On June 17, 2008, Jerry Manuel was promoted from bench coach to manager of the New York Mets. That day ushered in a new day for the New York Mets: The Era of the Gangsta! Jerry is as different as you could get from Willie Randolph. Willie was very reserved with the media, would not answer their questions where as Jerry Manuel is open and loose with the media. He has a way of giving the media an answer without showing all his cards and he's always good for a soundbite.
Willie was someone who was very conservative, unwilling to make adjustments in the way he ran the team. Everybody knows in baseball that sometimes adjustments must be made in order to succeed and that is something that Jerry Manuel does well. Willie Randolph was not a manager to think outside the box, Jerry in his first spring training is thinking outside the box, some would say very outside that box. .
This spring Jerry has been thinking outside the box as far as baseball is concern. He is stressing team work over individual success. It's quite refreshing to hear about his team only approach in this day and age when it seems to be about individual numbers. Jerry has stressed he cares more about wins and losses and their is no room for "I" on the team this season. The idea of having Jose Reyes bat 3rd in the lineup and Castillo bat lead off is one example of this way of thinking. By placing Jose 3rd in the lineup that is going to limit Reyes' stolen base numbers for the season as he will have David Wright and Carlos Delgado batting behind him. While Reyes will have to be more careful stealing, this could lead for more overall runs scored for the Mets. Luis Castillo will not be able to strikeout with men in scoring position or end a rally by hitting into double plays which would lead to more runs scored for the Mets.
This spring Jerry has instituted a new hitting drill. We've all read about the drill and it sounds tiring. I find this 80 hit drill very encouraging. Jerry saw how the Mets lineup was unproductive down the stretch so he introduces a new drill to get these guys to hit the other way. Once again thinking outside the box. The conventional approach does not always work and instead of trying to get the offense to respond to the same old tired drills Jerry comes up with a new and interesting way of getting our guys to hit.
Jerry rewards the players who hustle and work hard for the team. There were several instances last season where guys were given a day off and their replacements for the game had a good game, Jerry would not sit that guy back down on the bench the next day for the regular player, he would let the sub have another day to play. I think this contributes to the team psyche in so many ways. You know that if you play hard you're going to be rewarded. These guys are good players who want to play and contribute. They know that if they contribute their contributions are not going be forgotten. That way of managing also shows the regular guys in the lineup that you must play your hardest and contribute to the team in a positive way. The everyday guys will not take their spots on this team for granted and will play harder resulting in more victories for the Mets. Another example of Jerry rewarding good talent is Daniel Murphy being made the everyday left fielder for the 2009 season. Daniel impressed a lot of people last season with his ability to wait for his pitch and run up the count in his favor. He was not an outfielder but when the Mets needed him to play the outfield he went out and did his job. Murphy showed up this spring earlier than most guys did. He is one of the first guys to arrive for workouts and more often than not it seems the last guy to leave. He is constantly in the cage working on his bat and trying to improve himself. Jerry sees this guy working his butt off for this team and rewards him by giving him the everyday spot. To the young guys like Jon Niese, Bobby Parnell, Nick Evans, etc.. this shows that if you work hard you will be rewarded for that work ethic.
Jerry's attitude is very good for this type of team. He is loose and encourages the guys to enjoy the game of baseball. He likes to have fun but still treats the game seriously. Watching the interviews on the news you can see guys like David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado are a lot more loose than they were last spring. I believe that is a direct result of the manager and the kind of leadership he provides to his guys. This is the kind of leadership that will lead the Mets to victory this season.
February 26, 2009
K-Rod Couldn't Have Said It Better!
It's that time of year again. Pitchers and catchers have reported to Spring Training and position players start reporting for workouts this week. Fortunately for them the weather is in the high 60's and up while we freeze here in New York waiting for the 2009 baseball season to start. The Mets this year will be playing games in their new home Citi Field. With a new ballpark comes a new chapter in the history of the New York Mets. The slate is clean to start building a new history in our new beautiful ballpark. The demons of the 2007 and 2008 are not present in Citi Field and that is what we need going into the 2009 season.
With the way the past 2 seasons have ended there are many reasons for Met fans to be less than optimistic coming into the 2009 season. The lineup is exactly the same as it was last season. The same goes for the starting rotation minus Pedro Martinez. The Mets didn't sign Manny Ramirez, Bobby Abreu, Adam Dunn or Orlando Hudson. There are reasons however to be optimistic this season. The bullpen has new additions such as Sean Green, J.J. Putz and closer Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez. Met fans were in agreement that the bullpen needed to be overhauled after blowing 29 saves in 2008 and being the reason the Mets failed to make the playoffs again. Scott Schoeneweis and Aaron Heilman are thankfully no longer with the club. With all that said and done why are Met fans still so pessimistic for the 2009 season?
The lineup is the same and we know that down the stretch the lineup was not very clutch. David Wright has been criticized to no end the last several months for "choking" down the stretch even though Wright hit .302 with 33 HR's and driving in 124 RBI's . We all know Luis Castillo would end a rally with a double play or a strikeout with men in scoring position. Brian Schneider is not an offensive threat. Ryan Church is a wild card in the lineup this season as we don't really know what to expect with him. Last season he was having an MVP type season before suffering a concussion in Atlanta. Church's return left a lot to be desired behind the plate. Fernando Tatis was a streaky hitter but did come up in clutch situations. Tatis struck out 59 times in 273 appearances at the plate before getting injured. Daniel Murphy was a pleasant surprise. He exhibited patience and excellent plate discipline that is beyond his years. He is another wildcard entering this season. Scouts have had time now to properly scout him and the book is out on him. Pitchers will be making adjustments going up against him and therefore Daniel must adjust as well.
This off-season there were many good hitters on the free agent market such as Manny Ramirez, Adam Dunn, Bobby Abreu, and Orlando Hudson. Met fans have been foaming at the mouth for a least one of the above free agents to join the Mets in Citi Field this upcoming season. Having said that the lineup was not the problem in 2008. The Mets scored 799 runs which was second to the Chicago Cubs in runs scored and tied with World Series champions the Philadelphia Phillies in the same category.
I think the bullpen was part of the problem for the lineup not coming up in clutch situations. Not only were the Mets facing an opposing team's pitching staff but they were trying to outscore their own bullpen. For the Mets to win they had to score 8 or 9 runs in every game so that when the bullpen came in they would win a game by 2 or 3 runs on a daily basis. Take for example a game played on September 14, 2008 at Shea Stadium against the Braves. David Wright had a solo home run in the bottom of the 1st inning as well as a 2 run home run in the bottom of the 3rd inning. The Mets went into the 9th inning with a 4-2 lead and the bullpen quickly blew the game by allowing 5 runs to score in 1 inning. That is just one example of the Mets scoring runs only to have the bullpen blow all their hard work. David Wright hits 2 home runs in one game, drives in 3 RBI's and the team still could not win the game, a game that if we did win would have left us tied with the Brewers in the Wild Card race.
Our front 4 in the rotation are Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, John Maine and Oliver Perez. Joining the front 4 could be Tim Redding, Freddy Garcia, Livan Hernandez or Jonathan Niese. The rotation last season lost John Maine who was hurt most of the season which caused him to under perform and Pedro Martinez would make a start then have to miss at least one start due to not feeling loose enough. Pedro had a tough year professionally and personally. He got injured his first start into the season and his father had a long illness and unfortunately passed away. Pedro is gone this season and I wish him well unless he pitches against the Mets. The rotation was missing two starters but was still able to keep the Mets in the game until the bullpen came into pitch.
Johan Santana would have had at least 7 more wins last season if it was not for the bullpen. He would have been in the running for a Cy Young Award if the bullpen did not come in and constantly cost him game after game after game. Pelfrey had a great year, showing the Mets that he is a workhorse and that he is not another prospect that was all talk. Pelfrey pitched well over 200 innings last season. Jerry Manuel had made it known that they wanted to rest Pelfrey down the stretch but unfortunately could not due to the lack of depth in the bullpen. John Maine did not have his best season last year. He got injured and had to have season ending surgery on his shoulder. Maine did not walk a lot of guys but he goes to 3-2 counts against too many hitters and is usually out of the game by the 5th inning while exceeding over a 100 pitches by that time consistently. Maine has said that his shoulder was bothering him for most of last season but is now throwing and is 100% better. Oliver Perez is as inconsistent as they come. He will shut down the Yankees but can't make it out of the 3rd inning against the Pirates. He just signed a nice big contract and all eyes will be on him this season to justify the contract. He is 27 and has great stuff. Ollie has a hard time staying focused throughout the game and that needs to stop this season. Left handed pitchers take more time to mature so hopefully he is at the point where he can stay focused whether it's against the Phillies or the Pirates.
The bullpen last season blew 29 saves. Think about that number. You cut that number in half with a capable bullpen and it comes out to 14.5 games. The Mets would have won 104 games last season. Not only would the Mets win the National League East but that would've been the best record not only in the National League but throughout Major League Baseball. The Mets came into last season not knowing who was the 8th inning guy and having a setup guy by committee. By the end of last season Billy Wagner went down with season ending surgery which would cost him to miss all of the 2009 season as well. Jerry had no choice but to have a closer by committee. This proved disastrous for the 2008 season as there was no pitcher in the pen that could come out and close the game. Omar Minaya saw this and went out and got the best closer on the market in K-Rod. He traded Heilman away to Seattle for Sean Green and their closer, now our 8th inning setup guy J.J. Putz. Now the bullpen has 2 potential closers in the bullpen. If K-Rod has to save 3 games in a row and the Mets need a closer to go out for that 4th game in a row Jerry Manuel has the option of resting K-Rod that day and sending out Putz to save the game. How about if the Mets do have a good lead in the division and they want to rest K-Rod for the playoffs? Putz can closeout the remaining games giving him some work and giving K-Rod some much needed rest. If K-Rod does have a pitchers slump Putz can be called to save a few games while K-Rod gets his head on straight. This year the Mets have options for the bullpen. Something that was not available last year for them. In turn this will help the starters in the rotation as well as the guys in the lineup to better perform.
Many fans including myself throughout most of the off-season have been criticizing Omar and the Wilpons for not going after the flashy free agents the way the Yankees did with C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira. Last season the Mets didn't make the playoffs because of the bullpen, not the rotation and not the lineup. It was not David Wright's fault that the Mets did not make it to the playoffs. Omar went out and improved the bullpen which was what he needed to do. Will K-Rod and the improved bullpen blow save opportunities this season? Most likely yes. Will they blow 29 games this season? No! I don't even think they will blow 14.5 games this season. The bullpen has the best 1-2 punch in the majors. Sean Green is a workhorse and will be a great addition to the pen. I believe that Sanchez could become the 7th inning guy and be part of the bridge to get to K-Rod. Barring injury I think the Mets have a great chance on winning the N.L. East. Are the Mets the team to beat? I have to agree with K-Rod and say the Mets are the team to beat. What do you readers think?
With the way the past 2 seasons have ended there are many reasons for Met fans to be less than optimistic coming into the 2009 season. The lineup is exactly the same as it was last season. The same goes for the starting rotation minus Pedro Martinez. The Mets didn't sign Manny Ramirez, Bobby Abreu, Adam Dunn or Orlando Hudson. There are reasons however to be optimistic this season. The bullpen has new additions such as Sean Green, J.J. Putz and closer Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez. Met fans were in agreement that the bullpen needed to be overhauled after blowing 29 saves in 2008 and being the reason the Mets failed to make the playoffs again. Scott Schoeneweis and Aaron Heilman are thankfully no longer with the club. With all that said and done why are Met fans still so pessimistic for the 2009 season?
The lineup is the same and we know that down the stretch the lineup was not very clutch. David Wright has been criticized to no end the last several months for "choking" down the stretch even though Wright hit .302 with 33 HR's and driving in 124 RBI's . We all know Luis Castillo would end a rally with a double play or a strikeout with men in scoring position. Brian Schneider is not an offensive threat. Ryan Church is a wild card in the lineup this season as we don't really know what to expect with him. Last season he was having an MVP type season before suffering a concussion in Atlanta. Church's return left a lot to be desired behind the plate. Fernando Tatis was a streaky hitter but did come up in clutch situations. Tatis struck out 59 times in 273 appearances at the plate before getting injured. Daniel Murphy was a pleasant surprise. He exhibited patience and excellent plate discipline that is beyond his years. He is another wildcard entering this season. Scouts have had time now to properly scout him and the book is out on him. Pitchers will be making adjustments going up against him and therefore Daniel must adjust as well.
This off-season there were many good hitters on the free agent market such as Manny Ramirez, Adam Dunn, Bobby Abreu, and Orlando Hudson. Met fans have been foaming at the mouth for a least one of the above free agents to join the Mets in Citi Field this upcoming season. Having said that the lineup was not the problem in 2008. The Mets scored 799 runs which was second to the Chicago Cubs in runs scored and tied with World Series champions the Philadelphia Phillies in the same category.
I think the bullpen was part of the problem for the lineup not coming up in clutch situations. Not only were the Mets facing an opposing team's pitching staff but they were trying to outscore their own bullpen. For the Mets to win they had to score 8 or 9 runs in every game so that when the bullpen came in they would win a game by 2 or 3 runs on a daily basis. Take for example a game played on September 14, 2008 at Shea Stadium against the Braves. David Wright had a solo home run in the bottom of the 1st inning as well as a 2 run home run in the bottom of the 3rd inning. The Mets went into the 9th inning with a 4-2 lead and the bullpen quickly blew the game by allowing 5 runs to score in 1 inning. That is just one example of the Mets scoring runs only to have the bullpen blow all their hard work. David Wright hits 2 home runs in one game, drives in 3 RBI's and the team still could not win the game, a game that if we did win would have left us tied with the Brewers in the Wild Card race.
Our front 4 in the rotation are Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, John Maine and Oliver Perez. Joining the front 4 could be Tim Redding, Freddy Garcia, Livan Hernandez or Jonathan Niese. The rotation last season lost John Maine who was hurt most of the season which caused him to under perform and Pedro Martinez would make a start then have to miss at least one start due to not feeling loose enough. Pedro had a tough year professionally and personally. He got injured his first start into the season and his father had a long illness and unfortunately passed away. Pedro is gone this season and I wish him well unless he pitches against the Mets. The rotation was missing two starters but was still able to keep the Mets in the game until the bullpen came into pitch.
Johan Santana would have had at least 7 more wins last season if it was not for the bullpen. He would have been in the running for a Cy Young Award if the bullpen did not come in and constantly cost him game after game after game. Pelfrey had a great year, showing the Mets that he is a workhorse and that he is not another prospect that was all talk. Pelfrey pitched well over 200 innings last season. Jerry Manuel had made it known that they wanted to rest Pelfrey down the stretch but unfortunately could not due to the lack of depth in the bullpen. John Maine did not have his best season last year. He got injured and had to have season ending surgery on his shoulder. Maine did not walk a lot of guys but he goes to 3-2 counts against too many hitters and is usually out of the game by the 5th inning while exceeding over a 100 pitches by that time consistently. Maine has said that his shoulder was bothering him for most of last season but is now throwing and is 100% better. Oliver Perez is as inconsistent as they come. He will shut down the Yankees but can't make it out of the 3rd inning against the Pirates. He just signed a nice big contract and all eyes will be on him this season to justify the contract. He is 27 and has great stuff. Ollie has a hard time staying focused throughout the game and that needs to stop this season. Left handed pitchers take more time to mature so hopefully he is at the point where he can stay focused whether it's against the Phillies or the Pirates.
The bullpen last season blew 29 saves. Think about that number. You cut that number in half with a capable bullpen and it comes out to 14.5 games. The Mets would have won 104 games last season. Not only would the Mets win the National League East but that would've been the best record not only in the National League but throughout Major League Baseball. The Mets came into last season not knowing who was the 8th inning guy and having a setup guy by committee. By the end of last season Billy Wagner went down with season ending surgery which would cost him to miss all of the 2009 season as well. Jerry had no choice but to have a closer by committee. This proved disastrous for the 2008 season as there was no pitcher in the pen that could come out and close the game. Omar Minaya saw this and went out and got the best closer on the market in K-Rod. He traded Heilman away to Seattle for Sean Green and their closer, now our 8th inning setup guy J.J. Putz. Now the bullpen has 2 potential closers in the bullpen. If K-Rod has to save 3 games in a row and the Mets need a closer to go out for that 4th game in a row Jerry Manuel has the option of resting K-Rod that day and sending out Putz to save the game. How about if the Mets do have a good lead in the division and they want to rest K-Rod for the playoffs? Putz can closeout the remaining games giving him some work and giving K-Rod some much needed rest. If K-Rod does have a pitchers slump Putz can be called to save a few games while K-Rod gets his head on straight. This year the Mets have options for the bullpen. Something that was not available last year for them. In turn this will help the starters in the rotation as well as the guys in the lineup to better perform.
Many fans including myself throughout most of the off-season have been criticizing Omar and the Wilpons for not going after the flashy free agents the way the Yankees did with C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira. Last season the Mets didn't make the playoffs because of the bullpen, not the rotation and not the lineup. It was not David Wright's fault that the Mets did not make it to the playoffs. Omar went out and improved the bullpen which was what he needed to do. Will K-Rod and the improved bullpen blow save opportunities this season? Most likely yes. Will they blow 29 games this season? No! I don't even think they will blow 14.5 games this season. The bullpen has the best 1-2 punch in the majors. Sean Green is a workhorse and will be a great addition to the pen. I believe that Sanchez could become the 7th inning guy and be part of the bridge to get to K-Rod. Barring injury I think the Mets have a great chance on winning the N.L. East. Are the Mets the team to beat? I have to agree with K-Rod and say the Mets are the team to beat. What do you readers think?
The Blog Is Back Online
I'm sorry for not updated the last couple of weeks, it's been a hectic time but now we are back online and will be working on bringing all New York Mets news and opinions to you so stay tuned.
February 5, 2009
Fernando Martinez Injured Again
MLB.com is reporting that the Mets top prospect Fernando Martinez is suffering from a sore elbow and is on his way to New York for a checkup. Martinez said of the injury:
“I felt my elbow tighten up the day before yesterday,” Martinez told MLB.com. “It was a little swollen. It’s better. I feel I can play again. I don’t think I need to fly to New York to get a check up but the Mets want me to.”On Tuesday F-Mart a two-run home run against the Puerto Rico team that won the game for the Tigres de Licey.
This is not the first injury scare for the 20 year old Martinez. F-Mart missed half of the 2007 minor league season with a contusion. In 2008 he injured his hamstring twice during the season.
This injury does not sound serious but it does worry me. F-Mart is only 20 years old but keeps on getting injured. The Mets have turned down a lot of good trade offers over the years for the young outfielder on the idea that when he is seasoned and ready to join the show he will be a dominant player. Early last season there was talk of F-Mart being a September call-up but due to the injuries he sustained his development was pushed back. F-Mart when healthy has the potential to be a perennial all-star. The Mets have banked on F-Mart to be the future of this team for years to come. I ask you do you think that F-Mart will stay healthy enough to live up to his potential or is he a younger version of Moises Alou?
February 2, 2009
The Case For Adam Dunn
With today's signing of Oliver Perez the hole in our rotation is now complete. The bullpen has the best 1-2 punch in the league I believe with Putz and K-Rod. That being said the Mets still need to sign a everyday outfielder and another left handed specialist for the bullpen and I think the Mets will be complete and ready for the 2009 season.
We all know that Manny Ramirez is the best free agent outfielder on the market. We also know that it is going to cost money that the Mets don't want to spend in order to sign him. Last week I talked about Bobby Abreu and what he would bring to the team. This week I would like to propose Adam Dunn.
Dunn is 29 years old and has a lot of power. His career numbers are:
The knock on Adam Dunn is that he strikes out a lot. If you look at his strike out totals for 2007 and 2008 he lowered his strikeout total. He walks a lot. In fact is you look at his walk total he draws over 100. For the last 4 seasons he had at least 40 home runs. I think he would be better in the outfield than the proposed platoon of Tatis and Murphy. Tatis last season had 59 strikeouts in 92 games played. Nobody is in the market for Dunn, he will be forced to lower his expectations.
We all know that Manny Ramirez is the best free agent outfielder on the market. We also know that it is going to cost money that the Mets don't want to spend in order to sign him. Last week I talked about Bobby Abreu and what he would bring to the team. This week I would like to propose Adam Dunn.
Dunn is 29 years old and has a lot of power. His career numbers are:
| Year | Age | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | TB | SH | SF | IBB | HBP | GDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 21 | Cincinnati | NL | 66 | 244 | 54 | 64 | 18 | 1 | 19 | 43 | 4 | 2 | 38 | 74 | .262 | .371 | .578 | .949 | 141 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| 2002 | 22 | Cincinnati | NL | 158 | 535 | 84 | 133 | 28 | 2 | 26 | 71 | 19 | 9 | 128 | 170 | .249 | .400 | .454 | .854 | 243 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 9 | 8 |
| 2003 | 23 | Cincinnati | NL | 116 | 381 | 70 | 82 | 12 | 1 | 27 | 57 | 8 | 2 | 74 | 126 | .215 | .354 | .465 | .819 | 177 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 4 |
| 2004 | 24 | Cincinnati | NL | 161 | 568 | 105 | 151 | 34 | 0 | 46 | 102 | 6 | 1 | 108 | 195 | .266 | .388 | .569 | .957 | 323 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 5 | 8 |
| 2005 | 25 | Cincinnati | NL | 160 | 543 | 107 | 134 | 35 | 2 | 40 | 101 | 4 | 2 | 114 | 168 | .247 | .387 | .540 | .927 | 293 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 12 | 6 |
| 2006 | 26 | Cincinnati | NL | 160 | 561 | 99 | 131 | 24 | 0 | 40 | 92 | 7 | 0 | 112 | 194 | .234 | .365 | .490 | .855 | 275 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 6 | 8 |
| 2007 | 27 | Cincinnati | NL | 152 | 522 | 101 | 138 | 27 | 2 | 40 | 106 | 9 | 2 | 101 | 165 | .264 | .386 | .554 | .940 | 289 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 12 |
| 2008 | 28 | CIN/ARI | NL | 158 | 517 | 79 | 122 | 23 | 0 | 40 | 100 | 2 | 1 | 122 | 164 | .236 | .386 | .513 | .899 | 265 | 0 | 5 | 13 | 7 | 7 |
| Totals: | 1,131 | 3,871 | 699 | 955 | 201 | 8 | 278 | 672 | 59 | 19 | 797 | 1,256 | .247 | .381 | .518 | .899 | 2,006 | 2 | 21 | 81 | 58 | 57 | |||
The knock on Adam Dunn is that he strikes out a lot. If you look at his strike out totals for 2007 and 2008 he lowered his strikeout total. He walks a lot. In fact is you look at his walk total he draws over 100. For the last 4 seasons he had at least 40 home runs. I think he would be better in the outfield than the proposed platoon of Tatis and Murphy. Tatis last season had 59 strikeouts in 92 games played. Nobody is in the market for Dunn, he will be forced to lower his expectations.
Root, root for Luis Castillo
I'll be the first to admit that I am don't want Luis Castillo to be the Mets 2nd baseman. He's got bad knees, does not have much of a range anymore and his bat is a rally killer. Having said that Luis Castillo is our 2nd baseman. He is a part of my favorite team in all of sports. Castillo had a horrible year last year, I don't think anyone can say otherwise. That was last year and now we are on the brink of a new season in which the Mets will be playing ball in a new state of the art ballpark.
The new baseball season erases everything that happened last year. The new season gives players a clean slate. I would hope Met fans keep that in mind. Jeering Luis Castillo would prove fruitless for our goals of playing baseball in October. Castillo knows he had a horrible year, he knows that the Mets have committed a lot of money and time in him. He knows he will be under constant pressure from his teammates, manager, coaches, fans, the media and Omar Minaya as Omar took a big chance on him and signed him to this big contract. Omar has been criticized to no end since that deal was announced last year. Do we really need to boo him when his name is announced? Do we really need to heckle him when he is trying to get on base or drive in a run for our team? Does he need this added pressure? The answer is no. Luis Castillo needs the support of his home fans. It's like the classic song says "root, root for the home team." That includes the players on the home team as well. When Luis Castillo's name is announced on opening day at Citi Field get up off your seats, clap your hands and root for Castillo to have a great season.
The new baseball season erases everything that happened last year. The new season gives players a clean slate. I would hope Met fans keep that in mind. Jeering Luis Castillo would prove fruitless for our goals of playing baseball in October. Castillo knows he had a horrible year, he knows that the Mets have committed a lot of money and time in him. He knows he will be under constant pressure from his teammates, manager, coaches, fans, the media and Omar Minaya as Omar took a big chance on him and signed him to this big contract. Omar has been criticized to no end since that deal was announced last year. Do we really need to boo him when his name is announced? Do we really need to heckle him when he is trying to get on base or drive in a run for our team? Does he need this added pressure? The answer is no. Luis Castillo needs the support of his home fans. It's like the classic song says "root, root for the home team." That includes the players on the home team as well. When Luis Castillo's name is announced on opening day at Citi Field get up off your seats, clap your hands and root for Castillo to have a great season.
Mets are very much into Oliver Perez!
Hope everybody had a great Superbowl weekend. Sorry for the lack of posts this weekend, I had computer problems but they are all fixed and we shouldn't have anymore problems.
The big news today is that the Mets have signed Oliver Perez to a 3 year contract valued at $36 million dollars. There was rumor of a 4th year vesting option but no credible sources have confirmed that.
The Mets might have gotten a great steal for the services of Oliver Perez. Ollie has the potential to throw a no hitter. He's 27, just coming into the prime of his career. With Ollie signing the Mets front 4 of the rotation looks like this:
Johan Santana
Mike Pelfrey
Oliver Perez
John Maine
Mike Pelfrey
Oliver Perez
John Maine
Tim Redding, Freddy Garcia and Jon Niese will be battling in Spring Training for the 5th spot. From where I sit behind my laptop that is a sweet rotation.
I still think the Mets need to go out and sign another outfielder and if it's not Manny why not Bobby Abreu or Adam Dunn?
I also wouldn't mind another left hander in the pen like Joe Biemel but with the rotation set and the addition of K-Rod and Putz the Mets have had I think a pretty good if somewhat quiet off-season. I can't wait for Spring Training.
I still think the Mets need to go out and sign another outfielder and if it's not Manny why not Bobby Abreu or Adam Dunn?
I also wouldn't mind another left hander in the pen like Joe Biemel but with the rotation set and the addition of K-Rod and Putz the Mets have had I think a pretty good if somewhat quiet off-season. I can't wait for Spring Training.
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