Author: Will Sommer
I recently conducted a Q & A with Adam Rubin of the Daily News was kind enough to answer a few questions of mine. If you haven't already make sure you check out his blog Surfing the Mets.
Will Sommer: Do you believe the hype Daniel Murphy is getting this
spring can get to his head, and cause him to put to much pressure on
himself
Adam Rubin: Daniel is about as low-key and level-headed as it gets,
and he's just focused on hitting and not what's going on around him.
He's attached at the hip with Howard Johnson (at least when he's not
attached to Nick Evans' hip). I don't think you need to worry about
that with him. He has such great plate discipline, I suppose we'll
notice if he starts chasing balls outside the strike zone that his
surroundings are getting to him. But I don't expect that to be the case.
WS: Is there a reason, other than Castillo was bad last season, on why the
Mets have put Murphy 2nd in the batting order, and not Castillo?
AR: Jerry
Manuel likes the way the lineup flows that way. Murphy is a contact
hitter with good plate discipline. And, as a lefty, there should be a
hole on the right side he can benefit from when Jose Reyes is being
held on at first base. I'm sure it has a small degree to do with
stacking too many lefties otherwise at the bottom of the order, with
Church, Schneider and Murphy. And, despite Castillo's strong spring,
you can tell Manuel isn't a huge Castillo fan. How else could you
explain those starts by Ramon Martinez and Argenis Reyes late last year?
WS: Is it time to worry about John Maine? Are the Mets saying anything internally?
AR: Maine isn't a seasoned veteran, but he has a track
record now, so I wouldn't be concerned. He's coming off surgery, and
it's more of getting back to his old mechanics than a health issue now.
He worked with pitching coach Dan Warthen on increasing his stride
about eight inches during Monday's side session. And he's changed the
grip on his slider to get more contact with the seam and increase the
bite. Let's see what happens when he next pitches Thursday, but I'm not
concerned.
WS: Are the Mets going to limit Pelfrey's innings this year, or are they just going to let him pitch?
AR: They had hoped to cap his innings at 180 last
year, and because they were riding four starters with Maine out, it
drifted to 200 2/3 innings. I think that's out of the window now.
WS: What are the Mets hoping to get out of Livan Hernandez?
AR: Just to be a credible fifth starter who won't
break down. If he can keep the Mets in games, say three runs and pitch
into the sixth inning, I think the Mets will be more than satisfied.
WS: If you had to predict, who is in the bullpen come opening day?
AR: K-Rod, Putz, Green, Feliciano, Parnell, Stokes,
O'Day. Fernando Nieve was claimed from the Astros with the intention of
passing him through waivers and sending him to Buffalo. Nelson Figueroa
is on a minor-league contract and would probably be No. 8 on the depth
chart. Ron Villone is in consideration as a second lefty, but I don't
think there's a burning desire for that. Carlos Muniz has been solid,
but he has a minor-league option remaining, while Stokes is out of
options and O'Day is a Rule 5 pick who would have to go through waivers
and be offered back. The only other reliever, as I recall, still in
camp is Elmer Dessens.
WS: With Nick Evans playing great this spring, how do the Mets not give him a spot on the roster?
AR: Omar Minaya goes back and forth with this, I'm
told, but I would suspect Nick Evans has performed well enough to at
least break camp with the team rather than Bobby Kielty if it's an
either-or. The Mets can keep an extra bench player until Livan
Hernandez's contract is purchased for Game 5 or 6. The bench locks are
Alex Cora, Ramon Castro, Fernando Tatis and Jeremy Reed. That leaves
two more spots for Week 1 (reduced to one more spot after that when
Livan is added). It will be interesting, assuming Nick does make the
Opening Day roster, if Marlon Anderson gets pushed out a week into the
season, despite a guaranteed $1.15 million contract. Or whether the
five-man bench beginning Week 2 includes Marlon.
WS: Will Marlon Anderson be released?
AR: There's at least one front-offiice executive who
is going to push for it. We'll see. He's been productive hitting and
came in a lot lighter. But he's a lefty bat, and hasn't been stellar at
left field or first base. I don't think $1.15 million is a ton for a
New York team to eat. This is the biggest question left in camp in my
mind. Let's see how strongly Nick Evans, Bobby Kielty and Marlon finish
the spring.
WS: Is Fernando Martinez still injured? Will we see him at Citi Field this year?
AR: I spoke with Fernando on Monday, and he expected
to be finally cleared to throw a baseball this week. He is playing,
though. In the Triple-A game Tuesday in Jupiter, he had an RBI single
in the ninth against the Marlins.
WS: Do you see Dillon Gee making a spot start this year?
AR: Possible. I know Tony Bernazard thought highly enough of
him that he wanted to try to get him in the Triple-A rotation, though I
don't think numbers-wise that's going to work. If Livan went down on
April 15, say, I would think Jon Niese would be the guy. There are so
many variables with a spot start -- who's on turn, who's on the roster,
who's hot, what the other team's strengths are, etc.
WS: What's the difference between Shea's press box, and Citi's press box?
AR: The last tour I had was in December, but here are
a few: actual windows, as opposed to plexiglass inserts on cold days.
Heat and air conditioning I presume, instead of french-fry-style lamps.
No leaks. And no exposed wires with water leaking over them during the
rain
