Mets Stats of Note: It's the Offense (Again)

Let's take a peek at where the Mets stand against the rest of baseball.

Thus far in 2010, the Mets:

• Have allowed the fewest Stolen Bases in baseball, 3 steals against 3 caught.  Contrast this with the Red Sox who have allowed 34 steals and only 1 caught stealing.
• 9th in Team ERA at a solid 3.47.
• Struck Out the second most batters--testament to some very strong pitching early in the year.
• 12th in Batting Average Against--just .247.
• 22nd in Homeruns with just 12 on the season.  After a spring in which balls were flying out of the park, we are once again seeing a shortage of power.
• 25th in Team Batting Average at a paltry .229.   The Dodgers lead all of baseball at .311.
• 27th in OPS...ugh.
• 27th in Extra-Base Hits with only 35.  Toronto has 67 to lead MLB.
• Struck Out 5th most--a maddening 120 Ks already on the young season.  Medic!

Like Ike Davis? Thank the Braves

Many of us were up in arms when we let Billy Wagner go for a song, knowing the Mets  would have received first round compensation and another high sandwich pick had he signed elsewhere after the season.

This is exactly what happened with the Red Sox after Wagner declined their offer in 2009.  Wagner is now a Brave.

Think that doesn't matter?  Do you like Ike Davis?

The reason the Mets have Ike Davis in the first place is because the Braves signed Tom Glavine back.  Yup, the pick awarded to the Mets was the 18th in the 2008 draft, which the Mets used to take Ike.

The Mets also received Bradley Holt, the 2009 94th ranked prospect by Baseball America.

Thank you Atlanta Braves.

Chris Carter: Mr Marpril

We know Reggie Jackson was Mr October, and looking at the stats, there is no question that Chris Carter is Mr March and April, or "Mr Marpril".

His Spring numbers the last three years are gaudy...in fact they're downright fantastic.

Two years ago Carter had a very nice spring, finishing with an .893 OPS and hitting .371...at the time I'm sure he was convinced the big leagues were right around the corner.  He did get his September cup of coffee, and he responded well to the challenge, hitting .333 in 18 at-bats.

A year ago Carter came to camp on a mission and slugged to the tune of a 1.038 OPS, which led to him breaking camp with the big club.  Unfortunately, he only lasted 4 games with the Red Sox for a total of 5 at-bats.

Not to be deterred, Carter dutifully went to AAA Pawtucket and put up yet another outstanding year offensively.

Which brings us to 2010--and the Mets--and Spring Training--and Carter--and...

Another amazing spring, only this time it's even better.  Carter is sporting an off-the-charts 1.621 OPS--that's like Pujols on Steroids (figure of speech Albert, don't cry).

The question for Carter is what will be the outcome of another spring in which he is basically the best hitter in camp?

Right now he seems to the clear "26th man" in the minds of Mets management and destined to shuffle off to Buffalo.  It's a shame, because he certainly has the type of bat that could help the club.

CHRIS CARTER SPRING TRAINING STATS -- LAST THREE SEASONS

	TEAM	G	AB	R	H	TB	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	IBB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	GO/AO
2008	BOS	16	35	4	13	18	5	0	0	6	1	0	5	0	0	.371	.378	.514	.893	0.29
2008	CIN	1	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	2.00
2009	BOS	28	76	15	27	50	5	0	6	11	2	0	12	0	0	.355	.380	.658	1.038	1.38
2010	NYM	9	13	5	5	15	1	0	3	8	2	0	2	0	0	.385	.467	1.154	1.621	0.20

Related articles by Zemanta

• Chris Carter Goes Deep Twice -- In The 9th Inning (amazinavenue.com)
• 10 Things to Know About Chris Carter (ballhype.com)
• Note: Chris Carter and the Bench (metsblog.com)
• Chris Carter: virtu and fortuna (amazinavenue.com)

Mike Lowell: Home and Away

One of the things you're going to hear from the Mike Lowell detractors are his 2009 home and away stats.

I am here to prepare you with some ammo to counter their assertion that Lowell is "a Fenway guy"...you can thank me later.

They are going to tell you, "look at his last year home and away stats", and you will counter with the following (his four years with the Red Sox):

OPS
2009: Home-.932, Away-.713, Total-.811
2008: Home-.766, Away-.823, Total-.798
2007: Home-.993, Away-.767, Total-.879
2006: Home-.763, Away-.866, Total-.814

The homeruns and power numbers follow suit.

So if you want to counter them, just whip out these numbers and tell them that 2010 projects to be a "Mike Lowell is awesome at home year...as long as it's not in Fenway."

Mike Lowell on the Way? Tatis in Trouble?

As you know, I've been documenting the difficulty that Fernando Tatis has been having at the plate this spring.

Tatis is still banged up, and he just doesn't look like the player he was two years ago.

Now, according to the Chicago Tribune, word is that the Mets are back to scouting Mike Lowell.

Mike Lowell makes a lot of sense for a lot of reasons, but the biggest one is his bat.He just also happens to absolutely crush lefty's.

… The teams scouting Mike Lowell include the Mets, Marlins, Brewers and Twins. His surgically repaired thumb appears fine, and a trade appears likely as the Red Sox don't want him stuck behind Adrian Beltre, Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz. "He can still really hit, he can play first and can probably go to third once in a while. If the Sox pay most of the $12 million, this guy is a valuable asset to any team,'' a scout told the Boston Globe. …

At this point I would much rather have Mike Lowell than Tatis.  Lowell is an excellent hitter, and if he can truly play both first base and provide backup for David Wright, it could be a real win for the Mets.

The key would be the amount of dollars the Red Sox would pickup on his hefty salary, and Lowell's willingness to come to the Mets and take a role on the team that would net him 300 at-bats or so on the year.

Regardless, this one bears close watching.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Mike Lowell makes his spring debut with the Boston Red Sox at first base (sports.espn.go.com)

Chris Carter Goes Deep Again

Chris Carter just took Derek Lowe deep....very deep....it's his third straight homer in his last three at-bats.

He's now hitting over .600 and making an enormous statement.

I really hope Carter makes the club...he's earned his shot with a terrific college career, and 6 very good minor league seasons.

UPDATE: Carter just doubled and now has 4 RBIs today.

Related articles by Zemanta

• 10 Things to Know About Chris Carter (ballhype.com)

10 Things to Know About Chris Carter

Chris Carter went deep today...he went deep twice...he went deep twice in the 9th inning!

So what do we know about Carter?

• Went to Stanford
• He is extremely intense, quirky, and he plays very, very hard
• .306 lifetime BA in 6 minor league seasons with 126 homeruns in 726 games
  
• Seen as a "major league hitter that plays weak defense"
• 2008 International League All-Star
  
• Can play 1B and corner OF
  
• In 2009 he made the Red Sox out of spring training as the 5th outfielder
• Listed as 6 feet tall and 230 Lbs and doesn't allow anyone to touch his bats
  
• Red Sox acquired him as a PTBNL in the Willy Mo Pena deal
• Uses Hulk Hogan music as his theme song before each at-bat

UPDATE: Carter went deep again--3 HRs in his last 3 ABs.!

Mets Spring Training TV and Radio Schedule

Remember the old days when we NEVER got to see a Spring Training game?

This schedule is pretty packed with viewing and listening opportunities:

Mets 2010 Spring Training Broadcast Schedule
	Date Opponent Time (ET) TV Radio March Tuesday, March 2 vs Braves 1:10 PM SNY Wednesday, March 3 @ Braves 1:05 PM Thursday, March 4 vs Cardinals 1:10 PM SNY Friday, March 5 @ Cardinals 1:05 PM vs Marlins 1:10 PM SNY Saturday, March 6 @ Nationals 1:05 PM WFAN 660 Sunday, March 7 vs Nationals 1:10 PM WPIX Monday, March 8 @ Marlins 1:05 PM Tuesday, March 9 vs Astros 1:10 PM SNY Wednesday, March 10 @ Braves 1:05 PM Thursday, March 11 vs Red Sox 1:10 PM SNY Friday, March 12 @ Twins 1:05 PM Saturday, March 13 vs Tigers 1:10 PM WPIX WFAN 660 Sunday, March 14 @ Marlins 1:05 PM WFAN 660 Monday, March 15 vs Cardinals 1:10 PM SNY Wednesday, March 17 @ Red Sox 1:05 PM Thursday, March 18 @ Marlins 7:05 PM Friday, March 19 vs Twins 1:10 PM SNY Saturday, March 20 @ Cardinals 1:05 PM WFAN 660 Sunday, March 21 vs Univ. of Michigan 11:10 AM @ Astros 1:05 PM WFAN 660 Monday, March 22 @ Nationals 1:05 PM Tuesday, March 23 vs Braves 1:10 PM SNY, ESPN Wednesday, March 24 vs Astros 1:10 PM SNY Thursday, March 25 @ Cardinals 1:05 PM ESPN Friday, March 26 @ Marlins 1:05 PM Saturday, March 27 vs Nationals 1:10 PM WPIX WFAN 660 Sunday, March 28 vs Cardinals 1:10 PM WPIX WFAN 660 Monday, March 29 @ Nationals 1:05 PM vs Marlins 1:10 PM Tuesday, March 30 vs Cardinals 1:10 PM Wednesday, March 31 vs Marlins 1:10 PM SNY April Thursday, April 1 vs Nationals 12:10 PM SNY WFAN 660 Friday, April 2 @ Rays 6:10 PM Saturday, April 3 @ Orioles 1:05 PM WFAN 660

Related articles by Zemanta

• Spring Training Preview: It's time for baseball (cbssports.com)

Domo Arigato Mr. Hisanori Takahashi

Lots of reports out there that the Mets are on the cusp of signing Hisanori Takahashi to a minor league contract.

From the NY Times:
The Dodgers, Orioles, Red Sox and Padres also offered minor league contracts, but the Mets made the strongest offer. According to the report, Takahashi would make roughly $1 million if he cracks the major league team, with a chance for an additional $500,000 in performance incentives. Takahashi, who turns 35 in April, posted a 3.70 ERA over 10 seasons with the Yomiuri Giants. The veteran southpaw was a starting pitcher in Japan, but has been projected by many as a reliever in the United States. If that holds true, he would have a chance to be the second left-hander out of the bullpen behind Pedro Feliciano in New York.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Mets 'on verge' of agreement with Takahashi (hotfootblog.com)
• Mets Near Deal With Another Japanese Pitcher (nytimes.com)
• Buzz: Takahashi will sign with Mets or Dodgers (metsblog.com)
• Twitter / Jon Heyman: #mets, #dodgers, #bosox, # ... (ballhype.com)

Aroldis Chapman has Agreed to a $30MM Offer from NL Team

according to a tweet from Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports.

The question now is, "which team?"

Last we heard on Chapman, the main suitors were American League teams (the Angels and Blue Jays) and the largest offer he'd received was around $23MM, so this would qualify as a major surprise.

Passan reports:

Cuban left-handed pitcher Aroldis Chapman, whose defection sparked a bidding war among major league teams that coveted his 100-mph fastball, agreed Sunday morning to sign for $30 million with a National League team, according to a source close the negotiations.

The 22-year-old Chapman’s value has steadily climbed since a Dec. 15 workout in Houston in which he wasn’t throwing at full speed and still hit 97 mph. His potential as a front-of-the-line starter intrigued teams from coast to coast, as the Los Angeles Angels, Florida Marlins and Toronto Blue Jays were reportedly strong suitors.

The bidding increased from an initial $15.5 million offer from the Boston Red Sox in early December when Chapman to the highest reported proposal of $23 million from Toronto. In recent days, the unidentified National League team trumped them all with an offer still far short of the $50 million Chapman initially sought.

Few NL teams beyond the Marlins have been linked to Chapman. The Houston Astros and Washington Nationals sent their general managers to the workout. The New York Mets are an intriguing possibility as well, fulfilling Chapman’s desire to play in a big city. The Cincinnati Reds were “going after him like crazy,” according to a source, but were skeptical about landing him.

The increased interest around baseball coincided with Chapman firing Edwin Mejia, a fledgling agent who helped him establish residency in Andorra after he defected from the Cuban national team over the summer. His new agents, Randy and Alan Hendricks, are well-respected around baseball, and officials said they appreciated the transparency the Hendrickses applied to Chapman.

More to follow.

UPDATE: There is no definitive word, but it looks like the Reds are the team.

Was Tom Verducci Right on Mike Pelfrey?

On April 7, 2009, Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated put Mike Pelfrey in his cross-hairs.

He singled out Pelfrey for a potential drop-off in performance based on something that has become known as, "The Verducci Effect."

Verducci wrote:

Mike Pelfrey was ready for me in the Mets spring training clubhouse, as if he knew I was coming.

"Look at me," the Mets right-hander said one day last month. "I'm a pretty big guy." Yes, sir. Pelfrey is 6-foot-7. Thankfully, he is a rather pleasant, mild-mannered guy.

I didn't feel threatened, but my theory about young pitchers getting overworked was precisely in Pelfrey's crosshairs. Pelfrey was familiar with my rule of thumb that pitchers 25 and under are at risk of injury or significant regression in the year after their clubs boost their workload by 30 or more innings.

The Mets pushed Pelfrey, then 24, 48 innings beyond his previous professional high in innings pitched last year. The club preferred not to do it. In fact, the Mets had mapped out a plan to get Pelfrey about 180 innings last year, but injuries on their staff and a tight pennant race forced the Mets to keep running him out there, rolling the odometer on his innings up to 200 2/3.

Verducci "red-flagged" 10 pitchers for 2009, and looking at the numbers, his theory can certainly be called accurate, or at least another data point for mapping out a program for young pitcher development.

Here are the pitchers he flagged and their ERA increase from 2008 to 2009:

1. Jon Lester Red Sox: +0.39
2. Cole Hamels Phillies: +1.43
3. Chad Billingsley Dodgers: +0.69
4. Tim Lincecum Giants: -0.29
5. Clayton Kershaw Dodgers: -1.30
6. Dana Eveland A's: +3.66
7. Mike Pelfrey Mets: +1.08
8. John Danks White Sox: +0.50
9. Jair Jurrjens Braves: -0.77
10. Jonathan Niese Mets: Injured

So looking at that list, he was right on 6 of the 9 pitchers (Niese's unfortunate non-pitching injury takes him out of this equation).

Lincecum, Jurrjens and Kershaw are three that have improved since last year, but what of Pelfrey, or Cole Hamels for that matter?

In 2008 Pelfrey had an ERA+ of 113, compared to an ERA+ of 88 in 2009.

He is walking 3.4 per 9 innings vice 2.9 in 2008.

His K/9 is up slightly, however his K/BB is worse.

More troubling are his ERA numbers by month:

2008 season:

4.43, 5.35, 3.52, 2.70, 2.93, 4.06

Compared to 2009:

6.32, 2.92, 6.39, 4.84, 5.10.

It's as if we've been playing, "Where in the world is Mike Pelfrey?" all year long.

Now I won't go as far as saying his jump in innings from 2007 to 2008 is the cause of all of this, but it certainly does make you stop and think.

I only hope that over Pelfrey's final 6 or so starts in 2009 that he finds something to build on going forward.

One thing is for certain, he won't match his 200+ innings total from last year, and that might just be the right approach for the rest of the year--caution. He threw 118 pitches in his last outing, and that, in my opinion, is unnecessary right now.

Baseball is Not Hard to Understand: Yanks Claim Carter

Why is everyone up in arms and/or confused about the reason the Yanks did this?

The only reason the Yanks claimed carter was because he is on the Red Sox 40-man roster.

Big yawn...the Yanks were right to do this...they are fighting tooth and nail with the Red Sox...every advantage counts...it has nothing to do with the Mets, who will get Carter once the season is over.

The only real downside is not seeing Carter get at-bats with the Mets in September--then again, he also won't be part of the Mets 2009 injury brigade.

Time to Stockpile

With the release of Matt Murton, and the trade of Billy Wagner, it's time for Omar to take an aggressive stance on stockpiling.

Bottom line is the Mets upper level minor league teams are paper thin talent-wise, and a former first rounder like Murton, who has hit at every level, should be picked up--and quickly.

Omar needs to shed any pretense he has of being a nice guy and go all out to find talent that can help the team--the mentality needs to change from "more slick fielding middle infielders or past their prime vets" to "more younger guys who can take a pitch and bang".

Get aggressive Omar

10 Things to Know About Chris Carter

Like you, I've been hunting around the Net for Chris Carter stuff....the guy is quirky to say the least!

He can also hit and has power--we could see 100 at-bats for him the rest of the year as the Mets give him an extended big league look.

Here is a smattering on Carter...

• Went to Stanford
• He is extremely intense, quirky, and he plays very, very hard
• .301 lifetime BA in 6 minor league seasons with 124 homeruns
• Seen as a "major league hitter that plays weak defense"
• 2008 International League All-Star
  
• Can play 1B and corner OF
  
• Made the Red Sox out of spring training as the 5th outfielder
• Listed as 6 feet tall and 230 Lbs and doesn't allow anyone to touch his bats
  
• Red Sox acquired him as a PTBNL in the Willy Mo Pena deal
• Uses Hulk Hogan music as his theme song before each at-bat

Speculation Still Looming: Chris Carter's Name Dropped

One of the players the Boston fanbase and some media are saying is part of the Billy Wagner deal is minor leaguer Chris Carter.

They are citing the dubious, "someone with inside knowledge", but he does seem a likely player "to be named", especially given the Mets first base prospects for 2010, his age (27 in September), and the Red Sox depth at first base throughout their system.

Carter has hit well at every level and made the Red Sox out of Spring Training.

Scouting Report

Assets	Has very good power potential and a keen eye for bases on balls. Is also adept at hitting the gaps for doubles.
Flaws	Needs to improve his footwork and hands at first base in order to become a regular at the major-league level.
Career Potential	A backup first baseman or corner outfielder.

Wags Nets Two, But Who?

Word on the street is that the Mets will get two AA prospects from the Red Sox now that Billy Wagner has agreed to the trade. That alone is enough to keep hope alive as the Sox have a load of talent right now in AA, but again, that both guys will come from AA is just rumor.

Previously I had written that the one player the Mets should pursue from the Red Sox was Anthony Rizzo, but from the sounds of it, Rizzo will not be one of the two as he is in High A ball.

Another name being bandied about is pitcher Felix Doubront, who has very, very good stuff but has not excelled in his development in the way that says, "can't miss." He is in AA and would immediately upgrade our farm system.

So we'll be left to wonder--at least for a little while, on who from this list the Mets get in return.

Pitchers
#	Name	Pos	Bat	Thw	Ht	Wt	DOB	Status	MLB 40-man
	Travis Beazley	P	R	R	6' 0"	175	06-17-1983	7-day DL	No
13	Bryson Cox	P	R	R	6' 4"	205	08-10-1984	Active	No
28	Andrew Dobies	P	L	L	6' 1"	180	04-20-1983	Active	No
25	Felix Doubront	P	L	L	6' 2"	165	10-23-1987	Active	Yes
18	Kason Gabbard	P	L	L	6' 3"	200	04-08-1982	7-day DL	No
19	Tommy Hottovy	P	L	L	6' 1"	195	07-09-1981	Active	No
35	Kris Johnson	P	L	L	6' 4"	170	10-14-1984	Active	No
34	Ryne Lawson	P	L	R	6' 2"	180	06-21-1985	Active	No
26	Richard Lentz	P	R	R	6' 2"	210	08-06-1984	Active	No
18	Derrick Loop	P	R	L	6' 3"	220	12-11-1983	Active	No
45	Blake Maxwell	P	R	R	6' 5"	255	08-01-1984	Active	No
33	Ryne Miller	P	R	R	6' 4"	230	09-25-1985	Active	No
39	Jarod Plummer	P	R	R	6' 5"	200	01-27-1984	7-day DL	No
36	Chris Province	P	R	R	6' 3"	220	01-20-1985	Active	No
15	Chad Rhoades	P	R	R	5' 10"	175	03-10-1983	Active	No

Catchers
#	Name	Pos	Bat	Thw	Ht	Wt	DOB	Status	MLB 40-man
30	Juan Apodaca	C	R	R	5' 11"	180	07-15-1986	Active	No
23	Luis Exposito	C	R	R	6' 3"	210	01-20-1987	Active	No

Infielders
#	Name	Pos	Bat	Thw	Ht	Wt	DOB	Status	MLB 40-man
21	Lars Anderson	1B	L	L	6' 4"	215	09-25-1987	Active	No
40	Jorge Jimenez	3B	L	R	6' 1"	210	09-12-1984	Active	No
2	Ryan Khoury	2B	R	R	5' 10"	180	03-19-1984	Active	No
5	Yamaico Navarro	SS	R	R	5' 11"	170	10-31-1987	Active	No
37	Jon Still	DH	R	R	6' 2"	210	11-16-1984	Active	No
17	Iggy Suarez	2B	R	R	5' 11"	165	05-03-1981	Active	No

Outfielders
#	Name	Pos	Bat	Thw	Ht	Wt	DOB	Status	MLB 40-man
31	Reid Engel	RF	L	R	6' 3"	190	05-07-1987	7-day DL	No
32	Ryan Kalish	LF	L	L	6' 1"	205	03-28-1988	Active	No
43	Daniel Nava	RF	S	L	5' 10"	200	02-22-1983	Active	No
44	Jason Place	LF	R	R	6' 3"	205	05-08-1988	Active	No
12	Matt Sheely	RF	R	R	5' 9"	160	08-30-1986	Active	No