10/6/11

Cutnpaste: - Brian Schneider, Albert Cordero, David Cone, Forbes on Jose, 2012 Ticket Prices


Brian Schneider, Philadelphia Phillies -- Ok, so maybe Schneider's now plying his trade for the club he idolized growing up, the very same club that sent the Mets to the playoff exile now reaching its fifth year. He was the guy charged with replacing Paul Lo Duca, which wasn't terribly difficult from the performance perspective but moreso from the fans' point of view. And he only arrived as the end result of Omar Minaya trading Lastings Milledge well after the outfielder's star prospect status had faded away. Schneider never did anything terribly wrong, though. He didn't hit that well, but covered up his shortcomings at the plate with his respected defense behind it. He earned $9.8 mllion for his services across 2008 and 2009, but the Washington Nationals signed him to that contract. He might ultimately be forgettable in Mets history, but he's probably easier for Mets fans to root for than Phillies third base coach Juan Samuel. - http://www.amazinavenue.com/2011/9/30/2459916/a-mets-fans-guide-to-recognizing-your-saints-in-the-2011-mlb-playoffs

10-3-11: - http://www.metsminorleagueblog.com/season-review-the-full-season-catchers  - Albert Cordero split time nearly evenly with Forsythe. For my money, he was the most improved Gnat hitter from Opening Day through the end of the season, and it wasn’t particularly close. Sure, he made some minor mechanical tweaks to put him in a better hitting position, and improve his balance, but the major difference was that he stopped chasing everything. Cordero hit .219/.248/.297 with eight extra base hits and four walks in 45 games in the first half and .330/.373/.439 with 15 extra-base hits and 11 walks in 59 games in the second half. He became very good at taking pitches on the outer-half into right field. It’s nice that he hit, but he has the tools to become a strong defender. He has really good feet and soft hands. He threw out 40% of the runners who attempted to run on him (24-for-60) which would have been good enough for fourth in the South Atlantic League. However, he could get sloppy at times, as his 17 errors and 14 passed balls attest.

David Cone (1992): OK this one doesn’t really count, as Cone was traded to the Blue Jays right at the end of August. But he was in the last month of his contract and it was generally assumed that he would not resign with the Mets. GM Al Harazin realizing Cone was leaving, went into panic mode and moved him quickly to the Jays. Backing up the old adage that even a blind squirrel finds a nut occassionally, part of the haul included an unknown second baseman named Jeff Kent. Unfortunately, the Mets didn’t know what they had in Jeff and watched as he fueded with teamates, the press and the fans until they shipped him to Cleveland in the ill-fated Carlos Baerga deal. Later Kent developed into a Hall of Famer with the San Francisco Giants. Cone went on to spectacular career: winning a World Series with Toronto and a Cy Young Award in Kansas City. He then went to the Yankees (they do have a fetish for ex-Mets, no?) where he won four rings, pitched a perfect game and got Mike Piazza out in a crucial spot in Game Four of the Subway Series. - http://www.metstoday.com/7084/11-12-offseason/adios-jose-five-free-agents-who-left-the-mets

In the final analysis as to whether the Mets should re-sign Reyes, there are three subtle but significant factors worth attention. One is that it is easy to rationalize signing a player to an overvalued deal because many fans and owners have become increasingly detached from the reality that real dollar values are at play, which is as much a result of the explosive growth of fantasy sports as it is the enormous sums of money that are part-and-parcel of today’s sports business. Another factor is that the past few years have shown the Mets success—both on the field and at the turnstiles—does not hinge on Reyes as much as might be believed. And, third, if they do re-sign him, it will likely be for somewhere near top dollar, though maybe for no better reason than to satisfy the self-delusion that just a little more time, a few more attempts and a good many more dollars will be exactly what is needed to show that the player is able to perform to the range and level of expectations that most have been waiting for him to play up to all these years. - http://www.forbes.com/sites/sportsmoney/2011/10/03/the-mets-and-jose-reyes-pay-for-performance-or-potential

The majority of Season Ticket Holders will pay less for their seats in 2012:

 • 80% of seats will have a reduction of approximately 5% or greater

• 57% of seats will have a reduction of 10% or greater

• 35% will have a cut of 20% or more

• 18% will have a drop of 30% or more

 • More than 15,000 seats will cost less than $25 per game

Some of the deepest Season Ticket Holder price reductions are in the following seating categories: Caesars Silver (39%); Caesars Gold (34%); Promenade Outfield (33%); Promenade Box (30%); and Promenade Gold (30%). - http://www.nj.com/mets/index.ssf/2011/10/mets_announce_lowered_prices_f.html

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