The Obituary of the 2009 Mets

On October 4th, 2009 the New York Mets laid to rest a season of turmoils. With 70 wins to their name the Mets leave behind a disappointed fan base, an injury-laden roster, the knowledge that their management team is seriously lacking, and an off season of innumerable questions.

The starting rotation on the final day of the 2009 season included such stellar arms as Pat Misch, Tim Redding, Nelson Figeuroa, Bobby Parnell, and Mike Pelfrey. When reviewing that list 70 wins doesn't seem so bad.

But the 2009 Mets would not have us dwell on the past, but look to the future. The problem is that future is considerably hazy. Will Manuel be back? Will Omar survive? Will Reyes return to being the Reyes of years past? Will the Mets trade for a middle of the road bat and give up considerable talent to get him? Which player will the Mets overpay for this off season?  Will David Wright get his groove back?

The questions seem to go on forever. What is the long term strategy for this team? Should the Mets build around pitching? Should the Mets get a power bat? Should Daniel Murphy be the every day first baseman? Should the Mets resign Delgado? Should the Mets get a left fielder or a first baseman? Should the priority be a #2 starter? Are the Mets willing to go into spring training with Perez & Pelfrey as their #2 & #3 starters?

So many questions, so few answers. In fact by April a number of these will still be unanswered. But that is the way of the Mets.

Will 2009 be an anomaly and the Mets will return to winning baseball in 2010? Or will 2009 be the beginning of another rebuilding process?

There are no answers at this point, but the next 5 months will be sure to add more questions to the mix.

It's time for a break from baseball. Mets fans have deserved that much. And so we lay to rest the 2009 Mets and pray that time truly does heal all wounds. We all know how much this team needs that.

Johan Santana Can Swing the Bat Too

The Mets got Johan Santana for his pitching, but he likes to swing the bat almost as much as he loves to pitch. Ex-teammate, Torii Hunter, was even quoted as saying one of the reasons Santana wanted to come to the National League was to be able to get some cuts at the plate every 5th day.

Santana has had limited at bats since he's pitched in the American League for all these years but in his career he's a lifetime .258 hitter, which is very good for a pitcher.

Last year in only 7 at bats Santana had a slugging percentage over .700, and I distinctly remember him crushing a double down the line at Shea.

Most of the time we'll need Santana to learn how to bunt, but it's always nice to have a pitcher who can get you a hit every once in a while too.

Maybe Santana can give Mike Pelfrey some lessons.

No Panic Pelfrey

Mike Pelfrey looked like a seasoned veteran on the mound last night. Sure he got tagged for 3 runs over 5 innings, but that's a better performance than John Maine gave us. Pelfrey also struck out 4 while walking 3 and became the third Mets pitcher to win 3 games in September since Pete Schourek (I remember really liking this guy) and Jason Isringhausen.

Pelfrey got into some tough situations with runners in scoring position, but was able to get out of a number of them. I got a sense of his potential in this outing just as I did when he pitched against the Braves. Both games were high pressure situations and he handled himself well in both.

Of course the Mets offense showed up again this time with Reyes even joining in. He would have had an inside the park home run if the ball didn't get stuck in the wall. David Wright returned to MVP form with 3 RBIs and Moises Alou continued to just crush the ball.

And miracle of miracles the Phillies lost in extra innings! 2.5 game lead folks. Let's keep it rollin'.

Why Brian Lawrence?

Brian Lawrence is 1-2 this year for the Mets with a lovely 6.31 ERA. He's given up 37 hits in a little over 25 innings pitched and has a WHIP bordering on 2.

This is the guy who's going to end the Mets slide. This is the guy Willie calls on to help his team turn things around yet again. This is the guy who needs to go 7 innings because our bullpen has had way too much work this past weekend. This is the guy.

I'm not saying Pelfrey is a way better option, but at least we know he's a young pitcher who's coming off a tremendous outing against the Braves.

The Mets bats better wake up tonight and put up a 5-spot in the first inning.

One More Year for Glavine?

I was surprised to read a story in the New York Post today by Kevin Kernan who writes about Tom Glavine returning for yet another season. He cites Glavine as saying he's having "too much fun" to retire right now.

Wow, what a difference a year makes. This is the same guy who was courting with the Braves after last season?

Hey, if Glavine continues to show that he can pitch well I wouldn't mind having him back for one more year although that might delay the return of Mike Pelfrey and the appearance of Philip Humber for another year. But that might not be a bad thing. Often young pitchers are brought up way too early and fail, so they're tossed aside. Giving Humber & Pelfrey another year of minor league experience with some time in the majors might be a good thing.

But then again Glavine might change his mind if the Mets win a certain few games towards the end of October.

Continue to Believe

It was only one win, but last night's win was a big one. Everyone on the Mets knew that they needed to stop the bleeding. The amazing thing was that they were able to explode offensively not only in Atlanta, but against possibly the top pitcher in the NL.

It's just one win, but you have to continue to believe. Smoltz pitches today which for the Braves has been an automatic win against the Mets, especially in Atlanta. We have the "man without a win" going for us in Mike Pelfrey. If ever there was a time where we as Mets Lifers need faith, it's now.

It's improbably that Pelfrey will be able to match Smoltz and hold the Braves to 1 run like Maine did. It's improbable that the Mets will be able to explode for another 7 runs today. It's improbable that the Mets would win a series at Turner Field.

But the fact remains that it's still possible. We need to restore our faith in this team. I might be setting myself up for a huge disappointment, but I have to believe this team knows that it has to beat the Braves before it can win the division.

Continue to believe.

Where's Phillip Humber?

September call ups are coming and it is expected that the Mets will bring up a few young arms to fill out the rotation.

Joe Smith, Mike Pelfrey and Dave Williams are expected to be among them, but there is suspiciously no word about Phillip Humber joining the club.

Why? Humber has pitched well in the minors and has spent the last two seasons down there. So why haven't we seen him? Is it because the Mets saw the error of their ways in rushing Pelfrey? Does the organization really think Dave Williams or Brian Lawrence are better for the ball club?

I agree that young arms should not be rushed, but I don't think we'd be rushing Humber at this point. It's September call ups and what better time to test out the kid than now? I'm tired of Brian Lawrence and have zero confidence in Dave Williams. Pelfrey? Hmm, verdict is still out.

The fact that there is absolutely no word about Humber joining the Mets in September makes me wonder what is going on. I'm hopefuly it's for good reason, but I'm ready to see the kid in action.