Cattalanotto and Tatis backing him up will be fine.

Misch to Buffalo

Surprisingly an under 30 left hander with an under 1.00 ERA made it through waivers and accepted assignment. Pat Misch is now a Buffalo Bison ( source Brian Costa twitter), not that Misch would have been any big loss but at the same time I would have still tried to keep him. To the Mets credit they were right, they knew the market and his intentions. What I would have called a risky move the Mets were able to pull off and now have Misch with room on the roster...

Mets claim Manny Acosta off waivers...

Well this explains why the Mets have now put two players on waivers, not only do they need the spots for the 25man roster but they also planned to make a waiver claim.

Acosta was great his rookie year as a 26 y/o he appeared in 21 games ( 23 innings) with an ERA of 2.28 with 14BB/22SO. The next season he appeared in 46 games with a 3.57 ERA with 26 BB/31SO and then last year in only 36 appearances his ERA was 4.34 with 19 BB/32 SO.

The hard throwing right hander has closer potential but drove Braves fans nuts with all the walks, to the point they nick named "Manny Aye-Cost-Ya". One of the main Braves sites had this to say about the claim.

I was gonna make the analogy that Acosta is like Oliver Perez in the bullpen, but not as good. The Francoeur and Acosta moves may be the gifts that keep on giving. source Talking chop

However, the beat writer for the Braves, David O'Brien of AJC saw more in Acosta. He still has options and only cost Misch or Coste their spot, worth the risk in my opinion...

Manny can be maddening, but he still has a quality arm. Manny Acosta, that is.
The Braves tried to drop the pitcher from their 40-man roster Tuesday and the New York Mets snagged him, claiming the right-handed reliever off waivers. source AJC

Pat Misch placed on waivers...

I know Pat Misch doesn't have the peripherals and at some point he should get beat-up. He even drives me nuts with his nibbling at the corners and pitching around hitters, but compared to some of the other pitchers he's been effective. He was out of options and no matter how well he pitched not in the Mets plans, so this was inevitable as the Mets have placed him on waivers...

Acc to mlb sources Pat misch placed on waivers needs to clear waivers before Mets can send him to minors source Rich Coutinho

Coste situation confuses me...

The Mets signed Chris Coste to a split contract on Nov. 30, 2009 the plan as I understood it was for him to never been on the major league team. Being on the 40 man allowed him to accue service time and would make it easy to get called up, while not having to go through waivers out of camp.




The plan as I understood it was for Coste to mentor Thole on defense and even after barajas was signed the Mets said with Coste being able to play 1B they could carry hree catchers. Afterall, the reason the Mets signed Barjas and Blanco was because they weren't satisfied with Santos defense. So both catchers could use Coste teaching them the tricks of the trade.

I haven't forgotten Shawn Riggans, but it's believed he could be used in AA which seemed to be the case when he was reassigned without a specific level named. Riggans is credited for being the catcher who help all those young Tampa Bay pitchers while in the minors and was even called up to be the personal catcher for a few who are now strugling again. If he's that good on the developmental side, then AA is where I want him with Mejia.

Back to Coste, so if mentorship is the plan why place him on waivers and allow him to be claimed by the Nats. Have Thole and Santos defense suddenly and significantly improved. I know the Mets may need roster room depending on who comes north but their currently at 38 players and could make room by placing Beltran or Escobar on the 60 day DL if they needed another spot.

Henry Owens is back...

Whether it happened to coincide with some sort of front office political rift or the deals truly made him gun shy, when you look back at Omar Minaya's tenure there was a significant change in his approach.

2005-2006 just as he was with the Expos, Omar was wheeling and dealing, an extremely aggressive GM. But over a series of three trades between 2006-2007 something changed, all three trades are perceived to be failures and after those deals Omar became much more conservative.

So what happened ?

1) He became gun shy after all the negative press.
2) The organization pulled in the reigns
3) He was happy with the team and felt it only needed tweaking
4) He matured as a GM
5) All of the above

My money is on five but who knows what the real answer is, one thing is for sure; after Brain Bannister almost won rookie of the year, Health Bell became an All-Star closer, Matt Linstrom and Henry Owens became part of a Florida Marlins bullpen he hasn't been the same.

Omar is good for a trade an off-season and to his credit they are very good deals but he is hardly the gun slinger he once was and in-season it's a surprise to see even the smallest of moves made.

So one of those trades was Henry Owens and Matt Lindstrom to the Florida Marlins for Adam Bostick and Jason Vargas. At the time the justification grumbling were that with Owens they were concerned with health, control and where his triple digit fastball suddenly emerged from, while supposedly they felt Lindstrom's secondary pitches were weak and he also had health concerns. In return they were recieving two promising young lefties, one in Vargas who had a decent 2005 as a major league starter.

Neither lefty panned out for the Mets, Bostick left as a minor league free agent and Vargas was part of the J.J. Putz deal, which now looks like six players for Sean Green.

They were completely wrong on Lindstrom he has become a solid closer, first in Florida where they eventually traded him for a bounty of prospects to Houston. To add insult to injury, Lindstrom recorded the last out in Shea stadium as the closer for the Marlins which also knocked the Mets from the playoffs.

However, even if it's only a consolation prize they nailed it with Owens, after getting off to a solid start in 2007 the past two seasons have been plagued by injuries, control issues and a 50 game suspension for PED. Owens had a minor league try out with the Mets and apparently according to Baseball America the team has re-signed him, maybe Karma is shifting our way....

The 30 y/o has appeared in 25 major league games, the last time he was in the majors was 2007 when he posted a 1.96 ERA in 22 games. He missed all of 2008 and in 2009 only appeared in 11 games before Florida granted him his release. In those 11 games between A+/AA he had an ERA of 0.66 but in 13 innings walked 12, while striking out 11.

Feliciano 8th and Valdes LOOGY ?

About a week ago Pedro Feliciano said he wanted a chance to be the set-up man, Feliciano has been given this chance in the past ( short term and not announced) when injuries effected the pen and has struggled against RHB. Against lefties he has a 4.07 ratio SO/BB ( 175/43) while holding them to a .214 BA while righties have a BA of 2.72 with a ratio of 1.28 (110/86). Pedro believes that his successful implementation of a splitter will negate right handed hitters.

The bigger problem then giving Feliciano a shot as the set-up man is what do they do earlier in games against left handed hitters. The Mets are probably going to carry Takahashi in the pen but he has bad career numbers against lefties and is probably more of a long man. Not only does he struggle against lefties but they will want to save him for days well a starter implodes and not waste him on one out.

It interesting Takahashi has a pause in his delivery, that pause takes away the advantage he has over left handed hitters. Left handed hitters have less time to decide on a pitch against a left handed pitcher but Takahashi actually slows down to give them more of a chance, hence the bad numbers.

If Feliciano is the set-up man and Takahashi is on mop-up duty who is the LOOGY, the right handed relievers are struggling against righties let alone lefties. It appears the Mets are seriously considering Raul Valdes for the position. Valdes has been brought in three times since being loaned to the Mets and all three times it was mid-inning with runners on base, a lefty at the plate and all three times he has closed the inning out. It's a very small sample pool but the Mets need a guy who can come in around the sixth inning with runners on base, Ryan Howard at the play and get out of the inning...

Were Feliciano to be assigned to the eighth and Valdes added to the roster, it would knock over the first in a row of dominoes that would impact other pitchers, here from the first day of camp, who hadn't performed well. Bobby Parnell and/or Sean Green would have even less job security. source MLB.com

There might be a way to keep Figgy without making the team...

Nelson Figueroa wouldn't make my 25 man roster, sorry Figgy your a great story and I do root for you but my longman would be a lefty ( Takahashi or Misch). While he wouldn't make my opening day roster I would still like to keep him in the system because he'd be a decent call-up in the event of an injury. With him being out of options and refusing to embrace a Buffalo spring what do I have in mind.

In 2008 veteran lefty specialist Ricardo Rincon refused to go to AAA if he didn't make the team but by August he was still with the organization and even got a call-up in Sept.

The Mets have an agreement with Mexico City in the Mexican league, currently Raul Valdez is on loan from them and the Mets recently sent two minor leaguers down there ( source BA).

He would still have to make it through waivers and then accept assignment but if the 20*F April's in Buffalo are truly the biggest deterent then maybe Mexico City might be an option. Afterall, Figgy had success in that league in 2007 when he started 19 games ( 10 CG), 153 innings, with a record of 8-6 and an ERA of 3.85 for the Chihuahua Dorados...

Is Niese really ready...

Jon Niese wasn't even suppose to be in contention for the rotation this spring, he was suppose to be still recovering from a hamstring injury. After feeling great in January his schedule was pushed forward and it seems like he's been a lock for the rotation since he returned to the mound. I know Jerry keeps saying he looks impressive but what else is he going to say and while he has had moments he has also struggled.

Is Niese really ready to return, just because he's on the mound doesn't mean he's ready for the major league season. It's already tough enough on a young pitcher but just coming off a major injury and still looking a bit rusty seems like it has the potential for disaster. The longest he's been able to go was today when he pitched 4.2 innings and gave up three runs, prior to that he's pitched between 2-3 innings and only one of them was scoreless. Most home games you face a skeleton line-up and four of his five appearances have been at home, the one away game he gave up three runs in two innings. In all he's pitched 14.1 innings, allowing 12 hits, 7 walks and 9 ER, while SO 12.

Don't get me wrong, I hope Niese becomes a staple of our rotation and at times he has looked dominant. My question isn't if he's a big league starter but more is he ready now for the rotation, due to his injury. With a 5.65 ERA almost as many hits and runs as innings along with a walk every other inning it doesn't appear that he's ready.

What would be the harm in giving Takahashi five starts to prove he can handle the rotation, while Niese is in AAA honing his skills against lesser competition. Even after getting knocked around in his last start for four runs he still only has an ERA of 3.85, Rod Barajas calls his stuff #3 level quality with six pitches in his repertoire. Takahshi may not be better then Niese but he might be more consistent then some of the unreliable starters, one thing is for sure we'll never know if he's in the pen. To start the season you don't need five starters,with Takahashi in the pen when he moved to the rotation nobody would have to be cut two weeks into the season. This would also allow someone else a shot in the pen...

I'd keep all three lefties on my bench...

Sure it's unconventional but with a line-up that features three power righties (Bay, Wright, Francoeur), a 2B who's only power is right handed, two right handed catchers, three switch hitting center fielders ( Pagan, Matthews, Beltran), and a switch hitting SS (Reyes), the only true lefties aren't power hitters (Murphy, Cora)....

With the make-up of this team and the available candidates, I would have no problem heading into the season with Jacobs, Catalanotto and Carter on the bench.

Who's spot would it cost Fernando Tatis, I'm a true believer that we went to the well one too many times with Fernando and now we're going to see the law of diminished returns. The nagging injuries are going to become more frequent, effecting his performance in the field and the slumps which include all the double play balls will be even more prolonged. Because I'm under this belief I'd rather have a mismatched lefty then an ineffective righty.

Whoever doesn't play center can be the righty off the bench and so can one of the catchers with Jacobs being the emergency catcher.

All three players bring vastly different skills to the table that make each of them more appealing then Tatis. Jacobs is that intimidating all or nothing home run threat, much like Matt Stairs. Catalanotto provides versatility by playing everywhere Tatis could and a great proven bench bat, while Carter is the mixture of power and average.

We don't need a 5th starter to start the season, so after cutting Tatis I'd give Carter two more weeks to impress enough to cut one of the others ( Jake or Cat.) or get sent down since he has options...

Line-up- Reyes(S), Castillo (S), Wright (R), Bay (R), Murphy (L), Francoeur (R), Pagan (S), Barajas (R)

Bench- Blanco (R), Cora (L), Matthews (S), Jacobs (L), Catalanotto (L) and Carter (L)

Catalanotto has become friends with Jacobs and said it is tough knowing one of them likely won't make the team.

"We play cards with each other and today we said, 'Maybe there is a way both of us can be on this team,' " Catalanotto said. "Who knows? Stranger things have happened."source NY Post

4th place rotation ?

As I'm watching Mike Pelfrey get beat-up today, it seems like every Mets starter is getting beat-up, while the opponent's starters ( for the most part) are putting together quality outings. I'm already at the point where I'd love to see five scoreless innings from anyone and it's only spring training.

Sure it's spring training and pitchers are working on things but they're also suppose to be ahead of the hitters. For a team that has been mandated to win now and decided to hold pat with the rotation they had, this can't be a good way to get started.

It is spring training which means on April 5th every pitcher in the league has a zero ERA, but it is relative where they stand amongst their peers and the interesting thing is that they stand, right now, where they ended the season, glad we didn't improve the rotation...

Phillies

Halladay- 0.90

Hamels- 5.57

Blanton- 3.86

Happ- 3.18

Moyer- 0.77

Overall ERA- 2.86

Braves

Hanson- 2.51

Jurrjens- 3.38

Hudson- 1.35

Lowe- 4.00

Kawakami- 3.20

Overall ERA- 2.88

Marlins

Johnson- 5.84

Nolasco- 2.50

Sanchez- 4.66

Volstad- 5.40

Hensley- 0.55

Overall ERA- 3.79

METS

Santana- 6.75

Pelfrey- 7.97

Perez- 5.87

Maine- 7.94

Niese- 5.59

Overall ERA- 6.82

Nats

Marquis- 10.34

Lannan- 3.78

Olsen- 9.64

Martin- 6.30

Mock- 4.50

Overall ERA- 6.91

So far Unimpressive pen..

With nine days left in spring training and the major league hitters' bats starting to warm up, as they play longer into games, the pen candidates are fizzling. Still plenty of time left but they need to start getting it together...

Other then K-Rod and Pedro Feliciano there are really five spots up for grabs on this team and really nobody is stepping forward to secure those spots. I know Feliciano wants the set-up position but until the team has a second lefty or a righty who is dominant against top notch left handed hitters you really can't lock him into that role.

I think the Mets may have over played their hand a bit with Takahashi, not because of his shellacking today but more because he has awful numbers against left handed hitters. I see him more as a long man then a LOOGY but the Mets appeared to back off Mahay and Beimel when Taki was putting up 0.00 and now they're both elsewhere on minor league deals. There are a few lefties out their but they are truly limited role out lefty specialists, but if the Mets obtain a lefty then they could pencil in Feliciano as the set-up man.

The whole reason Feliciano is even in the discussion is because none of the righties are impressive.

Ryota Igarashi was brought in to compete for a spot and while some of his struggles can be blamed on learning a new pitch, he stills owns a 5.40 ERA with five walks in ten innings.

Calero gets a pass because he came to camp so late and at times has looked dominant but he also has allowed two walk off wins in only six games with a 6.23 ERA.

Sean Green can blame his new delivery on the eight walks in 7.2 innings and the 5.87 ERA, but will this new look be ready for opening day.

Then there's Bobby Parnell who is pitching the best of the group but still doesn't look comfortable out there, not like he did last spring. Parnell has walked a few too many with five in 11.1 innings but still his ERA is a respectable 3.18, funny thing is Parnell is a candidate to be sent down because he has options.

Of them all Elmer Dessens has pitched the best, but he's not on the 40 man and is on a minor league deal which could work against him. Also with Dessens I'm not sure how accurate the 1.42 ERA is, he came into many of those games late after the regulars left.

Then you have the three who will lose the fifth starters job and are out of options. Do the Mets really want to fill the pen with longmen just to keep from losing them. Takahashi, Figeruoa and Misch are all basically the same role, longmen.

Figgy is always good for looking great for a while and then getting pummelled, despite giving up seven runs in an inning he was almost named to the staff yesterday by Marty Noble. I think this is the pitcher he is, he will have an ERA around 5.91 where he went 10 scoreless appearances and then gave up six in one inning.

Misch has a zero ERA which is clearly a spring training number, I still think he could be a serviceable pitcher but if your picking one longman I think he's on the outside looking in.

Nieve has the best chance of being a true reliever but his numbers coming off injury just aren't there yet and i think as he works on recovering and working on a new riole he will struggle. Houston gave up on him due to control issues, but last year in his short stint with the team his control was solid, however; this spring he has walked six in 12 innings while only striking out 3 and has an ERA of 4.50.

All of which is why your best pitching prospect who should be in AA working towards being the next ace of the staff or at least the 1a is being considered to set-up.

Mystery man Raul Valdes...

Mack's Mets has a full bio post on Raul Valdes, the Cuban defector has been in the Cubs and Mets system but over the last few years he could challenge Figgy for frequent flyer miles in international/independent league action.

What intrigued me was that Valdes had found himself on the mound in a spring training game with runners on base, before anyone had even heard he was in camp. Today, he made his second scoreless appearance and while the Mets would like to find a LOOGY, it would be nothing short of a miracle for that to be Valdes.

Still this guy coming out of nowhere intrigued me enough to try and find out where the connection was. The Mets has an agreement with a Mexico City team where players remain under control but can be loaned back and forth, in fact this might be a way to keep Figgy and keep him out of the cold.

Valdes is on loan through the agreement and it appears that he caught the teams eye this winter during winter ball. With Ken Oberkfell ( Mets AAA mgr.) managing and Moises Alou as the GM, Valdes was named to the Carribean Series All-Star team. So he's pitched along side Figgy and was teammates with FMart. Before the rosters were realigned he was on the Venezuelan team with K-Rod...

Raul Valdes pitched seven innings of two hit shutout ball and Jean Machi and Francisco Rodriguez worked the last two innings to preserve the shutout in the Magallanes 3-0 whitewashing over Caracas. Elvis Andrus banged out four hits, including a solo shot in the fifth inning. Erold Andrus, the older brother of Elvis, drove in one of the Navegantes three runs with a sacrifice fly. The Mets Francisco Rodriguez retired the side in order in the ninth to pick up the save and put Magallanes up three games to two. source Myworldofbaseball

Carter getting noticed...

I wrote a post the other day saying that Chris Carter was getting over looked, well it appears that his .400 BA and his work ethic which has earned him the nickname "the Animal" is getting noticed.

After my post I heard from several people who said there's a reason he's been in AAA this long, don't be fooled by his numbers.

I would counter that two teams known for their scouting both sought this guy, Arizona drafted him and Boston traded for him. In both places the teams had established first baseman who were better defensively. Despite the depth in Boston he still found a way to make the team last year and to get a call-up the year before. Everything I've read his bat has never been questioned, he is seen as having a short compact swing which will be conducive to hitting for average as well as for power. It has been his glove that has lagged but here he's about equal to the other candidates while in his last three stops the position was manned by above average fielders...

“He’s done pretty much everything we’ve asked him to, and he’s done it with a level of intensity you don’t see very often,” manager Jerry Manuel said. “That’s probably why he has positioned himself with an opportunity to make the club. He’s put himself in a good spot.” source TCPalm.com

FMart not a center fielder ?

Yesterday, Joel Sherman reported that the Mets were shopping Gary Matthews Jr. My initial thought was that I didn't mind trading him, but Matthews and Pagan seem to be very similar players. Pagan has greater range but Matthews is much more matured as a player and wont make the mental errors that drive you nuts.

As a younger player with so much potential Pagan should have more value then Matthews to a team looking for a center fielder. To hold down the fort Matthews would be fine and if the team needed a long term solution they have FMart.

However, after reading the rest of Sherman's article it doesn't appear FMart is going to be a long term solution in center. You have to keep Pagan if FMart can't handle center, which as I said to start if they can get something decent for Matthews, then it's no big deal.

One other note on the Mets and center field: There have been a lot of calls for them to put Fernando Martinez there. But Mets officials privately do not feel he can handle the position any longer. If he could then they certainly would put him there. It would serve them best. Not only because he would be a strong option while Beltran is gone, but also because he would increase his value for a potential trade if Martinez showed he could still play center field at least adequately. source NY Post

Why is Murphy just being given 1B

We're about to enter the second consecutive season in which Dan Murphy is being given a starters position, I didn't miss word the first half of this sentence the word "given" is correct. By most accounts Murphy, Jacobs and Carter have been similar defenders, at the plate Murph is hitting .162, Jacobs .208 and Carter .444.

"He'll compete for the job," Minaya said of Jacobs. "I think it's fair to say that Murphy has proven himself worthy of being considered, but he's going to have to continue. It's an open competition." source NY Post

This isn't the first time the Mets have just given him a job, last off season and into the season I was clamouring about it being a mistake to enter the season with Murphy in left field. Here is just one of those posts which links to several others. Many have said that last year was different because there were better options for left field which isn't the case this year at 1B.

I would argue that there were free agents available at a reasonable cost who would have been up-grades over Murphy but if this had truly been a competition, he would have lost. In fact even in an uneven competition where it was Murphy's job to lose, hitting .162 should be losing the job.

So it then comes down to the belief that Murphy has earned the chance to enter the season as the 1B and then lose it in season if he continues as he has in spring training. What exactly has Murphy done to earn the position.

I know according to UZR/150 he had the 2nd best rating at 1B with a minimum of 400 innings ( source Amazin Ave). In 101 games at the position Murphy made ten errors giving him a fielding percentage of .989. What his numbers don't point out is the blown opportunities or errors the RF/2B/SS/3B have incurred as Murphy's over aggressiveness and lack of experience which have constantly resulted in him missing assignments, being out of position, not being able to handle throws an experience player would easily grab and effecting those players who should have been assigned to make the play.

Just for a point of reference Jacobs has a major league career fielding pct. of .993 in five seasons, 394 games. Last year he played only 15 gms at the position recording two errors ( .988), and the year before in Florida he played in 119 gms. with 11 errors (.982). If you throw in Carter he has five minor league seasons at 1B ( 340 gms) with a fielding percentage of .984. So the reports out of camp that all three are similar fielders is accurate to their Fld. pct. basically in the .980s. Delgado gave us .992 Fld. Pct over the years he was in NY which is the difference of 2-4 more errors. Carter and Jacobs with over 300 gms. are what they are, the question is can Murphy improve.

There are many Murphy supporters banking on the idea that Murphy will improve defensively, the crux of that argument is that this isn't his natural position and he's learning on the fly. First of all, unless your a veteran player who was a plus defender at another position, then the major leagues isn't the place to learn a new position. But more importantly Murphy never has had a permanent position because of his defense.

Murphy played three years at Jacksonville University, the first year as a bench player mostly in the outfield. He took over at 3rd base full time his Sophomore season and it's recognized as his natural position. In 2007 he played 131 minor league games at 3rd base in A ball in which he recorded 35 errors ( .917 fld. pct.), then in 2008 he played 65 games at 3rd between AA/AAA in which he recorded 14 errors ( .923 fld. pct.). Then he tried 2nd base, which was short lived because reviews weren't pretty. We all saw how he played LF and rem. scouts did not find him Tony B. did when he was visiting his son who was also on the team ( source Daily News ).

Murphy played college ball at Jacksonville University, being used as a bench player his freshman year, then taking over a regular job at third base as a sophomore in 2005, hitting .329/.381/.429. In '06 he hit .398/.470/.534, with 34 walks and just 13 strikeouts in 221 at-bats, earning plaudits as Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year. Questions about defense and injuries hurt his stock with scouts, and he was just a 13th round pick despite his performance. source Minor League Ball

So that brings us to the biggest part of his reputation, that Murph is a hitting machine. Before I take a closer look at Murph's offensive numbers I need to say something about the line-up. While I'm not a moneyball guy, I do understand the importance of OBP/OPS, however; I also believe in the old fashion line-up roles. If Murphy was going to hit 2nd or 8th I would have less contention, but the Mets need a middle of the order left handed power bat, which even if Murphy lives up to his rapport he wont be able to provide. I believe the Murphy/Mets are also concerned about this since Murphy has changed his stance in the hopes of creating more power. There have been several teams who have lead the league in OBP but lagged behind in runs scored because they didn't have the sluggers.

I want to take a closer look at Murphy's offense, there is absolutely no denying that Murphy had an excellent collegiate career. I don't know the level of competition in the Atlantic Sun Conference or what level of the minor leagues it would equate to but Murph was a highly honor player in the conference and he is the highest drafted player out of Jacksonville University since they joined the conference in 1998.

With JU, Murphy was named 2006 A-Sun Player of the Year and garnered first team all-conference honors after finishing second in the A-Sun with a .398 batting average and 55 RBI despite sitting out eight of the Dolphins' final 10 games with a knee injury. He also led the squad with 88 hits, 34 walks, seven sacrifice flies, 27 multi-hit games and a .406 batting average during A-Sun play. In the A-Sun Tournament, he went 2-for-2 with a walk-off game-winning single in two pinch-hit appearances and went 4-for-8 with two doubles and an RBI in two starts at designated hitter in the 2006 Regionals.

Murphy became the highest Dolphin drafted since JU joined the Atlantic Sun Conference in 1998 and was only the second Dolphin (Chad Oliva - Philadelphia Phillies, 18th round, 2002) to be selected prior to the 20th round. source Atlantic Sun Conference

Overall Murph's minor league numbers look solid; .290/.352/.444/.796, but a closer look and they are a bit skewed. In 2006 he finished with a BA of .213 but that was only 25 games and even that was actually helped out by a .273 BA in nine rookie league games. In 2007 he had a solid season in A+ ball where he hit .285 but his break out year in 2008 in which he was called up because of a .308 average. Many quote his overall 2008 minor league BA of .315 which is bloated by a .500 BA in 3 games at A-.

We all know his story book 2008 major league debut at 23 y/o coming straight from AA, playing in 49 games his offensive numbers were .313/.397/.473. But 2009 numbers are very deceiving .267 /.313/ .427/.741 hides some significant struggles last year. It took a .315 BA the first month of the season and the last two months hitting .290 to get back to .267 after hitting .176, .240 and .250 from May through July.

Look it's hard not to root for Murph, he's a hard working, give all you got type of guy. My issue is with the organization who has tried to sell us a bill of goods on this and refuse to eat crow on the idea that they might have over hyped him. Saying that he's a hitting machine who has hit at all levels and that you believe he will improve defensively because he's learning a new position which is why he has an edge is a bit of misleading hype. IMHO this should be a straight up competition, if the fielding is equal then who ever puts up the best numbers should win the spot...

Could Dessens make this club...

Elmer Dessens keeps quietly going out there, making quality relief appearances and keeps making cuts. Dessens and Calero are the last non-roster relievers in camp, not including Takahashi who's in the running for the rotation or longman role.

Dessens has appeared in six games, 5.1 innings with a 1-0 record and a 1.69 ERA. He pitches to contact, as evident by his one strike out and five hits in those six games but his control is solid as he hasn't allowed a walk.

Last seasons Dessens made 28 appearances, after being called up in which he had an ERA of 3.31, WHIP 1.04; 24 hits, 12 runs, 10 walks and 14 SO. Prior to being called up, he had taken over closing duties from Eddie Kutz who was struggling. In Buffalo he posted a ERA of 2.31 in 27 appearances, including 11 saves.

With Green, Parnell, and Igarashi all having options and struggling, along with Escobar on the DL, there is the distinct possibility Dessens could make this team.

UP DATE: As I was completing this post, Dessens came in to relieve Johan Santana with two on and two outs, while being down by a run. He faced one batter and evoked an easy fly ball out.

Ike Davis & others sent down...

Many of my Mets fans say that I'm too cautious with prospects/minor leaguers, I've always been the type that wanted youngsters to master each level before they advance to the next level.

With that said Ike Davis has sold me, I would have made him my opening day. Now I'll be curious to see how Davis handles the demotion, rem. Milledge one year lit up spring training and then was demoted, he struggled after that and many felt he pouted.

"Of course," he said, "that's your dream as a baseball player. But it's not right for right now. Hopefully someday it will be. Just to know that I'm not far behind is pretty comforting. To see your goal is not that far away is pretty cool." source Daily News

Tobi Stoner, Nick Evans and Jason Pridie were sent to AAA while Jolbert Cabrera and Shawn Riggans were reassigned to an undisclosed level.

I'm concerned Evans could be reaching Castro/Church status with Jerry, his lack of use this spring was due to injury but still he never seems to get a fair shake. Pridie was suppose to be the 4th outfielder for the Twins now he's about eighth on the depth chart, he was a solid pick-up and should be a good call-up this year. Stoner lasted longer then many this spring and might have put himself on the radar as a reliever, down the road.

With Riggans being re-assigned but not to AAA the Mets may be looking to keep all the catchers instead of trading Santos. The Mets said they could carry three catchers in Buffalo especially with Coste being able to play 1B. So the depth could look like Barajas/ Blanco with the Mets; Thole/Coste/Santos in AAA and Riggans/Pena in AA.

After Cabrera and Adams made the last cut as several other middle infielders were re-assigned it looks like Adams has won that battle as the first utility player to be called up. You could make an argument for Adams, who plays every infield position and could play LF in an emergency making the team over Tatis...

Reyes returning to camp...

Jose Reyes' thyroid levels have returned to normal and the medical staff has cleared him to resume baseball activities. Reyes is expected back in camp tomorrow, he hasn't played in a game since March 1st and was told to remain completely idol for the last two weeks.

It's unclear how long it will take for Reyes to get ready or whether Jerry will continue his line-up experiment of batting him third. Even if he isn't ready to be the opening day SS, it won't be that long until he returns which makes today a very good day...

“I can’t tell you if he’s going to be ready for Opening Day,” Mets general manager Omar Minaya said. “I can’t tell you that he is or that he’s not. But the reality is, we’re happy to get him back. I know for us and for all the players, everybody was excited. He’s excited. Let’s get him back here. Let’s get that smile back on our team.” source NJ.com

How is Carter getting over looked...

Competition is a contest between individuals, groups, nations, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources... It arises whenever two or more parties strive for a goal which cannot be shared. source Wikipedia

Photo thanks to Michael Baron at Mets photos.

I decided to include the definition of competition since it doesn't appear the Mets understand the meaning of the word. The Mets started camp calling 1B an open competition, however; since the beginning of spring training the position has been Murphy's to lose. Despite Murph hitting .133 which is losing the position in my book, most of the beat writers still say it's Murphy's to lose.

Jacobs isn't doing much better then Murphy hitting .176 and then Tatis and Cattalanotto are doing awful hitting .050 and .100 respectively.

Whether you agree or not we've all heard the argument that they don't want to rush Ike Davis.

But some how Chris Carter is being completely over looked in 10 games, 17 AB he's hitting .444 with a 1.154 Slg. pct. As far as track records go Carter has 340 minor league gms at 1B and in four seasons in AAA he carries a .304 BA.

I'm still trying to figure out what warranted Murphy being anointed, as his too lose. He has 113 total games at 1B between the minors/majors and in AAA had a BA .250 with a .275 BA in the majors.

Every time Carter has started he has had a multiple hit game, he's also been praised for his short power swing which is conducive to hitting off the bench. In justifying why Carter isn't part of the 1B discussion most have it's because he has options, well Mr. Murphy has options as well and if this is a true competition Carter is crushing him.

As far as defense it sounds like a draw between Murphy, Jacobs and Carter...

kind of like Murphy and Jacobs. Not like Keith Hernandez. RT @Mets_Fever: hows carter look at 1b because all he does is hit source Steve Popper twitter

Jake won't be asked to head to Buffalo...

Mike Jacobs has said that he's out to prove he's still a starter and doesn't feel he needs to go to the minors. With reports that he was looking good at 1B and hitting around .260 it all but appeared Jake was a roster lock. A few days later, he's hitting .170 and has people wondering if Frank Catalanotto who's hitting .125 would be a better fit off the bench.

It's said to be Murphy's job to lose well hitting .133 is losing the job in my opinion. Apparently Jake is the 1B or he'll be moving on. By the way for those asking, I say they should go with Ike and any other discussion in regards to 1B is because it doesn't appear they can be convinced to do so...

If he doesn’t get the job, a Mets’ official said the team would not force him to take a minor league assignment, granting him his release if necessary. That might be the path left for Jacobs as Jerry Manuel still has Murphy penciled in as the starter, and even with his willingness to throw on the catching gear, Jacobs does not possess the pinch-hitting pedigree of Catalanotto. Jacobs, 29, isn’t really interested in that job for the long haul anyway. source NJ.com

Update on Lowell...

According to David Lennon of Newsday his sources say that the Mets aren't interested in Mike Lowell for several reasons...

#Mets not interested in Mike Lowell, says person familiar with club's thinking. Righthanded, injury history & $12 M salary 3 big reasons. source David Lennon

Trying not to win the 1B job & Lowell...

May I have your attention please...

Will the real 1B please stand up, ummm We're gonna have a problem here -borrowed from lyrics by Eminem...

We were told that 1B was going to be an open competition, that it was Murphy's job to lose but if he struggle or someone else shined, he could lose the position. Well the only candidate who has showed up for the competition is the one their trying to find any reason to start the year in AAA.

In fact behind Davis the two players who have shown the most is a journeyman utility player ( Adams) and a poor defender who is more comfortable in LF ( Carter) but even they have bloated numbers with too small a sample pool.

The three real candidates to be the full time 1B have done absolutely nothing this spring, for those saying it's only spring training, well it's a competition which means it needs to be base off something. Murphy is hitting .133, Jacobs .174 and Tatis .059.

So if the players are giving you absolutely nothing to judge them on in spring training then it comes down to past experience; Murphy has 100 gms. at the position all last year with a .268 BA, .311 and .427 Slg.. Jacobs 391 gms over 5 seasons., overall BA .262, OBP.319 and Slg..500. Tatis has only 43 gms. at the position in which he hit .280, OBP .337 and Slg. .427...

A week ago I thought if Ike Davis wasn't making the team then Jacobs was going to steal the position from Murphy, he was hitting about .260 and was being praised for his defense. However, since then he has been just as bad as Murphy. The whole reason I didn't want Tatis re-signed is coming to fruition this spring, I was concerned he'd be a case of diminishing return and an injury risk, Tatis has been banged up all spring and is hitting .059...

Quite frankly Murphy doesn't have the track record to just be given a position and Jacobs looks like the same struggling player he was last year in KC. The players are almost forcing the team to play Ike Davis and they seem so adamantly against the idea, that it might explain the Mike Lowell rumors.

The 35 y/o right handed hitting 3B has never played a major league game at 1B but based on his almost 1500 gms at 3B and what has been seen of him in practice/spring training it is believed the transition would be easy. Despite a hip and thumb injury his numbers last year were slightly above his career numbers, 2009- .290 /.337/ .474/.811..

Lowell is supposedly 100% and the Red Sox are looking to move him, the Mets are believed to be one of the teams scouting him. John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus believes the Mets are the most likely team to acquire Lowell, hat tip to Amazin Ave. who has a direct quote along with more info on Lowell....

D-Train could be released...

What has happened to Dontrelle Willis; the former 22 game winner, two time all-star, runner up for the Cy Young and 2003 post-season hero is on the verge of being released while still being owed 12M. What a difference in philosophies, the Mets struggle to cut guys like Marlon Anderson who are owed 1M, while Detroit in back-to-back years are potentially cutting 12M players ( Sheffield/Willis).

Is the left handers career really over at 27 y/o...

This much is known, he hasn't been good or healthy in three straight years. His last good year was in 2006 when he made 34 starts going 12-12 with an ERA of 3.87. The next season he made 35 starts but his ERA ballooned to 5.17 with a record of 10-15. His last two years in Detroit he's only made 14 starts with a combined ERA over 8.

This spring he is ranked 6th on the rotational depth chart and while his spring training numbers are decent, his fastball is topping out at 89 MPH. He's appeared in four games, two were starts for a total of 10 innings in which his ERA is 0.90, he's allowed 1 ER off five hits, five walks and two hit bats men while striking out six.

He's always been an Omar favorite and if he's released it wouldn't surprise me to see him signed on a minor league deal as a reclamation project.

Willis has shown better control during his Grapefruit League stints. But he no longer has the fastball, or the repertoire, that's fundamental to beating big-league teams. He can get the ball over the plate. But he isn't fooling any hitters.

I suspect the Tigers have been preparing all along on having to absorb one of their starting pitcher's contracts in 2010, and Willis ($12 million salary) looks as if he will be the casualty. source The Detroit News

Fogg is an example that it's not all the teams fault...

Reports indicate that Josh Fogg will be granted his full release ( source Daily News ), it's a shame that we couldn't keep Fogg, not for a current roster spot but more as a call-up candidate.

Fogg is mentally tough and the Mets have too many fragile pitchers, he's the type of guy who his own teammates can be busting his chops and he'll go out, un-rattled to give you a decent outing.

I wish they could have kept him around even if it was for his personality to rub off on the minor leaguers but really they didn't have a choice. Fogg wanted his release and you can't have a disgruntled veteran who's been forced to stay infecting your minor leagues.

More importantly Fogg reminded me that not all of these injury situations are the Mets fault. There are multiple layers involved, all with alternative motives and while I think the Mets have a communication issue, in some cases one of the other parties involved use the Mets as the fall guy.

The Mets did everything right with Fogg and he's an example of a player who disagrees with the proper course of action. He tweaked his side in the batting cage, an injury he would have pitched through and when the Mets were cautious with him he was miffed. When they had to send him down because he wasn't ready, he asked for his release so he could find a team who would allow him to pitch.

In these situations there are agents, players, personal doctors and the team involved not every situation is the Mets fault. Due to the dramatic rash of injuries and the PR dept. bungling the handling of some situations, I think it's become too easy to pile on the organization...

Mets have a veteran SS with range...

This maybe a moot point as Ken Davidoff of Newsday is reporting that Tejada has support in the clubhouse to make the team. By the way for those of us who were concerned with starting Tejada's clock for only a month, Ken tweeted me yesterday that he didn't think Tejada was the level player you worried about his FA clock.

But if the Mets did decide they thought Tejada was too green to go north they have a veteran short stop with more range then Cora who just was the hero of his first game today. The strange thing is that win came in the Buffalo Bisons first spring training game.

The end of last month the Mets signed Alex Cintron to a minor league deal, the 31 y/o switch hitter is a lifetime .275 hitter who plays 2b/ss. Cintron wasn't even invited to major league camp but he sure made a name for himself with the Bisons.

Bisons INF Alex Citron was the hitting hero for the Herd, going 2-3 with a pair of home runs and 3RBI. The switch hitter homered from both the left side and right side of the plate. source Bisons.com

Beimel power play ?

After Pedro Feliciano left last night's game, Joe Beimel's camp must have had the same thought as I did, that the Mets really need a second lefty. Despite the Mets being the only team willing to give him a major league deal, suddenly negotiations have broken down and he's open to going anywhere. Either Beimel is saying the two sides were so close he was no longer taking minor league offers or he now sees the Mets as more desperate and is playing hardball. I say give Mahay the deal you would have been willing to give Beimel and move on...

Beimel's agent, Joe Sroba: "Talks with #Mets have fallen apart. Beimel is re-open to consider all clubs and willing to be flexible." #MLB source Ken Rosenthal

Jacobs practicing catching

I believe it's inevitable that Mike Jacobs will make this team, in fact I think he's pushing Dan Murphy for playing time at 1B. More proof that the team is attempting to justify Jacobs position is the fact that they have him catching. The Mets under Jerry and Omar have always liked the concept of having an emergency third catcher, all the way back to Eli Marrero. The last few years the emergency catchers were Carlos Delgado and Fernando Tatis, neither of which was really a practical answer, if due to match-ups they had gone through their catchers in an extra inning game. Like Delgado, Jacobs came up through the minors as a catcher but due to their bats they were moved to 1B, but unlike Delgado, Jacobs isn't that far removed from the position or too brittle to actually man the position for an inning...

Yes, that was Mike Jacobs this morning, with a bag of catching equipment in front of his locker. Jacobs looks like he's the leading candidate for the final bench spot with the Mets, and the organization has asked him to catch on a limited basis in order to increase his versatility. So Jacobs, who caught in the minors with the Mets before being converted to first base in 2005, is planning to catch Tobi Stoner's bullpen session before today's Mets-Twins game. source Daily News

Mets might want to re-think the lefty situation

Last night Pedro Feliciano left the game after being struck by a line drive (source Daily News). Luckily it appears Pedro was only taken out as a precaution and there doesn't seem to be any serious injury. But what it brings to light is the Mets lack of depth at the lefty reliever spot which is a pivotal position when your in the same division as the Phillies.

It's easy to say that you don't need a second lefty because many of the set-up candidates are believed to be cross over pitchers but could the team go without a lefty; NO. Pedro has been healthy and dominant for four straight seasons how many relievers can say that, eventually he's going to break down or get stuck in a bad rut. The Mets don't have a back-up plan if that happens this year. After last night I think it's time to get Beimel or Mahay in here....

Taki 2 stills a chance at the rotation...

With the leading candidates both with ERA's hovering around six it's hard to ignore Takahashi. But the Mets aren't ignoring him and in doing so, they are keeping all their options open. Everybody wants Jon Niese to win the spot but I don't think anyone wants to see him posting a six ERA. The Mets have scheduled Taki 2 to make two starts before the end of camp and if the numbers keep looking as they do, it will be hard not to start him...

Takahashi still alive for rotation. Will make two starts, tentatively scheduled for March 27 and 31, as of yet undetermined pitch length. source David Lennon

Cora not Tejada to fill-in for Reyes...

David Lennon of Newsday is tweeting that Jerry Manuel said Alex Cora will fill-in for Jose Reyes with Tejada as a potential call-up. While I'm not fond of Cora as an everyday player, that reflects more on the value Omar placed on Cora's leadership then not keeping Tejada. Had they signed a utility player with better range no one would be complaining about Tejada being sent down. It makes sense because you don't want to start the clock on a kid when Castillo has another year and Reyes has at least two more years. This would have been the perfect spot to have signed Lopez....

Manuel just said Cora will replace Reyes - at least in the short term. Tejada would be a call-up with training wheels. source David Lennon

Is Jake winning the 1B job...

The Mets may have an answer to Mike Jacobs long swing and their need to balance out the line-up.

It seemed obvious since the start of camp that Jacobs was very popular, returning to the team where he came up with many of the players through the minor league system. Jake made it clear that he was out to prove he could still play full time, despite an awful season last year.

Jacobs came with one caveat, that he didn't think he belonged in the minors, but the Mets seemed since his signing willing to find him a spot. However, there were several articles reporting that the Mets were concerned with his long swing coming off the bench.

Just the other day Marty Noble reported that the Mets are pleased with Jacobs defense, at the plate Murphy has a .259 Slg pct. while Jacobs is has a .500. In their first night game of he spring with all the regulars in except the catcher, Jake is in the line-up as a 1B.

Maybe I'm reading too much into this but it appears to me that Jake is leading the pack for the first base job.

Ahern claimed by Cleveland...

It really goes to show just how far from grace Anderson Hernandez has fallen. The Mets are reportedly looking for a middle infielder and are considering Ruben Tejada, which will start his clock early. Still the Mets placed Hernandez on waivers and allowed him to re-unite with Manny Acta in Cleveland.

I rem. in 2006 when Ahern won the starting 2B job and then made that incredible diving catch, during which he hurt his back. At that time he was an all glove, no bat type of player. But by 2008 he was being passed on the depth chart by mediocre players like A. Reyes, rumors had it that his work ethic was in question.

After being traded he had the best year of his career in Washington under Manny Acta. In his second stint with the Mets he looked awful at short and lazy at 2B. It would be funny if the Mets claimed middle infielder Brian Bixler the player they placed on waivers to make room for Ahern.

Regarding his defense, Baseball America had this to say before the '07 season: "He has soft hands, plus range, and an above-average arm but sometimes gets lazy and doesn't charge balls aggressively enough." source MLBTR

Implications of Guzman Rumors

By now we've all heard the rumor from 1050 ESPN Rich Coutinho that the Mets were supposedly interested in Christian Guzman. For all those still breathing in a bag over the idea don't Adam Rubin has already dispelled the idea. This post isn't to be another report on the rumor but more to discuss the implication if the rumor was even remotely true.

1. If they're looking at SS they have concerns

about how long Jose will be out.

2. There must be concerns about over exposing

Tejada or using Cora/Adams full time.

3. With Reyes out (along w/ Beltran) they must be concerned with the offense as Guzman,

despite his horrible OBP is known as an offensive SS.

4. This is the level SS they're going to find this late in spring training if their really looking for one.

Jake impressing in the field...

As I pointed out yesterday if you go strictly by the offensive numbers, Dan Murphy is in last place by a significant amount. Additionally the first baseman will hit fifth or sixth and of all the candidates Murphy is the only one who isn't a potential power threat.

Murphy supporters will point out that he is a significant up-grade over the other candidates, Ike Davis is the only of the four with an error. I would argue that other then Davis none of the three are very good defensive first basemen. What some are praising Murphy for and calling aggressiveness, I would counter by saying his aggressiveness is putting him out of position and missing assignments.

Most power hitting first basemen lack range, while it's a more difficult position to play then most give it credit for being it is where you put a power bat. These power 1B show maturity by staying within themselves by covering their assignments and not getting in the way of their 2B by trying to do too much.

It looks like Jake has been better then expected in the field....

Mike Jacobs is handling his first base assignments more gracefully and
reliably than the club anticipated. source Marty Noble MLBlogs

Looking at surprise players who made the 1st cut...

Yesterday the Mets made their first round of cuts ( this post), originally I focused on the list of players sent to the minor league camp and aside from Josh Thole leaving so soon, no one truly surprising was cut.

However; looking at it in a different perspective, there were a few surprises as to who stayed in camp. I'm not talking about the players with an actual shot at making the team, more the guys who are non-prospects who will be in the minors but the team kept around a little bit longer.

There's a reason these guys stayed, even if it seems that they are here to eat innings or give other players rest. It shows how the depth charts are beginning to develop. Here are the surprises that I see who are left from the non-roster invitees..

Every non-roster pitcher invited to camp has been sent down except 4 and three of them have a chance to make the team ( Mejia, Takahashi, Calero). The surprise of the group would be Elmer Dessens who probably isn't making the team but will probably get the first call.

In regards to the catchers, while Thole went down Shawn Riggans stayed, with Coste assigned to Thole and Santos being shopped, it looks like they want a longer look at Rigo.

Looks like Jolbert Cabrera and Russ Adams stick around as possible call-up candidates as middle infielders over Andy Green and Luis Hernandez.

Of course, Mike Jacobs and Frank Catalanotto cont. to fight or the last spot but otherwise most on the invites are already gone...

Out of options, 0.00 ERA why is Misch over looked...

I thought Pat Misch did a solid job last year after coming over from the Giants, he went 3-4 in seven starts and 22 overall appearances with a 4.12 ERA in 59 total innings of work. When he was identified as one of the players out of options I said the Mets should try to find a spot for him and many of my Mets fans friends said lets see how he pitches first.

Well in the limited chances Misch has been given he has pitched well, in three games ( 1 start), seven innings, he has an ERA of 0.00 in which he has allowed 4 hits and 3 walks, while striking out three. Despite those numbers and the fact that he's out of option he is rarely mentioned and appears buried on the depth chart.

Remember at the beginning of camp Jerry Manuel said Misch's delivery was Glavine-esque and was only seen as a starter. But since camp started he has been something of an after thought, Niese/Nieve are battling for the fifth spot and Takahashi/Figueroa are fighting for the longman role. Sure Misch's name gets mentioned but does he really appear to have a legitimate chance of making the team.

Meanwhile, rumors continue to swirl around the Mets obtaining a second left handed reliever. Here's my thought; why not use Misch as the second lefty and when a starter goes down, move the longman into the rotation and then stretch Misch back out as the longman, in case the replacement starter is in-effective.

A 28 y/o lefty who is still cheap and controllable for three more years, while showing that he can handle NY is someone I wouldn't give up so easily or would predict to make it through waivers and accept assignment...

A look at the competitions at the half way point...

Ok, it's about half way through spring training and while it's easy to say these games are meaningless, you have to use something to determine who wins the competitions. The interesting thing to me is that most of the players who were considered almost locks at their spots, have been out preformed by other players fighting for spots. While it's been said that their are open competitions at the fifth starters spot, first base and center field; it's been pretty clear that it was a two horse race ( Nieve/Niese) for the fifth spot and it was Murphy and Pagan's spots to lose. However, in regards to all four players they are being out preformed but still seem the front runners for their positions.

It still seems like Matthews is going to back-up Pagan despite Angel, who is known for his fast starts being out preformed by the other two.

Fernando Martinez- 8 gms, 22 ABs, .542 / 1.136 / .591.
Gary Matthews Jr.- 7 gms, 21 ABs, .417 / .762 / .333.
Angel Pagan- 8 gms, 21 ABs, .304 /.429 /.238.

1B is even more lopsided, but it still appears Murphy will be the 1B with Jake/Tatis backing him.
Ike Davis- 10 gms, 22 ABs, .560/.909/.500 - 4 fielding errors
Chris Carter- 6gms, 11 ABs, .500/ 1.364/ .455
Mike Jacobs- 7 gms, 16 ABs, .429 / .625 /.250
Dan Murphy- 8 gms, 22 ABs, .222 / .292 /.167

Despite solid performances by Figueroa and Takahashi this spring, it still seems like a competition between Niese and Nieve who are both struggling for the last spot.

Figueroa- 3 gms, 8 inn, ERA 0.00, 4 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Takahashi- 2 gms, 6 inn, ERA 0.00, 2 hits, 0 walks, 9 strikeouts
Nieve- 3 gms, 9 inn, ERA 6.00, 12 hits, 6 runs, 5 walks, 2 strikeouts
Niese- 3 gms, 9 inn, ERA 7.02, 10 hits, 6 runs, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts

So with Kelvim Escobar down, lets take a look at the set-up men candidates...

Kiko Calero- 1 gm, 1 inn, 0.00 ERA, 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 SO

Jennry Mejia- 3 gms, 7.1 inn, 1.23 ERA, 5 hits, 1 run, 0 walks, 8 SO

Elmer Dessens- 4 gms, 3.1 inn, 2.70 ERA, 4 hits, 1 run, 0 walks, 1 SO

Bobby Parnell-4 gms, 6.1 inn, 4.26 ERA, 7 hits, 3 runs, 4 walks, 7 SO

Sean Green- 4 gms, 4 inn, 4.50 ERA, 3 hits, 2 runs, 6 walks, 4 SO

Ryota Igarashi- 5 gms, 6 inn, 1-2 SVO, 6.00 ERA, 7 hits, 4 runs, 1 walk, 1 SO.

Thoughts on the cuts...

Adam Rubin has the first unofficial list of cuts, again; these are unofficial as no moves have been made as of yet. No real surprises on the list, except maybe Thole getting such an early cut. Several of the players have a chance for in-season call-ups.

Rubin goes on to state that Josh Fogg, who is battle a side injury may ask for his release or retire.

Dickey, Everts and Kunz had a real shot of making the team when the spring started but just didn't impress or perform in their chances.

I can see Hernandez or Green getting call-ups as a middle infielders along the lines of Ramon Martinez last year.

Thole, Bowman, Niesen and Nieuwenhuis are youngsters who could see time with the big league team, the rest are probably AAA fodder...

Josh Thole, Shawn Bowman, Eric Niesen, Jack Egbert, Josh Fogg, R.A. Dickey, Travis Blackley, Bobby Livingston, Arturo Lopez, Eddie Kunz, Andy Green, Mike Hessman, Mike Cervenak, Jesus Feliciano, Luis Hernandez, Clint Everts, Kirk Nieuwenhuis. source Daily News

Doesn't look like Mahay is an option...

It was reported earlier this month that the Mets were interested in signing a second lefty for the pen. It appears Joe Beimel was their top candidate as it's believed he has an incentive laden major league contract on the table. Ron Mahay was believed to be the back-up plan but only on a minor league deal. Adam Rubin reports that it doesn't look like the two sides are going to find a middle ground...

Looks like lefthander Ron Mahay won't be signing with the Mets, at least now. A source says there's no way Mahay accepts a minor-league deal. And a separate source says no way do the Mets offer a major-league contract. source Daily News

Tough road for Egbert...

I don't know much about Jack Egbert, except that the Mets grabbed him off waivers in Sept. and because he's a local guy he decided to stay after he was DFA. Andy McCullough of the Star Ledger paints a great picture of just how tough this game can be, basically after spending years in the White Sox org. two outings ended his stay and now he's already buried in our camp after a rough inning of relief...

"My arm feels good," Egbert says. "I'm feeling pretty happy with the way I've thrown the ball. At the end of the day, the results didn't turn out as well as I would have liked the other day. But I still took it as a positive." source NJ.com

Beltran talks up the Mets despite injuries...

Carlos Beltran apparently is rehabbing in PSL and Steve Popper of NJ.com has some great quotes from the center fielder. It's interesting how much he has matured over the years, from a quiet behind the scenes guy to a vocal supporter of the team no matter what the situation is. Getting Beltran back is going to be a big addition to this team on and off the field.

“I think the team is great right now,” Beltran said. “I mean, I know that Jose Reyes is probably going to be out for a little bit. But we still have great ballplayers. We have Bay, we have Wright, we have Francoeur. We have Gary Matthews who is having a great spring. We have guys here, Jacobs, fighting for a position here. Murphy, who last year proved that he can play at the major league level. I think we still have some players that can go out and we can still have a good team. It would probably be better if we had everybody. In my case, I’m not going to be there opening day. Jose Reyes, we hope he can be there opening day. If he’s there opening day then the team is going to be more improved.. We’re going to be fine. Got to be positive.” source NJ.com

Goldstein- Tejada not a bad idea...

Ken Goldstein of BP takes a look at the Mets using Ruben Tejada as the starting SS. In conclusion Goldstein believes that based on Tejada's sound fundamentals that it wouldn't be the worst idea...

When one thinks of a Latin American shortstop (Tejada is Panamanian), the expectation is a raw athlete oozing with tools -- but Tejada is the exact opposite. He has a near-zero chance of ever being a star, but at the same time, he's one of the most fundamentally sound 20-year-olds you'll ever see. He works the count, makes consistent contact (59 strikeouts in 553 plate appearances last year), and while his range at the position is merely average, he makes the plays on the balls he gets to. Strikeouts and out-of-control fielding are the things that usually spell doom for a rookie, but Tejada has both of those bases covered, so as long as Reyes is out, why not see what the young player can do? source Baseball Prospectus

The other SS option..

Most of the discussions in regards to filling in for Jose Reyes is whether Ruben Tejada can handle the majors or how well Alex Cora can manage full time work.

I'm concerned about bringing anyone up who hasn't been above AA, this organization hasn't had a very good track record in these situations. Since 2005 there is a long list of players who were brought up early and not one of them has succeeded, Joe Smith and Dan Murphy were the closest but both had their set backs.

As for Cora, more then once a week at short stop is too much, while being fundamentally sound he lacks the range to play the position full time and his bat doesn't makeup for his fielding short comings.

The Mets have another option in camp and that is Russ Adams. The non-roster invitee was a firstround pick of the Blue jays in 2002. Adams was primarily a SS/2B in the minors where he hit .277 across all levels of the minors, he has been exposed to 3B/1B/LF/RF.

In 2004 as a 23 y/o he appeared in 22 gms. in which he hit .306 and the next year he was the starting SS. In 139 gms while batting lead-off he hit .256 with an OBP of .325 but he made 26 errors and there were complaints about his arm strength. The next year he played in 90 gms. mostly at 2B but only hit .219. Since then he has only appeared in 30 major league games in which he played 3B/2B/LF and hit only .215...

Here's a trade idea for a back-up SS...

Ok, this is a little thinking out of the box and it isn't a perfect fit but it's at least an idea. I've heard a lot of Mets fans who were concerned over rushing the youngster Ruben Tejada and weren't enamored with Alex Cora/ Anderson Hernandez as the full time SS.

Today, before the Jose Reyes news broke MLBTR posted that the Pirates may look to trade or release Ramon Vazquez. Maybe a platoon of Cora and Vazquez would be better then throwing Tejada to the wolves or using Ahern who looked awful at short as the backup.

The Mets need to move a catcher anyway and the Pirates based on their depth chart don't seem to have that much depth at the position. What about a swap of Santos for Vazquez.

Ramon Vazquez is a 33 y/o left handed utility infielder who is owed 2MM for the season. He has 275 MLB gms at SS, 212 gms. at 3B, 165 gms. at 2B and 11 gms. at 1B. He hit only .230 last year as he battled knee injuries but the year before he hit; .290/.365/.430/.795...

"They told me I'm not on the team right now," the Pirates' veteran utility infielder said, visibly displeased after a 3-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles Wednesday night at McKechnie Field. "If I don't do well enough, I'm going to be gone. I don't know what that means, if that's a trade or what. I'm playing for myself right now. All I know is that I feel really good health-wise for the first time in a long time, and I'm ready for whatever happens."source Pittsburgh Post Gazette

Jose Reyes out 2-8 weeks..

In case you missed it Jose Reyes will be out for 2-8 weeks with this thyroid condition. There has been a lot of hoopla today about the Mets showing poor communication skills and miss-handling the situation, at this point who cares, two of our stars are already down before a single game has been played.

The Mets are said to be going with youngster Ruben Tejada and Alex Cora.

All I can say is get well soon and come back fast....

Minaya said 20-year-old Ruben Tejada could be the Mets' Opening Day shortstop, with Alex Cora also an option. Tejada is somewhat used to a big stage, having represented Panama in the World Baseball Classic. He makes solid contact, but he has a small, 6-foot, 160-pound frame and isn't projected to hit for much power. Tejada hit .289 with five homers and 46 RBI in 488 at-bats with Double-A Binghamton last season. source Daily News

Mets sign O'Connor to a minor league deal...

Adam Rubin is reporting that the Mets have signed Mike O'Connor to a minor league deal. O'Connor was once a top prospect in the Nationals organization before being traded to the Pads in 2009 to make room on the roster but he didn't make it the entire season, first heading to the independent leagues before landing in Kansas City.

In 2006 as a 25 y/o left hander with his first exposure to the majors with the Nats he made 20 starts going 3-8 with a 4.80 ERA. He returned to the majors in 2008 for one start ( 4 relief app.) in which he produced a 13.00 ERA.

After posting very good numbers in AAA a 2.50 ERA in two seasons he struggled last year between three minor league systems posting an over 5 ERA. O'Connor is on a minor league deal and wont even be in major league camp...

The 28-year-old O'Connor was once considered one of the top Nats pitching prospects. It's not certain where he'll fit in to the Padres' plans just yet. He hasn't pitched since last year, but has accumulated a 5.45 ERA and a 63/56 K/BB ratio in 114 major-league innings. source MLBTR

Chris "The Animal" Carter...

While it might be too much of a rush for Ike Davis to make the team, the same can't be said for Chris Carter. For the fourth team Carter finds himself on the outside looking in and for the fourth team he has done nothing but hit. The Mets are said to be looking for a left handed bat off the bench and the competition is said to be between Jacobs and Catalanotto, meanwhile Carter who is already on the 40 man has done nothing but hit for power off the bench so far this spring. Carter is also earning himself quite a rep. for his intensity...

Chris Carter homered for the third straight Grapefruit League at-bat when he went deep in the first inning off Derek Lowe. The outfielder/first baseman went 2-for-3 with a walk. Manuel has tabbed Carter "the animal" for his early arrivals and intense workouts. Still, he's at a disadvantage in claiming the final bench spot, since the primary combatants are considered Mike Jacobs and Frank Catalanotto. Carter, who was acquired from the Red Sox in the trade for Billy Wagner, had a pair of ninth-inning homers Monday against the Marlins before getting Tuesday off. He’s 5-for-8 this spring, with four of the hits for extra bases.Carter could not recall ever homering in three straight at-bats. "Not in professional," he said. "I'm happy with the bat speed." source Daily News