The LTJ Report - Harvey Pitches Again, More Trade Rumors, Mejia to Relief, and How Syndergaard will Light MLB on Fire!

Earlier this week, New York Mets starting pitcher Matt Harvey threw a simple 20 pitch session in Spring Training and experienced no difficulty whatsoever. He is showing good progress after having successful Tommy John surgery and is doing well in rehabbing his throwing mechanics for his return in 2015. Keep in mind the Mets don't want the spotlight to be on his small pitching sessions during Spring Training since he definitely won't be playing anytime soon. I also don't see Harvey coming back this season as the Mets wouldn't want to deal with a nightmare if he gets hurt again and sets him back even further from a full recovery. Expect to see him back in the starting rotation come 2015.

Mets first baseman Ike Davis is still a hot topic these days as his name continues to come up on trade rumors and the fact that even though he’s in Spring Training with the team, he is still not a lock to stay on the team for too long. The latest now is the Baltimore Orioles have a strong interest in bringing in Davis to primarily be their Designated Hitter. According to the New York Post, Davis to become a DH in the American League could actually happen if the Mets pull the trigger on such a deal. While no draft picks would be involved, perhaps the Orioles can intrigue the Mets with some positional/utility players if a deal is reached. There is no denying Davis has a good bat when he’s not in a funk and could be stellar in a DH kind of role with a new team and ballpark. It’ll be interesting to see if a deal can be reached since even though Davis wants to remain a Met, I can imagine he’s probably frustrated with how this entire situation has unfolded throughout the offseason and into Spring Training. I personally think his name is a popular headline for every possible trade proposition you can think of since he knows he is on borrowed time. Expect to see Davis traded before Opening Day.

Reports are surfacing that the Seattle Mariners have been in talks with the Mets to see if a trade could be made between some extra players on both sides that the other side needs. At the moment, the Mariners are interested in trading shortstop Nick Franklin for possibly some of the younger pitching prospects in the Mets minor league system as they have plenty of arms to spare. Franklin would be a nice acquisition for the Mets since last season, he hit.225 with 12 HR’s and 45 RBI’s. He is a good utility baseball player since he has experience as a second baseman and shortstop. I think bringing him in would be a great idea so we don't have to deal with Ruben Tejada and his inconsistency. While Franklin won't exactly have the great impact a guy like Stephen Drew would make, Franklin would be ideal to hold down the starting shortstop position.

The Mets are once again considering converting Jenrry Mejia from a starting pitcher to a relief pitcher and quite honestly, I agree with it. Even though Mejia is currently doing his best to win the fifth spot in the Mets starting pitching rotation, manager Terry Collins hasn’t completely ruled out turning him into a bullpen option. It might happen obviously if he doesn’t get that starting spot but I think if he’s fully converted to a relief pitcher, it’ll help him recover from his bone spur surgery he had on his elbow last season. That way he can still contribute to the team in a relief kind of way while also not adding on anymore wear and tear. If Mejia were to adjust just a few of his pitches to help gobble up outs, I think he would thrive in this sort of situation, at least for this season. We’ll see how Spring Training goes for Mejia since I personally predict he's going to win that fifth spot in the Mets starting rotation. If healthy, Mejia will be outstanding this upcoming season.

Starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard has absolutely lived up to his top prospect hype so far in Spring Training. He was showcasing his amazing pitching magic this past Monday in a bullpen session where he was hitting 97+mph fastballs around a crowd of people. People were amazed at his velocity and were said to be incredibly impressed. I know I can’t wait to see him finally get that call up to the majors so we can see the damage he will cause at the major league level. He’s really tall too, coming in at 6’6, I can imagine what opposing batters will think when he has his eyes set on that strike zone!

Luis Tirado Jr. has been a Sportswriter for over 14 years. He is the founder of TheNYExpress.com and writes for RantSports.com, Mack's Mets, and GiantsGab.com. Please follow him on Twitter @LTJ81, "Like" his page on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google+.

The LTJ Editorial: “Have we truly seen the last of Johan Santana?”

“The LTJ Editorial”
Author: Luis Tirado Jr.
Date: 11-8-13
Twitter: @LTJ81
Website: http://www.TheNYExpress.com

“Have we truly seen the last of Johan Santana?”

All through my life, I've always enjoyed getting the sports jersey of my favorite players on the various teams I root for. Yeah, it's no secret, while I do cover both the New York Yankees and New York Mets, deep inside my heart, I love my Mets. Ever since 1986 when I saw the World Series trophy in the hands of guys like Strawberry, Hernandez, Gooden, etc when I was about 5 years old, I was hooked on this team. That image to this day is burned into my memory, it's the last time I ever saw any of my teams actually win a championship that I can remember. These past few years have been rough on a diehard Mets fan like me but we have our moments here and there. One amazing memory that is actually up there with that '86 championship to a degree, was the first ever no-hitter in Mets history. I'll never forget back on June 1^st, 2012 when for the first time in team history, the New York Mets FINALLY achieved a no-hitter. I watched every inning that game getting goosebumps with every successful out leading to the 9^th inning. Once it finally happened, I knew that the player who ended up bringing that elusive no-hitter to the Mets would be immortalized forever. Of course it went to one of my favorite players on the team, Starting Pitcher Johan Santana.

Some say the decision Manager Terry Collins made to keep Santana in that game potentially led to the shoulder issues that nagged him thereafter. He re-tore his shoulder capsule going into this past MLB season and ultimately needed season-ending surgery that technically stemmed from that perfect game. He missed the entire season and being at the age of 34 years old, everyone wondered if he would ever be the same again. A few weeks ago, the Mets had the decision to pick up his team option or decline it. The team ultimately made the decision to not bring him back. At the time of this editorial, he will be testing the free agency market. There is a possibility he will return to the Mets if no interesting offers are presented from other teams. There is also talk he might be presented with a new deal by the Mets that is incentive based since he is coming off surgery and a year away from MLB. It’s the first time in his career Santana will be a free agent so this is all new to him as well as Mets fans seeing his name there.

When you look at the big picture, many questions need to be answered. Can Santana be effective as a starter again next year? Since he's towards the last leg of his solid career, would there be a chance he would change pitching positions? Maybe converting to a Relief Pitcher or even a Closing Pitcher at this point of his career? Of course the big elephant in the room is would the Mets make some kind of offer to bring him back since we are down an ace? We all know Starting Pitcher Matt Harvey will be out for all of the 2014 MLB season due to Tommy John Surgery on his throwing shoulder so we have a spot open. Would it make sense to bring back an established ace to fill the void without Harvey?

Let's try to dissect all this for a moment.

In the long-term sense, bringing back Santana would be a mistake. For the short-term idea of things, perhaps a simple one-year deal as insurance would be ideal for the Mets. I still think though, this could truly have been the last time we've seen Santana wear a Mets uniform and I'll explain why. We all know the Owners of the Mets, the Wilpons, have made it quite clear they want to bring in some top notch talent to the team to make a quality season out of 2014. They want great pitching, solid defense, hard-hitting players, and gradually mix in their young amazing prospects into the majors. The Mets farm system is one of the best in baseball, especially with pitchers. The Wilpons want to make the organization and its fans know the “youth movement” is coming, no more memories of aging superstars eating away at the finances of the team. No more old players just standing around being unproductive or way past their prime. The key is to upgrade areas with established productive players through the free agency and build from within. Sadly, a player like Santana doesn't fit this criteria anymore when you think about it. He's coming off an entire year of no baseball activity and off of back to back major shoulder surgeries. It's more than likely he's seen his better days and for the Mets to bring him back would be a setback. It would seem like they're just bringing him back for namesake purposes and not for the benefit of the long-term big picture. Sure, there is that slight chance he will return and be decent but history shows that most players don't after these circumstances. They come back and easily require a few more years of re-learning the mechanics and techniques of what made them originally famous. It's not easy to say the least.

It's sad that Santana's final moments with the Mets ended this way. I don't see him returning to the team and he will end up playing somewhere else battling struggles to keep up with everything. I'll always be grateful for his contributions to the Mets as well as finally bringing that no-hitter to this franchise. I finally got to witness something other than a championship that will be remembered for generations to come. Santana pitched that in Citi Field too, you can't put a price on how awesome it all was.

The first Mets jersey I ever bought was back in 2008. When it comes to jerseys, I always take my time and think about who I want to represent. Sure, I could have easily got one of David Wright, Jose Reyes, or even Carlos Beltran since they were all awesome at the time. Something told me though, I had to get the jersey of a true warrior. Someone who exemplified greatness and extraordinary skill. A baseball player who fascinated me every single time I saw them play this sport I love so much.

I went with #57.

The LTJ Editorial: “Are the Mets coddling our pitchers?”

“The LTJ Editorial”
Author: Luis Tirado Jr.
Date: 9-10-13
Twitter: @LTJ81
Website: http://www.TheNYExpress.com

 

“Are the Mets coddling our pitchers?”

 

These past few months for the NY Mets pitchers have been chock full of injuries left and right. Stemming from last season with SP Johan Santana, the Mets have a grand total of eight pitchers on the disabled list. Injuries ranging from stress fractures, surgeries to fix pain from pitching, herniated disks, and the dreaded Tommy John Surgery that takes almost a year to heal. Needless to say, is there something wrong with how Management treats their pitchers? Or could it be that the Mets are simply overprotecting them from imaginary harm? Let me explain.

Between having proposed “innings caps” in the minors, to pulling pitchers out due to high pitch counts early in games, a lot of times doing those kind of moves makes baseball sense to a degree. You have your starting pitcher hitting 80 pitches too early in a game and you worry about him getting tightened up, sore, or playing through fatigue. Most of the time these injuries come with the game, you pitch so many days of the week and only have a day or so of rest in between starts and practices. It's bound to happen because of the workload that you have with every start. I remember last year the outburst of joy mixed with fear of letting Santana pitch that perfect game because everyone worried would he last the entire year. He didn't, but I refuse to believe that him pitching 134 pitches in one game truly led to his shoulder issue that ultimately needed surgery. It was even reported that Manager Terry Collins wanted to pull him out due to fear of him getting hurt. Santana of course refused and is etched in MLB history for that perfect game, but what if Collins did indeed pull him out? Could that have prevented his shoulder injury? I doubt it, it's one of those things you can't really predict. That's my whole point. No medical staff, manager, or coach can prevent an injury based on “what ifs” because of how you're playing. One thing that I feel should never happen is limiting your pitcher because of worrying about the future.

I read a great article about a week ago in the New York Daily News about how legendary Mets SP Tom Seaver said that while he felt bad for what happened to SP Matt Harvey, nothing could have prevented his injury. Not innings limits, pitch counts, or pulling him out early because of the wear and tear of his arm. That not only just the Mets but baseball in general truly “babies” young pitchers instead of letting them go out and do what they've been doing since they were little; play baseball. That in his era, pitchers didn't get coddled or told to take it easy with their pitches, they relied on mechanics, practice, and playing at their highest. I completely agree with Seaver here because honestly, he's absolutely correct. Back in his day, pitchers pitched way more than they do now, not pitch less for concerns about longevity. They also didn't suffer any major injuries and that's with double the workload back then to what it is now.

It just doesn't make sense to have the mentality as a pitching coach or even Manager that coddling pitchers will ultimately prevent injuries. Nothing can truly predict what causes an injury and when I look at the injury report and see eight pitchers on there for the Mets, I think there is something bigger going on. It feels like management treats their pitchers like fans do with their fantasy teams.... like robots! Too many times technology gets in the way and everything is being counted and tallied against you. Trying to teach young talent how to throw slower speed pitches so you last longer doesn't make much sense to me. Especially being pulled from a game against your will because you are throwing too hard and need to be “protected” for the future. As a pitcher, you know your game and your body more than any coach thinks he knows about you. Unless you are writhing in pain and can't go the distance, then by all means, let the medical staff/coach make that decision and take you out. But if you are in a rhythm and doing your thing, it's not right to be limited because your name and age determine your playing status.

The whole reason MLB went to five and possibly six man rotations depending on your team structure, was to limit the workload on starting pitchers. However, back in the day, especially when Seaver played, it use to be four man rotations and not many severe injuries to boot. No shoulder surgeries, or hernias, blown arms, nothing. Just straight up baseball where 300 inning workloads were the norm. Let pitchers go to their potential and stop coddling them for fear of their careers. Everyone is a competitor, let that natural aggression out and let it get sorted out as the years go by. You can't prevent injury but it seems lately, coaches are preventing players from doing what they love. Let the players play because at the end of the day, injuries are part of the game. It's just going to happen in this day and age. Trying to prevent them by limiting and shutting down players shouldn't be the only option to preserve careers. Conditioning, practicing, and executing does that.

Stop Rolling the Dice-K.

I know that being a Mets fan can be full of torture and rage. It comes with the territory. But for God's sake, please, someone stop Daisuke Matsuzaka.

His first game gave us a glimpse into the void. Five innings and five earned runs to the tune of 86 pitches. I initially thought it was the exception rather than the rule. There was no way he could replicate his completely lackluster performance again. There was no way he could be that sluggish again and sluggish is putting it mildly. Glacial might be better, but I actually felt time stood still every single time Matsuzaka looked in for his sign. I had hope for a better start in his next turn.

What does Dice-K do? He throws more pitches in less innings with 110 pitches in 4.1 innings. Almost too crazy to believe if you weren't watching and I'm sorry if you did. I would not have wished that game on my worst enemy. I was quite astonishing to see so many pitches and batters in such a small amount of time. Four walks, six hits and an eternity of time spent feeling miserable as a Mets fan. I feel sick as I play it back in my head. That may be because I might not have enough brain cells to retain that one game.

And yesterday, Matsuzaka outdid himself,  taking his turn down to three innings while giving up six runs in a 72 pitch effort. You almost have to admire how horrid that is. I couldn't stop laughing. Dice-K was brought on to eat innings on a club that is afraid of exposing young arms to extra work on the mound and yet, through three starts he has logged a total of 12.1 innings. Yikes.

If you need to take some time to soak in the irony, maybe you should wait until Matsuzaka's next and hopefully final start. You'll have plenty of time to break down just how ridiculous this situation has become. Terry Collins has pledged at least one more start for him before turning to other options like an equally as burnt out Aaron Harang or the very irrelevant Chris Schwinden.

Terry, don't do this to us. Daisuke Matsuzaka has taken sitting on a couch to watch a Mets game an all day affair. He is a master of passing time and not innings. I don't even think I can fit the game into my schedule. I would follow the play by play on my phone, but my battery only has so much energy. Bring someone, anyone in to take Dice-K's slot in the rotation before we lose entire days waiting to see a Mets loss. If any of you brave souls intend on watching, cancel all of your appointments for tomorrow...

And maybe the next day.

 

Mack Ade – AM Report – 8-29-13 – Vic Black, Dilson Herrera, Sandy Alderson, Terry Collins, Matt Harvey

 

Michael Baron ‏@michaelgbaron  - In four starts since returning from the DL, Jon Niese has a 1.93 ERA, only 6 BB, 28 K, 28 IP. 7 IP/start. Walks were an issue pre-DL.

 

Your 2014 draft order with 30 (or less) games to go: 1. HOU 2. MIA 3. CHC 4. CWS 5. MIN 6. MIL 7. SF 8. SEA 9. TOR 10. NYM

 

Mark Simon     ‏@msimonespn     -  Vic Black has thrown 64 MLB fastballs this year. They have averaged 96 MPH, peaked at 98.2. Breaking ball averages about 82

 

Just a wonderful addition of RP Vic Black yesterday, giving the Mets two top ten prospects in the Pirates deal. My top ten right now lines up as: 1. RHSP Noah Syndergaard, 2. RHSP Rafael Montero, 3. 1B Dominic Smith, 4. OF Brandon Nimmo, 5. SS Gavin Cecchini, 6. RP Vic Black, 7. OF Cesar Puello, 8. 2B Dilson Herrera, 9. LHSP Steven Matz, 10. RHSP Michael Fulmer.

 

SP Michael Fulmer has been shut down with new shoulder problems. There does seem to be a growing health issue here which would be a shame since Fulmer is a very talented pitcher. He really needs to start over next season for St. Lucie… he was 3-3, 3.33 in nine starts this season for GCL (rehab) and Lucy. Remember, he will only be 21 next season.

 

Jonathan Mayo –

Dilson Herrera, 2B: Herrera was ranked No. 11 on the Pirates' Top 20 at the time of the trade. Herrera was signed out of Colombia in 2010 for $220,000, and he has made steady progress since. He was among the rookie-level Gulf Coast League leaders in several offensive categories in 2012, and he continued to be productive making the jump to full-season ball at age 19 in 2013. A South Atlantic League All-Star and Futures Game participant, Herrera has shown an ability to hit and with more power than expected considering his 5-foot-10, 150-pound frame. He runs well and has the chance to be a base stealing threat. Herrera has hit double digits in home runs and stolen bases in 2013, and that should continue, especially if he can refine his plate discipline to let his bat play more consistently. His speed serves him well in terms of range at second, and he should be able to stay there long-term.  

 

There has been very little player movement in the system since the all-star break. Normally, better players move on to ‘properly’ speed up their growth, but this year it seems every Mets affiliate is in a pennant race and wants to hold on to its players. What all this has created is players like Dominic Smith and Jhoan Urena remaining on the GCL-Mets, Robert Whalen, Chris Flexen, and Jeff McNeill remain with Kingsport, Gavin Cecchini, Miller Diaz, and Robert Gsellman remain in Brooklyn, Steven Matz and Brandon Nimmo will finish the season in Savannah, and half the Binghamton team doesn’t move to Vegas. Was this the original plan by the Mets? I wouldn’t think so because wins and losses are not the primary goal of affiliate teams. It’s supposed to be all about development, not whether or not a championship is won at the rookie level. Losing a Flexen is supposed to balance off when you gain a Smith. IMO, the Mets are operating badly in this area right now.  (FLASH - Smith was promoted to K-Port yesterday afternoon) 

 

Ken Davidoff –

In short, this trade culminates a good run by GM Sandy Alderson. He picked up two valuable players in Buck and Byrd for very little money -- Buck and R.A. Dickey’s salaries essentially canceled each other out, and Byrd made six figures -- got value from both and then flipped them for a guy who could help down the road. That’s textbook baseball operations for a rebuilding team.

The Pirates, forever a rebuilding team and now a contender, intelligently used a resource in Herrera to strengthen themselves as they try to secure their first playoff berth (and first winning season) since 1992. http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/baseballinsider/rod_hughes_alderson_hUHVdzHoHKlBrZh2p1TNRN#ixzz2dHCfypy7

 

Mark Healey –

I know that many folks will say that my long support of Wally Backman makes me biased in this area, and I won’t dispute that. I didn’t like the Collins hire at all, and I have an admitted more than once that he’s been a lot better than I expected. I expected a a horror show. The subsequent cheaper below .500 “love fest” (they try hard, yay Mets!) that has ensued is no less acceptable than a drama-laden ( see 2009 Mets ) one would have. Terry Collins will in all likelihood be back in 2014, be he shouldn’t be. Nice guys might not finish last, they but they don’t seem to finish in first lately either. The Mets have a lot of work ahead of them this offseason, more so with the loss of Matt Harvey. Improving the manager and his coaching staff should be part of that effort. http://www.gothambaseball.com/2013/08/terry-collins-shouldnt-be-back-in-2014-2/

Mack - Healey has been the President of the Backman fan club for many years now. I have second thoughts on Collins but third thoughts on Backman. I just don’t see him as a major league manager.

 

Grantland -

Masahiro Tanaka is just 24 years old, but already in his seventh season playing in a major professional league. Following in the footsteps of Daisuke Matsuzaka and Yu Darvish, Tanaka is expected to come up for bidding this winter, earn a ton of money, then play for an MLB team next season. For a country that appears on its way to producing more quality pitchers than ever before, Tanaka is likely to be the next major target.

The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Japanese Pacific League haven't officially made Tanaka available yet, but major league teams are already salivating over a pitcher they see as a no. 2 starter once he crosses the pond. The stats are … ridiculous, really. In 21 starts this year, Tanaka has gone 18-0 with a 1.15 ERA. This isn't anything new. In 2011, Tanaka went 19-5 with a 1.27 ERA, winning the Sawamura Award — which predates the Cy Young. In 2012, he went 10-4 with a 1.87 ERA. Drilling deeper reveals more eye-popping stats. Tanaka struck out 138 batters this season against just 23 walks (a 6-to-1 strikeout-to-walk rate), ceding just five homers in 165 innings pitched. That's actually his worst result of the past three seasons: Tanaka whiffed 169 batters and walked just 19 in 2012 (just less than nine strikeouts for every one walk) with just four homers allowed in 173 innings, and fanned 241 while walking just 27 in 2011 (another near-9-to-1 rate), with eight home runs given up in 226⅓ innings. For perspective, only three qualified big league starting pitchers have ever posted strikeout-to-walk rates of 9-to-1 or better: Curt Schilling in 2002, Cliff Lee in 2010, and Bret Saberhagen in 1994.  http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/72725/japans-next-big-thing 

 

Matt Harvey is having a hard time with this TJS shit. He’s tweeting that he’ll be back on April 1^st and he even met with Roy Halladay, who had a similar injury and never went under the knife. It’s simply too early for anyone to make any decisions here. There’s about two weeks of swelling that needs to go away and then new MRIs and CAT Scans will tell the experts the extent of the tear. What the xrays won’t tell anyone is what would eventually would happen if no surgery was performed. It’s simply to tell you what the game plan would be if there was surgery…  2014 would be lost… 2015, at best, would be around 150-155 innings… and 2016 would be the first year Harvey would be able to pitch without restrictions. And then there is the Halladay plan… he’s been on and off disabled lists since 2004 with arm and shoulder problems, plus a torn UCL, yet he found time to pitch a no-hitter, a perfect game, and a couple awards named after a guy named Cy Young. I know what’s going to happen here. The doctors are going to confirm some degree of a tear, but it will only be a partial. I also know in my heart that Harvey is not going to sit for a year and then pitch sissy for another. No, guy like this operates at full throttle, even if there is a possibility of a future full tear and career ending injury. There’s going to be quite a tug and pull here between Harvey and the Mets. Stay tuned.

 

The LTJ Editorial: “Do the Wright thing, don't come back for nothing”

“The LTJ Editorial”
Author: Luis Tirado Jr.
Date: 8-22-13
Twitter: @LTJ81
Website: http://www.TheNYExpress.com

“Do the Wright thing, don't come back for nothing”

It's safe to say 3B David Wright has had one of the best seasons so far in his career with the NY Mets. Before getting dealt with a hamstring injury during the second half of the MLB season, he has been very productive this year. Being the host and face of the 2013 MLB All-Star Game, being named Captain of the team in the offseason, signing a new eight year contract extension with the team, and of course, his play on the field. So far this season, he is batting .309, 16 HR's, 54 RBI's, and an OBP of .391. What else can Captain America do? He needs to stay off the field and come back to the team in a mentor role. Let me explain why.

The 2013 MLB season is dwindling down to the final stretch. If you look at it now, there are just about 6 weeks of regular season baseball left. Come Sunday, September 1^st 2013, expanded rosters come to every team where lots of AAA minor league talent will hit the majors. The Mets will have a chance to give some valuable experience to young talent to prepare for what should be a breakout year in 2014. As of right now, 3B Wilmer Flores is doing pretty good in his debut in the majors and he could use as much time as possible to keep at it. Bringing Wright back in September would be silly to do since there is nothing worth playing for. I highly doubt the Mets are making it to the MLB Playoffs anyway so to have Wright come back to start could risk further injury. As of now there is no timetable for Wright's return but he has made it known there is no doubt that he wants to come back to play.

In my opinion, I'd love to have Wright back in the dugout every game but not on the field. I'd like to see him in a role to mentor those around him as they play. Specifically, all those young guys coming up from the majors who could use advice from one of the best players in the game. That way, his presence is there, he's back with the team, and helping as many guys around him learn. The risk of him re-injuring his hamstring is too great and one not worth taking. If he gets hurt again but it turns out to be more severe, not only could that sideline him for next year, but it may have a negative impact on the rest of his career. Manager Terry Collins trusted Wright when he said he was fine to play a few weeks ago but should have went with his gut instinct. If your star third baseman is in pain when he's running and is playing off passion while not thinking straight, you have to do the right thing for him and the team and pull him out. He should have made Wright sit and rest and not go out to play since look at what happened as he really did get sidelined by injury. You can't tell me your jaw didn't drop when you saw Wright run to first base in pain grabbing his hamstring in that game against the Kansas City Royals. You know you were worried like there was no tomorrow.

You can't really say Wright is stubborn or ignorant since he really isn't. He just wants to play so the team can win some ballgames and keep at it. I respect that but at the same token, you have to listen to reason. If the Mets aren't making any run for the MLB Playoffs, it's nice to be out there but not in this condition coming off a hamstring injury. It's not worth risking further injury or worst case, something that is going to plague the rest of your career. Either way, there are just about six weeks left in yet another losing season. It looks like once again, we will end under .500 in the National League East. There is no point in having Wright back in the starting lineup since there is nothing to play for.

Don't get me wrong, I love Wright, he's one of my all-time favorite players on this team. I will be one of the first to say he should just heal up, rehab when he's medically cleared to resume baseball activities, and just take it easy. Let Flores continue to keep playing and learning in the majors. Plus, I think it would be really cool to see Flores come off the field after an at-bat or when the inning is over and go sit next to Wright to evaluate. I enjoy every time I see that happen when SP Zach Wheeler heads to the dugout and the first person you see him talking to is SP Matt Harvey. It's like the whole big brother/little brother situation. You learn from one another and fundamentally grow. That is one of the areas that would help the Mets much more to end this season rather than risking Wright coming back for nothing. After this season is said and done we need to start preparing for 2014 and beyond. I want to have a healthy Wright come back rather than a hamstring-injured Wright coming off a surgery because he wanted to play for a handful of games in September.

Mack Ade – AM Report – 8-15-13 – Akeel Morris, Noah Syndergaard, Brian Custer, Terry Collins, 2014 Draft

 

Brian Custer/SNY –

This is a little emotional for me but I felt compelled to let you know what's going on. In June, I had my annual health/prostate exam. In July, I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer. I was truly shocked! My doctor told me had I not gotten my annual exam and not been in the shape I'm in now, I would've been dead within 5 years. My doctors have expedited my surgery and I'm having it today! The Bible talks about redemptive suffering and God wants you to help other people going through the same hurt. I'm imploring all black and latino men 40 years old or older to get an annual prostate exam, and get your PSA checked (its just a simple blood test). I need all white men 50 years or older to do the same. They call prostate cancer the silent killer because many times you don't know you have it until its too late! My goal is to kick this and bring awareness to this disease. Lets beat Cancer! I'm holding on to my faith, family, good friends, and evictus!  God Bless, I will beat this...

 

Some random thoughts...

-Don’t look for many moves in August from the minor league franchises. Most of them are involved in their own pennant race and they will keep their best playoffs for their post series.

 

                -Also, don’t look for starters to be shut down in August. Instead, their innings will be lowered so they too can be used in the playoffs.

 

                -Las Vegas SP Rafael Montero seems to be peaking at the right time. He’s now given up only two earned runs in his last three games (22.0-IP), while striking out 21 and walking only two. He’s at 138.2 innings pitched so I can’t see him coming north after any playoff games he may play out west. Still, he has definitely complicated the formulation of the 2014 rotation while, at the same time, thrust his name out there as major trade bait.

 

                Every summer some high school baseball player comes along and wows the scouting world in the showcases that go on throughout the summer. This year, it started with RHP Michael Gettys, until a lefthander from Hilo, Hawaii named Kodi Medeiros turned heads at all the showcases he pitched in. In 2011, it was ex-Lawrence Central (IN) HS RHP Christian Montgomery who, early on, was ranked in the top 15-20 players on all the mock drafts coming out in June and July 2010. He easily sat around 94 and he looked like a shoe-in to go early in the first round. Well, all of a sudden his arm went what was described as ‘head’ and he didn’t pitch the rest of his senior year. The Mets, taking a page out of the success that Washington has had drafting ‘reclamation projects’ like Anthony Renaudo, Matt Purke, and Lucas Giolito, picked him in the 11^th round and walked away thinking they had a steal. As it turned out, Montgomery was juicing and wound up suspended for 50 games. It was the second time he tested positive.

                Well, now Montgomery is back and he pitched last night for the GCL Mets… one inning… our hits… 7 runs… five earned… 45.00, 6.00.

                I always wished I had a little more information about the drugs taken in these suspensions. Are they designed to make him throw it harder so he looked better that summer of 2010, or was it something he used to help heal the injury he suffered during his senior season. Either way, like others in the past, this looks like a failed pick, though, at 11, WTF, right?

 

                Brooklyn SS Gavin Cecchini continues to come out of his shell…  2-4 last night, raising his seasonal BA to .290. Monthly splits… June: .292, July: .077, August: .400… guess what month he was injured? The Mets have a decision to make here in 2014. 20-year old  Phillip Evans (.211) hasn’t made too many headlines in Savannah and the Mets might want to let him repeat there and jump Cecchini directly to St. Lucie.

 

                Ex-Haines City (FL) HS RHP, 19-yr. old Robert Whalen continues to throw up quality starts after quality starts for Kingsport. He’s started ten games for K-Port now and his ERA sits at 1.67 (64-K, 16-BB, 59.1-IP). So far, this looks like a tremendous 12^th round pick in 2012.

 

Akeel Morris – Brooklyn – 11-G, 3-0, 0.54, 0.96, 1-SV, 33.1-IP, 47-K, 14-BB

                                       Mack – It will interesting what the Mets do with the 20-year old come winter ball. He’ll pitch somewhere, but will he be returned to a starter role?

 

Shannon –  ‏@Miss_Met   

“The amount of time I've wasted watching meaningless Mets games in my life.”

I’ve seen so many young people start life off so excited about this team only to eventually come to realize that there is more to life than sitting up late three nights in a row to watch west coast baseball games (no less extra innings games).

 

Dave Caldwell –

Syndergaard, acquired in the R.A. Dickey deal with the Blue Jays in December, said of being compared to Harvey and Wheeler: "Just to be mentioned in the same sentence as them, I can't really describe it." But he also knows he is not quite ready to join them. One of the reasons the Mets want to limit his innings now is so he can pitch for the B-Mets in the postseason, giving him some additional big-game experience. He has almost everything else.  As delicious as it is to think of a Mets rotation with him in it, the idea is for him to learn a little more, mix in his pitches, hold base runners better and continue to overcome what he calls "shaky" outings. It is all cool with him. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323455104579012541669365628.html?mod=itp

 

Terry Collins –

                "We've got a lot of guys playing on low petrol."

Mack – Am I missing something here? Doesn’t every team in baseball play the same amount of games and do the same amount of travel? Now, I give TC this… there’s been an awful lot of extra inning baseball, but all that would have changed if someone knocked in one more fucking run per game.

No, I’m sorry here. I love this team and will defend it to the end, but being ‘out of petrol’ is a manager’s excuse, especially on the same day you can that you are going to play the veterans during the remainder of the season and sit the kids.

The one thing I’m starting to realize is that Collins is capable of talking out of every orifice on his head. This was a tough loss… tougher than most of the other tough loses. ‘Out of petrol’ is a poor way of putting things.

The Mets are now 18.5 games out of first place, and 12 down in the loss column for a wild card slot with a month and a half to go. 

Stop making excuses and just play the string out with some dignity.

Try to make a deal before the end of the month.

Bring up Travis d’Arnaud and John Church who are full of petrol.

 

I’ve been doing a lot of work compiling information on the various baseball tournaments (New Balance Area Code Games, East Coast Showcase, Perfect Game Nationals) that go on this time of the year, plus I’ve been comparing notes with other draft dudes like Jeff Sullivan and Matt Grabusky. The one thing we all agree on is that the 2014 draft is going to be much more talented, and deeper, than 2013. We continue to see a huge return of African-Americans to this sport, which simply increase the talent pool and make more teams competitive. There’s a bunch of talents players here, but, conservatively, there are at least 20 high school starters in this draft that are already sitting in the 93-96 range. It’s simply amazing how much
talent is coming out of these ‘baseball schools’ (Harvard-Westlake, Clovis, Serra) that literally recruit their players from throughout the country. Five names to remember…  RHPs Touki Toussaint, Dylan Cease, Tyler Kolek and LHPs David Peterson and Kodi Medeiros.

 

Dominican third baseman Anderson Franco, the No. 29 international prospect for July 2, has signed with the Nationals for $900,000. Franco became eligible to sign today, his 16th birthday. At 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, Franco’s best tools are his raw power and his arm strength, with steady defense at third base. Franco trained with Arquimedes Guerrero (who is known as “Pla”), was represented by Rob Plummer and plays in the International Prospect League.

 

Paul West –

Travis D’Arnaud seems to be just what they’re looking for in this department, and bringing him up would not only generate fan excitement but give him a chance to get his feet wet as an everyday major-league player. If he struggles mightily, they can deal with the situation accordingly. But if he prospers, then not only will the Mets’ offense address a glaring necessity but he’ll gather a bit of seasoning down the stretch. This will help build his confidence and make him a bit more comfortable when he begins his first full year with the team. In the meantime, Recker can be sent back to the minors, to further cultivate his game and possibly explore his own upside. If Travis D’Arnaud is truly healthy enough to play, there’s almost no downside to promoting him immediately. Whether he starts, platoons or begins as a second-stringer, the experience will be valuable for him — and the excitement will be valuable for the fans.  http://throughthefencebaseball.com/promote-travis-darnaud/36548#CLzb0dqFkBUBT1OV.99

 

Lastly...  still looking for a couple more writers here on The Mack Report. It no longer has to be weekly or monthly. You can just write what you want, when you want. It also doesn't have to be Mets related, as long as it's about baseball in general. Please come and join us. It's a good adult site with no drama and we could really use your thoughts in writing. I can't tell you how many times I read the comments here and wish you guys were writing the same way for the site.

PLEASE email me at: macksmets@gmail.com and we'll get you all set up on the site.

The LTJ Editorial: “So, where do we put Flores after Wright returns?”

“The LTJ Editorial”
Author: Luis Tirado Jr.
Date: 8-13-13
Twitter: @LTJ81
Website: http://www.TheNYExpress.com

“So, where do we put Flores after Wright returns?”


3B Wilmer Flores took the NY Mets by storm when he was called up to the majors to fill in for the departure of 3B David Wright to the Disabled List. He has made quite the impact already, getting runs batted in, coming through with clutch hits when the team needs it, and has been a nice addition to the team overall. Reality says Wright won't be back until around early September due to his hamstring injury. It's great to see he has a steady backup behind him but once Wright comes back to the team, where does that leave Flores? What position is he going to be playing at?

In the minors, Flores has played many different positions. He's primarily been a Third Baseman, but has experience playing Shortstop and Second Base. He hasn't played in other positions other than the infield so that takes out the idea of putting him in the outfield. Besides, the way Lagares, Byrd, and Young Jr. have been playing great together, I don't see the team moving Flores out there. I could see a potential chance at First Base since Ike Davis/Josh Satin platoon there and they don't really have a steady consistent player starting. I know Davis has improved from slump, but it's nowhere near the production we should be getting out of First Base. Satin has been pretty good but is more of a depth kind of player that is a solid backup. Flores, while never playing at First Base, would be interesting to see if he can handle it. However, I still think the Mets will stick with Davis/Satin platooning there for next year as much as I would disagree with that. Now that I think about it, maybe it wouldn't be good to have Flores learn everything about First Base since it isn't his natural position. I'm pretty sure there would be some kind of learning curve and would regress his productivity.

Mets Manager Terry Collins has stated that Flores will see some playing time coming out of Second Base to give Daniel Murphy a well deserved day off or two to rest up. It's going to happen at some point this season, most likely when Wright returns to play. This move would gives Flores time to adjust to Second Base in the majors. Personally, after all is said and done I'd like to play out a scenario that might very well happen this upcoming offseason. As you know, the Mets want to spend some serious money to get some high quality players to the team. They want to acquire some top talent to accompany the solid talent around them and build a postseason contender in the NL East. With the aforementioned said, I see the Mets doing something smart that will essentially kill two birds with one stone. Trade Daniel Murphy.

Daniel Murphy is having of the best seasons of his career, batting .274, 9 HR's, 53 RBI's, 14 Stolen Bases, and an OBP of .307. He's been pretty healthy and has locked down Second Base pretty well. He's had a few defensive errors this year but nothing on a consistent basis. Plenty of teams out there are looking for a strong Second Baseman and similar to what the team did last year when trading R.A. Dickey, they want to get top quality in return. We could use some more pitchers, especially when it comes to our bullpen. I absolutely see the team trading Murphy for some quality arms and moving Flores to Second Base. Now you will have another solid player on the field starting alongside Wright. Flores looks to be the real deal and it would be silly to either send him back down to the minors or trade him away because we can't find a spot on the field for him.

2014 will have all eyes on the Mets and they need to have the best players on the field to have a final product that wins games. With a strong core centered around our high quality starting pitchers, we are just a few pieces away from contending for a Playoffs spot next year. It's been quite a long time since the Mets were in the postseason and the time is now to start making the right moves. I'm confident they will make the right choices needed to bring all the talent to the surface to bring some domination in every part of the game. I'm really excited for next season and I can't wait to see the damage Flores is going to do once he gets back on that field next year. As our new starting Second Baseman!

The LTJ Editorial: "The rage in Valdespin now makes much more sense"

 

“The LTJ Editorial”
Author: Luis Tirado Jr.
Date: 8-6-13
Twitter: @LTJ81
Website: http://www.TheNYExpress.com

“The rage in Valdespin now makes much more sense”

Earlier this week Major League Baseball officially announced the twelve players who were caught using Performance Enhancing Drugs and their consequential suspensions of their involvement. Of course NY Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez was made the greatest example as he was suspended for the rest of this season and all of the 2014 season due to his involvement and bringing other players to the Biogenesis clinic that distributed the drugs. One name that surprised many in the baseball world, especially fans of the NY Mets, was to see the name of OF Jordany Valdespin on that list. Just like the others, he was hit with a 50-game suspension and brings some clarity to his recent altercations with the team.

A few weeks ago, I thought it was weird that the moment Valdespin heard he got demoted, he lashed out to Manager Terry Collins. He did that in front of other players as it was rumored that teammates had to physically restrain Valdespin due to the outlash. His behavior was uncalled for as he even used a profanity to describe Collins that hit all the newspapers in New York and of course social media, which showed just how embarrassing the entire ordeal was. Once I read about this incident, I knew that his time would soon come to an end with this team even though he was sent down to our minor system. You just don't call your Manager that kind of profanity and expect all to be forgiven, especially when you do that in front of the guys you play alongside with every game. What happened to being humble? He should be grateful to be playing for this organization, not also forgetting, he is playing on the professional level of Major League Baseball. You just don't do those things, especially when you're 25 years old. You are an adult for crying out loud, not a teenager playing baseball in the street.

As if things couldn't get even more embarrassing, Valdespin was the main catalyst in a bench-clearing brawl in AAA-Vegas. Even in our minor league system, he just couldn't stay out of trouble or out of the media. AAA-Vegas is about progressing, perfecting, and adjusting your game. Not to get into fights with future prospects of professional baseball. What are you teaching the young guys down there? When things get bad, just start fighting? What does that truly accomplish? If you are demoted from the majors to the minors, be humble, take your shots like a man, and mentor those around you as you improve. At the end of the day, you are still a member of the NY Mets and should act professional at all times, especially in that situation in the minors. When 1B Ike Davis was sent down the the minors, you didn't hear any of this nonsense. Not a peep. He did his time to improve what he needed to fix and was called up when he was ready. No bench-clearing brawls, no immature antics, just all about baseball and getting back to the majors. I respect guys like Davis who did it the right way, the real way.

I'm pretty sure we have seen the last of Valdespin on the NY Mets. There is no reason to keep him since we have other prospects that are getting ready for the once in a lifetime opportunity to play professional baseball with this team. They just called up 3B Wilmer Flores who will debut tonight and we have a nice core of young guys who will bring more talent to us than Valdespin ever would have brought to us anyway. I'm glad he got caught because cheating should never be used as a way to get an advantage over those who naturally work hard to play at their best level. Plenty of legends did it the right way and are all going to be remembered for their ethics, athletics, and clutch performances not for using PEDs. Valdespin is nowhere near a legend obviously, even before he was caught cheating he wasn't anything special to be honest. Now with this suspension, it's even more clear he is a disgrace to this team, to Major League Baseball, and of course, to himself.

At the end of the day, he will serve his suspension and always be tagged with being associated with being a cheater. Everything now makes sense, the outburst against Collins, the bench-clearing brawl, and how most reports say most of his teammates didn't like him either. They said he was very immature and didn't focus on what matters most – baseball.

I May Be Wrong, But… Injuries, Josh Satin, Terry Collins, Hitting

 • SS Ruben Tejada was the latest to come down with the injury bug and Terry Collins had enough with the questions from the beat mob. Hey Terry. That’s their job. They’re paid like 100th of what some of your ballplayers are paid to come to camp in proper condition. Every team goes through this every spring, and, if you look over to the right column, you’ll see there really isn’t that many people on the list. It’s going to be interesting to watch how Collins handles this season.

 • Josh Satin raised his chances of making the 25-man on Tuesday with a superb play at third base. He had to go out of bounds to catch the shot and took the time to post up his right foot so he would have both the traction and strength to throw to first. No one knows right now what the third base situation is going to be and plays like this definitely help.

 • Word from the peanut gallery is that Terry Collins was not pissed at the media. It was the trainers that got to him. Everybody is just being a cautious and Ruben Tejada complained after taking infield practice. Trainers game him an aspirin and the day off which didn’t sit well with TC. Still, sharing these thoughts with the beat mob is not the way to handle yourself in the majors. Look, you just can’t open your mouth like this publically. The reporters will tweet about it and the bloggers will get a woodie.

 • Forget the injuries and start worrying about the lack of hitting. So far, spring training has only produced one hitting story, Adam Loewen. There are obviously too many runs being given up by the pitchers, but Mets have not bunched their hits together effectively. Cuts should be coming down by Friday morning and you will start to see the regulars playing more innings.

Mack On - Dustin Lawley, Matt Harvey, Terry Collins, David Wright

·         Looks like the Mets may have another catcher in the system. OF/3B Dustin Lawley took the field Saturday in full dress and worked out with the other catchers. I asked him what the deal was and he said:

 “just trying it out, buddy”.

I checked back and it doesn’t look like he did any catching in the past. He was a shortstop out of high school, switched to third in college and added the outfield before he was drafted.

·         Michael Baron was very excited about the bullpen session he watched Matt Harvey throw on Saturday. Mike knows the difference between a good pitcher and a great one, so I’m particularly excited by his comments. As interesting was the fact that he had basically nothing to say about the other pitcher throwing next to him, Jeurys Familia. I assume that means there was that much of a difference between the two of them. 

·         Well, Ruben Tejada finally got to camp… on time… and caught a rash of shit from his manager… through the media.  Boy, what a way to run an airline… Isn’t this how TC lost the respect of his players on previous teams? This season is going to be long enough and we don’t need any additional drama, especially from the manager.

·         Anthony DiComo‏ tweeted: “David Wright says he doesn't anticipate approaching the #Mets to talk extension anytime soon. Most likely will let them come to him.”  Everybody keeps saying I have this wrong, but I’m telling you… David Wright does not want to be a Met past this season if Fred Wilpon still owns this team.

Mets: Danny Muno, Terry Collins, Ruben Tejada, Johan Santana

2-10-12 - http://seedlingstostars.com/2012/02/10/s2s-2012-team-prospect-lists-new-york-mets/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter   - #4.) Danny Muno, SS. This is the sort of profile I love–middle-of-the-diamond player, plus approach, switch-hitter with punch. An 8th-round pick in 2011, Muno promptly hit .355/.466/.514 in the NYPL. He was 22, so it might be best for him to skip straight to High-A this year, but he has the potential to be a starting middle infielder or excellent utility player. Guys who can play the middle infield spots while maintaining good on-base skills and ripping some doubles don’t grow on trees. Grade: B-

He arrived a few years too late, truth be told. Terry Collins would have been the perfect manager to guide the Contender Mets of a few years back, the 2006-08 heartbreak kids who always found a way to spill tomato sauce all over the final chapters of their stories and their seasons. We know that now, of course, because we saw the work he did with last year’s Mets, we saw the patience he has discovered late in the game, the way he relates not only to kids fighting every day for their livelihoods but to stars, too. We saw how he kept the team together after that 5-13 start, and when the annual injury purge struck, how they were .500 as late as Aug. 10 and only one game under on Sept. 7. : http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/the_right_manager_for_the_wrong_ErCS8ZaT2v0OO53HPCxEjI#ixzz1n789fAjH

Ruben Tejada isn’t due in camp until Saturday, but manager Terry Collins already has a motivational speech waiting for the Mets’ new starting shortstop. “Jose Reyes is a great player, we’re going to miss him,” Collins said yesterday. “But this young man who is going to play shortstop, he’s an outstanding talent, and he’s going to make some boo-boos along the way, but with his makeup he’s got a chance to move real fast to be a special player. I’m going to tell him that the first day. “Therefore, you’ve got to work harder than everyone else. Don’t think for one minute you can take this for granted because you’re the guy now. If you’re the guy, you have to work harder than everybody else.”  http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/collins_tejada_can_be_special_YrzP7siMUPfxUXErwWwHTM#ixzz1n78v0ItG

Johan Santana expected to have a better idea later in spring training after seeing how his shoulder responded after facing major league competition. “Opening Day’s always good,” he said. “But again, I’m approaching everything one day at a time. Going through everything last year, one day you feel good and another you don’t feel good, it’s like a roller coaster.”  http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/02/22/mets-johan-santana-wont-make-any-guarantees-for-opening-day/

Cutnpaste: Brandon Moore, Reese Havens, Miquel Batista, Josh Thole, Terry Collins

9-16-11: - http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110916&content_id=24774440&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb  - (Brandon) Moore, 25, was a South Atlantic League All-Star in 2010 with Class A Savannah when he had a 3.49 ERA in 14 outings for the Sand Gnats. He pitched at three levels in 2010 before spending all of this season at Double-A, where he finished 10-8 with a 4.47 ERA in 26 outings (25 starts). The Crawfordsville, Ind., native was New York's 14th-round pick in the 2008 Draft out of Indiana Wesleyan University and has also pitched for Kingsport, Brooklyn and St. Lucie over the last three years.

9-17-11: - Reese Havens (Mets first-round pick in 2008): The second baseman, taken four picks after Ike Davis, has suffered through one injury after another practically since the day he was drafted after playing every single game of his career at South Carolina. But it would be a stunner if the Mets chose not to protect a player that could become their long-term answer at second base as soon as next season. Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/yankees_mets_must_make_key_decisions_5aKoxsOfZQzXf4dhd226oK#ixzz1YErc8tpG  

This 40-year-old Dominican pitcher doesn’t have any higher learning on his résumé. So how is it he finds himself on this list of the nine smartest players in baseball? By being a published author, that’s how. Batista has had a book of poetry entitled Sentimientos en Blanco y Negro (or Feelings in Black and White) published, as well as a thriller novel about a serial killer called The Avenger of Blood. I have no idea if these works are any good, but not just any old dummy can sit down and write a book. So for a baseball player, I’d say Miguel is of above average intelligence. Wouldn’t you? - http://www.totalprosports.com/2011/09/16/9-smartest-players-in-major-league-baseball  

Though (Josh)Thole has had the challenge of handling knuckleballer R.A. Dickey for most of the season, he said that is no excuse for his NL-leading 16 passed balls. That number has partly obscured Thole's throwing improvement and steady game-calling this year Offensively there have been fewer questions, even if Thole's .266 average with three homers and 36 RBIs in 312 at-bats haven't exactly evoked images of Mike Piazza. But the Mets will remain patient with the 24-year-old Thole, whose role could become more pronounced next season if veteran Ronny Paulino isn't re-signed -- the team could go with a tandem of Thole and Mike Nickeas behind the plate. - Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/getting_defensive_gx39RsY8mPcZg7oa8EpG4N#ixzz1YHrP4wxG  

It has nearly been a year since Terry Collins was introduced as the Mets manager and declared, "I’m not the evil devil that a lot of people have made me out to be." And his words have rung true as he has been a non-stop whirlwind of energy and enthusiasm, cherishing the days on the field after an 11-year absence from a spot on the bench. He has shed the reputation as a too-intense explosion waiting to happen. At least he had until Thursday when he blew up publicly, ripping his team for appearing to have folded up. But when he finally erupted, his team didn’t turn on him. There was no anonymous sniping and really little disagreement with his words. Even Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen took to Twitter to back up Collins. But there was really nothing to defend him from. - http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/mets/post/_/id/34978/mets-morning-briefing-9-18-11  

Best Case Scenario

The Mets are 4 games below .500, are plagued with injuries etc... etc... Is anyone surprised? Well if you are, then you shouldn't be. Things happen... seemingly more often to the Mets, but all over sports. The Mets have performed beyond admirably, considering all of the many problems they've faced. So at this point does Terry Collins break out a nude dress-up doll of Fred Wilpon and take off a piece of clothing for every Met win? (Maybe better to put a piece on for every win and remove one for a loss) Or are the Mets just kidding themselves about 2011?

The FACT is, that 2011 has plenty of games left to play and who knows... maybe Lucas Duda will convert to Voodoo and start hitting HRs like he's Jobu's favorite son. You don't give up on the season because the Mets are not statistically likely to compete. But... there are some things you COULD do.

1. Shut Down Davis: Get him the surgery and have him healthy to start Spring Training 2012.
2. Leave Johan To Rehab: Rehab starts are fine but there is NO reason to rush him back for 2011. If all he did in 2011 was pitch in the minors and get back into shape, I'd be happy.
3. Slow Reyes Down...: He's already lowered his price tag for this off-season TWICE with injuries but he's also the future of the franchise. Don't need to push him back early or too hard once he's back.
4. View The Future: September Call-Ups are big. We need to see these kids play a little in the "Bigs." We don't need to see Willie Harris or Scott Hairston anymore.
5. RELAX: 2011 was deemed a .500 team AT BEST and that is basically what we've gotten.
   

Terry Collins, Zack Wheeler, Robert Carson, Ryan Fraser, BaBip

Terry Collins:


Thats a lot to deal with for any manager, but Terry Collins has maintained the team's course and they continue to win in spite of these difficulties. Plugging in different players, moving them around and basically putting them in positions where they can succeed, Collins has managed to extract every last ounce of effort from a variety of players who were never expected to sniff the Major League level this season. Collins has also excelled in preemptive strikes against his ball club. As recently as this week, Collins informed his players that should they feel sorry for themselves and struggle as a result of Carlos Beltran's departure, they will not be here. Earlier this year when the team was struggling, he took the media and threatened to basically blow up the roster in order to find more wins out of his team - http://www.metsfever.com/2011/07/collins-continues-to-push-right-buttons.html  


Zack Wheeler:


7-29-11: -  http://bullpenbanter.com/  - Wheeler's stuff is top notch. His final pitching line was ugly: 5 1/3 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 3 K's, but the takeaway was that Wheeler has the stuff to pitch at the front of a major league rotation. The videos above will show that he can make pretty drastic adjustment to his delivery and I expect him to continue to make progress which will lead to improved command/control. The development of the change will be the main thing to keep an eye on in his development as he looks for a pitch to neutralize left handed hitters. Keep in mind that he has only logged 146 2/3 professional innings. There aren't a lot of minor league pitchers that have his type of upside. I was very surprised that Wheeler was traded for a playoff run "rental". These types of prospects aren't often traded.


Robert Carson:


7-26-11: - http://www.amazinavenue.com/2011/7/26/2287253/mets-mid-term-farm-system-review-2011-binghamton#storyjump  - LHP Robert Carson - STOCK DOWN - Look, he's definitely been better in Double-A in 2011 than in 2010. His K/9, BB/9 and HR/9 are all better. He's improved, just not as much as you'd like from a top pitching prospect. At 22, he's no longer that young and the Eastern League is having no poblem hitting him as he's allowed a .292 average against thus far. Even worse, one of the hallmarks of his game, an excellent GB%, has deteriorated since the promotion to Bingo. It's never wise to \ disregard a 20-something, 6'3" lefty that can consistently hit 93mph but I must say that I expect a better results from someone with that profile. He still shows reasons to hope -- see, last night's performance -- but I continue to envision Carson's realistic major league ceiling as a late-inning lefty a la Antonio Bastardo.


Ryan Fraser:


7-29-11: - https://mail.google.com/mail/?shva=1#inbox/131778f24f2bdfef  - RHP Ryan Fraser, who is tied for ninth in the SAL with 107.2 innings pitched, is scheduled to make his 17th Savannah start today. Fraser gave up a personal season-high 10 hits and six runs in his last start versus Lexington. He has walked nine batters in his last 10.2 innings. Last year with short-season Brooklyn, Fraser struck out 39 batters in 31.1 innings pitched, a rate of 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings. This year, he’s fanned 66 in 107.2 innings, a rate of 5.5 K/9. With the Cyclones last year, working exclusively out of the bullpen, he was 3-3 with a 1.44 ERA and 12 saves in 31.1 IP. He struck out 39, walked 20 and yielded just 16 hits. The Mets drafted Fraser in the 16th round of the 2010 draft out of Memphis. The Rays originally drafted Fraser out of Walker Valley HS in the 49th round in 2006, but he chose to attend Gulf Coast Community College and then Memphis. At Memphis, he led the Tigers with 93 strikeouts and 92 IP in 2010 on his way to three C-USA Pitcher of the Week honors and a Second Team All C-USA selection. In the classroom, he was a member of the C-USA All-Academic Team in 2010 and ran a 4.0 grade point average in high school. The Gnats are 8-8 when Fraser starts, and have supported him with 3.00 runs per game (48 runs/16 games), the lowest mark of any Savannah starter.


BaBip:


BaBIP - “Batting Average on Balls in Play”. Whereas batting average takes into account the percentage of at bats which become hits, BaBIP takes this a step further to determine the percentage of balls hit into play which become hits. By removing strikeouts from the equation, BaBIP can be a good indicator of how “lucky” either a pitcher or hitter has been, based upon the number of balls the opposing defense was able to handle (or mishandle as the case may be). Since baseball is comprised of a long season where statistics often regress to the mean, BaBIP can often be used to predict a player’s future statistics. For a hitter with a BaBIP much higher than the league average, it may indicate a dip in batting average is due. Conversely, a pitcher with a low BaBIP rate may be predicted to see an increase in hits allowed in upcoming games. - http://baseballreflections.com/2011/07/28/sabermetrics-101-gaining-the-fantasy-baseball-edge/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sabermetrics-101-gaining-the-fantasy-baseball-edge

Mets WARP, Matt Moore, Jacoby Ellsbury, Terry Collins, Angel Pagan

Mets WARP:


Reyes has the most WARP of any shortstop in baseball, and he should retain that distinction despite his hamstring injury, as his closest competitors, Jhonny Peralta and Yunel Escobar, trail by 1.3 wins. You can’t write about Reyes without throwing a “when healthy” in there somewhere, so here it goes: when healthy, Reyes is on another level. If he can get back within a reasonable timeframe, he’ll notch a five-win season, which would be the third of his career—a close call in 2007 (4.9) prevented him from reaching five wins in three consecutive seasons. With Lung-Hu and Emaus, the Mets saw two of their pre-season second base options flame out. Their best performer at the position this season has been Ruben Tejada, who is 21 but holding his own in limited time—albeit with a fungo-bat display of power. With Reyes out, Tejada has moved to shortstop, and former waiver claim Justin Turner is manning the keystone with decent, if unspectacular results. - http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=14499  


Matt Moore:


Tampa Bay left-hander Matthew Moore turned heads in the 2011 MLB Futures Game Sunday night, posting an impressive inning of work against the World Team, showing a 98 MPH moving fastball that put scouts in a state of ecstatic communion with the baseball gods. I had Moore as a Grade A prospect pre-season, and the Number Four pitching prospect in baseball; if anything, his stock has risen. Let's take a look. - http://www.minorleagueball.com/


Jacoby Ellsbury:


Jacoby Ellsbury's agent Scott Boras told John Tomase of the Boston Herald that he doesn't expect to discuss a contract with the Red Sox during the season. Ellsbury is making $2.4 million this season in his first year of arbitration and remains under team control through 2013. Boras isn't usually one to give away free agent seasons, so we shouldn't expect anything different in this case. "The market at the end of 2013 is going to be much different than the market of 2010," said Boras. "It’s going to be widely more aggressive. The reason is there are just fewer players who can do what he’s doing." After an injury-plagued 2010 season, Ellsbury is batting .316/.377/.490 with 11 homers and 49 RBI this season. The 27-year-old center fielder ranks first in the American League with 28 stolen bases in 38 attempts - http://www.rotoworld.com/sports/mlb/baseball?r=1  


Terry Collins:


Terry Collins: A lot of people were against the hiring of Terry Collins. Some people thought Terry was brought in just to keep the seat warm until Wally Backman was ready. Terry has proven a lot of people wrong. Under Collins, and G.M. Sandy Alderson, the Mets have brought accountability back into the organization. Either you perform to your capabilities, or you don’t play. Terry has also proven to be tireless, and extremely upbeat. Even when the Mets were struggling at the start of the season, Terry remained positive. Terry is getting the absolute most out of an injury riddled lineup. Seriously, who would have thought after both Wright & Davis got injured that the Mets would be at one game over .500 at the break? - http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/07/3-up-3-down-the-half-way-there-edition.html  


Angel Pagan


What? Angel Pagan? Yes, Angel Pagan. Why? Because he’s dynamic, cheap, hitting again, and a solid center fielder. You may think these are all good reasons for the Mets to keep him. However, Pagan just turned 30, and a large part of his game is dependent on his legs. When the legs slow down, he becomes less dynamic and valuable. He is at his peak value right now, so it makes sense to take advantage of that fact and deal him. Of course, the return package has to be worthwhile — Alderson won’t trade him just for the sake of trading him. I hope it doesn’t happen, since Citi Field seems to be built for him (and Reyes). - http://www.metstoday.com/6684/opinion-and-analysis/who-will-the-mets-shop-this-month