Who is the Mets Mr Baseball?

Playing two today obviously made me think of Ernie Banks, the unquestioned Mr Baseball of the Chicago Cubs.

Tom Seaver is easily the best Met ever, but is he really our Mr Baseball?  As a youngster, Seaver was my favorite player, but when I see him now he doesn't even seem like a Met. Keith Hernandez is much more identifiable with the team, though with every Cards story he tells we realize, to our disappointment, that there will always be a dividing line with Keith.

The real question might be, have the Mets ever had a "Mr Baseball?"  I mean the TRUE one that is associated with the team in the same way Ernie is associated with the Cubs or Stan Musial is associated with the Cards...I don't believe so.

We all want and hope that David Wright will be that guy, but truly he's still a "not yet" answer, though it gets closer each year...speaking of DW, please stop booing him you knuckleheads!

Regardless, it's a great day to play two, and I'm sure Ernie would agree.

Edinson Volquez Suspended 50 Games for PEDs

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Edinson Volquez is the guilty party.

He has been suspended for violation of the league's policy against performance enhancing drugs or "PEDs" as they are commonly referred to.

Volquez went 17-6 in 2008 before being injured for much of 2009...he required Tommy John surgery and was rehabbing for a comeback in 2010.

My thoughts are he will claim the violation occurred because of the injury and rehab, and that he is now officially done for the 2010 season.

We will continue to update the story as the events unfold.

PED Player Update: It's a NL Pitcher

Still not named, but here is the update from Craig Calcaterra:

A Major League PED suspension is imminent
UPDATE:  I have learned that the player to be suspended is a National League pitcher.

So here is what we know...

1. Not a Met
2. Mid, Not "Big" Name
3. Pitcher
4. National League
5. Not Chico Escuela

My guesses:

Jason Marquis, Wandy Rodriguez, Brad Penny, Carlos Silva, Bronson Arroyo 

Why do I hope it's a Philly?

Keep ex-Met Lenny Harris in Your Thoughts and Prayers

Former Met and always fan favorite Lenny Harris had quadruple bypass surgery.

From mlb.com:

By Ken Gurnick / MLB.com

03/21/10 2:42 PM ET

PHOENIX -- Minor League instructor and former Dodgers player Lenny Harris, baseball's all-time pinch-hit leader, is in stable condition at a local hospital after undergoing emergency quadruple heart bypass surgery Saturday, a baseball source confirmed.

Harris was stricken with chest and arm pains Friday, but did not suffer a heart attack as there was no heart damage. In a Saturday operation, doctors found blockages in four arteries, with one 95 percent blocked. 

Harris, 45, is in his second season as the senior hitting coach at the Dodgers' Camelback Ranch-Glendale complex, working mostly with Minor League players. Harris returned to the Dodgers after serving the 2008 season as the Major League hitting instructor of the Washington Nationals.

Harris had an 18-year Major League career that included stints with the Reds, Dodgers (1989-93), Mets, Rockies Diamondbacks, Brewers, Cubs and Marlins. He's the all-time pinch-hit leader with 212.

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• Los Angeles Dodgers hitting coach Lenny Harris has quadruple bypass surgery (sports.espn.go.com)

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

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

The ONE Player We Should Demand for Wagner

You may have never heard of him, but you will.

His name is Anthony Rizzo, and he can hit, field, lead and be a major league star. Rizzo is 20 years old and 2 years away from beginning a very long and productive big league career.

He is at exactly the right level for the Red Sox to let him go--High A--he will also be blocked by prospect Lars Anderson, who is more of an elite prospect and "untradeable".

In 2008 he hit .373 in the Sally league.

If Omar does this right, he sheds some payroll in a lost year--a Wilpon mandate--and gets back a prospect that could potentially be a long-term solution at a position of need.

Omar--the Sox are desperate, they want to win now, and they absolutely need Billy Wagner--it's time to earn your paycheck.

Anthony Rizzo 38 | 1B Status: Active Salem Red Sox Class A Advanced Carolina League

Stats AVG: .295 HR: 2 RBI: 18 SB: 1

Bookmark Player Full Name: Anthony Rizzo Born: 08/08/1989 Birthplace: ort Lauderdale, FL Height: 6' 3" Weight: 220 Bats: L Throws: L

2009 Season
Team	League	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	OPS
GVL	SAL	.298	64	245	40	73	21	0	9	42	121	25	60	2	1	.365	.494	.859
SAL	CAR	.295	37	139	14	41	11	0	2	18	58	16	26	1	0	.361	.417	.778
Minors		.297	101	384	54	114	32	0	11	60	179	41	86	3	1	.363	.466	.830

The Good Ship Sheff

I'm taking a different view than most on Gary Sheffield. Bottom line is the Mets should have let Gary go when he was claimed.

Look, the team is going nowhere, Sheff will not be part of any 2010 solution, and it would have been better for the game to let him go to a team that is in a pennant race--in this case, the Giants.

They should have done it because it was the right thing to do.

I was discussing this last night with Joe McDonald of NY Sports Day. Joe thought I was a bit naive and said, "it's not how it works anymore."

It goes back to July and the question everyone had, "Will the Mets be buyers or sellers?"

They chose to be neither--no moves of note.

How nice would it have been to pass off Livan and Sheff in July for a couple of prospects to help re-populate the farm system?

So the trickle down effect comes into play--two older vets, both with some success early on, both with a little value to teams in the hunt--and the Mets front office doesn't take advantage of it.

So instead we get a few more crappy starts from Livan followed by his release, and a waiver and pull back situation followed by a contract demand and a threat to leave from Sheff--nothing to show for either man's early season success and value.

In other words: the Mets lost twice.

When Mets Bloggers Get It Right: The Eddie Kranepool Society

There are tons of Mets blogs out there, and most are decent and written by true diehard Mets fans.

Then there are the "others"....these are the special blogs--the best of the best. They don't chase the same stories as everyone else, but rather offer a unique flavor and insight while still sharing the news of the day.

I'd like to take a minute to give a shout-out to The Eddie Kranepool Society. My friend Steve is the author, and he is brilliant, witty, interesting and just a fantastic writer and storyteller.

Yesterday he had the rarest of opportunities--he met "The Man" himself. That's right, none other than Ed Kranepool!

For Steve it was the fulfillment of a boyhood dream and, as he writes, "I can cross something off my bucket list."

Please take a moment and go read this piece (if you haven't already)...it is simply fantastic.

Mets Morning Musings: The Rumor Mill

There are a lot of Mets rumors out there right now, and some of them are written as facts. It seems as if every tidbit that one writer generates causes every other writer and blogger to go into copycat mode immediately.

Some of these folks are friends of mine, so any criticism is not a calling out per se, but rather a look at the state of affairs in the world of Mets Blogospheres.

To whit: Ken Davidoff, a very good reporter, writes, "Confident Mets Will Not Raise Offer to Lowe, source says." The headline purports to have some very inside information. But wait, what is this source that Ken has? See if you can glean it from the only reference made to him/her in Davidoff's piece.

"The Mets, confident that they have no serious competition for Derek Lowe's services, do not intend to raise their three-year, $36-million offer to the righthander at this time, a person informed of the club's thinking told Newsday."

Wait a minute, a "person informed of the club's thinking"? What does that even mean? Who is this mystery "person informed of the clubs thinking"?

If you read Davidoff's piece, I guess that all of us are now "people informed of the clubs thinking."

But there's more--Newsday's Kat O'Brien, yes the same paper Ken Davidoff writes for, had this piece only yesterday, "Mets Talks with Lowe to Heat Up!"

I guess Ken and Kat forgot to compare notes, or maybe Kat wasn't invited to coffee at the diner with Ken and the "person informed of the cubs thinking."

Hey Kat, read Ken's piece--now you're also informed.

What do I think? The Mets are big time in the hunt for Lowe, and there is wiggle room above 3 years and $36M. Just how much is what no one knows, not even a "person informed of the clubs thinking".

Whither Castillo?

OK Mets fans, let me ask you this very simple, yet complex, question:

"Are the Mets a better team with Luis Castillo OUT of the lineup?"

Yes he gets on base at a nice clip and has good baserunning skills....that is a given. Does he hit enough is quite another thing.

IMO, Castillo back to second base is the right move IF he hits 8th in the order.

The Mets best lineup is still...

Reyes
Church
DW
Beltran
Delgado
Alou
Schneider/Castro
Castillo
P

The guys playing now are getting it done which is great, but sustaining that for the next few months is a tall order.

We need our stars back.

Ryan Church to the Disabled List

The bad news, 3 weeks after he was concussed, the Mets have placed Ryan Church on the 15–day disabled list.

Moises Alou takes his place on the roster.

The good news? The transaction is retroactive to last Friday, so he can come back on June 20th.

Of course, that is supposing his symptoms go away.

BTW, NY Sports Dog sponsors Ryan Church on Baseball-Reference.com.

Get well soon!

David Wright Continues to Struggle vs Righty's

David Wright's left/righty splits are, for lack of a better term, horrible. DW has been getting a pass this year with some decent overall statistics, but if you are searching for the "stats within the stats", then look no further than this for one of the reasons the Mets offense has struggled in 2008.

Splt

AB

R

H

2B

3B

HR

RBI

BB

K

SB

CS

AVG

OBP

SLG

OPS

vs. Left	48	10	22	7	1	3	12	9		6	5	2	.458	.552	.833	1.385
vs. Right	140	19	30	7	0	6	24	21		29	2	2	.214	.315	.393	.708

Omar Meeting with Willie Today

Image via WikipediaAs we said this morning, tonight could be the end of Willie Randolph's time at the helm of the Mets.

Omar Minaya is in Colorado rather "unexpectantly."

It's tough to get anyone to say anything on record or off, but we're trying.

Will Willie Randolph be fired? The tea leaves say yes.

Momentum Swept Away: Willie Randolph May be Fired Today

In a series where everything was right in front of the Mets for the taking, they did the opposite and gave away the momentum and post team meeting energy they built over the weekend.

Pitchers didn't pitch; hitters were in consistent; fielding miscues abounded; baserunning errors cost them runs.

And now what? Have the Mets hit rock bottom in 2008, or is the worst yet to come?

At sub-.500, on the road, with health concerns still tearing away at the fabric of the team, we all sit and wonder what the future holds?

One thing is certain: the Mets need to make a change at the top, and whether that is the right or wrong move isn't really the subject for debate any longer, it is simply reality.

Willie Randolph could be fired as quickly as today--in fact I expect it to happen.

My gut says Jerry Manuel is named interim manager this afternoon, and then the team can go about and try to pick up the pieces for 2008.

It should never have come to this.

National League
East	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Cent	West	Streak	L10
Florida Marlins	27	19	.587	--	16-11	11-8	12-5	9-8	5-4	Won 3	5-5
Atlanta Braves	26	21	.553	1.5	20-5	6-16	13-12	5-5	6-3	Won 5	7-3
Philadelphia Phillies	27	22	.551	1.5	13-11	14-11	7-8	10-6	9-6	Won 3	6-4
New York Mets	22	23	.489	4.5	12-9	10-14	13-14	4-6	3-3	Lost 4	3-7
Washington Nationals	20	28	.417	8.0	11-13	9-15	13-19	6-7	0-0	Lost 2	5-5
Central	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Cent	West	Streak	L10
Chicago Cubs	28	19	.596	--	19-8	9-11	4-4	17-13	7-2	Lost 2	6-4
St. Louis Cardinals	28	21	.571	1.0	17-10	11-11	3-0	14-12	9-8	Won 1	5-5
Houston Astros	27	22	.551	2.0	13-8	14-14	5-5	10-7	11-8	Lost 1	5-5
Pittsburgh Pirates	22	25	.468	6.0	13-10	9-15	10-11	8-12	4-2	Won 1	4-6
Milwaukee Brewers	22	25	.468	6.0	11-9	11-16	4-7	14-13	4-2	Lost 1	4-6
Cincinnati Reds	21	27	.438	7.5	14-9	7-18	6-7	7-13	5-7	Lost 4	6-4
West	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Cent	West	Streak	L10
Arizona Diamondbacks	28	19	.596	--	19-8	9-11	3-7	3-6	20-5	Lost 3	5-5
Los Angeles Dodgers	25	21	.543	2.5	14-9	11-12	5-4	8-6	11-9	Won 3	6-4
San Francisco Giants	19	29	.396	9.5	11-15	8-14	3-3	6-14	10-9	Won 2	3-7
Colorado Rockies	18	29	.383	10.0	10-13	8-16	3-2	6-6	7-20	Lost 2	3-7
San Diego Padres	18	31	.367	11.0	10-12	8-19	2-7	6-8	9-14	Won 1	4-6

The Mets Crystal Ball of Momentum

I love momentum and really feel like the Mets have "it" right now. So what does the crystal ball of momentum show us?

Current Mets record: 22-19 (OK, thanks Yanks)
Road Trip prognosis: 5-2 (good!)
Post Road Trip record: 27-21 (pretty good!)

We get Pedro back after the road trip. (awesome!)

Mets play .600 ball the rest of the season. (damn good!)

Result: 95.4 wins (so 95 or 96 wins)

Good enough to win the division and go make some noise.

Or the Mets could get swept by the Braves....

Then again I also predicted Butch Huskey would be a perennial all-star, so what do I know?

Stat of the Day: David Wright's Righty Struggles

DW is really scuffling against righthander's this year:

Split	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	HBP	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
vs. Left	43	7	20	7	1	2	11	8	0	4	3	2	.465	.549	.814	1.363
vs. Right	111	15	23	6	0	6	23	21	0	25	2	2	.207	.331	.423	.754

It's something to keep an eye on as the season continues, especially since he bat .311 against righty's last year and .361 against lefty's.

For his complete splits click here.

It's Not the Weather....Maybe.

We've all heard the weather theory as it pertains to the Mets, you know the one: "The Mets are an old team, so they have trouble playing in the cold."

I decided to do a snapshot analysis of the weather in 2008, specifically temperature, and see how the Mets fared.


On the left side of the chart is the temperature scale, and the blue line represents the game time temperature.

On the right side is the runs scored scale, and the red line indicates how many runs the Mets scored.

Bottom line:

• In Mets wins, the average temperature was 66.07 degrees.
• In Mets losses it was 63.17 degrees.
• This year the Mets have averaged 4.74 runs per game.
• In Wins they have averaged 5.93 runs per game.
• In losses they have averaged 3.25 runs per game.
• In games below 60 degrees, they have averaged 4.8 runs per game.
• In games above 70 degrees they have averaged 6.35
• In games below 60 degrees the Mets have a 7-3 record.
• In gamed above 70 degrees the Mets have a 5-3 record.

My thoughts? It is a very small sample size, but the Mets do put up more runs in warmer weather. That said, their record is actually better in the colder games.

I am going to follow this trend all season and add in some variables, so stay tuned.

Mets FYI: Bases on Balls

Despite an up and down offensive start to 2008, the Mets are 3rd in the National League with 94 walks and 6th overall in MLB...we'll continue to keep an eye on it with our "Mets Walk Watch".

RK	TEAM	SO	BB	HBP	IBB	SB	CS	SB%	SH	SF	CI
1	St. Louis	139	123	6	14	11	5	69	11	5	0
2	Detroit	137	107	12	0	11	1	92	5	8	0
3	Chicago Cubs	153	103	13	13	18	9	67	12	6	0
4	Toronto	126	102	14	2	19	9	68	10	5	1
5	Oakland	162	101	7	4	8	2	80	1	9	0
6	NY Mets	136	100	3	9	20	7	74	15	7	0
7	Boston	153	96	10	8	18	4	82	6	9	0
8	Texas	160	91	10	7	12	2	86	9	9	0
9	Arizona	159	91	9	6	12	2	86	8	13	0
10	Philadelphia	162	89	10	9	10	4	71	10	4	0
RK	TEAM	SO	BB	HBP	IBB	SB	CS	SB%	SH	SF	CI
11	LA Dodgers	147	88	9	7	18	9	67	9	9	0
12	Cincinnati	134	87	2	6	11	8	58	12	6	0
13	Chicago Sox	126	86	10	5	3	3	50	2	5	0
14	Washington	153	85	12	3	6	6	50	7	7	0
15	Colorado	174	84	10	9	20	7	74	10	1	0
16	NY Yankees	133	81	7	7	10	4	71	6	5	0
17	Atlanta	123	81	0	7	6	1	86	11	6	0
18	San Diego	193	81	7	5	6	0	100	9	13	0
19	Seattle	113	80	2	11	14	7	67	6	13	0
20	Baltimore	134	78	6	6	21	8	72	4	8	0
RK	TEAM	SO	BB	HBP	IBB	SB	CS	SB%	SH	SF	CI
21	Cleveland	145	78	19	5	13	3	81	7	5	0
22	Tampa Bay	156	78	11	4	24	14	63	2	7	0
23	Pittsburgh	163	75	7	4	6	6	50	10	7	0
24	LA Angels	123	70	7	7	24	7	77	3	3	0
25	Milwaukee	164	69	13	8	15	7	68	12	8	0
26	Florida	192	69	6	9	16	2	89	12	4	0
27	Houston	140	67	6	3	24	6	80	4	7	0
28	Kansas City	144	62	3	3	14	10	58	4	5	0
29	San Francisco	174	61	4	5	24	9	73	9	7	0
30	Minnesota	146	46	1	4	22	6	79	4	5	0
LEAGUE AVERAGES		SO	BB	HBP	IBB	SB	CS	SB%	SH	SF	CI
American League		140	83	9	5	15	6	73	5	7	0
National League		157	85	7	7	14	6	73	10	7	0
Major League Baseball		149	84	8	6	15	6	73	8	7	0