Don't Sleep on Beato in the Rotation

By: Frank Gray
The New York Mets have had their pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training a few days ago. As the roster gets molded into Opening Day shape, Terry Collins has several decisions to make. Among them is the starting rotation.

With reports of Johan Santana's health being better than originally expected,  the starting five look pretty much set. They would include Santana, R.A. Dickey, Mike Pelfrey, Jon Niese and Dillon Gee.

With Niese becoming a valid starter and Dickey posting one quality start after another, this would hardly be referred to as Johan and the four rain-outs this year. Can anyone argue that Gee hasn't earned a chance to be the number five pitcher out of the gate this season?

A 13-6 record with a 4.43 ERA at a young age of 25 last season shows what a tremendous upside he has. The question with him will be now that the league has adjusted to him, what will he tweak in his game to counter that?

Mike Pelfrey was handed the "ace" title last season in the absence of Santana and sputtered in the spotlight. With Santana returning, could he find the 2010 season stats (15-9, 3.66 ERA) again or will he continue to develop into the headcase bust that we saw last year?

There is one x-factor in all of this, however. His name is Pedro Beato. Pitching coach Dan Warthen is high on him as a potential starter. Should Santana not be ready at the beginning of the season, need a rest between starts or not be the Santana we all know or if the team needs a starter for a double header, Beato could emerge as the guy right now.

They do have Chris Schwinden for that option as well and later in the season the temptation will be swelling over to call up Jeurys Familia or Matt Harvey to take on that role. Beato makes the most sense, though.

As Warthen points out, he has four solid pitches and at 6' 4" he has the size to be a powerful presence on the mound. He has proven he can pitch at the MLB level. His stats last season, when the team had to reserve a roster spot for him due to the Rule 5 draft rules, were very respectable.

He posted a 4.30 ERA in 67 innings pitched to go with 39 strikeouts in his 60 appearances. The question would be his endurance. If he were to start on a consistent basis, would he run out of gas halfway through the game or can he last into the latter innings?

He may very well begin the season in AAA to groom him as a spot starter/long reliever. The team can afford to do this now that his contract is under their control.

With that said, the rotation can be in good shape if healthy. That, however, will be the issue.

Cutnpaste: Ike Davis, Dan Warthen, Josh Stinson, Alan Dykstra, Santana 2012 Closer

9-5-11: - newsday.  - The Mets could decide as early as Monday if Ike Davis will need surgery to repair the injured left ankle that has kept him on the disabled list since May 11. After two days of baseball activity in Port St. Lucie, Fla., followed by Sunday off, Davis will work out with the Mets before Monday's game against the Marlins at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. Davis is not yet ready to take full batting practice, but manager Terry Collins , along with the training staff, will watch him hit soft toss, field grounders and run at some point Monday. That will lead to more discussion later in the day with general manager Sandy Alderson , and if Davis reports no pain in the ankle, the Mets would prefer to hold off on the surgical option, which is likely to involve a microfracture procedure.

9-5-11: - http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/mets/post/_/id/33888/mets-morning-briefing-9-5-11  - Terry Collins told the Daily News his recommendation is for his entire coaching staff to return intact. Hitting coach Dave Hudgens has a two-year deal. As for pitching coach Dan Warthen, the lone remaining member of the 2010 staff, Collins said: "Danny has done an excellent job. He gets them ready. He is sharp. It's a good situation when the players like the coaches. They have fun. They laugh. They have great communication with each other. That helps a lot. ... I do think they should all be back. They all did a great job, and there is something to be said for stability."

9-5-11: - .nypost.  - For a team in desperate need of bullpen help, Josh Stinson is making a fast impression. The rookie fired two scoreless innings of relief yesterday, helping the Mets beat the Nationals 6-3 on a day Mike Pelfrey struggled with control. Stinson pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings on Friday in his major league debut. Yesterday, he allowed a hit and walk over the two innings before Jason Isringhausen and Bobby Parnell pitched a scoreless inning apiece. "Josh, the more you see him you are going to like this guy," manager Terry Collins said. "He's tough."

9-3-11: - http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/09/prospect-pulse-buffalo-2012-help-on-the-way.html  - Allan Dykstra - The 6’5″ slugging lefty is enjoying a marvelous season in the run production categories at Bingo. In 378 AB’s he is hitting .259 with 17 HR’s and 71 RBI’s (9th in the EL). His OPS is a healthy .844, but with a K/BB ratio of 128/69, (8th in the league in striking out, 5th place in the EL in walks) it’s easy to see where he needs to improve. He needs to cut way down on his strikeouts, and until he does, he will remain in the minors. In order for Dykstra to procure the starting job in Buffalo next year, he will have to unseat the King. The legendary Valentino Pascucci has been handling the positon ever since Nick Evans went to the big leagues for good. Val is leading the team in HR’s with 21 (6th in the league), and RBI’s with 91 (2nd in the league), not to mention AB’s: 430, runs: 58, hits: 112, 2B’s: 29, TB’s: 206, walks: 75 (2nd in the league) and K’s: 143.

Do we honestly expect to see (Johan) Santana hold up for 30+ starts next year? Can you expect top of the rotation performance? If Santana is a slightly above league average pitcher as a starter does that help the team? The answer is no on all fronts. The Mets can employ Santana as their closer, a position they clearly have no answer for to date. Pitching one inning will allow the team to better control his utilization. I also think it would be less wear and tear on his shoulder despite the need to pitch on back-to-back days. You could institute the “Santana Rules” to keep him healthy and fresh. Perhaps no more than 35 pitches in an inning and never pitch him more than 3 days in a row. http://nybaseballdigest.com/?p=39358