10/8/11

Cutnpaste: - Octavio Dotel, Dusty Ryan, Mike Hampton, Jeurys Familia, TV Viewing

Octavio Dotel, St. Louis Cardinals -- Speaking of ex-Mets closers, the Cardinals reliever has seen his share of success as one but never accrued a save as a Met. Dotel was still a starter back in 1999, but his mixed progress to that point left him vulnerable to be included in the trade by then-GM Steve Phillips that brought Mike Hampton to New York. He was a victim of Phillips's strategy to mortgage the future for a shot at the 2000 Subway Series, but that never gets mentioned much as Hampton's departure ultimately resulted in the Mets drafting David Wright. Dotel battled injuries that stole the shine from his prospect star, but that trade combination contributed more to the Mets than anything Cards third base coach Jose Oquendo ever provided in his short stint with the team back in 1983 and 1984. - 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  - Dusty Ryan, who turned 27 in September, spent the second half of the season with Binghamton, where he hit .265/.351/.496. Ryan appeared in a combined 27 games for the Tigers in the big leagues in 2008 and 2009 before getting stuck in AAA with the Padres affiliate in Portland for all of 201.

Mike Hampton (2000): Mike arrived two days before Christmas in 1999 for Octavio Dotel and Roger Cedeno. He helped anchor the rotation in for 2000 NL Champion Mets, going 15–10 with a 3.12 ERA and winning the MVP of the 2000 NLCS. Then he departed for Colorado, making the infamous “the schools in Colorado are better” remark. Injuries derailed Mike’s career and his 8 year, $121 million dollar contract is widely regarded as one of the worst free-agent signings in MLB history. As compensation, the Mets received Colorado’s pick in the draft and took an infielder you may have heard of: David Wright. - http://www.metstoday.com/7084/11-12-offseason/adios-jose-five-free-agents-who-left-the-mets

10-5-11: - www.baseballamerica.com  – (Jeurys) Familia toned down his delivery from his phrenetic motion he showed prior to 2011, and that allowed him to throw more quality strikes with one of the EL’s most explosive fastballs. His loose, whippy arm helps him sit at 92-96 mph with hard life down in the zone. His curveball has improved, and while it has slurvy shape, it has late break at times and gives him another swing-and-miss pitch. His changeup is too firm but is a decent third pitch that plays up thanks to his premium fastball. His youth and inexperience show up most with his erratic defense and difficulties holding runners.

The good news for the New York Mets: An average of 163,000 homes watched their games in 2011 on SNY. That ranked fourth in Major League Baseball, behind only the Yankees (319,000), Phillies (276,000) and Red Sox (192,000). The bad news, according to SportsBusiness Journal: The audience size was a 19.3 percent drop from 2010 levels.  As a percentage of audience lost, the Mets did not rank in the bottom five. Those honors belonged to the Padres (-41.4 percent), Astros (-40.3.), Rays (-37.5), Dodgers (-30.1) and Twins (-28.3). But in raw numbers, the Mets lost the third-largest TV viewership in 2011 compared to the previous season, according to the study.  In all, 39,000 fewer homes per game watched the Mets this past season. The biggest raw dropoff belonged to the Twins with a loss of 43,000 homes per game, followed by the Rays at 40,000. – www.espn.com

No comments: