Dave Hudgens on Lucas Duda:
That’s the next step. Every step of the way,
there’s going to be more anxiety, more tension that comes into it. So what
we’ve been concentrating, more than anything, is relax his mind. Try to slow
down his heart beat and his mind, deep breath. Trying to get him to relax. Even
trying to put him into those situations where there’s 40,000 people in the
stands in his mind, and trying to understand what he has to feel like. He’s
making some physical adjustments, but it comes down to a mental adjustment.
Because the reason for all of that pre-pitch movement is because his mind is
racing so much. In the cage, it’s easy. No one is screaming at you, no
pressure. As the game builds up and the pressure builds, that’s where he’s got
to handle it mentally and develop a routine to where he can calm himself down
It’s going to be a process, but, so far, I’m happy with the way it’s going.
Are
the Mets seriously still trying to get this guy to deal with the ‘pressure’ of
playing baseball?
I
remember Jason Bay saying around a
month after Duda came up for the first time that he still hadn’t spoken a word
to him because the kid was that inward.
I
have never met Duda, but anyone I know that has would confirm what Hudgens is
saying here. They would also confirm the talent he has and the incredible power
potential he brings to the game. Now, all the Mets have to do is get this kid
some confidence.
It
did get better last year, and, in my opinion, it will get even better this
year. I think Duda will have an outstanding year because he knows going in he’s
the left fielder and there is no one that’s going to take that job away from
him. Outstanding for me here translates as 25-HR, 75-RBI, .270.
I
also expect the Mets to bat their catcher, be it John Buck or Travis d’Arnaud,
ahead of him in the lineup, taking even more pressure off of him.
My
guess at a typical lineup… Baxter, Tejada, Wright, Davis, Buck, Duda, Murphy,
Nieuwenhuis, pitcher.
Duda
will not have to worry about 2013.
Hope for the newspaper business lives after
all. Newspapers have reappeared in the Mets' clubhouse. Beginning with the
opening of Citi Field in 2009, the New York dailies and USA Today had been
absent from their clubhouses here and in Queens. Some were smuggled in from
time to time, but the Mets' library was sadly thin and woefully outdated. But
now Kevin Kierst, the second-year clubhouse/equipment manager, has resumed the
practice of providing reading material for the players. The sports sections
usually are removed quickly and the sections or pages that include the
crossword puzzles disappear almost instantly.
Only
someone as seasoned as Noble would turn this into a story.
He’s
right. I remember the newspapers being in the press room when I arrived the
first year (2007) I was allowed in the inner circle. They were next to the
‘official’ Mets press release that came out each day,
highlighting what went on
the day before and what was coming up next.
What
I remembered the most about them were the headlines. I hadn’t lived in New York
since 1980 and I had forgot what the Daily News and New York Post had turned
itself into.
I
found it amazing that reporters would walk into the clubhouse, approach a
ballplayer in a professional manner, conduct their interview, and then, the
next morning, the newspaper would lead off the story with some horrendous,
negative headline.
My
wife still writes a syndicated weekly column (food) for a major newspaper
chain, and she has no control of the headline. Luckily, she’s writing about
linguini rather than the fielding ability of Daniel Murphy in left field.
Nice
touch, Marty.
Anthony DiComo on Bobby Parnell -
Bobby Parnell credits much of his recent
success -- and the resulting ninth-inning duties that he is on track to obtain
-- to the knuckle-curve Jason Isringhausen taught him back in 2011. Initially
fooling with the pitch late that year, Parnell committed to it during Spring
Training 2012 as he scrapped his slider altogether. It's a valuable pitch, yet
advanced metrics reveal that Parnell's slider was actually a more effective
offering than his knuckle-curve. That Parnell improved his overall numbers in
2012 was thanks in large part to some much-improved control, and also to a
better fastball.
By
the way, Isringhausen has been hired to be the pitching coach at Southern
Illinois University Edwardsville, but his agent is quick to remind everyone
that he still is looking to sign on with a major league team.
You
can talk ‘advanced metrics’ all day but, Parnell will not be an effective
closer unless he can get some movement on his fastball, the least of which
would be its ability to give the impression of rising.
The
rest of the pitchers are vegetables. Closers throw fastballs.
I
think that Parnell has learned to mix in his other pitches much more
effectively as he matures both as a player and as a person, but, I really am
not a fan of him being a closer.
I
don’t see anyone else on the Mets that could take his place.
IMO,
this is going to be a real mess in 2013.
Thom Tsang on Tim Lincecum -
If Lincecum continues on his path towards free
agency without any significant hiccups as he did in 2012, he stands to have a
very good chance of earning the largest contract among his peers in the
2013-2014 off-season. Sure, the San Francisco Giants will be in play, as will
the usual suspects. But no team will arguably want – or need – a name like
Lincecum’s more than the Mets, and the Yankees may not be far behind. The
subway series might not have the meaning it used to these days, but the New
York teams could have a significant clash as free agent suitors soon enough,
that could have a lasting effect on their respective futures.
This
article amazes me.
Click
on it and you will see that the author says that one of the weakest areas on
the Mets is their starting rotation. Has this guy done any research on this
team before writing this?
Then,
he predicts the largest contract ever for a pitcher after giving up the highest
BB/9 (4.35), highest HR/9 (0.62 to 1.11) and highest BB/SO (0.47) in his
career.
Lincecum
is a very talented pitcher and he’s going to command a lot of bucks when he
becomes a free agent, but he first needs to concentrate on producing the kind
of stats he needs in 2013 to warrant the kind of money Tsang is talking about
here.
Regarding
his chance of becoming a Met…
This
would be one of those Johan Santana moments
that elevate a team into a new level of excellence. I can’t think of a better
target in 2015.
Harvey,
Wheeler, Lincecum, Niese, Syndergaard.
Wow.
4 comments:
I love what the Aldersen regime is doing......but I'd lose all my faith if they signed Tim Linececum.
Pitchers, built like teenage boys, just don't last. Giving Linececum a big deal would be a disaster.
This point is moot anyways. Little Timmy will be better this year then last but... not enough where anyone is going to give him a large contract.
Actually, Lincecum's FB velocity has dropped considerably since he first reached the majors. Much like Phil Hughes and his struggles two years ago, this dip in velo have messed with his mentality on the mound.
It must be a little frightening when you know you can't over power ML hitters like he used to. Time will tell with him, but unless he gets that fastball back, I seriously doubt he's getting big bucks.
As far as the Mets, I don't see why they ever put up huge dollars for a starting pitcher conserving all of the pitching they have coming up. It's the outfield bats that you need.
Exactly.. Not only has Timmy's velo dipped but all his #'s have regressed a little bit each year. Now they started at a cy young level but last year was a disaster. Regardless of how he does this year I'd be hesistant to give him a multi-year deal.
Agree with Charles. Pitching is SO expensive. We have the ability to graduate at least one very good SP each of the next few years. Spend your big money elsewhere.
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