Cutnpaste: Brad Holt, Jason Bay, DePodesta on Moneyball, Wright on Losing, Pedro Feliciano

9-3-11: - http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/09/prospect-pulse-buffalo-2012-help-on-the-way.html  - - RP: Brad Holt - The enigmatic 6’4″ right-hander with the “perfect pitchers body” and the power fastball, has been a real head-scratcher so far. After breaking out of the box like a runaway train for Brooklyn, as a starter, making his professional debut in 2008, Holt ran into a brick wall the following season. For 9 games in 2009 he did fine for St Lucie, but then when called up to Bingo, all-hell-broke-loose. He suddenly couldn’t get anybody out. The remainder of ’09 he pitched to a record of 3-6 with a 6.21 ERA. In 2010, after starting out in AA going 1-5 with an alarming 10.20 ERA, he was demoted to St Lucie where he didn’t do much better, going 2-9, 7.48 ERA. 2011 hasn’t been eye-popping, but he is definitely making progress. His overall numbers this year are average, 8-7 with a 4.67 ERA, but most of the runs he gave up were in the first half when he was being utilized as a starter. Since being converted to a relief pitcher full-time, he has been quietly doing a superb job in one and two inning stints. In his last ten games out of the pen Holt is: 4-0 with a 3.07 ERA, and opponents are hitting .179 off him. The biggest improvement Holt has made is in his increased command, which has resulted in fewer walks, and that was crucial for him. If he can keep moving forward, and make the necessary adjustments to the higher caliber of play at AAA, he could emerge as a “relief ace” for Buffalo, a real lock down, 8th inning guy, which is exactly what the Mets see him as in the bigs. Will he be a help to the Mets at sometime in 2012 as a bullpen option? Why the heck not? He’s got the talent, hopefully his mechanics will fall into line.

(Jason) Bay's recent revival could be the worst thing that could happen to the Mets, because it might actually give the front office enough reason to talk itself into keeping Bay around for the life of the contract. Why is this a bad thing? Because as good as his past 140 plate appearances have been -- and let's be honest, they're still not that good -- we have another 700 PAs as a Met that suggest he is toast. Not to mention the fact much of the recent damage he is doing is against pitchers who were called up when rosters expanded on Sept. 1, and are of Triple-A caliber. Having lived through the Roberto Alomar experience, Mets fans are quite familiar with the idea that good players can suddenly lose it in their early 30s, which is what appears to have happened with Bay. And even if he somehow can manage an .800 OPS in 2012, the Mets are still better off without him. - http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/story?id=6968872&_slug_=new-york-mets-release-jason-bay&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fmlb%2fstory%3fid%3d6968872%26_slug_%3dnew-york-mets-release-jason-bay  

“I figured this might get asked at some point [laughing]. I imagine I’ll see it at some point. To be honest, it’s a little surreal and a little awkward. As you noted, Jonah’s not actually playing me, he’s playing a fictionalized character. It’s loosely based on the idea of me, or the idea of a dozen different younger executives with particular backgrounds. Hopefully it’ll be fun and an enjoyable movie. The last time I spoke with Jonah, right before they started filming, the last thing I said to Jonah was to have a lot of fun. We had an awful lot of fun when we were in Oakland. Hopefully that comes through in the movie and nobody takes it too seriously.” - http://www.ontheblack.com/2011/09/15/paul-depodesta-thoughts-on-moneyball

"It's obviously disappointing," David Wright said. "It's another year we're not going to the playoffs. You would've thought with the resources we have and the players we've had that we would've had the opportunity to go to the playoffs more than once (in 2006) and that hasn't happened. But there's only one thing to do and that's play better. We have to try to finish strong and next year figure out a way to get it done. - http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/2011/09/14/2011-09-14_new_york_mets_officially_eliminated_from_playoff_contention_then_fall_to_washing.html#ixzz1Y1fiWEUd  

Pedro Feliciano may not throw a single pitch for the New York Yankees, yet still be paid $8 million over his two-year stay with the franchise. In 2010, Pedro Feliciano became just the fifth pitcher in major league history to make 90 or more appearances in a season. The left-handed reliever, who signed a two-year contract with the Yankees over the winter, missed the entire 2011 season trying to recover from a shoulder injury. On Sept. 8, he had left rotator cuff surgery which will threaten his 2012 season, if not his career. - http://content.usatoday.com/communities/dailypitch/post/2011/09/new-york-yankees-reliever-pedro-feliciano-surgery-career/1