Tsuyoshi Shinjo:
Shinjo, who was the second Japanese position player to play in the MLB (Ichiro being the first), had an impressive rookie season. He had 10 HRs, 56 RBIs and had a respectable batting average of .268. Along with that he had the fifth most outfield assists with 12, as well as 12 game-winning hits. He came up huge for the Mets time after time that year. Then Shinjo and Desi Relaford were traded to the SF Giants for pitcher Shawn Estes after the 2001 season. Shinjo had a disappointing season with the Giants in 2002, but he became the first Japanese player to play in the World Series. After the year he came back to Flushing for an encore in 2003. - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/791417-five-mets-who-you-might-or-might-not-remember-since-the-year-2000#/articles/791417-five-mets-who-you-might-or-might-not-remember-since-the-year-2000/page/5
Richard Lucas:
8-8-11: - http://www.brooklyncyclones.com/news/topstories/index.html?article_id=1204 - RICHARD LUCAS - Selected in the fourth round of the 2007 MLB Draft, the 21-year-old infielder has been one of the most consistent players in the New York-Penn League. Lucas ranks fifth in the league in hitting (.322), tied for fourth in hits (55), tied for third in extra-base hits (20) and leads the league with 36 runs scored. Lucas has reached base safely in 43 of his 46 games this season.
Jeff Keppinger:
8-9-11: - http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=14747 - Jeff Keppinger, San Francisco Giants (Yahoo! 9%, ESPN 4%, CBS 13%) - Keppinger continues to hit as he always has; he is now hitting .308/.343/.354 in San Francisco after batting .307/.320/.436 in Houston to start the season. Despite a .370/.400/.370 week at the plate, however, the Giants plated Keppinger only three times. In fact, Keppinger has only come around to score in 21 percent of his times on base while with San Francisco, well below his 29 percent career mark and the 36 percent rate he mustered with an equally poor Houston offense. The Giants' inability to bring him home is hurting a big part of his fantasy value as a counting stat machine. Still, he is not leaving VP for performance but rather because I feel he has been discussed enough on the VP list.
Jeff Francoeur:
Jeff Francoeur: .273/.324/.466, 15 HR, .344 wOBA 2.1 fWAR - Last Month: .261/.308/.442, 11 HR, .333 wOBA, 1.6 fWAR - Frenchy's surprisingly improve since early July, and his wOBA is his highest in a single season since his 274 plate appearances in 2005 with the Braves. From 2008 through 2010, Francoeur accumulated a grand total of 0.1 fWAR, but he could wind up with his second-best season by the metric if he keeps it up. If you're tempted to miss him, though, note that his 115 wRC+, which is park- and league-adjusted, ranks 15th out of 23 qualified right fielders. - http://www.amazinavenue.com/2011/8/9/2353274/where-are-they-now-2010-mets-august-update
Lucas Duda:
8-10-11: - http://www.patrickfloodblog.com/2011/08/10/lucas-duda-sabermagician - When Duda came to the plate – eighth inning, with the Mets down one at home with runners on first and second – they had a 51.8% chance of winning the game according to Fangraphs. (That is, the Mets had a 51.8% chance of winning the game in a vacuum, if we ignore the quality of the teams, pitchers and batters.) After the Duda’s sacrifice bunt, the Mets’ chance of winning the game went up to 53.1%, a 1.3% increase. So on a basic level, Duda executed the percentage play.
Cory Mazzoni:
7-13-11: - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/765098-new-york-mets-dillon-gee-and-the-mets-top-10-young-pitching-prospects#/articles/765098-new-york-mets-dillon-gee-and-the-mets-top-10-young-pitching-prospects/page/2 - One way for the New York Mets to revamp their pitching staff is to build directly from the draft. Mazzoni, a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher from North Carolina State, was the second-round pick of the New York Mets and doubled as the highest-drafted signed pitcher. Mazzoni is not very big—he stands at 6’1” and weighs less than 200 pounds—but despite his size, he can absolutely bring the heat. In college, his fastball was consistently in the mid-to-low-90s, and has reached a premium velocity clocked at 97 mph. Mazzoni is also known for his steady control. Athletically built and often referred to as a “bulldog," Mazzoni is the type of the pitcher to go right after the batter simply by throwing strike after strike. Although an obvious worry is that at the major league level this kind of player would be torched, it’s actually very good news to learn that a pitcher is as accurate as Mazzoni is because that’s one of the hardest tools for a pitcher to learn.
R.A. Dickey
People are mixed as to whether Dickey could be dealt. On the one hand, his plantar fasciitis is a concern and could cause other teams to shy away. On the other hand, he’s been a workhorse and innings eater. Additionally, his contract is affordable and it runs through 2012, which means he wouldn’t be a rental. Of course, these are all good reasons for the Mets to keep him. But my guess is that if the right deal comes along, R.A. will be sent away. - http://www.metstoday.com/6684/opinion-and-analysis/who-will-the-mets-shop-this-month
Tim Byrdak:
B+ - Pedro Feliciano left a void in the Mets' bullpen before heading up to the Bronx and doing the same to the Yankees. There were a bunch of options on the market for a replacement, and Sandy Alderson went with the inexpensive veteran, who has been superb against left-handed hitters. His overall numbers suffer a bit because he's faced nearly as many righties as lefties, but he's dominating lefties: 12.2 K/9 and 2.6 BB/0, good for a 2.44 xFIP. http://www.amazinavenue.com/2011/7/12/2272199/new-york-mets-pitchers-mid-season-grades
Jose Reyes:
7-13-11: - http://www.amazinavenue.com/2011/7/13/2272873/new-york-mets-batters-mid-season-grades - A+ Could there be any doubt? Sure, his BABIP (.375) is sky-high, but his xBABIP ain't so shabby either (.321). Reyes has re-found his better walk rate (not his best), but he is showing the lowest strikeout rate of his career (6.8%). In fact, that strikeout rate is the third-best rate in the league. He does that by whiffing on less than half the pitches of the average player. Neither his power nor his speed are at career-highs, but they are both right there. Even without the home runs his current ISO would be the third-best number of his career. Yeah, throw that plus on the end of the grade.
Tsuyoshi Shinjo
2001-2003 (Mets/Giants) - He was lowered from the rafters of a dome into a Japanese baseball game. He won the top prize of ten million yen on Japan's version of "Who Wants to be a Millionare." He has his own clothing line. It probably doesn't bother Tsuyoshi Shinjo that his major league career was a failure; that given more than ample time to figure out National League pitching, he never found his rhythm at the plate; that he's remembered more in the States as a flashy, dyed-hair, wristband-wearing disappointment than a ballplayer of substance. Shinjo had enough style to make us forget his .245 average. And for some ballplayers, style —even when that involves wearing LED-scrolling message belts during ballgames—is enough - http://deadspin.com/5820716/the-100-worst-baseball-players-of-all-time-a-celebration-part-1
