New York Mets: Year Fifty-Two Of Orange And Blue

From the desk of:   HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

HEADING NORTH:

Next Stop - Roosevelt Avenue

Queens

The 52nd SEASON OF NEW YORK METS BASEBALL

FIRST OPENING DAY:  April 9, 1976 - With Tom Seaver on the mound, the Mets defeated the Montreal Expos 3-2.  Buddy Harrelson drove in two runs with a double.  Tom Seaver pitched seven innings, allowing one run. five hits, and one walk.  He struck out eight batters.  Skip Lockwood, one of my favorite Mets at the time, earned the Save.

FAVORITE OPENING DAY:  April 5, 1983 - Tom Seaver Returns.  I was sitting between first base and right field towards the back rows of field level.  Upon completion of his pregame warm-ups, Tom Seaver walked from the bullpen to the dugout.  The fan ovation was special.  The game was also notable because we were facing the Philadelphia Phillies featuring three future HOF players; Joe Morgan, Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton; in addition to Pete Rose.  The Mets shut-out Philly 2-0.  Seaver got a no-decision.  In he return to Shea, he pitched six innings, allowed only three hits, walked one, and struck out five.  Doug Sisk got the win in relief.  The unremarkable Brian Giles and Mike Howard drove in the Mets two runs.

MOST RECENT OPENING DAY:  April 13, 2009 - A 6-5 loss to the San Diego Padres.  Adrian Gonzalez was the only Padre worth mentioning from that team.  Ponderous.  Mike Pelfrey started but took a no-decision.  David Wright homered in the losing effort.....Played at night - Terrible!

OTHER OPENING DAYS ATTENDED:  1977 - 1978 - 1979 - 1980 - 1981 - 1984 - 1990 - 1997 - 2005 - 2006 - 2008.

OPENING DAY 2013

 

 

Monday, April 1, 2013

 

San Diego Padres

vs.

NEW YORK METS

from

CITI FIELD

Flushing, Queens

 

 

 

A very strange season is about to begin off Roosevelt Avenue.  Mets fans are being teased now more  than ever.  Both the team and fans are patiently waiting for some new, young, talented players to fill roles, and seats, at Citi Field.  Then for whatever his motivation, the owner announced a clean(er) bill of financial health heading into (and here's the catch...) next season.  To the club's credit, they are fresh off enriching their third baseman and additionally naming him Team Captain - a well deserved appointment earned by David Wright.  Money-wise, Sandy Alderson also actively pursued Michael Bourn during the off-season, who would have cost a handsome dollar.  So perhaps, finances are indeed easing up.  Over the winter, ownership secured some fancy all-inclusive refinancing they believe will give them ample flexibility moving forward.  I have my suspicions regarding their math and sustainability.  But with Spring Training at its end, it is time to delve less into that, and more into winning baseball games during the upcoming season.
 

 

In spite of a spring filled with injuries, the Mets fifty-second Opening Day roster is just about set.  Word is David Wright satisfactorily recovered from his rib strain, and will play Monday.  Daniel Murphy on the other hand, should not.  That's just me talking though.  His own strained intercostal muscle considerably hampered his entire Spring Training regimen.  Until he gets up to game speed, I feel he should miss a few games.  Regardless of what I think, the latest from the club is Murph will play on Opening Day.  In the bullpen, Pedro Feliciano is literally contemplating his baseball future, while Frank Francisco and his elbow are nowhere near ready to resume his former role as team closer.  The starting rotation's depth was originally thought to be facing a major dilemma when Jeremy Hefner was struck on his elbow by a come-backer.  He now appears fine.  As Johan Santana's replacement, Hefner has a fan in me.  Shaun Marcum's reliability however, looks to pose a problem.  But without a doubt, the biggest news of Spring Training started and ended with Johan Santana.  He is headed towards a second surgery this Tuesday.  His season, and Mets career, are now all but over.

 

N.Y. Mets - Johan Santana's Situation Cuts Like A Knife
 

 

 

The hope entering Opening Day and the 2013 regular season is that Jon Niese will come into his own.  All indications point to this being the season that happens.  At twenty-seven years old, his ability and mentality look to finally be in sync.  Stardom may elude him, but Jon Niese has the potential to become a highly respected pitcher this season.  With Johan Santana and R.A. Dickey no longer serving as Mets ace, the onus is on Jon Niese to fill that role by leading Matt Harvey, Dillon Gee, and Jeremy Hefner through a long season.  Ditto goes for Zach Wheeler upon his promotion.  I'm openly backing Jeremy Hefner, and therefore say the Mets have four young quality starters to begin the season with.  When Zach Wheeler arrives, they'll have five.  Starting pitching is clearly the team's strength.
 

 

Is there such a thing as growing into the closer's role, or, are certain pitchers just better suited than others to finish-off opponents and end games?  This will be Parnell's 2013 challenge as he embarks on his third shot at becoming the team's closer.  For a third consecutive season, someone else's injury is opening the door to an opportunity.  But in his first two attempts, Parnell generally failed to seize the moment.  As the team's interim closer this year, Bobby Parnell will be as successful as his  knuckle-curveball allows.  The knuckle-curve is relatively new to his arsenal.  So maybe with it will come different results.  In order for his "Knerve" to be an even more effective pitch however, he needs to add some more bite to it.  Last season it looked like a two-to-eight o'clock breaking slurve.  The pitch needs an adjustment because if he doesn't throw it for a strike early in the count, batters have been doing a good job laying off, and waiting on his fastball instead.
 

 

The bullpen as a whole appears to be better stocked than last year.  A better relief corp can potentially be a season maker, as the Mets blew nineteen saves last season.  As noted, Pedro Feliciano is out.  So the Mets will be substantially short from the left side.  Entering his second season, Josh Edgin is already an indispensable member of the bullpen.  With Robert Carson assigned to Las Vegas, Scott Rice becomes the next southpaw in line.  If Aaron Laffey makes the team, he can spot start as well as relieve from the left side.  From the right side, LaTroy Hawkins is making the team.  He will join a plethora of righties heading north which include Scott Atchison and Brandon Lyon.  The new Odd Couple - Jeurys Familia and Jenrry Mejia continue to be two very curious specimens.  Lost in all the Harvey and Wheeler hoopla, fans still do not know what to make of these two.


Terry Collins announced to start the season, there will be no platooning in the outfield.  The initial plan is to go with Lucas Duda in left, Collin Cowgill in center, and Marlon Byrd in right.  Only one of them is out there on a sink or swim basis however.  No one will be more be scrutinized this season than Lucas Duda.  After a Grapefruit League start that drew early moans and groans, Duda bounced back to put together more than just a respectable spring.  He finished batting .270 in 63 at-bats.  The good news was Lucas tied with Collin Cowgill for the team lead in home runs with five.  Lucas Duda also wound up leading the Mets in RBI with thirteen.  That's exactly what the Mets need from Duda - slugging, power and run production.  With another bad season, he could very well play himself out of Flushing.  But with a move to left field and another year of experience under his belt, he could also finally acclimate himself to the big leagues, and start to excel.  Since baseball is a game of averages, Lucas should be given the entire season in left, regardless of struggles or success.  A full season will  better help determine Lucas Duda's future in Flushing once and for all.


Collin Cowgill was my surprise player of Spring Training.  His Grapefruit League efforts definitely warranted a starting job to begin the season.  At least on this team they did.  Perhaps Collin Cowgill is benefiting from having escaped a crowded situation in Oakland.  In any event, his new challenge is to translate a good spring into the regular season.  Jordany Valdespin's Grapefruit play suggested he should have been the next outfielder in line.  The right field job however will go to veteran Marlon Byrd.


I won't say Ruben Tejada's mighty struggles in this year's Grapefruit League went unnoticed.  But they did go largely unspoken.  He finished Spring play with a .098 batting average, managing only five hits (two doubles and one home run) in fifty-two at-bats.  I'm quite sure Terry Collins noticed though.  If you ask me who I think Terry Collins is toughest with, I would immediately answer - Ruben Tejada.  Coach Terry was not all too pleased with either his conditioning, or that Ruben famously felt "tired" last season.  Tejada reported to camp very early this year.  But that didn't translate into a productive spring.  I am by no means concerned.  Baseball is like that.  I expect Ruben to continue along his career averages.


Without a catcher, you're going to have a lot of passed balls - I love that line.  The Mets have a good situation behind the plate.  Of course, the future now lies in the mitt of Travis d'Arnaud.  Until he receives his bus ticket to Flushing, John Buck is no less a fine improvement.  Interestingly, both he and Travis d'Arnaud, along with Jordany Valdespin and Marlon Byrd had perhaps the most consistent springs trainings.  With Anthony Recker serving as back-up until the d'Arnaud era begins, the Mets turned the position of catcher into a strength.  All three catchers have a little pop, and can provide protection in the bottom of the order.


There is no secret - the Mets corner infielders will be the cornerstones of their overall offensive  production.  The grand failures or fortunes of the Mets offense lie in tha bats of David Wright and Ike Davis.  Wright's WBC mishap aside, both David and Ike enter the 2013 season healthy, and together.  With both wielding hot bats, the Mets can make life miserable for a number of opponents.  There is not much else to say here.  A vintage season from David Wright would be nice.  I think most fans agree he still has the kind of years he posted from 2005 through 2010 within him.  Meanwhile, after a horrendous first half at the plate, Ike Davis finished the 2012 season with fury.  If he can somehow get off to the kind of start he did in 2011, and couple that with his 2012 second half, now we're talking about a total package.  Realistically, a .275 average, thirty-five home runs, and 110 RBI would be suit everyone just fine.  If these two do not produce up to the Mets needs, the outfield will become a season long source of derision.


As we know, the team the Mets start with, may not necessarily be the one they finish with.  Zach Wheeler and Travis d'Arnaud are on the horizon.  For Terry Collins, their arrivals can not come too soon.  For the last two seasons, he has managed a club being stripped of virtually all its high profile players, while forced to nurture younger, unproven players.  He additionally has no contract assurances beyond this season, and the general manager seems in no rush to address his field manager's situation.  In fact, the Mets only have two players under contract beyond the 2014 season.  That means Terry Collins isn't just your traditional lame duck manager.  He is roasting over an open flame.  Under Terry Collins, the team has become known for spirited starts and horrific finishes.  In each of the last two seasons, there even came a moment where the manager seemed to crack.  Overall though, Terry Collins has been a good dude.  A bad start to the upcoming season may doom him, and open the door to his successor.  Then again, a good start, reinforced by the arrival of Wheeler and d'Arnaud could possibly save him.  Maybe.  At best, I'd describe Terry Collins' situation as fluid.  Wally Backman is at the gates.


Let's Go Mets!




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Mets: Matt Harvey And Zach Wheeler Joined At The Hip

From the desk of:   HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET


NEW YORK METS - The Senior Half Of The Amazin's Latest Attempt At A Dynamic Duo Pitches Today.


Mets top pitching prospect Zach Wheeler made his 2013 Spring debut Saturday afternoon against the Washington Nationals.  He pitched two innings, and in a word - impressed.  Over the ensuing twenty hours or so, sports radio, tabloids, fan blogs, and Twitter, were all abuzz over what they saw.  In two innings pitched, Zach allowed one hit, issued one walk, and struck out back-to-back batters with a runner on base.


The talk surrounding Wheeler now needs a considerable cool down.  But that might have to wait till Tuesday at the earliest.  Many will want to spend all of Monday letting their imaginations run wild in the thought of a dynamic one-two punch the Mets seemingly are putting together.  For on Sunday afternoon, Matt Harvey will make his Spring mound debut as well.


Mets fans and the media already got their initial taste of Matt Harvey last season.  After Harvey's 59.1 innings pitched in 2012, and after just two innings and two strikeouts for Wheeler yesterday, it very fair, if not fun, getting caught up in what the two can accomplish together.  But to include them in conversation regarding great Mets pitching combos of the past is going too far.  Amusing as it is pondering Harvey and Wheeler in the same ilk as Seaver/Koosman, and Doc and Darling, the Mets young unproven duo isn't even in the same conversation with Bill Pulsipher, Jason Isringhausen or even Paul Wilson.  Of course, just based on pure MLB experience alone, they aren't even Craig Swan and Pat Zachry yet.  For they are yet to wear major league uniforms together in the same season.  However consensus says, that will change this summer.


The radio voices and scribes; the supposed custodians of reason; have spoken.  One of them wants Wheeler in Flushing right away.  I'm not singling anyone out.  It is too early for that.  There is no denying however, METropolis is already abuzz over what they saw on Saturday.  But I will only appeal to Mets fans, remove those thoughts from your mouths and shut your brain.  Learn your lesson from Generation-K; stay level headed about our newest situation.


The club already announced Zach Wheeler will begin the 2013 in Las Vegas.  That's good.  Despite what we saw yesterday in St. Lucie, Zach still has control issues to contend with.  He has 323 innings of minor league experience.  Matt Harvey was pushed into the bigs after just 245 innings pitched.  On both counts, I thought the number was low.  But when I looked back at the numbers, it seems my fears are unfounded.


Just using the names mentioned as an example, Tom Seaver broke into the bigs after just 210 minor league innings pitched.  Doc Gooden, the ace of the 1980's staff, made his MLB debut after 269 innings.  Their respective partners, Jerry Koosman and Ron Darling, threw considerably more.  Jerry Koosman tossed 467 minor league innings before joining Seaver.  Ron Darling pitched 382 innings before arriving in Flushing.  In between, lie Matt Harvey and Zach Wheeler.


Just for fun, Steve Carlton threw 306 innings in the minors.  Bob Gibson threw 451 innings.  The "Dominican Dandy" Juan Marichal, threw 655 innings in three seasons of minor league baseball.  Nolan Ryan threw 291 innings in the Mets system.  More recently, Pedro Martinez threw 419 innings in the minors.  Justin Verlander is a freak - one minor league season split between A and AA; 118.2 innings pitched.




Mike.BTB

New York Mets: Pitchers and Catchers 2013

From the desk of:   HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

NEW YORK METS - PORT ST. LUCIE OR BUST!

 

South bound on I-95 - Loaded up and truckin'.  The Mets are gonna try and do what many say can't be done.  They got a long way to go, and a short time to get there....

 

Hey Mr. Met, ya got your ears on?  Just keep an eye out for them smokies.  Out!..

 

 

Spring Training 2013:

Mets Year Fifty Two of the Amazin' Era

 

I - Behind the Plate


The Mets appear to have rectified their catching situation via a motivated buyer in the Toronto Blue Jays.  The Jays clearly feel the A.L. East can be had, and are sparing no expense to ensure they remain in contention for a division title.  As such, bye bye Josh Thole - Hello Travis D'Arnaud.  He was the main component in the R.A. Dickey deal.  Travis may not break camp and head north with the big club.  But as they say in the business, he is a blue chipper who will arrive in Flushing shortly.  Lingering knee worries dating back to June 2012 seem safely behind him now.  With any luck, all that remains for d'Arnaud is to spend some time at Las Vegas, then fulfill his promise upon arrival in Queens.  Simple....right?
 

 

Travis d'Arnaud was a #1 selection in 2007 by the Phillies.  He immediately became the Mets #1 organizational prospect upon arrival from Toronto.  In pre-2012 rankings, Baseball America had him ranked #17 on their top prospects list.  Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com currently ranks Travis d'Arnaud the #6 prospect in baseball.  Over the last two seasons Travis has shown promises of power.  With 424 at-bats at AA-New Hampshire in 2011, he batted .311, stroked 21 home runs, and posted a .542 slugging mark.  With 279 at-bats in 2012 at AAA-Las Vegas, Travis batted .333, hit 16 home runs, and slugged at a .595 clip before having his season cut short by a knee injury.  Keep in mind however, many consider the Pacific Coast League to be a very hitting friendly circuit.
 

 

Sandy Alderson's plan however seems to be starting the season with John Buck behind the plate.  Perhaps not so much in hitting average, Buck will be an appreciable improvement over Josh Thole with a bat.  John Buck, a nine year veteran also acquired in the R.A. Dickey trade, can hit with some power and can contribute some needed production towards the bottom of the order.


Backing up John Buck will most likely be Anthony Recker.  The Mets claimed him of waivers last year from the Cubs.  He is twenty-nine years old with twenty seven major league games under his belt.  Non-roster invitees Landon Powell and Juan Centeno will be in camp competing for a back-up role as well.  Oakland selected Powell in the first round of the 2004 June draft.  Last season he was granted free agency by Houston.  Sandy Alderson signed him last month.  Juan Centeno (23 yrs old) is a six year minor league veteran of the Mets system.  In 281 at-bats at Binghamton last season, he batted for a .285 average.


II - The Starting Rotation


Farewell R.A. Dickey and Mike Pelfrey.  It's time to move on now.

 

Bienvenidos to Johan Santana's swan song.  It is really a shame to talk about Johan in the following regard, but with Johan's 2013 total compensation amounting to roughly $31 million bucks, and taking up a disproportionate 33% (+/-) of the payroll pie, the Mets can't wait to see him go.  I reckon in order to trade Johan and attempt to receive a respectable return, the Mets would have to pick-up at least twenty three to twenty five million dollars of his 2013 salary.  If the Mets can get another team to pick up any portion of his salary at all, they should seriously consider a move.  Hell, they should even consider eating the whole check.  Anyway you look at it, the money is already spent.  So why not try and realize a return for Johan.  Within the context of the Mets continuing rebuilding effort, an overwhelming package of prospects isn't really necessary.  Teams recognize the Mets potential motivation to trade Johan.  So if they can get some solid talent in return, the venture would be worth the effort.  Then who knows.  If Johan proves worthy prior to the trade deadline, a motivated contender just might be willing to pony up a small yet premium package for his services.


This is the man who kept the Mets playoff hopes alive as 2008 wound down to the last two crucial games of the regular season.  Under do or die circumstances, Johan pitched a three hit shutout on three days rest over the Florida Marlins.  The Mets hopes of returning to the playoffs then ended however with Tom Glavine's next start and subsequent self-implosion.  The Mets would never again contend for the remainder of Johan's contract.  Of course, Johan Santana will forever be known around Flushing as the pitcher who threw the club's first ever no-hit game.  Most Mets fans will agree with me, that we are happy someone of his stature finally got it done.


However, don't go patting yourselves on the back just yet Mets fans.  You booed him in his first ever start at Shea Stadium during a loss to Ben Sheets and the Milwaukee Brewers - Ponderous in a season he won his third ERA title.  When he takes the mound for the first time this season, make sure and do the right thing.  If it's Opening Day, even better.  Let him feel your appreciation right off the bat, in what will be an uncomfortable season of saying good-bye.


Over his Mets career, Johan has been hobbled by knee problems, and sidelined with shoulder issues.  In his return last year, Johan was hittable by his standards, and maintained an un-Santana like 4.85 ERA until his season was prematurely ended by fatigue.  Additionally, Johan's walks were up considerably as well.  His strikeouts however were right on point.  He is now making a second attempt to pitch in his first full campaign since the 2010 season in which he logged 199 innings in twenty nine starts.  With any appreciable return to form, the Mets can reasonably get fourteen wins out of him.  And even if he only brings his ERA down to his career average of 3.20, that would be a major improvement over last season.


If Jon Niese continues to progress as he has, the 2013 season could turn into a breakout year for the Mets lefty.  The Amazin's would be helped immeasurably if Jon Niese can step his game up, and grab the reigns of the starting rotation.  Once Johan Santana departs the team, the Mets rotation will be largely populated by young, and relatively inexperienced pitchers.  Jon Niese seems like the perfect guy right now, to lead the likes of Matt Harvey, Dillon Gee, and hopefully soon, Zach Wheeler, into the 2014 season.


Dillon Gee appears to be all systems go after surgery to remove a blood clot from his pitching shoulder last year.  All is not perfect however.  He is still susceptible to numbness in his fingertips during cold weather.  Can Dillon regain his old form so soon after surgery?  He no doubt has a big test ahead of him.  He began light throwing two weeks ago.  All I can say is everyone will be monitoring Dillon Gee's Spring Training very closely, and with great anxiety.


Sandy Alderson said Matt Harvey will be entering the 2013 season with no pitch restrictions placed upon him.  He is a free range hurler now.  This kid seemingly has it all - the skill, demeanor, and fortitude of a winner.  This will be his first full major league season, and as a fan, I can't wait.  But as such, he'll be graded on a curve.  However, there's no denying after last year's arrival in Flushing, the anticipation of his potential has excited all Mets fans.  In ten starts, he averaged ten strikeouts per nine innings pitched, and limited opposing hitters to 6.4 hits per nine.  He hit three batters which is okay by me too.  In 59.1 innings pitched, he posted a 2.73 era.  If he can bring his walks down, who knows what he can achieve.


The biggest question Mets fans want answered is - When is Zach Wheeler getting here?  Patience Mets fans; patience.  Haste makes waste.  Zach spent most of his 2012 season at Binghamton, then made six appearances at Buffalo:

BINGHAMTON:
Games - 19
Record - 10-6
ERA - 3.26
Innings - 116
Hits - 92
Walks - 43
Strikeouts - 117
WHiP - 1.164
Hits/9 - 7.1
Walks/9 - 3.3
Strikeouts/9 - 9.1

BUFFALO:
Games - 6
Record - 2-2
ERA - 3.27
Innings - 33
Hits - 23
Walks - 16
Strikeouts - 31
WHiP - 1.182
Hits/9 - 6.3
Walks/9 - 4.4
Strikeouts/9 - 8.5


Zach Wheeler clearly needs to bring his bases on balls down a bit.  Otherwise he seems on the right path towards a Flushing debut.  But after starting the season at Las Vegas first.  How long that lasts seems totally up to Zach Wheeler.  The newest member of the starting rotation is Shaun Marcum.  He'll be the Mets fifth starter.  If Zach Wheeler excels at AAA and warrants a promotion, either Marcum or Dillon Gee seem the likely candidates to surrender their turns in the rotation.


By the time Frank Francisco went down with an injury and the Mets started their July swoon, three members of the Opening Day starting rotation were out of commission.  Only Dickey and Jon Niese made it till the end.  But while the rotation stayed strong over the first three months of the season, so stayed the Mets.  As was the case in 2012, health therefore seems to be the determining factor for success in 2013, or not.  The starting rotation and the infield are the team's strengths in that order.  Perhaps offensively, the line-up can provide a little more than they did last season, and give these guys some runs to work with.


Up Next  -  THE BULLPEN.



Mike.BTB

N.Y. Mets ~ State of METropolis Report; Part II

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

METropolis; YEAR 9 A.D. (After Doubleday)

NEW YORK METS:  At The Roosevelt Avenue Crossroads.

PART ONE ~ I. Ownership; II. Front Office;  III. Manager;  IV. Coaches.

V.  STARTING PITCHING:

The future seems bright.  But forget the sunglasses.  Should we be looking through binoculars to see it?  The Mets now have three minor league pitching prospects that routinely get mentioned with positive reviews.  If you want to include Henrry Mejia while he rehabs from surgery, then make it four pitchers.   But Zach Wheeler, Matt Harvey and Jeuyrs Famiglia are the three pitching prospects on the tips of Mets Fans' tongues these days.  And if you throw in Chris Schwinden along with some others, the Mets actually have a sudden quantity of quality hopefulls in hand which is a far cry over the previous decade-plus when crickets dominated board meetings whenever Met pitching prospects became topic one. 

 

But how far away are they?  Harvey, Famiglia and Wheeler all got a very limited taste of AA-Binghampton last season.  Chris Schwinden was promoted up to AAA-Buffalo mid-season.  And of course, Jenrry Mejia pitched for the Mets some in 2010 and was having a fine year in Buffalo before needing Tommy John surgery.  Former Brooklyn Cyclone, Dylan Owen, since promoted to Buffalo, is one more pitcher I'm still quite hopeful about but hasn't progressed as quickly as I thought.

 

Dillon Gee was asked to grow up a little early.  Needs of the big club necessitated his early call up from Buffalo.  He responded better than anyone could have expected; even anchoring the staff for a time and achieving double digit wins.  He has a variety of pitches that Dan Warthen is still teaching him how to trust.  That caused a late season communication breakdown between Gee and Warthen. And I sided with Warthen at the time as Gee needs to work on better game management.  He's young and still needs tutelage.  But he's a confidant, poised, and composed pitcher on the mound.  The former Brooklyn Cyclone is definitely a keeper.

Jonathan Niese also has a fan in me.  His problems are the big inning and endurance.  Both of which I think are correctable.  He's not over-powering, but his curveball is good enough to make his fastball very effective.  He and Dillon Gee are very fine and solid pieces to build a starting rotation with.  They are not aces, or number two pitchers yet.  But guys like these give a rotation (...potentially) amazing depth against all the other three, four, and five starters in the league.  As Jon Niese's frame fills out a little more and he gets a little more mass on his bones, he'll be that much better for it.  Like Gee, he's a definite keeper.  I'm just a sucker for a good curve ball.

 

Mike Pelfrey; Man-Child; Hand-Licker; Head Case; Enigma.  -  He has a sound arm.  There's no question about that.  He's proven healthy over the years and gobbles up innings.  It's all the anxiety that comes with those innings that concerns Met Fans.  With nothing apparently wrong with him, his once pounding sinker, rising fastball, change of pace curve ball, and change-up, all shared the same two characteristics last season.  Either they were out of the strike zone, or were getting smashed somewhere in fair territory.  His problem is he has no reliable out-pitch.  Batters routinely foul off pitches in bunches against Pelfrey, and he usually winds up paying a price for that.  He makes good pitches.  But batters seem to always get just enough of them to stay alive till something better comes their way or draw a walk.

The time is rapidly approaching when Mike Pelfrey and the Mets will have to talk money. - Or not.  Sandy Alderson just might very well deem him expendable.  Pelfrey did little to distinguish himself as a top rate pitcher this past season.  Speaking as a fan, I'm in for one more year where hopefully Mike Pelfrey can finally live up to some of his potential.  I do not believe having a 2011 "ace" tag branded on him played any part in his inconsistencies from 2010 to last season.  The truth is, so far in his career he has just simply under-achieved.  He's still a very likable Met however.  It's a strange dynamic because he's no doubt at the point of having to producing now or never - at least for the Mets.

Johan Santana remains the largest X-Factor this side of Simon Cowell's ego.  What pitcher will the Mets be getting if and when he returns to the mound next season?  Will he still flash an old familiar form?  Or will he need to reinvent himself in order to remain a successful pitcher?  What ever the difference is between his fastball and change-up will determine everything.  And his surgically repaired arm is at the heart of it all.  If we're not talking about a seven or eight mile-per-hour difference in those two pitches, a lot of Johan's offerings will become souvenirs.  The Mets have an awful lot of money invested in what is clearly their biggest question mark going into next season; even more troublesome than the Jose Reyes dilemma.

R.A. Dickey - the official 2011 Hard-Luck Pitcher of the Year.  Oh, what the back of his baseball card could have looked like with just a little support these last two seasons?  This past campaign, the line-up was particularly stingy with him.  What I like most about Dickey is his accountability and ability to convey his message clearly and effectively.  He demonstrates how much one can actually say if one exercises tact.  Dickey gets that.  He says quasi-controversial things but with tact.  And that makes all the difference.

 

As good and reliable a pitcher he turned out to be for the Mets, I'd trade him in a New York Minute for a nice respectable return.  Although the club won't say it, the Mets are rebuilding.  So if Dickey is attractive enough to a contending team which has another prospect to spare, I'd welcome that.  Of course it's nothing personal, but R.A. Dickey is not part of our future and I'd like to maximize any kind of return while he still clearly has reasonable value.

Chris Capuano was a nice come-back story for him personally I guess.  He bombed a few times, but pitched well to very well last season when healthy and finished strong.  Overall, he was consistent and stabilized the back end of the rotation.  At the right price, I wouldn't mind keeping him around.  But if some one calls inquiring about a trade involving Capuano..., hell yeah I'm listening.

Adding payroll to significantly bolster the pitching is highly unlikely.  And any talk about picking up recently released Roy Oswalt is not only futile, but unwise.  I think we all understand that by now.  So with no big free-agent import on the horizon, and a trade of any magnitude equally unlikely, it looks like the Mets will keep employing the old method of trying to strike lightning in a bottle as they did with Dickey; - and unlike they did with Kelvim Escobar.

Shortly after the World Series, the Hot Stove will get lit and the GM Meetings will take place.  It's hard to say if, how, or when, Sandy Alderson will be able to make improvements to the starting rotation for next season.  And while nothing can be said with any certainty until Johan Santana starts winning MLB games again, his is one of the contracts Sandy Alderson loathes, and if given an opportunity I'm sure he would love to rid the organization of such.




VI.  BULLPEN:


This is clearly the weakest link in the Mets' chain.  The necessary trading of Francisco Rodriguez left a void at Closer, which an open competition between Bobby Parnell and Pedro Beato failed to settle before 2011 was through.



Pedro Beato has a live arm and is a keeper.  But I am still not convinced Bobby Parnell can not win the Closer's job.  There's been too many instances within this organization alone when being a little too impatient with high-powered arms haunted the organization.  The obvious name is Nolan Ryan.  But Jeff Reardon; Mike Scott; Randy Meyers; and Heath Bell also come to mind.  He, like Pelfrey, needs to perfect an out pitch.  And Parnell needs to learn his craft just a little better also.  He's still too much of a thrower and it shows up in his walks allowed.  Dan Warthen has been working with him for two seasons now.  He, like many players promoted recently, has been pressed into on-the-job-training.  So I still have a lot of hope for Parnell.  Perhaps the experience of last season provided lessons towards perfecting his craft.  He's been nagged by injuries but seemed to shake them off towards season's end.  I just beg patience from the organization with Bobby Parnell.



In the absence of a proven closer, those are the Mets two main options heading into the winter.  Whether we go into the Spring similarly remains to be seen.  The Mets' bullpen, like most bullpens around Baseball, is a yearly construction project.  Who's to say in October what the unit will look like next season?



Along with Parnell and Beato, - D.J. Carrasco; Manny Acosta; Tim Byrdak; Taylor Buchholz; and Izzy blew a lot of games together.  But I won't be hammering them about it.  The bullpen is obviously a department in need of a renovation.    Aside from Izzy who retired, some relievers may or may not be back.  Buchholz ended his season on the long-term DL.  Ryota Igarashi has already been let go.  But Josh Stinson should figure more into the mix next season.  And Chris Schwinden will most likely end up coming out of next year's pen as well.  Then?  Who knows.

NEXT - The Positional Players.






Mike.BTB