(I was interviewed by this St. Louis blog late in February. Here's what I said...)
My name is Daniel Shoptaw and I write the Cardinals blog C70 At The Bat. Every year at this time I run my Playing Pepper series, where I pose a set of questions to bloggers of every other major league team. This year, we're talking with Mack Ade of Mack's Mets.
Was it a good offseason for the team? Did they do what they needed to do? Is there any move you wished they had made that they didn’t?
If you ask 100 Mets fans how the off season has
gone, 95 would tell you that the Mets have done nothing to improve the team,
but, at the same time, they signed one of the top five ‘bats’ in the game, that
also was a free agent… outfielder Yoenes Cespedes... and brought back two of last year's top relievers, Jerry Blevens and Fernando Salas.
Cespedes opted out of his deal with the Mets
and was on the free agent market, but Sandy Alderson knew that he would have no chance to return to
the World Series without this guy.
The problem with the off-season is the
inability to trade outfielder Jay Bruce so they can clear this salary. The trade was
also supposed to target receiving either a quality reliever or a couple of blue
chip prospect.
Nobody seems to want Bruce and reports now out
of the Mets camp is that he will start the season as the rightfielder.
What are the expectations for Matt Harvey, both in when he will return and how
effective he’ll be when he does?
Harvey has caught a lot of flak for his
attitude, the fact that he has Scott Boras for an agent, and the average Mets fan just know
in their heart that this guy is just playing the string out until free agency
rolls around.
I believe he will be effective because he
always has been. With all the ups and downs, he has a 2.94/1.08, 9.09-K/9 stat
line in the four seasons he has been a Met.
My guess is the Mets brain trust will start the
season off with a 6-man rotation and limit the innings for Harvey and the other
pitchers coming off surgery (Jacob deGrom, Steven Matz, Zack Wheeler).
The hope here is that Harvey stays healthy and
puts up killer numbers before the all-star break so the Mets can put together a
deal for 2/3 quality players/prospects for his service.
Is there an unheralded player that
people should keep an eye on this season?
There are three ‘nobodies’ that should continue
to carry their weight on this team… SPs Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo, and utility infielder T.J. Rivera, but the ‘A’ rated
prospects won’t begin to arrive until September when the minors shut down.
One long shot… watch for pitcher P.J. Conlon, who was the Mets
minor league player of the year and had the lowest ERA last season in all of
minor league baseball. Word is the lefty may be converted from a starter and
fast tracked from AA-Binghamton to the Mets pen in Queens.
What’s your projection of the team’s
record and/or where will they finish in the division?
Mack – If everyone stays healthy (especially
the rotation) I see 86-76 as a target, but Washington will easily win the
division and Atlanta has done loads to improve their team.
My prediction:
Third place behind the Nats and Braves
Who is your all-time favorite Met and
why?
I grew up a Brooklyn Dodgers fan and
worshiped Gil Hodges.
I danced in the streets when he became a New
York Mets and I cried quietly in my bedroom when he passed.
Many would answer this question with the name Mike Piazza. Others would say it
was ‘The Captain’, David Wright.
For me, it will always be Number 14.
5 comments:
Hey Mack..great interview answers...just like to add.one point to your last answer..I would also say many oldtimers would include the franchise Tom Terrific to their list of favorite Mets..
Anon -
You are correct, though I'm 70 and Hodges is the Met of my generation. The guys that are 60 are the Seaver freaks :).
No A Rated Tim Tebow? Then you'll not be gettin any Irish Soda Bread from Mes. McGillicudy today! Great interview, Mack...but we're winning 95.
I'm with Tom.We won 87 last year with virtually every key player spending significant time on the DL. With REASONABLE health we should be over 90. I'm older than Mack, and loved Gil, but he did very little as a Mets player. Straw was the first position player to reach stardom here. Tom was a great pitcher, but too much of a me-firster for me to warm up to. Koop wasn't as good, but easier to root for.
Bill -
I wasn't asked who I thouht was the BEST Mets player.
I was asked who was my favorite.
Post a Comment