7-21 from: - link - Using a pitcher's rate of SNLVAR, Kazmir's season has been a disaster of massive proportions, one that rates about 4.8 on the Keough scale, something that for the moment suits my purposes for describing starting pitcher inadequacy, using Matt Keough's appalling 1982 season as a baseline for starting pitcher-related terrors visited upon a team's unhappy fans over a full season. This isn't really especially fair of me, in that Keough doesn't hold the single-season low for a starter with 30 starts in a campaign, but 1982 was a horrifying disappointment, and the man was beaten with a regularity that made me think that he was the drum, and the entire American League was Keith Moon.
Josh Thole:
7-20 from: - link - Inserting Josh Thole as the starting catcher would add another dimension to the lineup. Thole would be the scrappiest everyday hitter on the team and would certainly be more productive than either Rod Barajas and Henry Blanco. He might not have the best credentials when it comes to smacking home runs or managing a pitching staff, but Thole is one of the smartest contact hitters to rise through the Mets system in a while. With little to no power, Thole makes up for that with some excellent discipline. He got off to an extremely slow start in the minors this year. In April he hit just .172, but quickly got his act together and hit over .300 for the next two months in the minors before earning a call-up to the Mets.
7-20-10 from: - link - Look, the way Francisco Rodriguez is going and the way Mike Pelfrey is struggling after his latest disaster Monday night, the Mets aren't winning a championship this season anyway, so they need to be prudent in holding onto their few top prospects. Yet they have to move quickly to get a serviceable arm because even a No. 4-type starter could make a crucial difference at the moment in giving them a chance to get to October.
7-12 from: - link - It's been a season of peaks and valleys for Gee. He started the year like a house a'blaze, posting a sub-3 ERA in April and drawing calls for a promotion to the Show. However, by May cracks began to form in his stat line as the home run balls seemed to keep jumping out. By June things fell apart as his once pretty ERA ballooned well above five; at one point he rode an eight game home run-allowed streak. Fortunately things have normalized for Gee in July as he seems to be back in control, once again looking like the future back-of-the-rotation piece for the big club. He is not as good as his one homer-April, but he's also not as bad as his seven homer-May. On the season, Gee's hits, walks and strikeouts per nine innings have basically resembled his career figures which, considering he's made the climb to the very top of the minors, is a very good sign for his future success. His below average home run tendencies will probably always make him a #5/spot starter, though he's certainly coming to the right home ballpark so who knows. This one-time '07 21st rounder has already far exceeded expectations and looks to continue doing so in the majors as his call-up to Queens is really only a matter of time.
7-12 from: - link - TRDMB’s 2nd Annual Mets First Half Report Card - Jeff Francoeur - C+: Great guy, funny man, hustling and well-liked teammate…just not all that good at hitting a baseball..his offense simply cannot be counted on aside from 2-3 week hot stretches which fall between extended glacial periods…fielding, arm, hustle, and “intangibles” make him decent hitting 6th or 7th in a very productive order, but without Jason Bay’s power, and while Beltran is out and Barajas is cold, Frenchy’s rarely thawed bat is definitely a liability.
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