The Mets have capitalised on this talent in the past decade. Of all the teams in the majors, the Mets have signed the most players from Japan. Whilst it hasn't produced results yet, I'm optimistic that the signing of Takahashi and Igarashi will help the Mets pitching in 2010. They're not Yu Darvish, but they'll do for now. The Mets/Japan legacy is thanks to erstwhile manager Bobby Valentine (whose bar, Bobby V's in Stamford, CT, I ate in the other day) and his time in Japan with the Chiba Lotte Marines is summed up very well by Robert Whiting at the Japan Times (ht: eastwindupchronicle). It's worth reading. - link
So, strange as it may seem given the thousands of words already spilled about the finest everyday player in Mets history, the Wright story is still to be written. Wright is younger than Schmidt, A-Rod or Babe Ruth were when they altered the trajectory through which history viewed them forever.
It says here that the smart money is on David Wright's doing his part to make a similar leap. Far less clear is if his surrounding team can follow, or if 2010 and beyond will be a larger-scale version of Wright's excellent Septembers, cast to the dust bin of history by the failings of his teammates.- link
I just filed a story on Jesus Flores, a catcher with an irrepressible good nature and, right now, a very worrisome shoulder. He also had lots to say, and plenty I wanted to print. Only problem: The story was given an 800-word allotment, and yet the story, the real story -- something messy and imperfect and poignant and open-ended -- required much more. So here goes...
Here are some of the things that I didn't come even close to writing about, but should have: How Flores, determined to come back from his September 2009 labrum surgery, elected against an offseason return trip to his home in Venezuela, because there he wouldn't have access to cutting-edge rehab facilities. And how Flores found an apartment in Miami, even though he knew nobody, and woke up every morning lonely but determined. How Flores paid for his own physical therapist, and eventually enlisted a group of Latin ballplayers (Alex Cora, Placido Polanco, etc.) as workout partners. How Flores took a taxi everywhere, at least until December, because his arm was still in a sling and so he couldn't get both hands on the wheel of a car. How Flores grew to like Miami so much, despite the "crazy" driving, that he now wants to buy a home there. - link
According to the New York Daily News, the Mets are eyeing left-handed reliever Joe Beimel. The Mets are hoping to bring in a second southpaw to compliment Pedro Feliciano in the bullpen. Beimel, who turns 33 in April, posted a 3.58 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in 55 1/3 innings last season for the Nationals and Rockies. According to the Daily News, the Mets have about $1 million to spend.
- link
With the signing of Rod Barajas we finally (hopefully) are done signing catchers and unless something drastic happens this spring Barajas is going to be the Mets starting catcher come opening day. Now obviously Barajas wasn’t part of the dreadful season 2009 was but he is still going to need to step up to help this team for 2010. Barajas with the exception of Johan Santana is going to have to take control of this pitching staff and get them to throw a good game every 5 days. We all know Ollie Perez, John Maine and Mike Pelfrey are head-cases, he is going to have his work cut out for him this season but a good catcher can make all the difference. Barajas does call a good a game and to me that is more important than what he is going to do offensively. I want him to have good at bats and produce offensively the way he has done over his career but I want his head focused on catching our pitchers. Of course he can’t be the everyday catcher hitting below the Mendoza line but if he stays true to form he can hit some homerun’s and help our offense score some runs.
http://metsmerizedonline.com/2010/02/time-to-step-up-part-2-infielders.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
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