Mets Must Send Perez to Minors

Oliver Perez needs to be a starting pitcher every five days and he can't do that at the Major League level right now. He isn't doing himself or the team any good pitching every 10-12 days out of the bullpen. First off, he doesn't get enough in-game work to try and fine tune his stuff and work on throwing more strikes. Then secondly he is weakening the Mets bullpen because Jerry will only use him in low leverage situations so the bullpen is one pitcher short.

The Mets have approached Perez about going to the Minors and Manuel says it is a "ongoing process" that the Mets have yet to figure out. Perez should have no leverage in this situation because he has not pitched well at all and he is already getting a fat paycheck. They have to designate him and if he chooses free agency then fine, its not a big loss. He isn't going to get a better chance to pitch in the Majors anywhere else so he would be hurting himself by leaving the organization.

Perez has a good arm and can be a very helpful pitcher if he is his able to work out the flaws in his mechanics that will allow him to increase his velocity and throw more strikes. This result isn't going to happen throwing out off the bullpen once a week.

A look at major league level organizational depth

The one compliment that I will give Omar ( and I don't give him many these days) is that he did a good job with improving the organizational depth, that's not to say I think they're properly utilizing their depth, just that it's there.

The minor leagues are there to develop and supply the major league team with talent, the competitiveness of the minor league team shouldn't come into consideration when the major league team makes roster decisions but that's not the reality of the business.

Many AAA teams are a financially profitable organizations depending on their location and the product they put onto the field, some of them aren't willing to accept substandard rosters that are diminished even further by call-ups just because of the affiliation it affords them.

The Mets had the longest standing AAA affiliation with the Norfolk Tide, but as the Orioles success diminished and they saw the opportunity to increase there own fan base, they became much more demanding until finally the contract wasn't renewed.

The Mets were stuck with New Orleans, which was a logistic nightmare in a league that didn't emphasize the strength of the farm and had substandard facility. Do to the New Orleans experience the Mets are very conscious of Buffalo's satisfaction with their roster.

Buffalo finished in the basement last season and there were already grumblings that the Mets relationship would only last one contract. The Mets like Buffalo because their facilities are the equivalent of a small market major league team, prospects play in front of larger then normal minor league crowds and the league emphasizes pitching while having tough hitters to challenge young pitchers, all in addition to being a quick plane ride to most NL east stadiums.

Therefore, much of the depth the Mets have is actually stuck in Buffalo and I can think of no other reasonable answer as to why they haven't been called up other then the fact that Buffalo is in first place.

For the most part, my biggest gripe is with the positional players and more specifically the bench, the pitching staff aside from Ollie wasting a space and Mejia needing to be in the minors ( but there aren't any righties to replace him with) is what it is. As far as the staff I probably would rather have Misch instead of Ollie and Acosta for Mejia ( until a better righty reliever was available).

Starting position players, Castillo has really lost his range and while he's an effective table setter I just feel the team needs a defensive replacement for late inning situations. Even with Tejada not a consideration for seasoning purposes Buffalo has Turner, Adams, Green and Murphy to pick from, no I don't consider Cora a defensive replacement.

The Mets bench infield behind Castillo is Cora and Tatis, both of which are struggling in some area of their game.

The last time Tatis played he watched a ball to his right go as a game winning double that Wright would have at least knocked down, plain and simply he has no range. The last time he slid he came up limping and he's only hitting .233. To be fair while he's only hitting .231 RISP, he is hitting .300 with RISP two outs and .462 as a pinch hitter.

Cora really doesn't have the range for short many of the balls up the middle before Jose returned should have been stopped and he's hardly a defensively replacement at 2B, so his .233 BA can't be justified as a middle infielder and as a PH he's only hitting only .250. Cora has been clutch with RISP hitting .333 and .300 with two outs RISP.

I still say Hessman who's showing considerable power and playing 3B everyday would be a better selection then Tatis for the bench. Even if you think Hessman is only a AAAA player I still would prefer Jacobs or Murphy on the bench then an aging, brittle player with a slow bat and long swing. I would also prefer the Buffalo infielder, regardless of his BA who has the best range at both middle infield positions instead of Cora. But I just don't think you can keep two players on the bench hitting .233, generally speaking situational splits are smaller pools and not as representative of true production over the course of an entire seaon. I can see keeping one based on intangibles ( veteran leadership) but not both.

Onto the outfield; the team has Jeff Francoeur starting in RF while hitting .212, Francoeur is a paradox in that his aggressiveness is causing him to struggle but at the same time he's hitting .459 when first pitch hitting ( 33 first pitch contacts- 21 R, 15h, 2 doubles, 3 homeruns and 8 RBIs) and in the situation where most hitters are most patient he's hitting .333 bases loaded. I'd try to move Frenchy in a deal the minute I believed Beltran could return but at this point I think he needs to be in a platoon situation whether that's with Cater or the other outfielder on the team.

Which brings me to my biggest bone of contention, Gary Matthews Jr. You want the positive on Matthews Jr. he's hitting .429 when first pitch swinging and .500 with no outs ( small sample pools on both) every other offensive number no matter what the situation is under 200 and many are below 100. Matthews doesn't play a very good outfield and his speed isn't good enough to be consider an above average pinch runner.

Jason Pridie was my first choice to replace Matthews but he's injured, Feliciano initially I agreed with most that he's nothing more then a AAAA player but I've been convinced over the last week that he can at least provide more then Matthews does. Feliciano can still play center as evident in today's game ( first start in CF this year - 50 games last year - reg. position year before) and he hits leadoff. Currently Feliciano is hitting .388 in 152 at bats and when I asked Jason Mollica the Bisons Public address announcer he believed he could contribute.

So the NY Mets don't have depth on the current 25 man roster, I can't say that with three of the five bench players hitting below league average ( .257) and three positional starters hitting below that average as well ( Castillo, Reyes, Wright, Francoeur). Now I'm not suggesting, aside from Frenchy any of those starters be pulled but it's even hard to give them a night off to clear their head when the replacements are hitting drastically worse.

But what the Mets do have is organizational depth, they have alternatives in Buffalo and no of the above mentioned players have significant contracts ( I'm not talking about cutting Castillo just giving him a late inning defensive replacement) so it must be concern over keeping Buffalo competitive. If you promoted Hessman, Turner, Feliciano, Misch and Acosta while giving them Ollie and Mejia ( figuring Cora, Tatis and Matthews would go FA) they wouldn't remain in first place...

Jesus Feliciano, whose four-hit night Friday pushed his average to an IL-leading .380, is playing center field today for just the second time this season. Justin Turner, just acquired on waivers from Baltimore, is making his first start at short while Ruben Tejada plays second for just the fourth time. Russ Adams makes his second start in right and J.R. House gets start No. 4 at catcher as Josh Thole gets the day off following a night game. Tobi Stoner is on the mound for the Herd today against Toledo's Enrique Gonzalez. source Buffalo News

What a Week to be a Mets Fan!!!!

Being a Met fan so far this season means being encamped on an emotional roller-coaster almost like no other we've ever been on!! After a failed and disappointing road trip, we take 5 of 6 games from the Yankees & Phils, last years' World Series teams. Not only that, but we beat the Phils handily, shutting them down THREE GAMES IN A ROW, withOUT JOHAN pitching!!!! Let's face it- if you were in a coma, woke up just now & read this post, you wouldn't believe it- you'd think you woke up on April Fool's Day!! And yet, here we are, from 6 games out of first place to 2, in under a week; Jerry Manuel has gone from the hot-seat to manager of the week; Big Pelf has gone from a disappointment last year to a #1 starter this season; and Jose Reyes & Jason Bay are finally doing what we expect them to do, which is HIT!!!! It's going to be MOST interesting to see how well we fare versus the Brewers & Padres in away games- I'll be traveling down to San Diego to catch a few of the games down there, and I'll post some first-hand accounts while praying that I'll be viewing the same Mets' team that looks so incredibly good right now...we haven't been able to say this too often these past two years, but it's a GOOD WEEK TO BE A METS FAN!!!!

You think Francoeur will have value

Jeff Francoeur 1
Originally uploaded by Michael G. Baron

This isn't an over reaction to Jeff Francoeur's struggles at the plate in the past month. In fact I'm hoping Frenchy has enough value to be the main piece in a deal for a starting pitcher.

Angel Pagan is convincing me that he deserves a shot as a starter, my main concern with Pagan was that his offensive production was too small a sample pool and his mental mistakes were too costly.

Pagan now has 659 at bats with the Mets in which he has a BA of .292 with a .352 OBP and an .804 OPS. Overall between the Mets and Cubs he's a lifetime .282 in a 1007 plate appearances. Combine that with the fact that he has reduced the mental errors and I would consider him a complete starting player.

Now if Carlos Beltran can make it back by the trade deadline and prove he's health enough to play regularly, it might make sense to move him to RF to save wear and tare on the knee. I know some believe Carlos would resist a move but after a year off, for half a season I'm sure he can be convinced it's in his best interest.

You have Bay in LF, Pagan in CF and Beltran in RF with Carter as a power hitter on the bench and either Pridie, GMJ or Feliciano on the bench.

So do you think Francoeur has enough value to be the center piece of a deal for a starting pitcher who is a salary dump. Is there a team in a ban box who think they can exploit Frenchy's power, while reducing runs allowed with his arm and could use a good clubhouse leader for younger players.

Francoeur is only 26 y/o and still has two more years of control and has shown decent power in a big ball park.

The purpose of this post isn't to suggest a trade proposal but in doing it, the Orioles and Kevin Millwood came to mind. Kevin Millwood is costing the Orioles 12M for the rest of the year and then becomes a free agent. Francoeur could easily replace Corey Patterson giving the O's a very young outfield in Jones, Markakis and Francoeur.

So what do you think ? Would you start Pagan, would you move him to RF or Beltran and does Frenchy have enough value if not for Millwood another similar situation...

Bi-Yearly Baseball Book Review - Part 2

(This is part 2 of what will be either 3 or 4 parts, depending upon a few pressing deadlines.)

I can still remember the first time I visited the Baseball Hall-of-Fame, back in 1974, when my Aunt Ellen, fresh off of a divorce, took her 2 kids, Ilyse & Bryan, back to NY to visit from their new home in Florida. She was kind enough to include me in a family trip to upstate New York, that began at Howe Caverns and ended in the Hall...and came at a time right before Mickey Mantle was to be enshrined, along with long-time teammate & running buddy, Whitey Ford. I was so excited at the thought of being in the gift shop (which has come a LONG way since then) and poring through the yellow postcards featuring photos of the busts of the greats enshrined in those hallowed walls. My aunt asked me how much money I had to spend, and offered to add to it in order to purchase a complete set of the postcards. I told her that I wasn't interested in some of the older players, whose names I wasn't familiar with, opting for some of those whom I was- Sandy Koufax, Roberto Clemente, Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Mel Ott (for my dad), Yogi Berra, Ted Williams, and Jackie Robinson.

I was reminded of this first visit late last week, when I called the Hall to order a few postcards that were still missing from my collection...and one of the postcards that I had no interest in those many years ago is the one major reason for ordering the missing cards, as well as serving as the inspiration for part 2 of this column- I'm speaking of Charley "Old Hoss" Radbourn and the amazing biography recently released, "Fifty-Nine in 84: Old Hoss Radbourn, Barehanded Baseball & The Greatest Season a Pitcher Ever Had" by Edward Achorn.

I was fortunate enough to get into baseball at a time when the last of the tough, old-school pitchers were still plying their trade, in the late 60's - mid-70's, including the likes of Tom Seaver, Bob Gibson, Juan Marichal, Jim Palmer, Steve Carlton & Catfish Hunter, amongst others. Whenever the conversation veers towards the differences in baseball when I first started watching until now, inevitably 3 major differences come up: the advent of the Designated Hitter, free agency, and the proliferation of relief pitching. The workhorse starter, he of the 4-man rotation, complete games & 250+ innings has been replaced by the 6-inning, 4 run, 200 inning 5-man rotation of multi-millionaires on strict pitch-counts and intense physical regimens. I have long pined for the days of the great pitching duels, Seaver-Carlton, Marichal-Gibson, etc, that so rarely happen today, and in studying great pitching, I'm still amazed by the fact that my studies never led me to "Old Hoss" much as my poring over the postcards all those years ago failed to do so in much the same way.

If I can complain about "modern" starting pitchers only lasting 6 innings, surrendering 4 runs and looking at 200 innings as an important benchmark, then certainly fans of Radbourn could scoff at my longing for pitchers who started 40 games per year and averaged 250 innings while giving up 3 runs or less. Radbourn, it seems, had the greatest single season any pitcher has ever had, following up one in which he won 48 games with one wherein he won FIFTY-NINE GAMES - NO TYPO!!!! Not only did he WIN 59 games, but he started 73 games, threw 678.2 innings (again, no typo), threw 22 consecutive starts (winning 19), had a 1.38 ERA (in a deadball era) and, most impressive of all, of his 73 games started, he actually COMPLETED ALL OF THEM!!!! So the next time you are impressed that CC Sabathia lasted into the 8th inning and had a pitch-count of 125, imagine what he'd feel like if he lasted all 9 innings- and then did it again and again for the next 3 weeks!!!

What makes Radbourn's achievements so mysterious, of course, is that his tenure in the majors (Providence Grays) came at a time when papers barely covered sports to the extent they do now, playing from 1881 - 1891, not too far removed from the Civil War & prior to the huge growth the sport would see a mere 25 years later. I'm afraid Radbourn's legendary achievements would have remained shrouded in mystery if not for author Achorn's amazing recreation of Radbourn's legendary season of 1884. Through pain-staking research, Achorn paints a picture of 1880's New England as rich as that of Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York" did for turn-of-the-century New York. It was a rough and tumble day, and Radbourn was amongst the toughest at a time when $2,000 a year in salary was an amazing accomplishment. He literally pitched his arm off, as about half-way through the '84 season, his manager had to help him with such mundane tasks as putting his shirts on, Radbourn being in so much pain that even the simplest of tasks became Herculean in nature. It didn't stop him from finishing this amazing season, but it did result in his early retirement, in 1891. He won 167 games in his first four seasons, and won 20 games or more 9 times, but after '84, "Old Hoss" only won another 144 more in his final 7 seasons, the physical toll of throwing the ball taking too much out of his wearying form. Not that Radbourn would ever complain.

During his legendary '84 season, Radbourn was approached by a man in a hotel lobby:

"Gee, Old Hoss, ain't you ever going to tire out?" he asked. "Tire out?" Radbourn snapped at him. "Tire out tossing a little five-ounce ball for two hours a day? Man, I used to be a butcher. From 4 in the morning until 8 at night I knocked down steers with a 25 pound sledge. Tired of playing 2 hours a day for 10 times the money I got for 16 hours a day?" That was not a complaint; just an acknowledgment that life was hard and that men were supposed to shut up and bear it.

And that, in a nutshell, was what made "Old Hoss" such a great pitcher, and such a fascinating character study. But "Fifty-Nine in '84" is far more than a baseball story; it's also a love story, as Radbourn was infatuated with a madam at a local brothel, one Carrie Stanhope, of whom it said she had layed down with most of the National League. Infatuation led to love, and they remained together until Radbourn's death at the young age of 43. Achorn deftly brings to life both of these tragic characters, as well as the time in which they lived, in a way that reads like a novel while dispensing key historical notes. This rich story truly needs to become a movie, and author Achorn is currently in discussions about this very subject. However, all of the "heavy-lifting" has already been completed by Achorn, who painstakingly researched his subjects via sources such as newspapers in Providence, New York and Boston, in addition to extensive research into the genealogies of both Stanhope and Radbourn. Achorn also spent considerable time at the Rhode Island Historical Society, in order to bring proper historical context to his story, hence the comparison to Scorsese's "Gangs."

Even after such painstaking research as Achorn engaged in, there are many questions that will never have answers, such as the actual spelling of Radbourn's last name. As you can see from the Hall-of-Fame plaque pictured above, the Hall spells it with an "e" at the end; fittingly, Achorn addresses this issue with his usual literary aplomb:

The plaque - just like the one at the Hall of fame, just like his gravestone - spells his last name with an "e". The distant and taciturn star had not bothered to make clear to the sportswriters of his generation how to spell his name, and history transmitted both versions. In a sense, it was fitting that his name had remained an enigma, since so much else about the man did.

He continues:

The brooding, intense son of a small-town butcher had always preferred to let his pitching - that supreme expression of his grit, talent and brains- do the talking for him.

Radbourn, over one-hundred years since his death, is fortunate that Achorn, in this case, is, finally, the one doing the talking for him, since it's hard to imagine that anyone could have done his memory, and this great story, any more justice then this fine work has done.

This wasn't a story that lent itself easily to the printed page, as Achorn had to search high and low for every scrap of information, assembling the puzzle that was a story so important to the history of baseball, yet one that somehow lay dormant all this time. It is a true testament to his work that the story of Radbourn's accomplishments can now rest comfortably next to those of Ruth, Cobb or Aaron, and I, for one, am extremely grateful that Achorn took on this daunting task, resulting not only in an excellent educational experience, but one that also resulted in my reading one of the best written biographies, period, of the hundreds I've had the good fortune to read. Amongst baseball books, it's at the top of the pile, next to classics by Leigh Montville and David Halberstam, but Achorn had the dubious task of profiling characters that weren't as often written about or as easily accessible to as those of Ruth, Cobb, etc...and that's why, to this baseball fan, "Fifty-Nine in '84" will remain one of the most pleasant surprises of recent memory, and why I am in the midst of reading it for a second time.

Moral of the story- don't overlook the past, because the stories that lay veiled in our yesterday's make for the best subjects of all!!! As soon as I receive my Radbourn postcard, it'll be prominently displayed in my home office, alongside Ruth, Cobb, Wagner, etc, where "Old Hoss" truly belongs...and "Fifty-Nine in '84" will happily take it's place in my permanent library, to be read again over the years, whose story has left a long-lasting impression on this baseball fan, and, I'm sure, thousands more to come. No baseball book has ever deserved this rating as much as this one does, so, of course, it receives:


(Due to the length of this review, additional reviews can be found in tomorrow's post.)

Mets win again in shutout fashion

Last night the Mets shutout the Phillies for the second straight game to win 5-0. That makes four very impressive games in a row. Last night marked the first time since 1998 that the Mets shutout the Phillies in 2 games.

Jose Reyes is looking more and more like his old self and had another 2 hits and hit his first homerun of the second on a scortching line drive. He now has 4 consecutive multihit games. Reyes is 9-19 with 5 runs scored 3 rbis, 2 SB, a homerun and a triple in his last 4 games. The Mets are 16-4 this season when Reyes scores a run. Since 2005, the Mets are 263-108 (.709) when he scores a run and 387-323 (.545) when he does not score a run…The Mets are 99-26 (.792) when Reyes scores multiple runs in a game.

The real story of the game though was Hisanori Takahashi. He just completely dominated the struggling Phillie lineup by striking out 6 and walking none. He however threw his fastball more giving a different look that we were used to. Elias said this was the first time a Met pitcher had ever thrown 6 shutout innings twice in his first two major league starts. He was just fantastic and if he keeps this up he might be in the rotation for a long time.

Nieve Probable For Saturday

According to Jerry Manuel it will probably be Fernando Nieve who gets the spot start on Saturday against the Brewers. Which seems a little surprising considering that Valdez is more stretched out as he has throw 8 innings over his last two outings and would be throwing on 3 days rest.

Instead Manuel is going with his favorite guy who hasn't thrown more than 2.1 innings in a game yet this year and is now tied with Perpetual Pedro for appearances. Manuel has been over working in the bullpen, so having him make a spot start is definitely not a good idea.

I understand that the Mets don't want to make a roster move for one start, because that is all they believe that Niese will miss. That being said they should go with Valdes or call-up Tobi Stoner who has been starting in AAA and has done some relieving with the Mets. The only move the Mets would have to make is to send Dessens down and call Stoner up because he is already on the 40.

After Stoner makes the start, he can stay up and be the mop up guy replacing Dessens who lost a big game in his only appearance thus far.

One Word to Describe Last Night: Superb

Last nights game was one of the most crisp sound baseball games the Mets have played all year. And the results showed.
R.A. Dickey struggled early but put in an excellent performance against the reigning NL Champs the Phillies. Dickey(1-0) went 6 innings striking out 7 which matched his career high.

The Mets offense scored in 5 out of the 9 innings. Reyes continued his hotstreak by going 3-5 with 3 runs scored a triple and set up a "Reyes run" in the first. He now has multiple hits in 4 out of his 5 last games. Frenchy also went 2-3 with 2 RBI's.

The Phillies looked lost at the plate against both Dickey and Valdes who pitched 3 scoreless innings in relief and got the save by striking out 4. Game ball goes to Dickey and Reyes for their performances in the game.

Mets Claim INF Justin Turner

The Mets claimed Infielder Justin Turner today from the Baltimore Orioles according to MLB Trade Rumors. Heading into the 2009 season Turner was ranked the 27th best prospect in the Orioles system. In the big leagues he has only 27 at bats and played 2B, SS, and 3B. He was traded to the Orioles from the Reds in return for Ramon Hernandez.

He is only 25 years old and has a lifetime AAA line of .291, .354, .381, while playing mostly second, with time at SS and 3B. Looks like a good youthful depth pickup for the Mets, as they are short in Minor League depth with ML ready players with experience at middle infield.

I think we will probably see the Mets put Luis Castillo on the DL today while calling up either Andy Green, Russ Adams, or Ruben Tejada. So Turner will go to AAA presumably to take the spot of whoever is called up.

Feliciano deserves a chance...

I have no ill-conceived notion that Jesus Feliciano is this hidden gem, that has somehow been repeatedly over looked for major league assignment. Nor do I believe that he is the answer to any of our positional problems, in fact I fully admit that Feliciano is probably no more then a AAAA player.

All I'm saying is that the 31 y/o left handed outfielder who can play all three OF positions has earned himself a cup of coffee. Feliciano has been an outfielder at the AAA level in the Mets organization for four seasons and his BA has never dipped below .300 ( .315/.308/.311/.383).

Last season he was the Bison's MVP, he followed that up as a winter league all-star and post season all-star. So far this season he is off to his best start which has earned him player of the week honors.

Haven't we seen enough of Gary Matthews Jr hitting .183 to give a guy a chance who has never been given a shot, maybe his hunger and desire to finally make the bigs will give him a nice hot streak or he could just warm the spot until Jason Pridie is healthy again...

The IL's best hitter in 2010, Feliciano had five multi-hit games during the past week, including three-hit efforts on Monday against Norfolk and in yesterday's 6-5 win in Lehigh Valley. During the past week, he lead the IL in average (.483), hits (14), runs scored (8) and on-base percentage (.543). Feliciano also added four doubles, a triple, five walks and a stolen base to help the Bisons win five consecutive games.

On the season, Feliciano has averaged .383 (51-133) in 41 games for the Bisons. His batting average is 34 points higher than Durham's Hank Blalock, who is now playing in the major leagues with Tampa Bay. source MiLB

Olney sees Sonnanstine as a good fit

I believe the Mets need starting pitching, I don't think we will ever see an effective Oliver Perez or John Maine back in the rotation. They might make a start or two because the Mets are desperate and hope they can bounce back but I seriously doubt they will be effective.

I can't see how guys like Takahashi, Valdes, Dickey and Misch can keep us competitve for an entire season but I also don't see us dumping a boat load of prospects for a big name pitcher.

Sonnanstine is the type of mid-level guy I see Omar going after, someone who might pleasantly surprise us while not costing the entire farm. That doesn't mean I believe Sonnastine is the answer to all our rotational problems, the fact is I know very little about him.

I know he's a 27 y/o right hander with parts of four seasons in the majors with the Rays. His only full season was 2008 when he made 32 starts in which he went 13-9 with a 4.38 ERA. That same year in the post season he went 2-1 in three starts with a 4.24 ERA.

However, since then he has struggled and the Rays have been rumored to be looking to move him for two seasons now. Last season he only made 18 starts going 6-9 with a 6.77 ERA and this year he pitching strictly out of the pen in 13 games his ERA is 4.24.

When a scouting rich team like the Rays is willing to give up on a guy I'm very leary but Brian Stokes had a nice rebound coming over to the NL from the Rays.

Some executives believe that the Rays will make Andy Sonnanstine available at some point this summer. Olney suggests the Mets as a potential fit, noting that there were brief talks between the two teams about a trade this offseason. source MLBTR

No way you can move Barajas

Earlier this weekend it was reported that the Rangers are interested in reacquiring Rod Barajas. This winter Barjas' only suitors were the Mets and Rangers but the Rangers wouldn't give a major league contract and he felt New York gave him the best chance of starting.

Barajas spent three seasons in Texas (2004-2006) where he mainly started for the often injured Gerald Liard.

Through his first 35 games of this season Rod has been the most productive member of the offense; batting .260 with 10 homeruns and 24 RBIs. More importantly he's hitting .333 with RISP, .500 with a man on second and .667 with runners on 1st - 3rd.

I've heard many say that the Mets aren't a playoff team and Rod will come back down to earth, so they should sell high.

There is no way I would trade Barajas this year and in fact I would try to keep him next year. It's not that I believe he will keep up this offensive pace but even if he returns to his carreer numbers, I still believe he has some very important attributes, even if this isn't a playoff team.

First of all; offensively, for a team that plays so tight in the clutch, a guy who admittedly thrives in those pressurized situation, he can at least serve as an example, if not a mentor to these guys until they break through this issue.

Secondly, Barajas has come and done exactly what was asked of him and that was to help develop the pitching staff. Yes, I do believe he has had an impact of the staff and if he was not the catcher they would be in much worse shape. Were watching the maturation of Pelfrey, a resurgence of Johan with much less velocity and a group of bullpen arms with very little experience be somewhat effective ( Igarashi, Mejia, Takahashi, Valdes, Nieve).

Finally the Mets don't have another catcher to develop these pitchers, Blanco is a back-up and Thole still needs more seasoning. Santos was demoted to AA and then landed on the DL.

Rod Barajas is prominent among possible catchers whom the Rangers are scouting as spring moves into summer, and the July 31 Trade Deadline gets closer. source mlb.com

Iggy up Acosta down...

Ryota Igarashi returned to the active roster and will probably see time in the 8th inning of tonight's game, since it took four relievers along with a nice cushion to make it through last night's 8th.

In a slightly surprise move the Mets sent down Manny Acosta, not that Acosta had made himself an intricate part of the bullpen but more that most of us expected Jennry Mejia to be the one. Acosta appears to be one of those guys with a power arm who has never learned to pitch.

Mejia has struggled in the pen, at times looking dominant while others looking like a hittable, confused youngster. But even if you disagree with my assessment of his pitching in the pen most wanted him down so that he could begin his career as a starter.

Apparently coming into the game in the 7th against the Yankees with the heart of the order up and making it through the inning unscathed was some kind of litmus test that he passed, meaning he'll be staying in the pen in the majors.

to accomodate the expected activation of reliever Ryota Igarahsi tomorrow morning, the Mets have optioned Manny Acosta to triple A Buffalo. source Daily
News

ANOTHER 3-Way Trade??? Humor Me, Please...

For the past few days, we've all heard the inevitable Roy Oswalt rumors now that he's all but asked for a trade from Houston. Although I'd prefer to sink any $$ into younger pitching, quite frankly, it's not like the market is laden with talented starters ripe for the picking. Therefore, in this case, with only Oswalt and possibly Cliff Lee on the market in the "top starter" category, Oswalt becomes the safer target, if ONLY because he's signed for 3 years (including this season) while Lee is a free agent at the end of this season. Now, of course, the term "safe" is a nebulous word, as Oswalt hasn't exactly been free of injuries in recent years, and could end up costing a team approximately $44 million for 2.5 seasons of pitching ($10 mil for remainder of '10, $16 mil for 2011, and either a $2 mil buy-out or $18 mil for 2012). However, if the Mets were willing to take on Oswalt's salary in its entirety, I have to believe they wouldn't have to provide as many high level prospects in return back to the Astros, and certainly not as many as it would cost to pry away Lee for what would be a very expensive, half-season rental. Therefore, I propose the following:

Trade Luis Castillo to the Rockies, and eat all of his salary, in exchange for a decent level prospect (it worked for the Indians when they traded Casey Blake to the Dodgers); package this prospect, along with Dillon Gee, Bobby Parnell & a lower level hitter for Oswalt and have the Astros pick up $2 million of Oswalt's contract for 2011 & 2012. The Astros receive a ton of payroll flexibility, a young starter to take Oswalt's place, a future reliever or starter who can still hit 98 on the gun, and 2 additional prospects at a time when young pitching is incredibly hard to pry away from ANY team. For the Mets, it offers a fantastic rotation of Santana-Pelfrey-Oswalt-Niese-Takahashi, and allows the team to send Mejia down to AAA for this season and half of 2011, stretching out his arm as a starter, to eventually replace either Oswalt (if option isn't picked up) or Takahashi (if they decide to return him to the bullpen). It's not an unreasonable deal for any team, and it actually gives each one just what they want, which is the best of all trades- a win-win. What are your thoughts???

Daniel Murphy on the Comeback Trail

Daniel Murphy recently began his rehab assignment in St. Lucie and today he had a monster day in the Mets 10-4 loss. He went 5-5, with a 2B and five RBI's while playing the whole game at first base. He is now 8-11 with six RBI's , two BB's and no strikeouts while only playing first.

He is now expected to move up to AAA Buffalo where is is scheduled to play first, second, and some OF to prove his versatility. Murphy isn't good defensively at second or LF but I think right now the Mets are more worried about offense at the Major League level more than anything else. If the Mets are able to get rid of Castillo, like they are rumored too, I think the Mets would use Cora and Murphy as a platoon at second.

Bi-Yearly Baseball Book Review - Part 1

Happy Sunday, folks!!! Well, it's an interesting time to be a Mets fan (when isn't it??) , especially this season, because it's impossible to know how well (or how badly) our team will do at season's end because, once again, our entire organization is in flux. That's why, every year around this time, I like to stop and review all of the wonderful baseball books that have come out, either during the off-season or during the beginning of the season, and offer some quick opinions in hopes of steering you towards some great reading (especially IF the season continues to go as it is right now!!) Previously, and for 4 years prior, I wrote these columns for my old blog, Shea Nation. Now, thanks to site host Ed Ryan, who has allowed me to post sporadically on Mets Fever while dealing with that intrusive thing we call "life", I present part one of our bi-yearly book review.

A few notes before getting to the actual reviews. First, I try to review baseball books that are either biographical in nature, or feature great writing from a renowned baseball author via either short stories or interviews. I generally don't review things such as Bill James Handbook, etc., because it's a "given" that they'll be great and they are more statistical in nature. Don't get me wrong- I LOVE stats, and LOVE learning from them, but for me, the thing that makes baseball so great is the stories of past & current players, stories that were relevant when my grandfather or father experienced them, and have been passed down to me, or those that have played out during my life and can be passed down one day to my grand-kids, nieces & nephews. With that in mind, for part one we'll discuss two books that have particular relevance to Mets' fans. Part two will focus on some more legendary players/teams, and part three will feature short reviews of a number of books that have been released within the past 6-8 months that deserve more column space then I can devote to them here, but are "must-reads" on any baseball lover's list.

What do Don Drysdale, Sandy Koufax, White Ford, Bob Gibson, Jim Palmer, Catfish Hunter, Robin Roberts, Fergie Jenkins, Jim Kaat & Bert Blyleven have in common?? Well, besides the former 8 being in the Hall of Fame (and the latter two still having a chance to make it, particularly Blyleven), each of these renowned 10 pitchers failed to join an elite class whose number is now stuck at 24 - the 300 Win Club! Noted baseball author, Dan Schlossberg, tackles this elite club in his excellent new release, "The 300 Club". (To purchase a copy, please click here).

Interestingly enough, with the addition of Andrew Dawson to the HOF this year, the Expos will feature 2 former players in the hallowed halls, while the Mets, around 7 years longer, remain at one and holding (although Expo Gary Carter WANTED to go in as a Met). However, when it comes to links to the 300 Club, the Mets have direct links to 4 of the 24 (Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Tom Glavine & Warren Spahn), and an indirect link to one (Roger Clemens).

Schlossberg took on the daunting task of writing mini-biographies of 24 of the greatest players of all time, made that much harder by the fact that 14 of these men are deceased, and a few of the living members are notably hard to interview. Amazingly, Schlossberg was able to interview all 10 living members of this elite club, including the previously-mentioned Seaver, Ryan, Glavine & Clemens, as well as Greg Maddux, Steve Carlton, Don Sutton, Phil Niekro, Gaylord Perry & Randy Johnson, all of whom were at one time or another major thorns in the side of Mets fans throughout the past 45 years. It's difficult to pare down the life of these 24 fascinating players, into a mere 12 - 14 pages, but Schlossberg manages to do each player justice while whetting the appetite for more (and there IS, indeed, more to be found on many of these players, especially one Charlie "Old Hoss" Radbourn, which we'll see in part two of this column.)

What makes this undertaking even more important, and more poignant, is that, with the advent of pitch-counts, specialty relievers, expansion, five-man rotations and umpires' reluctance to call strikes on the outer-reaches of the strike zone, entrance to this elite group is becoming far harder to accomplish with each passing year. Think about some of the greatest starters from recent memory, including Pedro Martinez, Andy Pettitte, Roy Halladay, Johan Santana, Mike Mussina, Dave Steward, Jack Morris, David Cone & Orel Hershiser - a few (Mussina, Morris) got close, but otherwise there's nearly no chance for any active pitcher to join this club any time soon. Basically, to get there, you'd have to average 35 starts for over 18 years, and win an average of 16.75 games per year for those 18 seasons. Therefore, the accomplishments of these 24 pitchers are so special that it's amazing to think that no one has published a book about this elite group before Schlossberg.

I'm happy that it was this excellent author who took on this responsibility, and "The 300 Club" is so well written that it goes down like hand-churned ice cream - smoothly and quickly, after it's gone, it remains memorable, leaves you thinking about it and, like good comedy, leaves you wanting more.

And lest I forget- about those links - obviously, Seaver played the majority of his career with the Mets, Ryan began with them before being traded to the Angels in 1972, Glavine pitched for them for 5 years, and Spahn spent half of his final big leagues season (1965) as a Met starter AND their pitching coach- before being released on waivers and ending with the Giants. Oh- and Clemens? He was the Mets' 12th round draft pick in 1981, but opted to go to college in Texas and so the world was deprived of a rotation featuring both Clemens & Doc Gooden.

I hope to interview Schlossberg within the next few weeks, to discuss his thoughts on Seaver, Ryan & the rest of these 24 amazing players. In the meantime, I rate this book 5 home plates (out of 5) = MUST READ!!!


Our second book is one that has received quite a bit of publicity lately, particularly in regards to the subjects recent appearance on an episode of Bob Costas' "Studio 42" - of course, I'm speaking of the "Say Hey Kid" - Willie Mays - and the aptly named "Willie Mays - The Life, The Legend" by James S. Hirsch (to purchase a copy, please click here).

I have to confess, before reading the book, that I have certain prejudices towards one William Howard Mays. First, he was my late father's favorite ballplayer, and as such I've pretty much read every book about him or the NY Giants that has been written to date; second, I met Mr. Mays at an autograph show in the late 80's, and sadly, I am one of the many who have had a less-than-satisfying experience with the living legend (but that's a story for another day). With these thoughts in mind, I tried to remain open to Hirsch's take on Mays' life, especially since he received the full cooperation of both Mays as well as those people who are or were most important in the superstar's life.

Hirsch paints an interesting and compelling portrait of Mays, and while not excusing (or expounding upon) Willie's less-than-friendly attitude to the majority of his fans, what Hirsch does is explain that Mays has been burned often and deeply in life, via past loves, family, and friends, and allows the reader to fill in the blanks, if you will, as to why this attitude has formed. Mays, according to Hirsch, has very few loves in life, outside of the game of baseball, his small group of close friends, and the sight of children playing. It's easy to forget that millions of people have an attachment to Mays, and after so many years of representing so much to so many it's completely understandable to be either numb or immune to stories and hero worship of the masses. While not excusing this behavior, I have to admit that Hirsch had me trying to walk in Mays' shoes, and they certainly were not easy ones to fill. Nearly 60 years after Mays broke in (and was the on-deck batter during "the shot heard around the world") it's easy to forget that baseball had only been integrated for 4 years prior, and sadly Mays felt the deeply painful hate of prejudice during his minor league, Negro League and early major league career. It's also easy to forget that, upon arriving in San Francisco in 1958, Willie was looked at by the NoCal fans as a "New Yorker" - NOT as a San Franciscan - and they instead embraced "homegrown" talent such as Orlando Cepeda and Willie McCovey. It took a number of years for Mays to feel at home in San Fran, just s it took the fans a similar time to truly accept him as one of their own. This is where Hirsch's tome excelled, in telling the lesser known stories of Mays' integration into San Francisco life, his failed (and successful) romantic relationships, and how those around him (Leo Durocher, Herman Franks, etc) left such a profound and lasting impression upon the phenom.

As a Mets' fan, I can still remember the glee that my father, brother and I felt when Mays' was dealt back to New York in 1972, and how that glee turned to dismay at the sight of the now old man (in baseball terms) he had become during the 1973 season and, in particular, the World Series. Hirsch at last discusses why this deal actually happened, as Giants' owner Horace Stoneham was desperate for money to keep his creditor's at bay, as well as how former Giants minority owner and original owner of the Mets, Miss Joan Payson, tried a number of times to purchase Mays from Stoneham over the years. I can only imagine what it would have been like to have Mays in a Met uniform in 1969...

At slightly under 600 pages, Hirsch leaves practically no stone unturned in Mays' life, except for the afore-mentioned controversial behavior of Mays toward his fans. Objectively, you have to realize that in order to have the complete access to Mays and those in his inner circle, Hirsch had to step lightly around this topic, which admittedly disappointed many readers, myself included. It's only now, some 3 months after reading this book, that I've come to truly appreciate how tough a job it was to please both Mays and his fan-base, without pissing off either. A tip of the hat to Hirsch is necessary, and if you were going to choose a single biography of Mays' I would certainly recommend that this book would represent your best choice.

One last thing- although there weren't a lot of photos for a book this size, the ones that were chosen were often those that haven't been seen ad nauseum, I'm happy to say, and were a reminder as to how sculpted the young Mays' physique was, before weight-training, steroids and current exercise regimes were "de rigeour." He was a sight to see at the plate, and in the field, and best of all, in reading this book, I was able to forget, for a time, the bad taste left in my mouth by meeting Mays, and instead finished with a far more palatable one, to which I'm most grateful to the author. This book also rates:

Its Lima Time No More

According to Enrique Rojas of ESPNdeportes, Jose Lima died this morning in his house in Los Angeles of a massive heart attack. Now I was not a Lima guy during 2006 but he was always an energetic pitcher and was a good pitcher from the late 90's to the early 2000's. He will always be known for his line "ITS LIMA TIME".

According to his wife he was having trouble sleeping and she thought that it was just a nightmare by the time she called 911 there was nothing they could do. "Jose was complaining while sleeping and i just thought he was having a nightmare," Dorca his wife told ESPN "I called the paramedics but they couldn't help.

Jose was 89-102 in 13 seasons with the Tigers, Astros, Royals, Dodgers and the Mets. He was an All-Star in '99 with Houston when he won a career high 21 games. Came back with the Mets in 2006 and went 0-4.

He was planning to play winter ball in the Dominican Republic again this year like this past winter.

RIP Jose Lima dying at the age of 37.

Omar scouting Bryce Brentz

According to Ken Davidoff of Newsday Omar Minaya was in Kentucky to scout OF Bryce Brentz. The Mets have the 7th pick in next months draft and Brentz is projected to be a middle first round pick. The corner outfielder is known as a toolsy player but has had some injury history and does strike out alot ( from what I've read). Some argue that the Mets should use the pick for pitching but Davidoff counters that they need to take the best player available at the spot. I don't know much about these players and I always turn to Mack's Mets for info on them here was the most recent post.

#Mets GM Omar Minaya is in Kentucky tonight, scouting Middle Tennessee State OF Bryce Brentz. source Ken Davidoff

My MASH ideas for the pitching staff...

With Maine, Niese and Ollie out of the rotation and the pen beginning to struggle I believe it's time to revamp the pitching staff.

First let me start by saying I find nothing more selfish then Oliver Perez refusal to accept a minor league assignment. Even Brett Myers who has extremely questionable behavior accepted an assignment when he struggled. I would designate him for assignment, if he gets claimed or Boras takes him to free agency, I would deal with it.

Not only do I expect Maine to join Niese on the DL but he has become as unreliable as Ollie.

My rotation at this point would be Santana, Pelfrey, Takahashi, Dickey and Misch ( would be latest call-up). I feel Valdes needs to be kept in the pen as a left handed longman.

The pen would consist of K-Rod, Iggy(activate), Feliciano, Nieve, Acosta and Valdes. I would demote Mejia to stretch him out and so he can get more seasoning. I would then promote Elmer Dessens who is 5-0 with 5 saves and an ERA of 2.25 in 17 games. Last year Dessens had a 3.31 ERA in 28 major league appearances at the end of the season.

Now I'm not a fan of Takahashi, Dickey and Misch all in the rotation and even when Niese is back I don't believe Maine or Ollie will finish the year in the rotation. Also Acosta is really only holding down a spot, I would try to sign Maya immediately if he looks good tomorrow.

But if someone outbids us or he looks out of shape, I would turn to free agent Brandon Looper. I know I've heard it all already, he sucked as a Met and he still stinks etc...

In 2005 Looper pitched the entire season hurt while being killed by NY fans and still posted a 3.94 ERA in 24 saves. What is forgotten is that Looper pitched 2004 in NY with a 2.70 ERA in 83 innings and 28 saves. Can we find another guy better who stinks so bad he has 72 wins ( .524 WPCT) and 103 saves with a 4.15 lifetime ERA.

In comparison to Looper, the guy I get killed for mentioning, Perez has 58 career wins with 4.58 lifetime ERA and John Maine 41 wins with a 4.35 ERA and neither pitcher has a single save.

Mets need to step up efforts to sign Maya with rotation woes...

Many have even forgotten his name, Yunesky Maya's name was mentioned often over the winter but as spring turned into the season his name hasn't even been whispered in months, until yesterday.

The Cuban defector was considered more polished then his fellow countryman A. Chapman and while Chapman was considered to have a higher ceiling, Maya was seen as a major league ready starter.

Initially the White Sox and Mets were considered to be the front runners for his services and then the Red Sox were making a big push but the Sox wanted to use him as a reliever. Maya's agent has been quoted ( prior to the season, not sure if it still stands this late into the season) as saying his client will sign with a team where he can go straight into the rotation.

MLBTR is reporting that Maya has been unblocked and will throw a session for teams tomorrow, the Yankees and Phillies will be in attendance.

Maya has been using the Mets DR facility since August 2009 and with Maine, Ollie and Niese out they really need to step-up their efforts to sign him. Yes the picture is of Maya in a Mets uniform pitching for scouts in August.

For more on Maya from the off-season see this post .

Castillo back on the block...

Has Louis Castillo ever come off the block, it seems like Castillo has been trade bait since he signed the four year deal. But unlike other teams who are willing to cut their losses when a player just doesn't fit in their plans, the Mets have stubbornly refused to eat even the smallest deal, let alone 6M a year.

Look as far as I'm concern Louis Castillo is no where near the biggest problem the Mets have but if he's as big an issue as the Mets seem to think he is, because their constantly looking to move him then they need to cut their losses.

According to Ken Rosenthal the Mets are calling teams about Castillo and it appears the Rockies are one of those teams. The Mets were reportedly interested in Melvin Mora as a utility player but he ended up signing with the Rockies, they are now unsatisfied with Mora and may have interest in Castillo.

Castillo would have to get healthy before anything could get done, according to the Daily News he is limping and needed to rest.

The interesting thing about the Rockies rumors is that the Mets sent Kaz there when they finally had enough, sending his entire contract and only getting Eli Morreo back.

Rosenthal believes the Mets may look to put Murphy at 2B if they trade Louie, but Murphy was awful at 2B in the Arizona fall league. They could have Russ Adams or Andy Green split time with Alex Cora for the rest of the season...

The Mets are again expressing a willingness to trade Castillo, according to major-league sources. Among the teams they’ve contacted: the Rockies, who are not satisfied with utility man Melvin Mora as their backup second baseman. source Fox Sports

Iggy could be back soon...

Adam Rubin of ESPN NY reports that Jerry Manuel said Ryota Igarashi could be activated as soon as Friday. Iggy is suppose to appear in a rehab game tonight with Buffalo and the plan was for him to pitch in back to back games before he returned but it now appears a good outing will get him back for the Yankees. Rushing Iggy their slated set-up man is an indication about just how concerned they are about the pen...

Jerry says Igarashi may be activated as soon as Friday, after pitching for Buffalo tonight. Original intent had been back-to-back with Herd. source Adam Rubin Twitter

GMJ breaths a sigh of relief - Pridie on the DL...

Gary Mathews Jr. shouldn't be on this team, he has provided nothing at the plate and while it's true he can play all three outfield positions, his range is nothing special. I try not to read into players body language because really we have no idea what their thinking, but when I see GMJ I can't help but feel he's a guy who could care less, that's just going through the motions ( of course I could be completely off base).

The guy who should be up instead of GMJ is Jason Pridie, he's exactly what you want from your fourth outfielder; a significant upgrade defensive replacement at all three outfield positions, a speedster pinch runner and a bat with a little pop. As I said before Pridie was slated to be the Twins fourth outfielder until they needed his spot for Orlando Hudson and once he got claimed they had to sign Jacques Jones.

In AAA this season Pridie has been leading off and playing center field, he's hitting .282 with 9 stolen bases and six doubles. If it's any indication of his quality Pridie replaced Jesus Feliciano who was last seasons team MVP while playing center and leading off. Feliciano has moved left field and is hitting .375 mostly in the two hole.

The Daily News reported that during Jeff Wilpon's closed door "Baseball" meeting Matthews position was discussed. And while it doesn't sound like they were ready to cut him, it does sound like Matthews should be sweating Pridie. However, last night Pridie was injured and has been placed on the DL, the Mets really don't have another back-up center fielder ( unless they finally give Feliciano a chance) so it looks like Matthews is safe for now...

The Bisons placed outfielder Jason Pridie (right hamstring strain) and infielder Alex Cintron (left wrist sprain) on the disabled list. source Buffalo News

I hate this trade David Wright talk

I will tell you what really "grinds my gears" from Family Guy. I absolutley hate how everyone is talking about how bad of a player David Wright is. I mean despite the strikeouts which i will admit that is a big problem he is still on pace to hit 30+ homeruns and drive in over 100 RBIs.
It is so annoying how everyone is treating David Wright like the worst player in baseball. Its been a tough season for


David no question but this entire offense has been struggling. David Wright is one of the best players this franchise has ever produced and if he was ever traded i guarantee even more seats will be empty.


I still believe in David as much as anyone and he is my favorite player. But please can we stop this trade him nonsense. He is One of the BEST third-base man in the League so everyone keep your mouths shut. Also on a side note not to bash Mike Hessman for his ridiculous minor league stats but thats just it hes a minor leaguer he never translated that success to the majors.

Call up Hessman to give DW a few days off...

David Wright single handily won tonight's game for the Braves, in the top of the 9th with one out and Louis Castillo on third, instead of getting a simple fly ball out, Wright once again struck out. So instead of having our closer on the mound with a one run lead, we have Feliciano trying to go two innings and then turning it over to rookie Hennry Mejia. With two on and no outs Wright threw the ball away allowing the winning run to score on his errant throw.

I'm not being an alarmist, by screaming that Wright's career is over and that he's washed up but I am concerned and consider this more then a simple slump. Wright has been significantly regressing for over a year, there have been two milestones that have gravely effected his offensive career. The opening of Citi Field and the beaming by Matt Cain. His change of swing in an attempt to deal with Citi was the beginning of his struggles and after the Cain beaming pitchers know if they throw inside he flinches and then they have the outside corner.

Last season David Wright's overall BA with RISP was .309 but in the most critical situations he struggled mightily; runners on 2-3 BA .200, bases loaded BA .200 and a man on third with two outs .209. So far this season he's hitting .256 with RISP and even has good numbers with men on third (.333), but with bases loaded (.200) or two outs (.176) he continues to struggle.

Many feel that Wright needs a day or two off and that he's pressing, I feel his issues are much bigger then simple rest but a day or two off wouldn't hurt. So for a team struggling to hit and score runs they are forced to play Fernando Tatis who is hitting .216.

Meanwhile, in Buffalo the Bison's 3B Mike Hessman is absolutely destroying the ball. Hessman tonight had a double and a home run. He's hitting .317 with 12 HRs, 14 doubles and 42 RBIs in only 37 games. According to Jason Mollica the Bisons public address announcer, Hessman plays a solid 3B to go along with his hot bat.

Mike Hessman collected his baseball-best 42nd RBI with a double to left to cap the three-run fifth. In the seventh, Pridie went back to work and crushed his third home run of the year to right field. source MiLB

Prospect Matz Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

Matz, the Mets' top pick in last year's draft, underwent Tommy John surgery this afternoon at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.

Matz, 18, felt pain in his left elbow during an extended spring game last week in Port St. Lucie and was sent back to New Yorkfor more tests and an MRI, which revealed an 80 percent tear in the ligament. "I know so many guys that have gone through the surgery," Matz said. "It's very disappointing. I was preparing for the season and very excited about it, but this is an unexpected delay."

The Mets selected Matz, the Ward Melville star, with the 72nd overall pick in last year's draft. He was likely to begin this year at one of the Mets' Class A short-season affiliates.

Mejia Back To The Minors

According to Adam Rubin the Mets plan is to send Jenrry Mejia down on Wednesday to create room for that day's starter R.A. Dickey. This is obviously one of the important things that was discussed in the big meeting yesterday.

Finally the Mets are making a good decision as Mejia should have started in the Minor Leagues as a starting pitcher. Well now that he has some ML experience he will be sent down to get his arm stretched out and hopefully be ready by the time the All-Star breaks comes around. This is the right move because the Mets are in need of some starting pitching and Mejia was a starter all year last year.

His fastball is great and his curveball has been decent, he needs to go down and really work on his changeup and controlling his curveball better.

Melvin got teams to over achieve as well...

With Jeff Wilpon, Omar Minaya, John Ricco and others in the clubhouse there has been a significant amount of speculation about Jerry Manuel's tenure and who would be his successor if he was terminated.

First let me start by giving Mr. Wilpon some advice, when your fan base wants blood and you travel, unexpectedly all the way to a visiting teams locker room for a closed door meeting, don't emerge from that meeting with status quo. Such an anti-climatic response was just another disappointment in a long line of disappointments.

Jerry's a goner, lets face it; it's a matter of when not if and all their doing is prolonging the inevitable, it seems like their waiting for the right time which really is just stringing this along. But as much as I dislike the decisions Jerry makes as a manager, this roster is serious flawed and that falls back on the GM. The rotation lacks quality arms and depth, while the offense is missing a center piece player.

I've heard many fans clamour for Bobby Valentine, saying that since the team doesn't have a player who is a leader they need a manager as a leader who can get the most from his players. I would be very surprised if the Mets ever even considered hiring Valentine back, at times they had a hard time controlling him and while it's true he had a roster that overachieved he also became bigger then the team.

I think it was the circus that surrounded the Bobby V. and Steve Phillips feud, that has steered the Wilpon's away from certain personalities. Let's face it; the Mets have had the same personality since firing Bobby V.; Howe, Randolph and Manuel basically had the same demeanor ( Jerry being the most out going but still nowhere near Bobby V.).

Most consider Bob Melvin the heir apparent to Manuel and while Melvin seems to be out of the same mold of his three predecessors he does have a little of Bobby V. in him.

Many people forget that Melvin's first major league managerial job was in 2003 with the Mariners. He was in the uncomfortable position of taking over for a legend in Lou Piniella who went to back-to-back ALCS (2000-2001) and in his final year won 93 games. That first season Melvin won 93 games with a 40 year staff ace named Jamie Moyer (21-7 / 3.27 ERA).

He would only stay in Seattle for two seasons and despite having a talented team their best record since Melvin's 93 win team was in 2007 with 88 games.

Melvin would return to the D-Backs where he had been the bench coach prior to accepting the Seattle job. Melvin was hired in 2005 when the team decided to fire Wally Backman after one day on the job when stories of legal issues surfaced.

In 2007 Melvin's D-Back team over achieved by winning 90 games and making it to the NLCS. There was not one player on the team who hit .300 and the Ace Branden Webb only won 18 games. Despite being the #1 seed that year in the playoffs, they only had one reserve positional player make the All-Star team ( Orlando Hudson) and two pitchers ( Branden Webb and Jose Valverde). Melvin was named manager of the year and Sporting News manager of the year.

By the way for those of us that feel Jerry is slow to respond to line-up issues, Melvin apparently is quite the opposite....

His nickname, given to him by Mark Grace, is "The Mad Scientist", which was derived from his tendency to use various different line-ups to a high (and somewhat surprising) degree of success. source Wikipedia

Recap of Tonights game: Mets win 3-2

Overall I believe that was a spectacular game pitched by Mike Pelfrey (5-1). Pelfrey's line was 7.2 innings, 7 hits, 2 runs both earned, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts.

Perpetual Pedro came in gave up a tough infield hit and then walked Chipper, and with the bases loaded he struck out Brian McCann.

Rod Barajas continues hit and drive in runs with a 2 RBI double in the 2nd inning.

K-Rod came in the game in the 9th got the first two hitters, walked Escobar, Escobar stole second. K-Rod then preceeded to strike out Nate McClouth. Earning his 6th save.

Jose Reyes was 1-4 with a run scored.

Wright went 0-4 with a strikeout and that made it 14 straight games with a K, which hasnt happened since Todd Hundley did that.

Carter played in place of Frenchy and went 1-2 with a double, walk and an rbi groundout.

Overall this was a great game start to finish and it is a start. We still have a ways to go.

Game ball goes to Big Pelf for an outstanding game and for stoping our 5 game losing streak

Advice: What The Mets Should Do

This is just an idea

1. Fire Jerry Manuel and stay in house for a manager for now either Hojo or Ken Oberkfell will do just fine.

2. Fire Omar, maybe give John Ricco the ability to run this team for the rest of the season and give him COMPLETE control( so no decisions from the Wilpons at all)

3. Give Ricco the ability to run the the draft and that means that he can get the best player at every available pick( regardless of how much money, signablility)

4. Release Ollie. I mean honestly its clear that he only plays for himself and not the team and if he won't take the steps necessary to help himself and the team ala go to the Minors then bite the bullet and get rid of him.

5. R.A. Dickey the knuckle baller. He has a rubber arm from that pitch so he can throw a lot of innings and spot start for now like Figgy did. Plus he can also be in relief and be the mop up man.

6. Related to above with Jenrry Mejia. Figure out what he is going to be whether he is a starter or a reliever. If he is a starter, send him down and let him work on his pitches and secondary stuff. If he is a reliever possibly the next Rivera then give him more relief work in the 8th and 9th innings and more save opportunities. K-Rod isnt the same as he was so maybe give him a breather every now and then and go with Mejia.

7. Alex Cora- do not let him play for more than once a week, unless absolutley necessary. And he should only be batting 8th and when he plays Pagan should be batting second.

8. Trade/Cut GMJ. He is just GOD awful. Do the same with anyone else on the ML roster that you think you could get value for besides. Everyone except Wright, Reyes, Beltran, Santana, Big Pelf, Ike, Mejia, Niese, Feliciano.

9. Allow Carter to play a couple times a week batting 7th for Frenchy, to get his mind straight, so we can see what we have in him. "The Animal" can be a good guy off the bench. Also Frenchy needs to get back to the way he was at the beginning of the season laying off pitches and being patient.

10. The Catchers should move up in the order to atleast 6th. Both have more pop than Pagan.

11. Move Wright to the 3rd hole followed by Bay then Davis

12. Reyes stays at leadoff

13. Come up with a real strategy for a long term winning franchise not just everyother year

- build a team around good defense especially in the outfield since Citi Field demands it

- build a team around good speed

- invest in the draft and dont short change on talent to save money in signablility and get the BEST available player at every pick

- continue to invest internationally

- slow down the development process. Let guys like Wilmer Flores. Jeffrey Marte, Francisco Pena, Mejia, Holt, Matz develop before promoting them too early.

- Draft some pitchers with filthy stuff for once and maybe ones that induce ground balls.

They arent all going to work out but atleast you can get a lot of talent in the system. The Mets seem to draft a bunch of guys with mediocre stuff but good control. Its time to get some throwers in the system and help one or two develop into good pitchers

It is Time for a Change

I really don't know what to make of this team. I am finding it really hard just to be a fan right now. I mean this month Our beloved Amazin's are an abysmal 4-12 and in this past series they were outscored 26-16 (8 of those runs today). I think that this team is in major need of an overhaul.

I can't seem to find an identity for this team and I do not see a plan in place. Now my other favorite team the Jets have those two things and they were 30 minutes from the Superbowl. We need a Fiery manager. Not to knock Jerry Manuel but honestly we need to light a fire. Im glad that Reyes is back to where he should be, that is a start. Reading Eds post below I agree our pitching is falling apart but also our offense is slumping BIG time

New to Blogging here

Hey all my name is Brendan and I will be doing some posts on this site in the place of Ed. I am born a Mets fan and will die one day a Mets fan. I guess where else to start by todays game. Sometimes i feel just like putting my head through a wall. Our pitching this year has been great up until the past 4 games. Im all for giving players chances to prove themselves but when it comes to Oliver Perez.......... DUDE JUST TAKE THE ASSIGNMENT TO BUFFALO. He is just being selfish. Although you cant help but feel a bit bad for Ollie. Another problem is the injury bug. Like any other Mets fan when ever i see a player grab their leg I immediatley thought Well here we go again. Hit me up with your thoughts.

Rotation is unraveling

It's beginning to look more like the Mets eight game winning streak was an aberration, as the Mets are in the exact situation they were in before the streak, last place and below five hundred.

That streak was a result of solid starting pitching and well timed hitting, the hitting is for another post ( when I'm calling for Hojo's job) but this rotation needs to be addressed immediately as it appears to be crumbling before our eyes.

If Omar Minaya is fired, which I now believe is inevitable because this team isn't playoff caliber, one of the main reasons will be his decision to stick with this rotation and not acquire at least one starter. Omar was the one who said he felt Maine and Perez were better then what was available and Niese was ready for the fifth spot.

Oliver Perez was Omar's single worse mistake of his Mets career and relying on him in anyway this season in a make or break year shows extremely poor instincts, Perez should have been buried in the fifth spot.

So Ollie wouldn't accept a minor league assignment and is now buried in the pen and Niese has aggravated his hamstring, while Maine who walked the park the other night, is as inconsistent as Ollie. That leaves you with Mike Pelfrey and Johan Santana, both either give you an excellent outing with no run support or get rocked themselves.

This week it appears that the rotation, Omar felt was better then anyone available will be:

Santana, Pelfrey, Maine, Takahashi and Dickey...

Bison's get a veteran catcher..

It's hard to keep up with the Bison's catching situation;

1. Omir Santos was demoted to AA and then within a week is on the DL.

2. Shawn Riggans is promoted to AAA and three days later released.

3. Josh Thole is promoted to fill in for Henry Blanco who was on Bereavement leave.

4. Bison's are playing with two Single A catchers who weren't hitting at that level.

5. Thole returns to Buffalo.

Somewhere during that time the Mets signed veteran catcher J.R. House. The 30 y/o right handed catcher has appeared in 32 major league games in which he hit .167. House has a lifetime minor league BA of .302 and a .292 BA in AAA but that hasn't translated in the majors...

House, 30, has also been playing in the Atlantic League with the Newark Bears. In 16 games, the catcher has hit .345 (20-58) with four doubles and eight RBI. source
MiLb

Mets release Calero...

It looks like Kiko Calero's shoulder has had enough, the right handed reliever has been pitching for years with a bum shoulder. Despite the shoulder side lining him last season he had one of the best years of his career. But this season was a completely different story, Calero struggled in spring training and has been pitching tp a 10 ERA in AAA...

Mets released Kiko Calero with a 10.59 ERA at Buffalo. source Steve Popper twitter

Murphy on the road back...

Dan Murphy's knee is healing slower then expected but it appears he's finally close to playing in rehab games. Murphy will now be groomed for the position I always felt he belonged in, that of a utility player. When not playing as often, Murph gets long at-bats that taxes the pitcher and improves his chances of getting on base. As a starter pitchers make adjustments and he presses, resulting in a below average BA. I also think Murphy wont be as exposed in the field if he's only filling in at the position and not being relied upon as a starter...

After that, Murphy will report to triple-A Buffalo, where he will try to become a utility player. Originally slated to be the Mets first baseman this year, Murphy’s injury made Ike Davis’ emergence possible. source Daily News

Iggy could return soon..

Ryota Igarashi is rehabbing from a hamstring injury and according to a report from Mike Puma of the NY Post he could return as soon as next week.

The Mets could really use Iggy to return and pitch as he did before the injury to take some of the pressure off the rest of the pen. While all three of the lefties ( Feliciano, Valdes, Takahashi) have looked good the righties have struggled some and Iggy would be a welcome addition.