New York Mets
As a disastrous 2009 season comes to a close for the Mets, it is time to review the performance of one of the team’s more expensive rookies. In other words, just how has Citi Field done this year? By most accounts, the new park is fan friendly. But a key question — is the field too large? — has emerged as the Mets, and particularly, David Wright, have struggled to hit home runs at home. And from that question, comes another: Should the Mets think about moving home plate 10 feet forward so they could shorten Citi Field’s dimensions without having to knock down any walls? The Mets have already indicated they have no intention of making any alterations to Citi Field for the 2010 season, even though Wright, the team’s franchise player, is barely a home run hitter at the moment. Still, the Mets, who modeled the exterior of Citi Field after the Dodgers’ old home in Brooklyn, might consider what the Dodgers did in their new home in Los Angeles.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/sports/baseball/02mets.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss
The Mets' willingness to let Jose Reyes keep testing his ailing right leg came back to bite them in a huge and embarrassing way yesterday. An MRI exam revealed the shortstop tore his right hamstring muscle Tuesday while running at a workout facility in New York, endangering part or all of Reyes' 2010 season, too. The torn hamstring muscle is a new injury and comes on top of the torn right hamstring tendon Reyes suffered while running in Port St. Lucie in early June. Already under fire for their bungled handling of so many of their injured players this season, the Mets now face fresh scrutiny for letting Reyes continue to run, even when it was obvious he would not be back this season. -- NY Post .....
Mets ownership has told Jerry Manuel, who is under contract through 2010, that he will return next season, and after Sunday's finale against Houston at Citi Field he will fly home to Sacramento to begin what he called an extended period of deep and critical thinking. He has resolved to place a greater emphasis next spring on base-running fundamentals and throwing strikes. The Mets' pitching staff has issued the second-most walks in baseball. "Instead of operating like a period that ends the sentence," said Manuel, explaining his shift in philosophy since the Mets were eliminated on Sept. 13, "I've been operating like a comma. My work's not finished." -- NY Times
The Mets' willingness to let Jose Reyes keep testing his ailing right leg came back to bite them in a huge and embarrassing way yesterday. An MRI exam revealed the shortstop tore his right hamstring muscle Tuesday while running at a workout facility in New York, endangering part or all of Reyes' 2010 season, too. The torn hamstring muscle is a new injury and comes on top of the torn right hamstring tendon Reyes suffered while running in Port St. Lucie in early June. Already under fire for their bungled handling of so many of their injured players this season, the Mets now face fresh scrutiny for letting Reyes continue to run, even when it was obvious he would not be back this season. -- NY Post .....
Mets ownership has told Jerry Manuel, who is under contract through 2010, that he will return next season, and after Sunday's finale against Houston at Citi Field he will fly home to Sacramento to begin what he called an extended period of deep and critical thinking. He has resolved to place a greater emphasis next spring on base-running fundamentals and throwing strikes. The Mets' pitching staff has issued the second-most walks in baseball. "Instead of operating like a period that ends the sentence," said Manuel, explaining his shift in philosophy since the Mets were eliminated on Sept. 13, "I've been operating like a comma. My work's not finished." -- NY Times
Top 20 Pitching Prospects:
1 Stephen Strasburg RHP CH is a wild card but his FB and CB are both MLB-ready pitches; mechanics aren't perfect 21.2 WAS NCAA
2 Brian Matusz LHP Flew through minors thanks to 4 potential above-average pitches; commands at the knees 22.7 BAL MLB
3 Daniel Hudson RHP Too good to be true? Showing lots of FB/CH movement in bigs; needs a out pitch for righties 22.6 CHW MLB
4 Neftali Feliz RHP Still a bit raw but has ace potential thanks to FB that sits in mid-90s and outstanding slider 21.4 TEX MLB
5 Jeremy Hellickson RHP Works off 90-93 FB that he pounds zone with; outstanding CH; CB is solid but inconsistent 22.5 TB AAA
6 Wade Davis RHP Commands straight, 90-94 FB well; CB can be filthy and SL is a good pitch; CH isn't special 24.1 TB MLB
7 Carlos Carrasco RHP We love the movement on his FB, CH and CB, but we'll admit that he's still raw; ace upside 22.5 CLE MLB
8 Jhoulys Chacin RHP Has question marks and upside; great movement on sinking FB; CH is his out pitch; good SL 21.7 COL MLB
9 Madison Bumgarner LHP Strength is good command of deceptive FB; SL has improved -- still inconsistent, though 20.2 SF MLB
10 Kyle Drabek RHP Finesse guy with a power arsenal; a pitcher more than thrower; 92-96 FB; CB is a K pitch 21.8 PHI AA
11 Martin Perez LHP Throws sharp hammer curve, dirty slider and straight, 94-96 FB -- mediocre FB command 18.5 TEX AA
12 Christian Friedrich LHP Best pitch: devastating CB that he commands well; 90-94 FB w/ good sink; CH could be ave. 22.2 COL A+
13 Hector Rondon RHP Raw w/ upside; 91-94 FB -- misses over the plate a bit too much; impressive SL and CH 21.6 CLE AAA
14 Junichi Tazawa RHP Deceptive pitcher has huge 12/6 CB, good FB movement and strong CH; excellent command 23.3 BOS MLB
15 Mike Leake RHP Awesome command of 90-93 FB that has a lot of movement; impressive CH; big GB guy 21.9 CIN NCAA
16 Jon Niese LHP His 88-92 FB moves a lot + is deceptive -- commands it well, too; CB can be a knee-buckler 22.9 NYM MLB
17 Jake Arrieta RHP Good athlete; 3 promising secondary pitches; straight 90-93 FB w/ inconsistent command 23.6 BAL AAA
18 Jenrry Mejia RHP Owner of a filthy 94-98 FB that has hard, cutting action; CH has excellent movement 20.0 NYM AA
19 Casey Kelly RHP Outstanding athlete has three pitches that could be ave. or better: 86-90 FB, CB and CH 20.0 BOS A+
20 Michael Montgomery LHP Up-and-down 1st full season; was tough to hit, missed a lot of bats and adjusted well to A+ 20.3 KC A+
Blogs:
“I’ll be ready for spring training,” Reyes told the New York Post today.
As I am sure you have all heard by now, Jose Reyes tore his already injured hamstring trying to run, making surgery all but certain. What gets lost in the talk about pitch counts, inning caps, Verducci effect, and "bad mechanics," is the single biggest deterrent to pitcher injuries, the pitcher's judgment. Similarly, while it's reckless to blame the training staff, the doctors, or whoever else in what can probably be labeled as a massive mishandling, one thing seems obvious: no one knows Jose Reyes' body and its limitations better than Jose Reyes. That's why reports of Reyes pushing himself to dispel the doubts of teammates and media members calling him lazy are angering, and it's probably why it has reached this point. While I don't know whether the team ignored Reyes or pushed him too hard in his rehab, it certainly seems that way, and fan perception is probably more important than reality to the organization at this point. This post is not crescendoing into some thundering condemnation of team management, because by now it's pretty apparent that any delay in their firings is just penny-pinching. I just want to reflect on what a season this has been, in which the Mets can be swept by the Nationals in the most embarrassing fashion possible, then hold a post-game press conference to announce the career-threatening mismanagement of their star player's leg injuries.
Rich Aurilia, 38, Giants - 09:$1M
Hank Blalock, 29, Rangers - 04:$0.5M, 05:$0.8M; 06:$3M, 07:$4.75M, 08:$5.95M, 09:$6M club option ($0.25M buyout)
Russell Branyan, 34, Mariners - 09:$1.4M
Miquel Cairo, 36, Phillies - 09:$500K
Frank Catalanotto, 36, Brewers - 07:$3.5M, 08:$4M, 09:$4M, 10:$5M club option ($2M buyout)
Tony Clark, 38, Diamondbacks - 09: $800K
Carlos Delgado, 38, Mets - 05:$4M, 06:$13.5M, 07:$14.5M, 08:$16M, 09:$16M vesting option or $12M club option ($4M buyout)
Nomar Garciaparra, 36, Athletics - 09:$1M
Ross Gload, 34, Marlins - 08:$1.3M, 09:$1.9M, 10:$2.6M club option
Eric Hinske, 32, Yankees - 06:$1.5M
Nick Johnson, 31, Marlins, 08: $4.25M 09: $5M
Adam LaRoche, 30, Braves - 09:$7.5M
Doug Mientkiewicz, 36, Dodgers - 09:$550K
Kevin Millar, 38, Blue Jays - 09:$850K
Chad Tracy, 30, Diamondbacks - 07:$2.75M, 08:$3.75M, 09:$4.75M, 10:$7M club option ($1M buyout)
Daryle Ward, 35, Nationals - 09:minor league contract
Dimitri Young, 36, Nationals - 08:$5M, 09:$5M, 10:$6M option (may vest based on plate appearances)
Hank Blalock, 29, Rangers - 04:$0.5M, 05:$0.8M; 06:$3M, 07:$4.75M, 08:$5.95M, 09:$6M club option ($0.25M buyout)
Russell Branyan, 34, Mariners - 09:$1.4M
Miquel Cairo, 36, Phillies - 09:$500K
Frank Catalanotto, 36, Brewers - 07:$3.5M, 08:$4M, 09:$4M, 10:$5M club option ($2M buyout)
Tony Clark, 38, Diamondbacks - 09: $800K
Carlos Delgado, 38, Mets - 05:$4M, 06:$13.5M, 07:$14.5M, 08:$16M, 09:$16M vesting option or $12M club option ($4M buyout)
Nomar Garciaparra, 36, Athletics - 09:$1M
Ross Gload, 34, Marlins - 08:$1.3M, 09:$1.9M, 10:$2.6M club option
Eric Hinske, 32, Yankees - 06:$1.5M
Nick Johnson, 31, Marlins, 08: $4.25M 09: $5M
Adam LaRoche, 30, Braves - 09:$7.5M
Doug Mientkiewicz, 36, Dodgers - 09:$550K
Kevin Millar, 38, Blue Jays - 09:$850K
Chad Tracy, 30, Diamondbacks - 07:$2.75M, 08:$3.75M, 09:$4.75M, 10:$7M club option ($1M buyout)
Daryle Ward, 35, Nationals - 09:minor league contract
Dimitri Young, 36, Nationals - 08:$5M, 09:$5M, 10:$6M option (may vest based on plate appearances)
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