Mets Fans Forever

Mets 2009 Bullpen

Author: Will Sommer

Here is Part 1 of a four part series on what I think the Mets roster will look like in '09

With another September comes another Mets collapse.  I’m not going to bore you with the details on how the Mets lost.  I’m as disappointed as the next guy.  But I’m going to look to 2009 when I hope we will have Mets as winners.

On the pitcher side, I’m going to tell you who the Mets need to let go before the ’09 season begins.  Of course the obvious are Aaron Heilman, Scott Schoenweis, Pedro Feliciano and Luis Ayala (I’m not counting September call ups).  The Mets are sure to get rid of Schoenweis and Heilman.  Feliciano will remain a question mark.

Here’s my 2009 Mets bullpen.

Closer: Brian Fuentes
Set up man:  Joe Smith
The others:  Bobby Parnell
    Arthur Rhodes
    Brian Stokes
    Duaner Sanchez
Left hand reliever:  To Be Announced

Despite what the Mets say about not going after Francisco Rodriguez or Brian Fuentes, I do believe they go after one of the two and in the end it will be Brian Fuentes.   

Mets Suck

Mets Suck. I hate baseball. They blow it. Congrats to the Brewers. Fricken Mets. How do they blow it?

Pedro

Author: Pete Spaziano
 
Pedro, Don’t Let The Door Hit You..

There was a time when Pedro Martinez was an ace. It seems like a lifetime ago.

Pedro has given the Mets one good year so far and little else.

Today, Pedro took the mound for one of the most important games of the season and he has done nothing except put the likeliness of a Mets win out of reach.

Giving up 6 runs to the Phillies before the game is half over today in the first game of a day/nite double header  is the kind of performance that places you at the end of the rotation, and possibly removed from it.

At this point, I’d rather see what the farm hands can do, because I’m sick of watching Pedro fade into the sunset on the mound while we’re trying to win a pennant.

Thanks for the memories Pedro, now get off the mound, it’s time.

Q & A with MetsMinorLeagueblog.com; Toby Hyde

Author: Will Sommer (owner)

I recently did a Q & A with Toby Hyde of Mets Minor League Blog. If you have any interest whatsoever in the Mets minor league system check his site out. Hope you enjoy.

 

WS: Please rate the Mets top ten prospects.
 

  TH: I had planned to do an in-season top-ten, but realized as I was doing it that I was too influenced by current events and the prospects I'd seen most recently to be really fair about it.  Moreover, I wanted it to be a strong list, not some hurried piece.  To do it the way I want, I need to spend some time with the players' stats and bios and integrate other opinions from scouts and executives. When I do a top prospects list it will be deeper than 10.  Right now I'm thinking about going 31 deep in honor of Mike Piazza.   Watch for it soon at metsminorleagueblog.com.   

WS: Are you concerned with Ike Davis' and Reese Havens' starts to their professional career?

TH: Yes and no. 

Give Havens a mulligan.  Scouts universally liked his bat when he was in the lineup. Sure, it's frustrating to be injured, even more for him than for fans, but injuries happen. 

    Davis dealt with some nicks during the college season which might have affected his pro debut as well.  There were scouts who looked at his athleticism and raw power in BP and found reason to be confident in his ability to adjust.  However, there were others who weren't so sure based the mechanics of his swing that it was all going to work for him.  From a pure production perspective, I expect much more from an experienced college hitter drafted in the first round playing in the New York Penn League even though Keyspan Park is murder on lefthanded power hitters.   If you want to be optimistic about him, he finished August on a nine-game hit streak while showing vastly improved plate discipline (15 BB and 12 K) in 22 games.

 

WS: Is Brad Holt the real deal? Is he the next Mike Pelfrey?
 

 

TH: Yes, he's the real deal.  No, he's not the next Mike Pelfrey.  Although both are tall righthanders taken in the draft's first 33 picks out of college with big fastballs, they're different.  Pelfrey uses that vicious sinker.  Holt's two-seam fastball has plenty of movement, but sometimes there's more run than sink. 

 

WS: With the way Mike Carp is hitting is he a September call-up?

 

TH:Only if the Mets decide they are desperate for a lefty bat off the bench.

 

WS: Are Nick Evans, and Dan Murphy here to stay in the majors? Will they be here in 2009?
 

 

TH: Most definitely on the first.  Left field in 2008 belongs to Murphy and Evans.  Likely on the second.

I think both will probably have some role on the 2009 team but there's both a lot of baseball left in 2008 and a long off-season between here and Opening Day.  Murphy was assigned to Arizona Fall League where it looks likely, based on the composition of Peoria Saguaros roster, that he'll play 2B.   I like the idea of having Murphy work on his play at second. If he can hack it defensively at the keystone, it would maximize the value of his bat in the lineup. 
Other pressing questions for this offseason include, but aren't limited to whether the Mets resign Perez and pick up Delgado's option.  At this point, I think resigning Perez has to be priority number one.  If the Mets can't bring him back, they'll need to find those innings somewhere else, which could mean chasing free agents with money, or other players via trades.  Other teams could well ask about Murphy or Evans.  As good or even great as Delgado has been since Manuel took over, his option is looking better and better. .

 

WS: Do you see Fernando Martinez being a September call-up? Are you concerned with his string of injuries? Will we see him opening day in '09?
 

 

TH: No. Yes. I would be very surprised. 

    As far as the injuries, as Will Carroll who covers injuries for Baseball Prospectus is fond of saying, "staying healthy is a skill." On the other hand, Fernando is still extremely young, and most of his ailments have been muscle pulls rather than severe structural problems.  Given those two elements, I believe there is some hope that he will learn how to stay on the field as he ages. 
    Martinez was certainly better towards the end of this season. However, he would need a monster winter ball in the Dominican, a very impressive spring training and an opening on the roster whether via injury or trade to start 09 with the big club. 

 

WS: Is the most recent injury to Brant Rustich a major setback to his career? When should we see him pitching at Citi Field?
 

TH: It's a setback for sure.  Injuries are never a good thing, and when they become a pattern as has been the case with Rustich, who has been hampered by injuries in the past, it's worse.  I was trying to get a little more information on the exact location of the break, which would help determine the severity of the injury itself.  Unless there's something really funky in addition to the bone fracture, I'd expect Rustich to be ready to go for Spring Training 2009.
    The earliest Rustich could reasonably be expected to contribute at Citi Field would be late 2010, although that's awfully fast and assumes no other setbacks and a Mets need in 2010.  Under this scenario, he would start '09 in St. Lucie and finish at AA Binghamton.  Then he would start 2010 at either Binghamton or the Mets new AAA affiliate.  Assuming he's successful he would be a candidate to provide late 2010 help as Philip Humber did in 2007 or Jon Niese did in 2008.  Keep in mind however, that neither Humber nor Niese was all that effective in their late-season MLB debut, so that pushes Rustich back to early 2011 as a contributor and remember that most young pitchers take some time to adjust to the big leagues. 

 

WS: What are some names in the minors that Mets fans should get to know?
 

TH: I always think this question is hard, because I'm not sure how closely your readers or the average fan follows the farm.  For me the top Mets pitching prospect at the moment is Brad Holt, who has already set a Brooklyn Cyclones single season strikeout record.  Sure, his curveball needs work, and he almost never throws a changeup, but the fastball is special.  On the same staff, Jenry Mejia has another big arm.  His second pitch is the changeup, but his breaking ball has made strides too. 
    I still like Francisco Pena behind the plate, he's young and he has a lot of work to do, but there's some serious power, especially for a catcher in that bat. 
    There were a lot of interesting talents in the GCL including 3B Jefry Marte, CF Javier Rodriguez and RF Cesar Puello.  Some of the moundsmiths to watch for include Robert Carson, Jeurys Familia and Kyle Allen.

 

WS:Is Wilmer Flores the next big prospect? Will he move to a new position from SS?  

TH: Yes.  Likelier than not, but no need to rush the move.  I don't think there's a SS in baseball as tall as Flores is now.  Flores is among the Mets best four prospects and some believe the best. 

 

WS: How did you become a well-known blogger of Mets minor league ball?
 

 

TH:Hey, I'll take well-known.  This is the fifth season in which I've covered this system.  SNY was looking to expand its minors coverage on its blog network, and Matt Cerrone of Metsblog.com asked me if I'd be interested in heading the effort.  And I was.

WS: What did you do before blogging about the Mets?

TH:   I've worked in baseball since the 2004 season.  I broadcast minor league games on the radio for three years in the California League and one in the PCL.  Minor league broadcasters also handle media relations, maintain websites, design and layout programs and sell advertising and tickets. 
    Last winter, I taught skiing at Heavenly Mountain Resort in South Lake Tahoe, CA.  Any Mets fans interested in improving their skiing should give me a holler.  I love talking baseball on the slopes.  Also, my years of broadcasting sports, and analyzing players' athletic movements informs my ski instructing, which in tern informs my baseball analysis.

 

WS: Is this a career you can see pursuing for many years?
 

Yeah, man.  I love being at the ballpark too much to want to do something else. 

 

TH: Are you gratified by the attention you receive?
 

Every second of it.  One of the joys of doing what I do, is having fans ask me questions and suggest new ways to approach a question or issue.

Hope you enjoyed the interview. Remember www.metsminorleagueblog.com is the site to go to if you're a Met Fan.

Mets Coverage Present and Past

 

Author: Clare Lafferty

      Since I can't get the Mets games on local TV, I have to watch the games on MLB.TV. For the most part, the coverage is OK. I have, however, come to realize how good our Mets announcers are compared to their counterparts across the country.

      When I think about how I used to listen to the games as a kid, you had either Channel 9 or radio. No Internet of course back in the sixties and seventies and even no cable TV. When the Mets played on the West Coast, you had to go to bed and just hope that the team would win. I had a pillow speaker that I got at Radio Shack so I could listen to at least the first few innings on the radio even though I was supposed to be in bed by 10. Boy, did I hate those California games!

      Now, every thing is instantaneous. You know right away the scores, the highlights and the other MLB news. You can log onto the MLB site or watch SportsCenter and see everything as it happens. It's great to get all that information right away.

      But, sometimes in this fast paced world, I think about my childhood days and how I had to wait for the information from other games until the next day sometimes. It made those competitive games even more exciting because you didn't know until hours later what conspired. You had to have hope and faith in the Mets.

      I am not wishing to go back to the times before ESPN and MLB.com. I am spoiled now in being able to get updates in a matter of seconds. And I still hate those California games. It's not because I am not allowed to stay up late - it's now because I am too old to stay up past 10!

      Who knows what the future will bring but I am sure that the Mets will still have the best announcers in the game.

Mets 9, Brewers 2

Author: Will Hernandez

The New York Mets (79-61) beat the Milwaukee Brewers (80-59) 9-2 Wednesday to complete a three-game sweep at Miller Park.

Most fans saw this road trip as do-or-die for the Mets. Even though they came out of it with a 6-2 record, obviously the season is far from over. But the Mets showed the past eight games why they are the hottest team in the National League. After a troubling loss to Philadelphia to start the road trip, the Mets roared back and played well against contending teams. The sweep of the Brewers holds more importance now because if everything stays as is right now, the two teams would meet in the first round. Yes, the Mets missed C.C. Sabathia and had trouble with Ben Sheets before he left Monday’s game with an injury, but they still swept one of the best teams in the league.

If you missed the first inning of this game, they you missed the whole game. The Mets jumped on the Brewers in the first inning with six runs and never let them back into the game. Ryan Church hit a grand slam in the first inning as the Mets sent nine batters to the plate. The Mets hit three straight one-out singles and the last one by Carlos Delgado scored Daniel Murphy. After Carlos Beltran walked, Church launched a Dave Bush changeup over the wall in right centerfield. It was Church’s first real impact hit since returning from the disabled list.

If there is one pitcher not to trust with a 6-0 lead, it’s Oliver Perez. So what does the lefthander do with a big lead in the bottom of the first inning? Perez walks leadoff hitter Rickie Weeks and then allows a single to J.J. Hardy. Perez recovered to retire the next three batters and he settled for the rest of the game. Still, it wasn’t a sharp performance for Perez. He walked five Brewers in 6 2/3 innings and allowed two runs on five hits. It was enough to get his 10^th win of the season, but Perez didn’t seem to have his concentration with the big lead. It’s fun to see him throw the Bugs Bunny curveball once in a while, but Perez did it on three occasions. Why even bother messing around?

You had the feeling it was just a matter of time in this game before the Mets lead started to evaporate, but that never happened. The Mets added three runs in the last two innings, including a two-run, pinch-hit single by Nick Evans. The bullpen continued one of its best runs of the season with another 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.

This team is firing on all cylinders at the right time. Everyone is picking everyone else up. David Wright continues to struggle, but it coincides with a Carlos Beltran hot streak. Daniel Murphy quickly got over his slump with some big hits on the road trip. And Luis Ayala is coming into his own as the temporary closer. All the Mets need to do now is continue playing the way they’ve been playing. It’s actually very simple. This September will be a different one from 2007 if the Mets keep on doing what they’re doing. Billy Wagner will probably be back next week. His return will be a huge boost to the bullpen if he’s effective. Wagner’s injury may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. He is well-rested and ready for the September push and that only benefits the Mets. Now the Mets have to look towards this weekend and take at least two games from the Phillies. We all know no lead is safe and even a sweep guarantees nothing.