VIDEO: Mets Fan Demonstrates His Feelings on the Season

This is too perfect for words....

Good Morning Mets Fans!

A 9-1 homestand does wonders for your confidence.

It also helps push a team up in the standings, and in the case of our beloved Mets, it pushed them all the way from last to first.

The Mets, at 13-9, are a half game up in the NL East, and they now own the 3rd best record in the National League and the 6th best record in baseball.

There are many reasons for the team's success, including fantastic starting pitching, a dominant bullpen, an awakening offense, and a shot in the arm from the newest Met.

Ike Davis has impressed his teammates as much as he's impressed the fans.

“He’s given us a shot in the arm,” David Wright said. “He solidifies a pretty good lineup.”

“He’s been a good major league player,” Jason Bay said. “You wouldn’t know he’s been here a week.”

Luis Castillo remains the most consistent Met.  He has reached base safely in each of his starts, and his OBP continues to climb.

Jason Bay and David Wright have found their strokes, and each man found the gap at Citi Field with consistency over the past few games.  David Wright's OBP sits at .438, and Jason Bay is at .387.

But more than anything its been the pitching.

For all the crap Omar Minaya takes, I will once again state that the man put together a world-class bullpen anchored by one of the best closers in the game.

Toss in the mastery of Pedro Feliciano and a deep bunch of setup men for Jerry to leverage, and it's easy to see why a one run lead is often enough.  These guys are getting the job done and then some.

So we all take a breather today...read, rest, re-energize, and then head to Philly tomorrow to keep the mojo going.

It sure feels good to be a Mets fan right now--enjoy your coffee!

National League
EAST	W	L	PCT	GB	HOME	ROAD	RS	RA	DIFF	STRK	L10
NY Mets	13	9	.591	-	11-5	2-4	96	72	+24	Won 7	9-1
Philadelphia	12	9	.571	.5	3-3	9-6	114	90	+24	Won 1	4-6
Washington	12	10	.545	1	7-6	5-4	93	107	-14	Won 2	6-4
Florida	11	11	.500	2	5-5	6-6	106	103	+3	Lost 2	4-6
Atlanta	8	13	.381	4.5	5-4	3-9	77	91	-14	Lost 8	2-8

Shedding Optimism

From Andy the Lawyer

Clearly, Jerry Manuel isn't a good tactical manager and he makes some outrageously dumb decisions (including at least 2 or 3 last night) but I still think the roster, as constructed by Omar/Wilpon, was simply never going to be a team of any quality. Doesn't mean Manuel shouldn't be fired (he should) but lets not delude ourselves into thinking Bobby V. would get this set of personnel to the playoffs.

There are a variety of ways to have a winning team in baseball, and the Mets right now aren't good at any of them. You can win with a huge offense (like the 2006 Mets did, and like the Phillies do now), or you can win with very good pitching (like the 2000 Mets did). The current Mets team, as constructed, has neither.

As to offense, I've posted this elsewhere, but people really fail to acknowledge that good offensive teams don't have just 1 or 2 good hitters, they have above-average major league hitters up and down the lineup. Here are the comparisons of the Mets PROJECTED (keep in mind, this is based on a lineup with Beltran back) #2 and #6 hitters - hardly the "core" of the team - compared to the big offensive clubs - based on career OPS:

Yankees: Johnson (.849 OPS), Posada (.862 OPS)
Boston: Pedrioa (.830 OPS), Beltre (.779 OPS)
Philly: Polanco (.765 OPS), Ibanez (.825 OPS).

Mets: Castillo (.722 OPS), Franceour (.749 OPS).

Just for comparison, in 2006 the Mets #2 and #6 hitters typcially (although that year alot of guys batted 6th) were:

Lo Duca (.746 OPS), Green (.850 OPS)

And in 2000 (when the Mets were carried by their pitching and had a below-average offense, not their offense) their #2 and #6 hitter typically were:

Derek Bell (.757 OPS), Todd Zeile (.769 OPS)

So even in a year when the Mets offense wasn't very good, they STILL had better depth in their lineup than they planned to have this year, even going into spring training.

Now, as to pitching, its much simpler. In both 2006 and 2000, the Mets starters were 3rd best in the NL in runs allowed, giving up only 4.51 and 4.56 runs per game respectively (can't find a way to isolate starters ERA compared to the rest of the league that year on Baseball Reference).

This year, we went into the season looking at a rotation that included a multiple Cy Young winner (Santana) and then 4 guys who can safely be considered the worst 2-5 of any team with a 100 million dollar payroll.

Maine's career ERA is about the NL league average, but when you factor in his injury history and his last 3 years, its hard to see how reasonable it was to expect to match that. Ollie Perez has been a below average MLB pitcher for his career, with an ERA over 5.00 in 6 of his 9 MLB seasons. Pelfrey had an ERA over 5.00 in 3 of his 4 MLB seasons. Neise is essentially a rookie given his lack of MLB experience.

In short, the Mets front office put together a team that focuses on its "highlights" (Santana, KRod, Wright, Beltran, Reyes) while surrounding those highlights with players who are signficantly below the league average. That's not how winning teams are built - they have depth in the lineup and the rotation, and they don't stop adding pieces just because they believe they have found an ace, a closer, and the 3-5 spots in the lineup.

The Mets "core" may still be good, but a baseball team is not assembled by finding 5 good players and surrounding them with crap.

Good Morning Mets Fans!

Well amigos, we are almost there.

Almost ready to head north.

Almost ready to start the season.

Almost ready for real baseball to begin.

Oh sure, there are a few questions left, foremost among them who will win the 25th spot, and will Jose Reyes be in the lineup for the opener, but we're close.

As the Daily News points out, Omar Minaya is still not ruling out Jose for Opening Day.

We're so lucky as Mets fans because of the veritable plethora of reading material on any given day.

My friend Greg Spira sent me a copy of the 2010 Maple Street Press Mets Annual, and once again, he and Matt Silverman have hit a home run.

This year's Annual features:

• Pitch-by-pitch scouting reports, with information provided by Inside Edge, that detail what to expect from Mets hitters and pitchers.
• A look at the rest of the NL and how the Mets can get back to the playoffs.
• A reason for hope: Jason Bay arrives at Citi.
• A thorough review of Citi Field's first year from its best and worst moments, to a season review from the park itself.
• There's no doubt the Mets suffered more than their fair share of injuries in 2009, but who is to blame and what can be done?
• An in-depth interview with Adam Wogan, Mets director of minor league personnel.
• The most complete review of the Mets farm system available anywhere, including the top ten pitching and position prospects, the 2009 draft, a feature on first base prospect Ike Davis, and all the minor league stats fit to print.
• A look back at Mets history, from Dwight Gooden's amazin' 1985 to the Mets Team of the Decade, position by position.

I loved the piece they did on us blogger types, and want to say a quick thank you for the shout out.  Trust me amigos, for $12.99 you will not find a better bargain or a better read.

In other reading, Patrick Flood has a long piece about his trip to Port St Lucie, and it's a gem.

Metsradamus, easily the funniest Mets blogger, has a great piece this morning clearly placing blame for everything and anything on the broad shoulders of Oliver Perez.

Finally, Toby Hyde, who does yeoman's work covering the Mets Minors, tells us about the Mets #5 prospect, Josh Thole.

Enjoy your coffee!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Maple Street Press Mets Annual 2010 (amazinavenue.com)
• Meet The New York Mets: Five Questions That Could Make Or Break The Mets Season (bleacherreport.com)

Jason Bay's Excellent Spring

With all the hand-wringing over Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran, combined with the hand-wringing over the starting pitching, the hand-wringing over the bullpen, and the hand-wringing over the various options at first base and catcher, Jason Bay has been largely ignored this spring.

Sure, he's the biggest free agent signing in these parts since Johan Santana, but he gets less ink than Daniel Murphy, Mike Jacobs, or Omar Minaya's haircut on any given day this spring.

The most coverage he's had was during the Olympics when he tried to explain curling to his Latin American teammates, or when he took a few hours to convince Jeff Francoeur that they do speak English in Canada and that it is actually a country.

So I'm here to give him some props, and his 1.135 OPS deserves it.  Jason Bay is having a very, very nice spring--he's hitting, he's blended in well with his teammates, and he is poised to have an outstanding year.

He sure looks and acts like the big slugger the Mets desperately needed to anchor the middle of the lineup.

Status: Active

• Born: 9/20/1978 in Trail, BC Canada

• Bats/Throws: R/R
• HT: 6'2''
• WT: 205

• Debut: 5/24/2003
• College: Gonzaga

• Last 10
• Upcoming
• Quick Splits

DATE	OPP	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	AVG
03/07/2010	WSH	2	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	.143	H	2010/03/07/wasmlb-nynmlb-1	S
03/08/2010	@FLA	3	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	.200	A	2010/03/08/nynmlb-flomlb-1	S
03/09/2010	HOU	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	.167	H	2010/03/09/houmlb-nynmlb-1	S
03/11/2010	BOS	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.143	H	2010/03/11/bosmlb-nynmlb-1	S
03/13/2010	DET	3	2	1	1	3	0	1	0	.176	H	2010/03/13/detmlb-nynmlb-1	S
03/14/2010	@FLA	3	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	.200	A	2010/03/14/nynmlb-flomlb-1	S
03/15/2010	STL	3	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	.261	H	2010/03/15/slnmlb-nynmlb-1	S
03/18/2010	@FLA	3	2	2	1	2	0	1	0	.308	A	2010/03/18/nynmlb-flomlb-1	S
03/19/2010	MIN	2	1	2	0	0	1	0	0	.357	H	2010/03/19/minmlb-nynmlb-1	S
03/23/2010	ATL	4	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	.344	H	2010/03/23/atlmlb-nynmlb-1	S
TOTALS		27	8	10	2	7	2	5	0	.370

Jeff Wilpon Video Blog: The Series

I've been chatting with Scott, part of the wonderful creative talent behind these really funny videos.

The 12 Angry Mascots are performing Sunday, March 28th at 8 pm at Comix comedy club with featured guest and former Yankee Jeff Nelson.

Comix is located at:

356 West 14th Street

New York, NY 10014

Get Directions

(212) 524-2500

Enjoy the videos, and remember, it pays to be a WilPal. 



Day 1





Day 2




Day 3




Day 4

The Importance of Niese

We've wrung our hands all winter about Ollie, Big Pelf, Maine, and Johan, but the simple fact is that those are four pitchers who will comprise 80% of the Mets starting rotation.

It's the other 20% that's the real uncertainty.

Sure, the first four have question marks, especially Perez and Maine, but as long as they are healthy on Opening Day, the are the first four guys in the rotation.

Which brings us back the the SP5 and Jonathan Niese.

The Mets would love for Niese to claim the 5 spot for himself. He is a crafty pitcher with the best curveball in the organization, solid control, and he has worked hard on his cutter to suplement a rather average big-league fastball.

As John Harper reports in the Daily News, Niese looked sharp in his first outing of the year, and Manager Jerry Manuel was suitably impressed.

"Very impressive," said Jerry Manuel. "It was good to see because he's a huge piece (of the puzzle) for me."

Niese is now fully healed from a gruesome hamstring injury and dreams of landing the starting job that was his for a short time last year. "It feels good to be in one piece," said the young lefty.

The nice part about Niese is that he offers yet another look in what could be a solid starting rotation.

Santana is one of the very best in the game and features the best changeup in the National League. Mike Pelfrey comes in with hard stuff and a sinker that induces ground ball after ground ball. Ollie has the arm angle and an array of pitches that produces strikeouts. Maine is the most traditional of the bunch, but when he's on he can provide a solid 6 innings on any given night.

And then there's Niese and that curveball....for a back end of the rotation pitcher he can be a real gamer and give the Mets a chance to win each and every time he steps on the rubber.

With good health it can be a very solid one through five and not only help erase the nightmare of 2009, but also keep the wolves away from Omar Minaya and his inability to land an SP2 in the off-season.

For now, we wait and hope...Nelson Figueroa is the real fallback position (forget about Fernando Nieve right now), and for a safety valve, Figgy's OK. That said, Niese has a much higher upside and could be the best surprise of 2010.

Good Morning Mets Fans

After our hiatus, NY Sports Dog will be back on 1 January all the way through the 2010 World Series championship for the Mets.

Thanks for the notes and e-mails over the past 3 months--to let you know I just needed a break from blog life after the season.

Like you, I also have a real job, and the demands of that ratcheted up immensely this Summer and into the Fall. Thankfully all is well on that front!

Hope all my friends and reader's are having a great holiday!

Done in by a Chicken Bone?

Oh evil spirits, why are you doing this?

Oh mighty one, please forgive us our sins, and let the players play the games.

How can we make amends?

Can we ply you with chicken bones? Perhaps rub some antelope grease on our helmets? Bury a dead warthog under Omar Minaya's office?

Just tell us please!

The List

• Jose Reyes
• Carlos Beltran
• Ryan Church
• Carlos Delgado
• John Maine
• Oliver Perez
• Angel Pagan
• Jon Niese
• Luis Castillo
• Gary Sheffield
• J.J. Putz
• Billy Wagner
• Ramon Martinez
• Fernando Nieve
• Fernando Martinez
• Tim Redding
• Brian Schneider
• Alex Cora

Hello, I'm Andy Green

You know Andy, don't you?

Didn't you have Mr. Jackson's 10th grade chemistry together? No? Didn't he date Marie Francona--you know, Joey's sister? No?

Oh yeah, wait a minute...he's the 32-year old with the lifetime .300 batting average in the minors, who also happens to have a .199 lifetime batting average in 260 big league plate appearances.

Yeah, that guy.

And this, my friends, is the real reason Omar Minaya must go--he's decimated our farm system with poor drafts and poor trades.

Andy Green, it's nice to meet you...what are you doing at Citi Field, and why can't you hit big league pitching?

David Wright to the Disabled List

With a big sigh, the Mets announced that All-Star, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger David Wright has been placed on the 15 day Disabled List.

The full story from my friend Ted Berg at Metsblog:

Omar Minaya announced after Sunday’s game that David Wright has been put on the 15-day DL with his head injury.

Minaya stressed that Wright wanted to stay with the club, but that after consulting with medical experts, the team decided it was in Wright’s best interest to rest.

Wright joins John Maine, Jon Niese, Fernando Nieve, J.J. Putz, Billy Wagner, Carlos Delgado, Ramon Martinez, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Fernando Martinez on the Mets’ disabled list.

Adam Rubin Continues to Shade the Truth

Normally this type of stuff doesn't bother me, but there is one small point that Adam Rubin keeps making that is simply not true.

He keeps saying that Omar accused him of lobbying for Bernazard's job, ie, lobbying for THE job of player personnel, and that Omar accused him of using his desire for THE job as motivation for his reporting on Bernazard.

The problem with that is Omar never said it.

What Omar Minaya actually said was that Adam Rubin was lobbying for 'A' player development position.

Even in Rubin's story from today's Daily News, he quotes Omar incorrectly, which is not proper journalism.

"Adam has lobbied for THE player development position," Minaya said.

This is blatantly inaccurate, and has been quoted differently in every other paper this morning.

The NY Post correctly quotes Omar as saying: "Adam, you gotta understand this, Adam, for the past couple of years, has lobbied for a player development position," Minaya said.

Much different meanings.

I reviewed the tape, and Omar said "a job", not "the job".

So why is Adam reporting that Omar said he lobbied for Bernazard's job?

Rubin is misquoting Omar because it puts him in a better light, but go back and watch the press conference and you see Rubin ask, “Are you alleging that I tried to tear Tony down so I could take his job?” “No, I’m not saying that,” Minaya said. “All I’m saying is that in the past you have lobbied for a job. You have told people in the front office that you want to work in the front office.”

Rubin himself has gone back and forth on this, saying he never asked for a Mets job, but just made some general inquiries--to all of the Mets brass--on how one gets a job in baseball.

Anyone with half a brain that hears these questions up and down an organization knows that the person that is asking the questions wants a job--Rubin, like everyone else, would never say "hey, Jeff, Omar, Tony, hire me"...the world is much more subtle than that....but by asking over and over his message was pretty clear.

I think Adam Rubin crossed the line of journalistic integrity by continually inquiring about a job from the team he was covering.

Omar called him on it....he may have botched the message and the timing by doing it in the press conference, but it's something that needed to be told.

The reporters will all jump to Rubin's side--that's fine--they are banding together. But I'm actually on Omar's side here

Adam Rubin Is Too Emotionally Involved

OK, I just watched the video of Adam Rubin after the Minaya press conference.

“I’m absolutely floored,” Rubin said afterward, as other reporters crowded him, seeking his reaction to Minaya’s comments. “I don’t know how I’m going to cover the team anymore.”I obviously can't cover this team until there's a new GM".

Can't cover the team while Minaya is GM? Why? Because his feelings got hurt? Welcome to real life.

Adam needs to act like a real reporter instead of an overly emotional teenager who got left at the prom by their date.

Reporters are often at odds with those whom they target--that comes with the territory--the key here is Adam Rubin reported it right and needed to be ready for whatever reactions came his way--not to ask for or expect a pat on the back or quit because he was singled out.

What reporter would expect a compliment from an organization after working their butt off to have a member of an organization fired?

Adam Rubin would.

I actually believe Omar here in a way. Rubin certainly DOES want a job in baseball...he said that himself and admitted to asking all the Mets brass how to get a job in baseball.

Does his desire to get a job in baseball have anything to do with the reporting he did on Bernazard?

Of course not, but his gross overreaction to Minaya's unfortunate comments is a little strange.

"Thou doth protest too much".

I hope Adam Rubin remains on the Mets beat---he's a good one--I also hope he realizes that the best thing to do today would be to look folks straight in the eye, and stick to your story--the story is your body of work, and you shouldn't threaten to quit because one of the targets didn't like it!

Good Morning Mets Fans!

6 in a row? Sure.

First place? You bet.

The Mets are rolling, having taken the last 6 games, 2 each, from the Phils, Braves and Pirates, and they are getting contributions up and down the lineup and from the entire pitching staff.

Mets manager Jerry Manuel, who was suspended for the game, watched with Omar Minaya in the GM's suite. Bench Coach Sandy Alomar, Sr was at the helm and enjoyed watching his team throttle their overmatched opponent.

"It was a great pleasure to help the ballclub. Actually, it was the ballclub who was helping me today," Alomar said.

The Mets had a season-high 17 hits on the day, and 13 of those came in the form of a single--small ball--little ball. That little ball helped produce 10 runs on a day in which the offense scored in 5 of the 8 innings they appeared.

The catalyst of all this little ball mayhem was the man at the top of the order, Jose Reyes.

Mark Hale of the NY Post has a nice article on Reyes and the spark he provides.

"It makes me young, just watching him," 40-year-old Gary Sheffield said of Jose Reyes. "The energy he has, I've never seen a player like him."

In his last three games, Reyes has gone 6-for-14 with a homer, four RBIs, four runs and two steals. Prior to Friday's two-hit effort against the Pirates, the leadoff sparkplug hadn't had a multi-hit game since April 21.

"I think I've been feeling a lot better lately," Reyes said. "Just feel more comfortable at home plate."

"As long as he stays back, he's going to be fine," GM Omar Minaya said.

Reyes finished the day 3 for 5 with a run scored and 3 RBIs.

Several Mets had big day at the plate, including Carlos Beltran (2 hits including a homerun), Carlos Delgado (2 hits, including a double), David Wright (2 hits, including a triple, and two RBIs), and Gary Sheffield and and Fernando Tatis (2 hits and an RBI each).

John Maine moved to 3-2 on the season with 6 solid innings, though Maine himself wasn't particularly satisfied with the way he pitched.

"It was tough for me for some reason. They just hit the ball right at people. I got lucky with that and the offense did a great job. The next thing you know the game's over with. I didn't have many walks (two, one intentional), but the control could have been better. I didn't have much today, and I had to battle through it."

After Maine was through, Ken Takahashi and Brian Stokes came in to pitch the final three innings. The two gave up a hit each and no runs, and Takahashi, who I've dubbed the "Japanese Assassin," struck out two.

All in all a great day for the Mets--a feel good game where the club fired on all cylinders.

The only down note was Ramon Castro tweaking his quad. Metsradamus just might have a prize for you.

Today the Mets go for 7 in a row with Livan Hernandez on the hill.

Enjoy your coffee!

Scoreboard
Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Pittsburgh (12-18)	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	5	0
N.Y. Mets (16-13) «	1	0	0	5	1	0	1	2	x	10	17	0

Players of the Game

New York C. Beltran AB 5 R 2 H 2 HR 1 RBI 1

New York J. Reyes AB 5 R 1 H 3 HR 0 RBI 3

Time to Start Fighting

Anyone have a prediction on when the team is going to get a little angry?

Gary Sheffield has spoken about the need for intensity.

Omar Minaya has spoken about getting an edge.

Maybe these guys need to brush a few guys back and get a little angry.

My advice? Go back and look at a few tapes from 1986, amp up your attitude, and take what you want rather than wait for what you want.

Jose Reyes Out of Step

The numbers are downright ugly for the Mets leadoff hitter.

• 1 for his last 21
  
• 2 runs scored in his last 13 games
• 1 stolen base in his last 12 games
• 1 for 14 with runners in scoring position and 2 outs
• .231 batting average with runners in scoring position on the year
  
• .236 batting average in the Mets 13 losses

2009 Season Stats
SPLITS	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Season	23	97	9	25	2	2	1	8	12	12	4	2	.258	.336	.351	.687
Career	778	3303	542	944	157	73	62	318	253	398	294	75	.286	.336	.434	.770
Last 7	7	28	1	3	0	1	0	1	5	6	1	0	.107	.235	.179	.414

So what exactly is wrong with Jose Reyes?

With all the focus on David Wright, Oliver Perez, Jerry Manuel, and Omar Minaya, why aren't we discussing Reyes?

He has lost 70 points on his batting average in the last two weeks, and the Mets have gone 4-6.

His year, thus far, has been a disappointment at the plate, and his current struggles are downright awful. The carryover effect from the lack of hitting was on display Saturday when he failed to get down a bunt. It was then that we saw just a little bit of frustration from Reyes.

As Reyes go, so go the Mets, and right now he is stuck in reverse.

Let's hope the day off helped...something has to.

Jerry to Begin Channeling His Inner Lasorda

His last tirade sounds just like Joe Pesci in Goodfellas.

A new era of "edge" is beginning.....

Laying in the Reeds

This is actually a Ravi piece, but he asked me to post it for him as he is a man on the move of late! Enjoy!

Xavier Nady

John Maine

Oliver Perez

Jeremy Reed

What do all the above players have in common? I’ll get to that in a minute.

Jeremy Reed was drafted in the 2nd round by the Chicago White Sox, with the 59th overall pick in 2002. A year later, he was the Minor League Player of the Year.

He began the year at Single A, and after producing a line of .333/.437/.477, yielding an OPS of .914 over 222 at bats, he was promoted to Double-A, where he found his power stroke, and hit .409/.472/.591, with an OPS of 1.063.

He was promoted to AAA the following year, which included a mid-season trade to Seattle, and played a bit better in the hitter friendly PCL. He earned top prospect status, and a call-up after hitting .305/.367/.455, with an .822 OPS for Tacoma.

Reed began his MLB career on fire, batting .397/.470/.466 for Seattle, with an OPS+ of 149 (100 is average), at the ripe age of 24. 2005 wasn’t as kind to him, as he batted .254/.322/.352, with an OPS + of 84. While not on par with his debut the previous season, his production in 2005 was not terrible for a rookie, especially one who led all center fielders in range factor.

Based on his minor league numbers, Reed was supposed to be a guy who would hit for average, and get on base at a very nice clip, while showing modest power. Then the injuries came.

2006 was tough for Reed, as he sustained some significant injuries, as he hurt his right wrist making a play in spring training, and in July, broke his thumb trying to make a diving catch in extra innings. Reed spent most of 2007 in the minors, this time conquering Triple-A, putting together a ling of .300/.354/.452, with an .806 OPS in 564 AB’s. He only had 13 AB’s at the major league level that year, and never got into a grove. He began 2008 back in Triple-A, and once again showed that the league was no match for him, as he batted .349/.413/.557 with a .970 OPS in 149 at bats. When recalled to the majors in May, he responded by going .269/.314/.360, with an 82 OPS+ on a very weak hitting team while not getting consistent playing time.

This brings me to the question I asked at the top of this post. The thing that the four players have in common is that they attracted the eye of Omar Minaya.

As he did with Nady, Maine, Perez (and Church, some may argue), Omar found a talented player, who had issues with the injury bug, suffered from inconsistent playing time, who proved he was ready, but never had the opportunity to blossom.

Like Maine and Perez, Reed was seemingly a second thought – a body to help offset a much larger deal. However, we have come to learn that these were not just any throw in players, but were in fact targeted by Minaya. Certainly Omar has had some misses, but there is no doubt about his eye for talent, that eye was rewarded by the accomplishments of Nady, Maine and Perez.

This spring, Reed is making his case to join that group, as he is batting .426 over 26 games, while also hitting for power. Though it evokes shades of Butch Huskey, Reed has a pedigree that Butch, though a successful minor leaguer himself, never had. This isn’t to say that Reed will be an all-star, but it will be very interesting to see whether or not a guy, seemingly brought in for his glove, will also be able to get it done with his bat.

How Bad was the Redding Signing?

As Adam Rubin of the Daily News reports:

Omar Minaya said Tim Redding will start the season on the disabled list with shoulder fatigue.

Redding has a guaranteed contract for $2.25 million, and was headed for the long-relief role. The GM said the 31-year-old righthander is not experiencing pain and does not need an MRI exam, since images were taken before he signed Jan. 12.

"He just doesn't feel strength in the shoulder area," Minaya said. "The fact that he doesn't have strength in the shoulder area, we are going to pretty much shut him down now for a little while. He'll be rehabbing before he gets on the mound again."

Loyal readers know that I was against this move from the start. Here is my most "positive" piece on Redding:

Reasons to love him:

• Zero chance you'll have to buy your kid a Tim Redding jersey...he is saving you money
  
• He is a New Yorker. Tim Redding was born and raised in Rochester
• One of his kids is named Shea
• Has four pitches: change, curve, fastball, slider
• 7-3, 3.85 ERA, .258 BAA before the all-star break
• 182 innings last year, and the Mets need innings
• Relatively inexpensive, could shift to the bullpen as a long man
• 176 innings with a 119 ERA+ in 2003
• Doesn't walk a lot of batters
• 3-1, 3.41 ERA vs Phils in 2008
• First athlete to have his jersey retired by Monroe Community College

Reasons to hate him:

• He pitched for the Yankees
• Has four pitches--all of them are average
• 3-8, 6.82 ERA, .303 BAA after the all-star break
• He wasn't good enough to make the Washington Nationals out of spring training in 2007
• 0-6 with a 10.57 ERA in 2005
• Gives up a staggering amount of HRs (13 in his last 51 innings)
• Pitched 7 or more innings twice in 32 starts in 2008
• 1-4, 7.76 ERA vs Marlins in 2008
• Not really a bargain at $2.25M with incentives

So all in all we have a few more reasons to love Tim Redding than to hate him.

Sure he's no Pedro, he's not really good, he's never had a plus pitch, or pitched in the postseason, but he's a Met....sort of.

So let's bottom line this thing:

The Mets are not winning a championship trotting Tim Redding out there every 5th day. We have a pretty big sample size out of him in 7 big league seasons, and the vast majority of his career, including the second half of 2008, has been marginal to awful (and I'm being kind), but he could help...at least Omar thinks so.

My hope? That he loses the 5th starter spot, but still helps the team...Omar Minaya has stated that he plans on having 7-8 candidates for the 5 starting spots and he wants it to be a competition.

Given that Redding pretty much has a roster spot guaranteed at that money, he could surprise us as the long man/spot starter....that's the hope anyway.

Don't you wish you had your jersey retired from Monroe Community College?

I need coffee....Tim Redding is a Met....holy crap......Love, Hate.....

The worst part is we really need him right now, especially with the uncertainty surrounding the 5th starter role.

What this does do is open a roster spot for either Stokes, Parnell, or O'Day, though it also muddies the situation down the road.

Does this move to the disabled list in any way jeopardize the Mets season? No, of course not. But it also adds fuel to what has thus far been a disastrous fight for the 5th starter position.

Many of us have been saying it all along, and at the risk of "piling on" I will say it again--one year of Pedro is worth whatever risk is involved--physical, financial, whatever...bring him in.

Bobby Parnell's Magic Arm

Last season I took my daughter to a Mets vs Nats game in DC--the ballpark is very well thought out, and there are no shortage of amazing sights and mouth watering smells.

The Nats home has an incredible assortment of food available, including the world renowned "Half Smoke" from Ben's Chili Bowl.

But for us, the highlight of the pre-game festivities was delivered by none other than Bobby Parnell and his magic arm.

Bobby was trotting around the outfield getting his running in, and my daughter decided to make him the object of that day's affections. I think it was the pink backpack he toted around that initially drew her eye to the lanky pitcher.

"Bobby!" she shouted again and again each time he passed in front of us.

Finally, after his 5th or 6th jog along the outfield grass he stopped, turned toward us, smiled, and flicked a ball, effortlessly, in our direction. It quickly traveled the 50 feet toward us on a line, right at my chest.

I grabbed it triumphantly and handed it to my daughter. She waved and shrieked at Parnell, who winked at her and trotted away with a little wave.

You could tell he was happy to be a major leaguer, on the field, doing the mundane things big leaguers do, and making a young girl's day.

As we enter 2009 Parnell has a legitimate chance to make the Mets opening day roster, and the Mets need him.

Blessed with a blazing fastball, he's also been working on his splitter. It's a pitch that could one day make him one of the better relievers in the game.

As Ben Shipgel of the NY Times writes,

More than a few team officials predicted Parnell would make the opening day roster because of a fastball that had been clocked in the high 90s and the revival of a split-fingered fastball that could become devastating against left-handed hitters.

“I like big pitchers,” General Manager Omar Minaya said of the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Parnell. “He’s got good arm strength, and you can’t teach the kind of loose arm that he has.”

That arm has been on display in the Mets minors since 2005. But for all the hype that goes along with his live fastball, the results have not always been there.

	ERA	G/GS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BB/9	SO/9	SO/BB	GO/AO
AA	4.30	24/24	127.2	126	66	61	14	57	91	4.03	6.44	1.60	1.52
AAA	6.64	5/4	20.1	25	16	15	0	9	23	4.03	10.30	2.56	1.06
MLB	5.40	6/0	5.0	3	3	3	0	2	3	3.60	5.40	1.50	1.40
AFL	2.25	7/7	20.0	15	5	5	0	9	20	4.05	9.00	2.22	1.00

As the BB/9 and ERA show, Parnell has command issues that he's yet to bring fully under control.

Moreover, he was primarily a fastball pitcher with a sinker, an average slider and average changeup. Part of his problem is the fact that his secondary offerings are hittable, and he knows it. So in many instances he would pitch around a batter rather than go after him.

With his revived splitter, the Mets are hoping that Parnell can consistently get hitters out by not letting them sit on his fastball. The splitter gives him a second strikeout pitch, something he has sorely lacked up to this point.

So while I don't expect Parnell to dominate this year, he should make the team and contribute to what looks like a very solid 2009 Mets bullpen.

It's a bullpen that is stacked with power arms, including the magic arm of Bobby Parnell.