Chip Hale Would Make a Great Interim Manager

All of the talk surrounding a potential replacement for embattled Mets Manager Jerry Manuel centers squarely on former Mariners and Diamondbacks skipper Bob Melvin.

I think this is unfortunate, as Melvin would be a change of face, but not a change of type.

Melvin is a tinkerer who had, and lost, two managerial jobs in a relatively short span of time.  Moreover, he is sub-.500 as a manager, and despite some success, his teams quickly floundered under his leadership.

In Melvin's first season as a MLB manager, he led the Mariners to a 93-69 record...and followed that with a 63-99 disaster and was dismissed.

He then went to the Diamondbacks, had two sub-.500 seasons, followed by 90 win and 82 win seasons, and was dismissed after starting the 2009 campaign 12-17.

Melvin took his teams to the playoffs a grand total of one time, in 2007, and they were swept by the Rockies in 4 games.

It's not exactly a proud record of consistent success.

Which brings us to another line of thinking....why not give Chip Hale a chance?

Chip Hale is the Mets current third base coach and has 6 years of minor league managerial experience under his belt and led his team to the Pacific Coast League championship in 2006 before receiving the call to become a major league coach.

He is a baseball guy, a thoughtful person, and he has quickly gained the respect of the players on the team.

Though I am usually against the "interim" tag, I believe this year it's warranted.  The Mets are on the cusp of losing their season, and making a change at the top is the first step in righting this ship.

Chip Hale would have three quarters of a season to make his case, and I personally believe he would demonstrate to all that he is worthy of the position long-term.

Chip Hale Year-By-Year Minor League Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs
2000	Missoula Osprey	Pioneer League	44-32	2nd	Arizona Diamondbacks
2001	Missoula Osprey	Pioneer League	52-24	2nd	Arizona Diamondbacks	Lost in 1st round
2002	El Paso Diablos	Texas League	76-62	2nd	Arizona Diamondbacks
2004	Tucson Sidewinders	Pacific Coast League	74-70	7th	Arizona Diamondbacks
2005	Tucson Sidewinders	Pacific Coast League	68-76	11th (t)	Arizona Diamondbacks
2006	Tucson Sidewinders	Pacific Coast League	91-53	1st	Arizona Diamondbacks	League Champs

Val Pascucci: Still Not the Answer

My good friend Ted Berg continues to carry the flag for our returning hero Val Pascucci.

Pascucci has some overly inflated minor league stats in the PCL, and a reputation that would make Paul Bunyan blush.

So what about Val Pascucci, a purported Mets savior? How good is this guy? How good can he be with the Mets?

In mid-2008 he had a solid .980 OPS in the PCL, which led Tim Marchman to translate to an .850 OPS in the big leagues (saying it is a Baseball Prospectus number).

Marchman said Pascucci "can be our Vlad Guerrero!"

Aint gonna happen folks, and here's why...

The PCL, for the uninformed, is the hitting haven for mid-20s to mid 30s has been's, or never will be's.

So let's take a peek at the 2009 PCL stats sorted by HRs:

Pacific Coast League: Batting Leaders (click column headers to sort)
Name	Team	POS	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	AVG	OPS
Mitch Jones	ALB	RF	108	387	72	115	26	3	35	103	252	40	102	9	3	.364	.651	.297	1.015
Sean Rodriguez	SLC	2B	103	365	81	109	17	6	29	93	225	51	119	9	2	.400	.616	.299	1.017
Allen Craig	MEM	LF	126	472	78	152	26	1	26	83	258	37	95	3	0	.374	.547	.322	.921
Terry Evans	SLC	RF	135	537	104	156	33	6	26	90	279	40	146	28	5	.341	.520	.291	.860
Bryan LaHair	TAC	LF	121	457	72	132	28	2	26	85	242	45	116	0	5	.354	.530	.289	.883
Randy Ruiz	LAS	1B	114	462	81	148	43	2	25	106	270	47	99	0	0	.392	.584	.320	.976
Matt Carson	SAC	CF	118	440	68	116	29	3	25	77	226	38	94	15	4	.327	.514	.264	.841
Brendan Katin	NAS	RF	127	459	67	112	33	6	24	92	229	35	164	2	0	.305	.499	.244	.804
Joe Koshansky	NAS	1B	135	455	72	99	21	3	24	80	198	64	166	7	4	.316	.435	.218	.752
Cory Aldridge	OMA	RF	98	354	48	112	20	4	22	71	206	24	86	0	1	.361	.582	.316	.943
Brandon Wood	SLC	3B	99	386	65	113	28	4	22	72	215	36	80	1	1	.353	.557	.293	.910
John Bowker	FRE	RF	104	366	82	125	22	4	21	83	218	74	64	10	6	.451	.596	.342	1.047
Prentice Redman	TAC	RF	108	414	84	123	35	3	21	66	227	33	77	7	2	.352	.548	.297	.900
J.P. Arencibia	LAS	C	116	466	67	110	32	1	21	75	207	26	114	0	1	.284	.444	.236	.728
Scott Thorman	OMA	LF	108	399	49	115	16	2	20	67	195	24	75	7	3	.342	.489	.288	.830
Chad Huffman	POR	LF	135	469	65	126	30	2	20	68	220	57	115	8	5	.361	.469	.269	.830
Brett Harper	ALB	1B	103	390	46	114	25	1	19	71	198	26	48	0	0	.333	.508	.292	.841
Dee Brown	ALB	LF	121	396	79	115	35	0	19	80	207	57	63	9	3	.382	.523	.290	.905
John Lindsey	NEW	1B	133	443	53	111	22	1	19	83	192	38	112	1	2	.331	.433	.251	.764
Valentino Pascucci	POR	1B	126	436	62	108	25	2	19	77	194	66	119	3	0	.348	.445	.248	.793

The average age of those players is 27. Moreover, many have major league experience, and for the most part, they have been putrid in the big leagues.

Some of the names on that list are quite familiar to Mets fans.

Prentice Redman anyone?

The PCL slugger has tasted the big leagues only once, in 2003, when he hit .125 for the Mets. Now, as he nears age 30, one has to wonder why he hasn't been given his chance...or, you can realize that his numbers are over-inflated by virtue of his playing in the PCL.

In 2008 Dallas McPherson hit 42 HRs in the PCL in only 448 at-bats...McGwire'esque!

Well, in 399 big league at-bats he has 126 Ks and a 97 OPS+

Now I'm personally happy for the Mets AAA fans...Pascucci might make their season a bit more enjoyable.

What I don't have is any illusion whatsoever that Val with make any contribution to the 2010 Mets. He's just not that good.