3-4-13 – Pedro Martinez, Mike Pelfrey, John Buck, Johan Santana

So how can Pedro Martinez Help Bard and other Red Sox pitchers rebound from last year’s disaster? Pedro said that he has a good eye for mechanics, and believes he’ll know when a tweak to a hurler’s delivery may make a difference. This is what he did during his own career, closely watching great pitchers like Roger Clemens and Greg Maddux in developing his own physical and mental repertoire.  ”I’m a combination of everything,” Martinez explained. “I took a little bit of pretty much everyone and used it to build my own experience. I hope they do that the same way.”  Perhaps John Lackey, coming back from a year off after Tommy John surgery, can also pick up a thing or two from Martinez. In the midst of his string of domination, Pedro suffered a torn rotator cuff in 2001 and missed half of that season. He returned the next year as more of a control artist than a flamethrower and still went 20-4 while leading the American League in ERA and strikeouts.

Rhett Bollinger‏ - @RhettBollinger

For those curious, Mike Pelfrey threw 39 pitches with 24 strikes. Fastball at about 88-89 mph. One hit & a walk over 3 scoreless IP.

I’m still sort of shocked that Sandy Alderson cut fish so quick on Pelfrey, who was a team player and a big positive in the clubhouse. It’s obvious that the Mets were adamant about not giving out a multi-year contract, while, at the same time, Pelf’s agent knew he could get it somewhere.

            As we always say, this is first a business and this deal even bummed out Pelfrey.

All Mets fans wish him well and we’ll always think of him every time we lick the palm of our hand.

Andrew Vazzano‏ - @AVSNY

John Buck with a three-run home run. Might be nice to have a catcher with some power this year

            First thing first.

Josh Thole never claimed to have any power but his batting average was far superior to Buck last year. The problem was that Josh (I know him… I can use his first name) learned to catch at the same time the guys that threw to him learned to pitch. He brought no seasoned experience to the table, something Buck does.

Buck will not produce a BA higher than Thole did, but he will hit double digits in home runs which is sorely needed on the 2013 version of this team.

Jorge Castillo‏ - @jorgeccastillo

Yesterday, Sandy Alderson said Johan Santana wouldn't throw off a mound for 10 days. Santana did today

It seems we’re now getting into ego pissing contests which can’t be good; however, if pissing Santana off gets him back on the horse, than piss away.

$25,000,000.00 for this shit.

Q and A - Mike Pelfrey

Photo by Mack Ade 

Mark Mokris asked:

Hi Mack,   Just wanted to wish you and your wife and family a happy and healthy Thanksgiving.  I do have a few questions for your site.  Which of Mike Pelfrey, Bobby Parnell, Justin Turner and Mike Baxter is the oldest player?  The amazing part of this question is that they were all born in 1984.  I think this illustrates a point that Mets fans sometimes forget.  For all of flashes of brilliance followed by the bewildering inconsistency that Pelfrey brings to the table isn't it amazing that he was born in same year as Parnell who most Mets fans give more leeway to learn on the job?  I think that Mets fans forget how quickly that Pelfrey made it to the majors.  Pelfrey I believe is the classic type of pitcher who comes back from Tommy John surgery with an extra 2 or 3 miles per hour on his fastball.  I would like the Mets to resign him if they can for a reasonable price.  I don't like the idea of putting him in the pen.  I understand that everyone is different but there are two problems that I think we saw with Mejia being thrown in as a reliever after TJS.  First, after TJS every day is different.  Sometimes a pitcher can warm up and get loose without any problems but there are days when their arm just can't get loose and it's my opinion that after TJS it is easier for a pitcher to get loose as a starter where he can take as much time as he needs to get warmed up and can change the amount of time to warm up from start to start or month to month depending on how his arm is feeling.  A relief pitcher just can't do that.  Secondly, the throwing motion that players are taught while rehabbing is often not their normal arm angle and therefore there is a timetable to get back to their pre-injury arm slot and this of course impacts the motion on their off speed pitches.  We saw that with Jenrry Mejia who lost the nasty sink on his fastball and secondary pitches.  We also know that the last thing to return after TJS is location.  It seems to me that putting Pelfrey into the bullpen would be a huge mistake and we haven't talked about Pelfrey's fragile ego.  Am I totally off base here?

Mack:  Hey Mark… I love short questions J

Boy, I’m glad you brought up Mike Pelfrey. We’re coming down to the end of the month where the Mets have to make a decision on whether to tender him. If they do, it will cost them in the $5mil range, so I really don’t see it happening. That will make Pelfrey a free agent and able to sign with whatever team he wants to. Pelfrey loves being a Met and is a big fan of the other key players in the locker room (a deciding factor on whether or not he would come back for less money could be whether or not David Wright is extended) and I can easily see him signing for a one year deal with a lot of incentives. I also agree that he’s not pen material. Pelfrey is a starter and always will be and you know what I always say… you can’t have enough great starters.

Lastly, both TC and Sandy Alderson want him back so my guess is he will not be tendered, but will sign around a $2mil, 1-yr deal, with possibly a second year team option. You could see both he and Zack Wheeler entering the rotation at the same time.

Exciting shit. 

11-15-12 – ‘The War Room’, David Wright, Mike Pelfrey, Stadiums

‘The War Room’ continues to grow (thanks to David Rubin for the idea) and has now become the most read feature on Mack’s Mets. I ask all of you to join in this Sunday beginning at 8am. The site has been blessed lately with adult, mature, intelligent banter and the best comes out on Sunday. I’m not sure at this point what the question will be, but, unless something big breaks between now and Saturday night, my guess it will involve the Marlins.

Ken Rosenthal - ‏@Ken_Rosenthal - Sources: Mets made offer to Wright. Wright's side made counter-offer. Details of proposals not known.  (it’s nice to see this in print, but, at this point, I don’t believe anything coming out of the Mets PR department right now (apologies to Jay). This is all Mets-speak and part of the master Sandy-plan. You know how I hate to write about speculation and I’m best giving my opinion about something that is etched in stone. There’s very little stone coming out of Queens right now.

David Lennon‏ - @DPLennon -  Talked to a Mets person yesterday who suggested Mike Pelfrey's days in Flushing might not be over yet..." -  Interesting.  -  I have no problem with this, if his services could come in at around $2mil or less. Michael Baron chimed in: “I know a lot of people have been down on Pelfrey, as I have been during his tenure with the Mets. But I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Mets non-tender Pelfrey this winter and look to bring him back on a Minor League deal.” – The interesting time line here is the fact that he probably would be ready to come back at the same time that Zack Wheeler would probably be ready to be promoted to Queens. What a perfect time (all-star break) to trade Johan Santana (a la  Carlos Beltran) to a team three games down in the loss column), pay half his 2013 salary, and get another pitching prospect. Your rotation could be:

Harvey, Wheeler, Niese, Dickey, Pelfrey, Gee

I like it.

One afterthought on the Marlins-Toronto debacle… I hope fans throughout the country are happy with their baseball stadiums. Keith Law and Michael G. Baron have convinced me that there is no way that the Commish steps in and kills this deal, but it seems to me that it’s going to get increasing harder to get tax payers to pay a lion share of a new stadium they not only have to pay to get inside, buy also pay to park next to. Did anyone wonder why there weren’t any no-trade clauses on this team? Did you ever think that the owner of Marlins main objective here was to field an exciting team of predominantly Hispanic players… for one year… so he could finance the new stadium? Remember, most of these owners are real estate dudes first and sports franchises are just one more page in their portfolio.  Don’t hate the owner here; hate the sport that allows for human beings to operate this way. Try to imagine you wanting to build a new home and both your real estate agent and the bank you are using your financing for allowing you to float a bond to the general public in your zip code to pay a good slice of the cost of building the home, while, at the same time, they walk away without being able to live there. You think that’s stupid. No, stupid is when the people in your neighborhood actually fall for this shit and buy the bonds.

                                             Hot Stove

Detroit Tigers sign OF Tori Hunter to 2-yr. deal, $26mil

The Reds signed OF-1B Mike Hessman - 384 career pro homers, 364 in U.S. minors

Reds sign 3B Marguez Smith – AAA: career – 181-AB, .294/.365/.507

Detroit  sign LHP Jose Alvarez – another ex-Marlin (Hermida deal)
Florida claimed RP Scott Maine from Toronto - 

Nats Named Tony Tarasco first base coach

CWS sign UT Steven Tolleson – 2012/Balt: 71-AB, .183

Mourning the Blacksheep

Every family has a member that is slightly odd. One that doesn't quite fit in. The Mets family is no different. From the day he first took the mound in a Mets uniform, Mike Pelfrey seemed a little odd. Teammates noticed it. Media members noticed it. Fans noticed it.

He seemed to have a love/hate relationship with those fans. He has been a player the fans have loved to hate; the perfect object to spew all of their fanhood frustrations upon. Over the past few years, fans have called radio shows to complain about every start, posted repeatedly on message boards of how much he "sucks" and booed mercilessly with every pitch.

He has been the focus of all our deepest venting. How strange is it, then, that when he went down to injury last week that those same fans and media members now refer to him as "irreplaceable"? Since the inevitable departure of Ollie Perez at the beginning of Spring Training last season, Mike Pelfrey has been the lone symbol to the fans of everything they don't like about this franchise.

Last season, they had the chance to trade him and avoid the pay raise he would be due this past offseason. Instead, they kept him and paid him the extra money to avoid arbitration. As a direct result, they have nothing to show for losing him to season ending surgery and a possible free agency looming when he recovers. Pelfrey may have thrown his last pitch as a New York Met.

That fact has sunken into the collective conscience of the fans and they are certainly taking the loss with sadness and grieving. With a career ERA of 4.36 and a 50-54 record, it's hard to imagine why. Has he had a good start to this season? Yes.  Does that warrant a period of mourning by the Mets family? Not really.

The fact is he is the player that Mets fans rip on for being hit or miss but those same fans will never allow a fan of another team to speak ill of him. They think "he may be a black sheep in this family, but he's our black sheep!". They stand by him through thick and thin. That is what fans do.

Now that he is on the mend, they finally realize his value; he eats up innings. He's had four consecutive seasons with 184 or more innings pitched. Two of them for more than 200 innings pitched. Now that the oddball in the family is on his way to the hospital, we all stop to consider what role he played in this family. He was the one that was always there; rain or shine, blowout or close game.

Though he seemed to only be consistent through inconsistency, he was, in fact, there for his starts. Whether those starts were something left to be desired or not, is a different story. There in was where his trade value laid last season. Many fans were calling for his head on the trade block.

Now that he is injured and may never pitch for them again, it is evident that the fans had a soft spot in their hearts for him after all. He may have been the hand-licking, shrink-seeing square peg that was left chained up in the basement and let out occasionally, but dammit, he was OURS.

Let this be a lesson to us as fans. Let's appreciate these athletes while we have them on our team. You never know when we'll overpay for one, fail to trade them at the opportune time and see them go down to season ending injury never to pitch for us again.

As we mourn the season loss of Big Pelf, remember, it could be worse; we could sign Ollie again.

I May Be Wrong, But… Mike Pelfrey, R.A. Dickey, Jason Bay

• It sure looks like Big Pelf dodges a bullet Thursday night. Andy Martino reported that there actually was a discussion by Sandy and Company whether or not they should release him. According to Martine, everyone in that meeting that had a uniform on voted to keep him. All I’m hoping out of him is an innings eating SP5. I’d be thrilled with 200 innings and a 4.50 ERA, but only 2012 guys. Only 2012. 

 • It does look like the Mets are pressing forward to structure a multi-year deal for R.A. Dickey. As David Rubin reminded me, he’s a cost efficient clubhouse leader that could stabilize the rotation through the delicate 2013-2014 transition to the kiddies. It makes a lot of sense. 2013 would most probably be Johan Santana, Jon Niese, Dickey, Matt Harvey, and Jeurys Familia. 2014 would be Harvey, Niese, Familia, Zack Wheeler, and Dickey. Makes sense to me. 

 • Jason Bay has 0-RBIs in spring training? You got to be kidding me. This has become such an embarrassment. I guess there’s no other plan than to just play him this season and be done with another bad contract. I really liked this signing. I thought he would be a great addition both with a bat in his hand and in the clubhouse. Your ‘on paper’ 2014 outfield right now is Matt den Dekker, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, and Lucas Duda, with Brandon Nimmo and Gilbert Gomez in the wings. Not enough.

I May Be Wrong, But… R.A. Dickey. Mike Pelfrey, Matt Harvey, BA Ranking

 

 • I mentioned the other day after the last Santana outing that it then seemed like the Mets had three of their rotational pitchers ready to start the season. Well, after watching R.A. Dickey today, we might be up to four now. 

 • I read that Mike Pelfrey is now saying that he has played the entire spring training with a “high ankle strain”. Obviously the wrist of the hand that signs contracts is A-OK. If this is true, he should be treated the same way John Maine was when it was determined that he was lying about his health. I also want to remind everyone tat this is the time of the year that under-preforming baseball players get placed on the IR with mysterious injuries that were never discussed before. 

 • The Mets announced that Dillon Gee will not pitch as scheduled. Instead, he will throw a minor league game and he will be replaced by… wait for it… Matt Harvey. Why? Forget the media attention this gets you; what does it do to Dillon’s head. I continue to, year after year, realize I have never been qualified to be hired by the New York Mets.

 • I could give a rat’s ass where Baseball America ranks the Mets minor league system. System ranking means nothing. You have 25 slots on your major league team and you can’t play more than nine of them at the same time. The Mets are one year away from producing four quality major league pitchers. Four. That’s a #1 ranking to me.

I May Be Wrong, But… Mike Pelfrey, Litigation, David Wright, 2013 FA, Bottom Line

 • I’m not going to overreact about Mike Pelfrey yet. It’s not like 2012 is going to be some season we’re all going to enjoy anyway. Pelfrey has never been a gem during camp and I don’t expect him to pitch this bad by the end of ST. It was interesting reading TC’s admission that he had asked Mike to crank up the velocity on Sunday. Does that mean he’s been holding back? The last think I want to see is any rotational overreaction here. In my book, your backups here in 2012 are Chris Schwinden, Jeremy Heffner, Collin McHugh, and Dylan Owen. Leave the kids alone and suck it up. 


 • Saul Katz said that “litigation is negative energy”. Not when you win, my man. 


 • Fred Wilpon asked the fans to “stick with them”. A great first move would be to exercise the 2013 option on 3B David Wright. This would give both parties ample time to figure out whether a new long-term deal is the way to go. 


 • It will be interesting to see if the Mets now participate like a big market team in the 2013 free agent market. Try to imagine how much easier things will be if you can add, let’s say, C Mike Napoli, and CF Michael Bourne.


Look... in the end, I don't really care who owns what... all I ever cared about was who played where...

Will the real Mike Pelfrey please step up

The success of the Mets rotation this season will depend on health. First, there is Johan Santana. We all know he is recovering from surgery and that the process will still take some time. Though he is showing tremendous strides this spring, he still will be treated carefully as the season progresses.

Other starters like Jon Niese, Dillon Gee and R.A. Dickey will have to not only stay healthy, but stay consistent. If they do that, it will most likely come down to one man: Mike Pelfrey.

His 2010 was a sign of progress, as he posted a 3.66 ERA in 204 Innings Pitched. More importantly, he only gave up 12 home runs. The following season (last year) he digressed. While allowing 21 home runs in 193 Innings Pitched, he posted a 4.74 ERA.

The question with the former Mets first round draft pick, is which Mike Pelfrey will we see in 2012? The answer to that will go a long way to seeing how successful this team overall can be. In his very first start of Spring Training, he allowed four runs in 2.2 IP.

Those runs came primarily on two homers from St Louis Cardinals bats. He settled down to last 4.1 IP, and would have had a respectable line had he not allowed those long balls. While it's true that results like this are not particularly important this time of year, it can be used as a gauge to measure his progress in the offseason.

He used his cutter and changeup as opposed to his sinker. The results were mediocre. His sinker was crushed for the most part when he did go to it.

With all this said, the Mets will be looking very closely at Pelfrey this month to see if he has made any significant adjustments to his arsenal in order to move on from last seasons' debacle.

If this start was any indication, he hasn't.

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.

Mets: Francisco Rodriguez, Jack Leathersich, John Holdzkom, Mike Pelfrey

Milwaukee Brewers reliever Francisco Rodriguez, believing his former agents deceived him, might file a grievance or lawsuit against them this week, his attorney told USA TODAY. Attorney Richard Johnson said Rodriguez was pondering a malpractice or fraud suit after a 10-hour mediation hearing last week with his former agents, Paul Kinzer and Arn Tellem of the Wasserman Media Group, did not produce a settlement. He could file a grievance with the MLB Players Association. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/nl/brewers/story/2012-02-19/francisco-rodriguz-lawsuit-agents/53159032/1

2-10-12 - http://seedlingstostars.com/2012/02/10/s2s-2012-team-prospect-lists-new-york-mets/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter   - Relief Pitcher #2: Jack Leathersich. A fifth-round selection in 2011, Leathersich struck out 26 of the 47 batters he faced in the NYPL. That’s 55.3%, folks. Short-season relievers generally aren’t a good bet, but this small lefty has a classic low-90′s fastball/power slider combination that should make him a quick riser to a setup role in an NL bullpen. Grade: C+

4th Round (124th overall): John Holdzkom, RHP – Salt Lake CC - This was the first head-scratcher of the draft. Holdzkom was looked at as a big guy with big time stuff, but he had no command and was considered a head case—he was academically ineligible in high school and dropped out of community college because he got into an argument with his coach. It was an overdraft to say the least. As expected, Holdzkom showed the big stuff, but hadn’t a clue how to throw a strike. Eventually his poor mechanics and need to throw the ball through a break wall caught up to him and he needed Tommy John surgery in 2009. He came back briefly in 2010, but was released by the Mets in 2011. http://metsmerizedonline.com/2012/02/grading-the-omar-regime-the-2006-draft.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=grading-the-omar-regime-the-2006-draft

With Johan Santana recovering from shoulder surgery at this time last year, Terry Collins named Mike Pelfrey his No. 1 starter weeks before he had to -- and regretted the decision as Pelfrey took a big step backward with a 7-13 record and 4.74 ERA. Pelfrey was the ninth overall pick in the 2005 draft, but to this point, has failed to live up to that potential. If Santana is healthy this season, Pelfrey is likely to be slotted third or fourth in the rotation, and the Mets hope he'll be more comfortable -- and more effective -- in the middle. http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mets/three-mets-with-something-to-prove-1.3541005

Mets: Josh Edgin, Mike Pelfrey, Matt Harvey, Sandy Alderson

1-11-12 -  metsmerizedonline  43.  Josh Edgin (LHP) Not many relievers had a better year on the farm than Edgin. The 6’1″, 24-year-old who was the 30th round selection of the 2010 draft, split the year evenly between Savannah and St. Lucie. In 66 IP, he went 3-1 with a 1.50 ERA, 27 saves, 44 hits allowed, a K/BB of 76/23, and opposing players managed to hit only .189 off him. According to Adam Rubin, he throws his fastball in the 92-95 mph range, while his slider is 82-85 mph. He is working on a change-up, and also a curveball which is a slower version of his slider. Edgin could move very quickly through the system, but the true test will be how well he makes the significant jump to AA next year. If everything continues to go smoothly, he could be pitching at Citi in the not-too-distant future.

photo by Mack Ade

When the Mets tendered Mike Pelfrey a contract in December, the club went ahead and gave the soon-to-be 28 year old one last chance at glory. This is make-or-break time for Pelfrey. 2012 will be his last year to prove what kind of pitcher he actually is and salvage his reputation as a productive and trusted pitcher. Actually, if you ask any Mets’ fans what Pelfrey is, they’ll bluntly tell you who he is. Most portray him as a meandering, inconsistent and at best average picture. Those definitions wouldn’t be out of line, since Pelfrey has certainly underwhelmed in his time with the Mets. His career numbers don’t scream out prolific front-line material. In his six years, Pelfrey has registered 50 wins (with 54 losses) with a career 4.74 ERA and 1.46 WHIP. http://mets360.com/?p=8920&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mets360%2Ffeed+%28Mets360+Feed%29

1. Matt Harvey, RHP

 DOB: 3/27/89

Height/Weight: 6-4/210

Bats/Throws: R/R

Drafted/Signed: 1st round, 2010, University of North Carolina

2011 Stats: 2.37 ERA (76-67-24-92) at High-A (14 G). 4.53 ERA (59.2-58-23-64) at Double-A (12 G)

Tools Profile: Pure power pitcher.

Year in Review: Seventh overall pick in the 2010 draft reached Double-A in debut and missed plenty of bats.

The Good: Harvey attacks hitters with a 92-95 mph fastball that can touch 97 and features plenty of life. His slider gives him a second bat-missing offering with its heavy two plane break, and Harvey is comfortable throwing it at any point in the count. He's an efficient pitcher who throws strikes and has the kind of body and delivery designed to handle a big league workload.

The Bad: Harvey's changeup continues to lag behind the rest of his arsenal and lacks deception or enough movement. His delivery is easy to pick up for left-handed hitters, which leads to some large platoon splits.

Ephemera: Rich Dotson (1977), who has a career losing record of 111-113, is the only seventh overall pick with more than 50 major league wins, but Clayton Kershaw (2006) should change that in 2012.

Perfect World Projection: At least a number-three starter with a good chance of become a number-two with some refinements.

Fantasy Impact: Harvey has the potential to be an early pick if he reaches his potential.

Path to the Big Leagues: Harvey will begin the year either back at Double-A or in Triple-A Buffalo and should reach the big leagues at some point during the season.

ETA: Late 2012.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15813

Adam Rubin posted that with most of the Mets moves now complete, the payroll checks in at $90.05 million for the 2012 season. That reminds me of my prediction that Mets payroll would be closer to $85 million than $110 million two months ago when Sandy Alderson confirmed his payroll budget. My new motto is “Never trust a GM when his lips are moving.” http://metsmerizedonline.com/2012/01/things-that-make-me-go-hmmmm.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MetsMerizedOnline-GetMetsmerized-NewYorkMets+%28Mets+Merized+Online%29

Cutnpaste: - Mike Pelfrey, Jenrry Mejia, Chris Schwinden, Joaquin Arais, Heath Bell

When given the Opening Day assignment be Terry Collins, Mike Pelfrey spoke about what it felt like to replace Johan Santana and he said he was up for the challenge and looking forward to it. On Opening Day he folded like a cheap chair. On April 1st he only lasted 4.1 innings against the Marlins allowing five runs, and it got worse from there. Truth be told, if he is still on the team next spring he should not be assured of a rotations spot and he should earn it along with the rest pitchers vying for a spot. As far as tendering/non-tendering goes, the better question is why didn’t Alderson try and move him last season. Teams take chances on pitchers with potential all the time and if you’re waiting for Pelfrey to boost his value that may never happen while he’s a Met. I could think of a dozen other productive things the Mets could do with $5 million dollars than give it to Pelfrey. http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/11/2011-player-review-mike-pelfrey.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MetsMerizedOnline-GetMetsmerized-NewYorkMets+%28Mets+Merized+Online%29

10-25-11: - http://www.minorleaguerundown.com/2011/10/25/2011-top-20-new-york-mets-prospects - 2011 Top 20 New York Mets Prospects - 1.Jenrry Mejia, RHP (AAA, Majors): At the ripe old age of 22, it’s clear that Mejia still needs a good bit of development time. It would certainly help if he was given some quality time down in the AA rotation to work on the finer points of pitching, as opposed to random action out of the major league bullpen. I hope Mets management won’t continue to view Mejia as a bullpen piece with quality starters like Matt Harvey and Zach Wheeler on the way, as he deserves a shot at starting before they start knocking on the door. His 11 strong starts between AA and AAA the past two years (3.49 FIP, 44.1 IP/2.83 FIP, 27.1 IP) are a good indicator of his talent level as a starter, more so than his 4.72 FIP in 39 major league innings. 

11-8-11: - http://risingapple.com/2011/11/08/2011-season-in-review-chris-schwinden  - While his four starts in 2011 were a small sample size (4.71 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, and 2.83 K/BB in 21 innings), Chris Schwinden showed some undeniable talent. He mixed in his four promising pitches well (fastball, cutter, curveball, and change-up), without relying on any one of them too much (he threw his fastball 45.3% of the time). Granted, his fastball’s average MPH was a little underwhelming (89.1 MPH), both his change-up (average of 81.3 MPH) and curveball (average of 74.4 MPH) kept hitters off-balance. There’s a good chance the 24 year-old will start 2012 in the Minor Leagues, but Schwinden showed enough poise to at least earn a look during Spring Training and throughout the season.

But there’s a specific look that comes from that sort of feeling, and that’s the look I saw on Joaquin Arais’ face. Here’s Arias, right — he had just been traded to a new, far away team with a month left in the season. He’s in a foreign country. He doesn’t speak English well, he didn’t seem to know any of his new teammates, and he wasn’t playing and he probably wasn’t going to play. His career hasn’t quite gone as expected. And now it’s raining and he’s trapped here for God knows how long tonight and he doesn’t have anyone to talk to or anyone who wants to talk to him and it can be paralyzing to be surrounded by people not talking to you. So he went outside and sat on this giant cube thing in the cold, just trying to run out the clock until he could come up for air again. http://www.patrickfloodblog.com/2011/11/08/another-brick-in-the-wall-part-1

Heath Bell: 3-4, 2.44 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 43 saves - Bell almost left San Diego last year on two occasions. He was rumored to be headed to Texas, and San Francisco claimed him off waivers, but could not work out a deal. Bell remained in San Diego where he has saved 132 games the last three years. Bell made $7.5 million and could be due for a significant raise. Bell has publicly stated his desire to stay in San Diego, but is reportedly believed to be seeking a three-year deal worth more than $25 million while the team is thinking of a two-year deal with an option. http://www.metro.us/newyork/sports/article/1019347--mlb-free-agency-fire-up-the-hot-stove

Mack’s 25-man: SP4 Mike Pelfrey

Okay…

We have the starting lineup done, so let’s move on to the last two rotation slots. Remember… we’re building a team with the current players available. That’s all we can do until Sandy and Company does something.

I expect the Mets to offer Mike Pelfrey arbitration, simply because they have to put up the best face they can during the 2012 season. There possibly could be four new rotational pitchers in 2013, and this will be the last year for Pelf in New York.

I actually still believe he has enough talent to pitch in this league, but, but he’s probably mentally shot in Queens. The fans simply hate him and there’s a cloud above his head wherever he goes, including the clubhouse. It reminds me of the Oliver Perez days. You know he was there but everyone just made believe he wasn’t.

SP4 is probably a little harsh, but he’s pitch in the rotation until around the all-star break which will be the earliest one of the kiddies arrives.

I included here a picture I took of him with J.J. Putz. Such promise.

Cutnpaste: - Mike Pelfrey, Tim Byrdak, Nelson Doubleday, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran

Mike Pelfrey: Has a manageable contract and is young. He regressed this season, but there’s still potential for the right pitching coach. But, if they trade him, he would thin out an already spotty rotation. The Mets will keep him and hope he improves. If not, then it might be time to cut him loose. There could be takers at the trade deadline.  http://www.newyorkmetsreport.com/2011/10/25/mets-have-precious-few-pieces-to-trade

Am I nitpicking by pointing out Tim Byrdak’s propensity to walk hitters and his inadequacy vs. RH hitters? Maybe. But the reason I’m not as high on him as others has more to do with inconsistency through the season. Byrdak had a really, really good run in June and July — ironically, the two months when his strikeout rate was at its lowest. He began the season poorly and finished uneven. Don’t get me wrong — I don’t think Byrdak was awful, I just don’t believe he was anything special. But, part of that has to do with my old-school mentality of being opposed to one-out specialists. I believe a team is better served using a precious roster spot with a pitcher who is effective against batters of both sides — particularly on a team that is in rebuilding mode… In September, Byrdak’s contract was extended through 2012, so there’s at least one of the 25 spots on the roster locked up. I don’t know why a team destined for another non-contending, rebuilding season and in financial straits needs to spend money on a LOOGY, but again, the masses found this to be a “smart” move so I’ll step back and let them enjoy the moment. http://www.metstoday.com/7129/2011-mets-evaluations/2011-analysis-tim-byrdak

There are still a lot of National League fans in this town.  If you can show them a clean stadium where they can get a beer and a hot dog and have a good time, you’ve got a good thing going.” – Nelson Doubleday. The year is 1979.  The cheers from the magical summer of a decade ago have long grown silent.  The New York Mets have the worst record in the National League. A stadium, that just 15 years ago hosted the All-Star Game and was a major attraction at the World’s Fair, is filthy, neglected and on most days, empty.  With the exception of homegrown matinee idol and All-Star center fielder Lee Mazzilli; the once-Amazin’ Mets are an embarrassment. http://networkedblogs.com/p5NS6

If you thought the Mets’ process to re-sign Jose Reyes would move as quickly as one of the All-Star’s trademark triples, think again. According to the New York Daily News, New York won’t ink Reyes during their exclusive five-day negotiating window after the World Series ends. Instead, they’ll likely make “a modest offer,” step aside and see what other teams are willing to spend. - http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/10/28/report-mets-likely-to-take-wait-and-see-approach-on-jose-reyes

Carlos Beltran has spent the last seven seasons in the Big Apple with the New York Mets before heading out West at the trading deadline to spend the last few months with the San Francisco Giants. But the word from ESPN New York is that he may be moving back to the City That Never Sleeps. This time, though, it would be with the New York Yankees. The site reports that Beltran's name is on the list as a possible replacement to a fellow switch hitter, right fielder Nick Swisher, who has a $10.25 million option that the team has till Nov. 1 to pick up. http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/rumors/post/Yankees-interested-in-Beltran?urn=mlb-411439

Cutnpaste: - Mike Pelfrey, Pedro Feliciano, Rollins on Reyes, Fake GM, Mets 1st Pennant

Mike Pelfrey — Pelfrey frustrated Mets fans this season on the field, but he was an All-Star in the community. Pelfrey has been nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award, which is given each year to the player "who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team." Cast your vote for Pelfrey up until Oct. 9. - http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ycn-9174449

Pedro Feliciano, New York Yankees -- I have this longstanding policy that the easiest Yankees to root for are the ones who aren't playing. For Perpetual Pedro, it's doubly enjoyable considering the frustration he inflicted on the Yankees' bullpen shortly after concluding his long Mets tenure. Sure, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman likes to blame the Mets for abusing Feliciano over the years. And a quick glance at the back of Feliciano's baseball card would also reflect the reliever's heavy workload in his years at Shea and Citi Field. And a brief review of Mets blogs and chatter would've reflected a concern that Feliciano's magic carpet ride had to end one of these years. It's just great that it hurt the Yankees, even if it might also hurt the playoff shares of ex-Met relievers Raul Valdes and Luis Ayala. - http://www.amazinavenue.com/2011/9/30/2459916/a-mets-fans-guide-to-recognizing-your-saints-in-the-2011-mlb-playoffs

Rollins did not condemn Reyes for exiting Wednesday's game after raising his average to .337 -- leaving Milwaukee's Ryan Braun needing a 3-for-4 performance to overtake him -- but made it clear he's not a fan of the tactic. Reyes beat Braun .337 to .332. "I would have played the whole game," Rollins said. "I'm like, 'Hey, I fought this hard to be in this position and I'm going to see it through to the end.' My personality, I'm going to ride it out. I worked this hard to be this good and put up these numbers, I would like to see it all the way to the end. http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/rollins_rant_Ap9KSTC38AW005vQrS6xAI#ixzz1ZXDv37Aw

Of course, if you add in this: Jose Reyes – $20 million - Now you’ve got an (optimistic) 85-win team with $8 million left to spend. Considering injuries and the tough NL East, it’s probably closer to a .500 team, maybe a tick below. It’s basically this season’s team, assuming better health and luck, but without half-seasons from Carlos Beltran and Frankie Rodriguez, and Johan Santana replaces Chris Capuano. And you still need to fix the bullpen, improve the defense, add middle infield depth, outfield depth and depth in the rotation. I’m stumped already. Being a fake GM is hard. - http://www.patrickfloodblog.com/2011/09/30/your-pretend-gm-worksheet

The New York Metropolitans – often called the Mets – defeat Columbus, 4-1, at the Polo Grounds today to clinch the American Association pennant, and the chance to face the Providence Grays in baseball’s first World Series. The Mets win the flag behind the solid pitching of Jack Lynch (37-15, 2.67 earned run average) and Tim Keefe (37-17, 2.25) and the hard hitting of first baseman Dave Orr (American Association batting champion, at .354), third baseman Dude Esterbrook (.314) and center fielder Chief Roseman (.298). The American Association has expanded from eight teams in 1883 to an unwieldy twelve in 1884, and for most of the season the Mets have battled six other teams for the flag —- Columbus, Louisville, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Baltimore and the Philadelphia Athletics. - http://www.edwardachorn.com/diary/173/radbourn-s-immortal-season-october-1-mets-win-first-pennant

Cutnpaste: - Straw on Jose, Mets Moneyball, Izzy with Bobby, Mike Pelfrey, Taylor Buchholz

Ultimately, Strawberry chose to depart the Mets, heading across the country to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1991. It's a career move he wishes he could have back and one he hopes Reyes can learn from with his impending free agency. "It looks good on the other side, but it's not always as good as the place that you're used to," Strawberry said about leaving the Mets in free agency. "When you're young you don't realize that, and for me, I was young and didn't realize what New York meant to me. "Tell Jose I said New York is a great place. A great place no matter what, it's a great place to play. No matter what you have to go through, how difficult it gets, this is the place that you want to play." - http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/7012415/darryl-strawberry-jose-reyes-stay-new-york-mets

Signing pitchers with bum arms wasn't a concept published in the "Moneyball," but it seemed to be a "market inefficiency" identified by the new Mets front office. Sometimes a team will take a chance on one or maybe two pitchers whose health is a major question mark, hoping to catch lightning in a bottle. The Mets, however, signed six of these guys: Chris Young, Chris Capuano, Boof Bonser, Taylor Buchholz, Taylor Tankersley and Jason Isringhausen. The logic was that all of these pitchers were undervalued because of their injury histories and their recent appearances on surgeon’s tables. How did it turn out? The good news: Capuano wound up giving the Mets 30 starts and Jason Isringhausen came out of the bullpen 53 times. Young was spectacular through his first four starts, then reinjured his shoulder and was done for the year. Buchholz lasted until June, when shoulder fatigue and other issues ended his season. Bonser and Tankersley never made it out of spring training. - http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/16614/mets-brand-moneyball-not-so-successful

According to reports, Jason Isringhausen is working with Bobby Parnell on a knuckle-curve. Parnell threw a combined 2 scoreless innings in the double-header sweep of the Phillies yesterday. Pitch F/x data, however, hasn’t picked it up so I am not sure he is actually using it in the game. Parnell hasn’t given up an earned run since September 6th, and hasn’t given up any runs since blowing a save to the Cubs on September 10th. If he can master some sort of secondary pitch, then you might be on to something here. Parnell also has to learn to relax on the mound. He appears much calmer the last few times out. It seems once Terry Collins said “you’re the closer,” his level of anxiety on the mound increased. - http://nybaseballdigest.com/?p=40249

Few would understand as well as Pelfrey (7-12, 4.58 ERA), who has spent nearly half his life trying to develop a secondary pitch to complement a fastball that made him both a major-leaguer and a millionaire. In five major-league seasons, he has attempted to utilize a curveball, a changeup, a slider and a splitter. None have proved useful. In the process, through a mechanical quirk, he believes he has downgraded the quality of his sinker, the pitch that carried him to the big leagues in the first place. - http://www.nj.com/mets/index.ssf/2011/09/mets_mike_pelfrey_still_search.html

Paulino ($1.35M 2011 salary), Pagan ($3.5M), Pelfrey ($3.925M), Acosta (~$415K),  and Buchholz ($600K) are eligible for arbitration. I expect the Mets to retain  Paulino, Pagan, Pelfrey, and Acosta. Pagan and Pelfrey have become lightning  rods for the ire of a vocal portion of the Mets’ fanbase this season, but my bet  is that both survive the winter. Buchholz, on the other hand, has spent the bulk  of the season dealing with physical and psychological issues. If the Mets  believe he’s worked through them, I could see them bringing him back. However,  I’d expect it to be on a minor league incentive-laden contract, rather than an  arbitration offer. Buchholz is the only Met I believe will be non-tendered this  December. - http://mets360.com/?p=8036&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mets360%2Ffeed+%28Mets360+Feed%29