The Mack Attack - 12-28-8

The Mack Attack - 12-28-8

MLB – NY Mets:

Adam Rubin on the SP5 opening: “Mets officials have said they intend to bring in a low-cost pitcher in January, whether that's on a minor-league contract or one that allows for being cut in spring training with the Mets only on the hook for 30 or 45 days pay. Bobby Parnell should be a factor, too, though he's projected to wind up in the bullpen. I imagine Nelson Figueroa would be on the fringes of that competition as well, though I'm sure they'd pursue a trade in spring training if it came to that.”… Rubin on LF: “Ryan Church, before the second concussion, was making a case to be the Mets' MVP. I suspect he'll be fine with an offseason without trauma. Whether Fernando Tatis can duplicate last year's performance is a question even some Mets officials have, though obviously you can't know 100% that Daniel Murphy is going to continue at last year's level either. I'd be more concerned about left field. But there will be Fernnado Martinez and Nick Evans sitting at Triple-A Buffalo. And if the Mets need to make a trading-deadline maneuever, that's doable.”… from Mike Silva: “As mentioned numerous times, it is down to Derek Lowe and Oliver Perez as the Mets starting pitching upgrade this offseason. As long as Lowe remains reasonable, and by that I mean a 3 or 4 year deal in the $15 million dollar range, I fully expect him to be pitching at Citi Field this summer. That means the Mets move on from Perez and risk him blossoming elsewhere. Instead of debating upside vs. potential, which we have done all winter with Lowe/Perez, how about signing both? Despite the calls from fans, some members of the mainstream media, and me it doesn’t appear Manny Ramirez will be playing for the Mets anytime soon. The Mets payroll will roughly be the same in 2009, but by increasing it just a tad bit more you could potentially have the proverbial “cake and eat it too”. Have both the consistency of Lowe and upside of Perez. Sound crazy? Maybe, but the market is shaping up as very thin for Perez. I think this makes this scenario at least something to talk about. Buster Olney reported yesterday that it’s unlikely that teams such as the Cardinals and Brewers will spring for either pitcher. With the Rangers focused on Ben Sheets where does that leave Perez? Unless the “once bitten, twice shy” Atlanta Braves become emboldened and give Perez the money earmarked for AJ Burnett (unlikely or I think they would have done it already), Perez could be had for a modest two to three year deal. For arguments sake lets say Perez gets 3 years/$30 million dollars. He would increase the Mets payroll slightly above last year (assuming Lowe gets in the neighborhood of $15 million per season). In 2010 you have Wagner, Delgado, and possibly Putz coming off the books. That is about 30 million dollar savings. As mentioned yesterday, trading away young left handed pitching is risky. I am willing to do it because of the track record of Derek Lowe. Think about the alternative. Just imagine, Santana, Maine, Pelfrey, Lowe, and Perez. That would be the best starting five in all of baseball. It also gives you comfort in knowing that you can have Jon Niese develop in AAA, ease the injured John Maine back into action, and monitor Pelfrey’s innings. None of those are possible with mediocre scrap heap fifth starter.The Mets are a win now team and Lowe fits that mentality. It would be nice to have insurance. Let’s not forget, the Mets aren’t the luckiest team when it comes to veteran free agents. How about having your cake and eat it too? Sign both Lowe and Perez.”


A+ - Lucy:

Adam Rubin on both Cs Josh Thole and Francesco Pena: “The top two prospects are Francisco Pena, Tony's son, and Josh Thole. Dock Doyle, taken in last year's draft, also has impressed as a hitter. Pena is still a teenager, and was just at low-A Savannah last season. He hit .264 in his second season with the Sand Gnats, but has underwhelmed. Pena’s throws to second are fairly accurate. But while he’s been timed as quick as 1.90 to 1.95 seconds on occasion throwing to second base, he has widely inconsistent ranges. Pena’s weight also has been an issue, though reports from the instructional league suggested Pena made dramatic improvements in his physical shape. Thole is a great story. He was a catcher in high school in Illinois, but was more of a first baseman in the Mets' system. When Sean McCraw struggled at the plate to open the St. Lucie season, Thole got a chance to start and ended up being a Florida State League All-Star while hitting .300. Thole should start at Double-A Binghamton this year. Because he's inexperienced behind the plate, he has significant work to do to catch up technique-wise.”… Surfing the Mets has learned that Brant Rustich, the Mets' second round pick in 2007 out of UCLA, where he was the Pac-10 school's closer, pitched this past season with a fractured humerus bone in his upper right arm that wasn't detected until afterward. Suggestions that Rustich had simple arm soreness clearly were unwarranted. Rustich is expected to pitch in 2009 without the need for surgery. He also has labrum and UCL tears, but rehab is the prescribed course of action… The Brooklyn Bums on 1B Ike Davis: Ike Davis-“ Teach this guy to change his approach at the plate. Unlike Reese Havens, who realizes very quickly he wasn’t going to be a power hitter in pro baseball, Ike Davis was fighting himself the entire season in Brooklyn this past summer. The result? Zero homers. In spite of that, it seemed like the last three weeks of the season that Davis was beginning to see how effective he could be hitting balls up the middle and in the gap. As I’ve said before, I see him as a Lyle Overbay type, and not as a power hitter. There’s nothing wrong with that though either. However, if he doesn’t continue to stay back and be smart at the plate, he’ll project as nothing more than a bench player.”…


A – Gnats:

The Brooklyn Bums on SS Wilmer Flores: “Give him some time in Brooklyn to develop before calling him up to higher levels. Still only 17-years-old, Flores looked out of place in Brooklyn after his hot start. Still getting used to pitchers with good off-speed pitches, Flores would benefit a ton from proving himself in the NY-Penn League. I know it’s the Mets mentality know to push these kids ahead to see how they deal with adversity, but this kid is still developing at too rapid a pace. He needs to build confidence and some kind of consistency. He also needs to learn English and make friends on the team’s he plays on, rather than be thrown around the organization like a rag doll. At his age, he’s way too delicate emotionally as well and could benefit from some camaraderie.”…


Low A – Clones:

The Brooklyn Bums on P Roy Merritt: “Help him develop another off-speed pitch to compliment his slider and changeup. At the NY-Penn League level, this guy was simply dynamite. However, even his uber-supportive pitching coach, Hector Berrios agreed last season that he has to work on something else this offseason to keep hitters guessing. I personally think a decent sinker, that he can use just to mix things up a bit would do the trick, especially since his slider moves like a curveball attached to a frisbee.”…


Alumni:

From Baseball Etcetera: “When I think of Tug McGraw I think about him pitching out of bases loaded situations in the eighth and ninth innings in Game 7 of the 1980 World Series and ended it by striking out Willie Wilson. McGraw saved Game 1, lost Game 3 and saved Game 5 in the Philadelphia Phillies World Series win over the Kansas City Royals. Another memory of McGraw was him slapping his glove against his leg. I can't remember any reliever before or after McGraw who was more anxious to pitch or had more enthusiasm. He may not have Hall of Fame numbers but he still fans will remember him as the pitcher who said "Ya Gotta Believe" during the 1973 season in which the Mets would win the NL pennant but would lose to the Oakland Athletics in the World Series in seven games. In Game Two of the 1973 World Series McGraw entered the game with Mets winning 6-3 in the seventh inning but gave up a run making it 6-4 in the seventh inning and then gave up two more runs in the ninth to tie the score at 6-6. McGraw would retire the Athletics in order in the tenth and eleventh innings. The Mets went ahead 10-6 in the top of the twelfth inning but McGraw would allow one more run in the bottom of the twelfth when one of the batters he had allowed to reach base scored after he was relieved making the final score 10-7. Can you imagine someone like Mariano Rivera pitching six innings in relief today? McGraw would get a save in Game 5. McGraw would finish his career with a 96-92 record and a 3.14 ERA. He was admitted into both the Mets and Phillies Hall of Fame. McGraw pitched from 1965-1974 in the Mets organization but spent the 1968 season with the Jacksonville Suns. This article about his girlfriend while he was with the Suns tells about how she became the mother of McGraw's son Tim McGraw who would go on to become of the most popular country singers today.

General Baseball:

From Baseball Awards: “1963 National League - After ending 1962 in a tie and then losing the playoff, the Dodgers captured the 1963 pennant, then swept the Yankees in the World Series. The Cardinals made it a race, but finished second, six games off the pace. San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Cincinnati were in a knot for the 3-5 spots, with Milwaukee 6th and Chicago springing up to an above-.500 7th. Pittsburgh dropped to 8th, with Houston 9th and the Mets losing 111 for last. Sandy Koufax won the MVP with a strong season for the winners. The Dodgers were 6th in the 10-team league in runs scored, while allowing the least runs, but a lot of that was the effect of their park, heavily weighted toward pitchers. In road games, the Dodgers were second in runs scored, fifth in runs allowed. They were actually a stronger offensive team that pitching or defense on the year. Tommy Davis won the batting title at .326, and Roberto Clemente was second at .320. Hank Aaron lead in RBI with 130 and tying for the HR lead with Willie McCovey at 44. Aaron also led in slugging and OPS, and runs with 121. Ken Boyer was second in RBI with 111. Vada Pinson led with 204 hits and 14 triples, and Dick Groat with 43 doubles. Maury Wills led in steals, but was down to a more normal-looking 40. Koufax and Juan Marichal tied for the wins lead at 25, while Jim Maloney and Warren Spahn won 23. Dick Ellsworth posted 22 victories. Koufax lead in ERA with a Chavez Ravine-aided 1.88. Ellsworth was second at 2.11. Koufax also led in strikeouts, with 306, while Lindy McDaniel led in saves with 22, followed by Ron Perranoski at 21. Spahn pitched 22 complete games, while Koufax tossed 11 shutouts. Win Shares leaders, players; Hank Aaron (Milwaukee) 41, Willie Mays, (San Francisco) 38, Johnny Callison (Philadelphia) 32, Vada Pinson (Cincinnati), Eddie Mathews (Milwaukee) and Dick Groat (St. Louis) 31, Orlando Cepeda (San Francisco) 30, Tommy Davis (Los Angeles) and Willie McCovey (San Francisco) 29, Billy Williams (Chicago) and Junior Gilliam (Los Angeles) 28, Maury Wills (Los Angeles) and Bill White (St. Louis) 27, Ron Santo (Chicago) and Tony Gonzalez (Philadelphia) 26, Curt Flood (St. Louis) 24. WS leaders, pitchers; Dick Ellsworth (Chicago) and Sandy Koufax (Los Angeles) 32, Juan Marichal (San Francisco) 27, Larry Jackson (Chicago), Jim Maloney (Cincinnati) and Warren Spahn (Milwaukee) 22, Don Drysdale (Los Angeles) and Bob Friend (Pittsburgh) 21, Ron Perranoski (Los Angeles) 20, Joe Nuxhall (Cincinnati) 19. WARP3: Aaron 13.3, Mays 13.9, Callison 11.3 (career year), Pinson 8.8, Mathews 11.3 (after which Mathews would go into decline), Groat 12.4 (career year, even with his 1960 MVP), Cepeda 9.7, Davis 7.1, McCovey 8.8, Williams 10.1, Gilliam 8.6 (last good year), Wills 7.2, White 7.4, Santo 10.1, Gonzalez 7.6, Flood 7.7. Pitchers, Ellsworth 10.2 (career year), Koufax 10.6, Marichal 9.1, Jackson 6.6, Maloney 7.9, Spahn 5.8 (last good year), Drysdale 7.5, Friend 7.1, Perranoski 7.5, Nuxhall 6.3.