Tom Seaver on Matt Harvey – "Naturally, I felt terrible for the kid. He’s got such a bright future. But at the same time, all I could think of was how it just goes to show how all this babying of pitchers — pitch counts and innings limits — is a bunch of nonsense. You can’t predict these things, and there’s really not a whole lot you can do to prevent them other than refining your mechanics as (’60s and ’70s Mets pitching coach) Rube Walker did with us. But one way I know doesn’t do anything to prevent them is babying these kids like they do."
Mack – I couldn’t agree more.
Pitchers were put on the mound to do one thing and one thing only and they were taught early on that the more you through, the stronger your arm became. Sure, there were exercises for your legs and other parts of your bodies, but it was your am that got you to the mound and it would be your arm that kept you there.
Everybody that has ever thrown 100 baseballs at full speed has some kind of arm soreness two days later. You can translate this into curling five reps of 50 pounds in the weight room. Trust me, you’ll feel it two days later.
It would be interesting is baseball lined up their entire pitching staff on the day after the season ended and had them take an MRI. You’d probably find, what they call, a shit load of ‘tears’ in your ulnar collateral ligament.
Joe D over at http://metsmerizedonline.com/2013/08/could-an-april-1st-return-be-possible-for-harvey.html wrote an interesting piece on comments Keith Law made regarding this. He brought up a treatment that Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant and Rafael Nadal used with something called PRP. Give it a read… it’s quite interesting.
Look, there isn’t a ‘partial’ tear in the world that you won’t find two doctors having two different opinions on this issue. Harvey himself said he has felt this ‘soreness’ for quite a while so we have no idea when this ‘tear’ happened? Could it be last year? What about the year he pitched 150+ pitches in college?
All I know is he was ranked second in ERA with all these ‘problems’ and his velo never went down.
My vote is for some down time, the PRP treatment, and a return to Extended Camp in January.
Let’s just slow down a little here on the ‘Wilmer Flores for second base’ train and take another look at Daniel Murphy. Is Flores ever going to hit more than .280? Is Flores ever going to hit more clutch hits than Murphy? And is Flores ever going to make less errors than Murphy? It seems to me that the only thing going for Flores right now is his age, which may mean nothing now that Dilson Herrera is in the organization. If Herrera is everything everyone says he is, keeping Murphy and David Wright 2-3 in the lineup for the next couple of years won’t be the worst thing this team ever decides to do. We are working with a small sample, but, so far, our kiddie corp of superstars (Flores-d’Arnaud- Den Decker)are 19-97. For me, Flores is young enough to withstand a utility role in 2014, playing 1B, 2B, and 3B behind Davis (whomever), Murphy, Wright, and hitting DH in the AL games. I’m sure Mike… Terry Collins can work out 200+ at bats for him. I’m like the Mets to concentrate their available dollars on shortstop and the outfield. That’s where the most need is.
MetsBlog - The Mets have discussed giving Gonzalez Germen a few road opportunities this September to be the team’s closer, Andy Martino reports for the Daily News.First of all, you always have to be careful about what Andy Martino writes. A conversation with him could easily be:
Martino – can you see using Germen in September as a closer?
Someone in the range of a Mets official to the ticket guy – sure, anything could happen
Thus, the headline
The fact is the Mets must plan on Bobby Parnell not being ready on opening day 2014. I’ve had herniated discs so I assume the reason no surgery has taken place let is they are still determining if the shots and treatments can help enough. If not, he will go under the knife late and could be lost for the entire season.
Either way, you have to now start putting a bullpen to paper and, on mine, are the names David Aardsma, Josh Edgin, Jeurys Familia, Vic Black, Germen, and Carlos Torres. I’m not big on old guys and I would hope that Sandy Alderson can find at least one more good lefty burner for this pen.
I would also go into spring training and tell pitchers like Darin Gorski, Logan Verrett, and Jake deGrom that there is one more pen slot open and it’s their job to secure it.
Based on all this, Black would be my closer, my LOOGY would be Edgin and my ROOGY would be Germen.
Eric Young with the Mets: .255/.329/.335
Eric Young in the majors: .260/.329/.340
Las Vegas SP Jake deGrom has been benched with ‘mild shoulder tightness’. I assume we have seen the last of him and he will not pitch in the Vegas playoffs, nor should we see him in Queens this month. He was close to his innings limit (COUGH… pussies… COUGH) and was going to be shut down anyway.
Linda Ronstadt – The first thing to know about Linda Ronstadt is that if you ring the bell at her home here, on a sedate street with views of the ocean, she’ll answer the door herself. At least she did on a recent Monday morning. “I can’t do it, because of my health,” Ms. Ronstadt said. “I have Parkinson’s.” (The news was first reported in the AARP Magazine online on Aug. 23.) She held out a slightly trembling hand. Her vocal cords are also affected. “I can’t sing at all,” she said, matter-of-factly. “I’m truly not able. I can’t sing ‘Happy Birthday,’ really.Every time Emmy comes to town, I wish I could get up on stage with her,” Ms. Ronstadt said. “I know I’d be allowed to, but I can’t do it.” Instead she will sit in the audience “and think the notes I’d be singing” in earlier times.“I have no choice,” she added, withheld passion at last surging to the surface, just as it does in the songs she made her own. “If there was something I could work on, I’d work on it till I could get it back. If there was a drug I could take to get it back, I would take the drug. I’d take napalm. But I’m never going to sing again.” http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/01/arts/music/linda-ronstadt-discusses-her-memoir-and-parkinsons.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&smid=tw-nytimes
Mack – The most beautiful voice of my generation
I think everyone is in agreement that we're done with the geezers in the bullpen. I'm done with The Hawkins, Atchinsons, Felicianos, Byrdeks and all the other relievers pushing 40. We have plenty of fringe arms in the minors that will need to be converted to the pen. Give the 3 guys you mentioned a shot out of spring training.
ReplyDeleteWhat do we do about Rice?
ReplyDeleteI think that Flores has a higher ceiling in regards to his offensive output then Murphy. Defensively, Murphy will have him beat, shockingly too, because Murphy might have found the only guy on the planet he's better then with a glove.
ReplyDeleteDespite that, I still believe Murphy should go to the bench, step aside, and let the potential in Flores take over second base. Flores will be a run producer. A guy who hits in the middle of the lineup. Murphy belongs batting second. So, what's more valuable there? The run producer is.
I'll also admit I've soured on Murphy. I can't take the constant hot and cold with him and that he swings at everything. By now, he should have learned what pitches he can't handle, yet flies out harmlessly why too often on pitches he shouldn't be swinging at.
I also agree that Murphy should be the bench guy, and Flores at second. Murphey can be first lefty off the bench, and Turner/Brown the first righties.
ReplyDeleteI know nothing about Vic Black.....but he throws heat, and everyone says he was a good catch in the trade. So give him a shot.
And, for the love of God, can someone tell Mets staff to NOT bring back Familia this year........everyone else gets innings limits, but Familia has to be rushed back on the mound???
Re. Linda R. I agree, Mack; same generation, same voice. And of course there's the Doc Gooden connection: his fastball, the "Linda Ronstadt" (because it "Blew By You").
ReplyDeleteMurphy is better than half the 2B in baseball. He's not going to be sitting on the bench. They could trade him for a starter or future starter. I think the better move is to trade Flores in a deal for a corner OF. Murph stays at second until an actual 2B takes his spot. Obviously the most likely candidate is Herrera right now but he's a few years away.
ReplyDeleteI like Flores's bat but he isn't a 2B. He may not even be a 3B. If he had Cano's bat, then maybe you deal with the extreme lack of defense but he's not that kind of hitter. Somebody will want him at 3rd. Maybe Colorado in a deal for Fowler.
Kevin, there's something to be said about experience when it comes to bullpen arms. Not that I'm suggesting we load up on over he hill arms, but what Hawkins & Isringhausen have done to help the younger guys can't be quantified. I like the youth movement, but I would like to see a few "Sandy Specials" aka guys who don't have a contract a week before camp opens and bring them in to see if thy have nothing left, (see Atchison, Lyon, Hawkins, Feliciano)
ReplyDeleteListen up folks...
ReplyDeleteYou're NEVER going to be thrilled with Wilmer Flores and a glove on his hand at any position.
Then he's trade fodder.
ReplyDeleteI'm a big believer in Flores' bat, but in watching him for even a few games, it's pretty clear that he's not a big league second baseman. The kid looks far more comfortable at 3B, and, while he'll never win any hold gloves, he could likely hack it at 1B as well.
ReplyDeleteHere's a question... Would anyone be surprised if Dan Murphy put up a line of .320 with 40 2B and 15 HR next season? I wouldn't. He's certainly got the ability to do that.. And on a team with other holes to fill, I agree with Mack that you leave Murph where he is for a couple of years and focus resources elsewhere.
I think you keep Flores around as Ike insurance next year, either on the big club, trying to get him 300 AB's, or leading the PCL in hitting, and playing 3B every day, where his trade value is highest. If Ike pans out, you can package Flores (as a 3B) with pitching in a big deal in the '14-'15 offseason.
You simply play Flores every day in September with the hopes that his bat lights up.
ReplyDeleteYou want someone to come after him in the off-season.
I'd be SHOCKED if Murphy put those numbers up. He's a good hitter, not a great hitter. He doesn't have 15 homer power and swings at far too many balls to ever hit that high.
ReplyDeleteI think it's early to pass judgment on Flores. He just turned 22, just....He likely will get even bigger and fill out more over the next few years. His hit tool is excellent and strikes out very few times. That's a recipe for having a future in MLB that has a lot of power potential.
Murphy has been given every chance possible to take second base and make it his. He's played everywhere in the hopes of finding a spot on the roster. It just so happens that he isn't good enough to be considered irreplaceable. A better hitter can take his place.
My question: isn't a Mets team so good that they could put a guy like Murphy on the bench a much more interesting possibility? Having a guy like Murph ready to step in if someone at 1st, 2nd, or 3rd gets hurt is a huge advantage. Having him late in games to pinch hit is too.
The Mets would be better off with him on the bench.
Keeper. I believe he's under team control for six more years.
ReplyDelete