Mets Lifer: Buy or Sell

As the season comes mercifully to a close, Bryan and I take a look at some of the issues the Mets will face when October 4th comes around in a little Mets Lifer: Buy or Sell.


Buy or Sell: The Mets will get Adrien Gonzalez this off season.
Bryan: Sell. While I would love him on the Mets, this is a pipe dream. Gonzalez is one of the best first basemen in the sport and he is dirt cheap right now. Mets do not have anything to offer to get him. I pray he becomes a free agent after 2011 but I suspect the Red Sox will land him in a trade.

Dave: Sell. I would trade the farm system for Gonzalez but I doubt the Mets will. Instead I hope they realize how important starting pitching is and instead go after a Doc Halladay or Felix Hernandez to support Johan Santana.


Buy or Sell: Angel Pagan is your starting left fielder in 2010.
Bryan: Sell. While a good hitter, and fielder, he makes way too many mental errors. I see him as a solid 4th outfielder. The Mets have to give F Mart a chance to play every day, assuming he’s healthy.

Dave: Buy. Pagan is like a college basketball freshman. Great talent, but inexperienced so he lacks the in-game intelligence. Pagan hasn’t played a full season in the bigs, ever. So these mental lapses are all part of the growth process to turn into an everyday player. The guy can hit. He’s got a solid glove and he can run like the wind. Those are three things that are a perfect match for Citi Field. Give him a shot to start and use Sullivan as your #4. Besides, hopefully FMart will be traded in a deal for Halladay or King Felix.

Buy or Sell: The Mets need to adjust the Citi Field dimensions.
Bryan: A BIG BUY here. Listen, I hate band box parks like the one in Philly, or the Bronx for that matter, but take one look at David Wright’s putrid numbers this year, and you’d have to be a fool not to consider moving the fences in, especially in right. I’ve said this before, but David Wright is the most glaring concern I have with this club going into 2010. He looks nothing like the hitter he used to be and that scares the heck out of me because if he no longer produces like he’s supposed to, the Mets and their fan base will suffer greatly. I’m shocked that more people aren’t as concerned about his decline. 8 HRs…EIGHT! He needs to seek out Jeff Kent to learn how to lay off the slider, b/c he reminds me of Kent when he was on the Mets. Slider down and away, and Kent was toast. Same thing now with Wright. If he’s not half-swinging at it, it’s totally in his head and he gets beat on the fast ball. Now somewhere along the way, Kent figured it out and we all know what happened to his career post Mets. Wright desperately needs to find the remedy. And bringing in that right field fence is a good start.

Dave: Sell, with an exception. I was as much a proponent of adjusting the dimensions as Bryan a month or so ago. But since then I’ve seen Derek Lee, Mark Reynolds, Dan Uggla, Brad Hawpe and others have zero issue with putting the ball over the fence. It seems like the only team struggling to hit home runs at Citi is the Mets. The power drought is an issue with the player not the field. However, the right field fence is just stupid. The Mo Zone fence should be moved up so it's even with “Utley’s Porch.” That has less to do with hitting home runs and more with creating a better playing field for the outfielders. Plus it serves no purpose being back that far other than to just be annoying. Kinda like that stupid hill in center field in Houston.

Buy or Sell: Mets fans will root for the Yankees in the playoffs.
Bryan: Sell. No true Mets fan will root for the Yanks in the playoffs, unless of course, they meet Philly in the World Series. Then I want the Yanks to win. It’s the lesser of two evils for me.

Dave: Sell. I’m with Bryan. Word for word.

Remembering 9/11 Again

The following is a post I wrote about a year ago after reading a post by Brad Bortone at Bugs and Cranks. I was pleased this morning to see that Brad has reposted that same article he wrote on this 8th anniversary of that horrific day that is now known as 9/11. I hope you find this post an honorable reflection of that day.

I was going to write a post on how still 8 years later I remember the impact that baseball, and specifically the New York Mets, had after the attacks of September 11th, but Brad over at Bugs & Cranks has done the work for me.

I remember reading this write up last year at about this time and even as I read it again today I think it's one of the best commentaries on that emotional game the Mets played on September 21, 2001.

Brad's closing statement sums it up the best when he writes, "September 11 was all too real. I finally realized this. But for the first time in two weeks, I also realized that it was okay to smile. It was okay to cheer. It was perfectly okay to start living again."

It's definitely worth a read, and even if you've read it before, you should read it again and never forget those feelings we all experienced just 7 (now 8) years ago.

Click here to read the full article on Bugs & Cranks.

I'm Done With Daniel Murphy

I've now learned never trust a guy who performs well in September.

Daniel Murphy burst onto the scene last year with little fanfare, but made an immediate impact in the Mets lineup. He was patient at the plate. He was hitting to all fields. He had a sound mind at the plate.

That player does not exist anymore as Daniel Murphy has struggled this season. Sure he's been forced to play two positions which are both out of his natural comfort zone. Sure he's missing the protection in the lineup that he had last year because of all the injuries. Sure he's hitting the ball well of late. But for me he's just not cutting it.

We had visions of grandeur that he was going to be the next Pete Rose, but that was just a ridiculous assessment by most Mets fans. To me he's not an everyday player in the Big Apple. In Cincinnati or Kansas City or Pittsburgh? Sure, he's an asset to the lineup, but for what this Mets team needs, Murphy is not the answer.

The Mets need a big bat at first base. That's not Murphy. So if he's not playing first base, where does he play? Do you really want to stick him back in left field? I think that's too much of a risk.

Murphy is in the unfortunate position of being a man without a position. If the Mets didn't have Wright or Castillo, you might get away with putting him at second base to fill a need, but even that seems like a stretch.

I like the kid. I like his hustle and his glove is surprisingly decent at first base. But I'd rather replace him.

The Return of the Mole

Superman got his powers from Earth's yellow sun, and it appears the Mets power can only be seen when it's in the vicinity of Carlos Beltran's mole. Carlos Beltran will be bringing his mole back to Queens and potentially be seen in tonight's lineup adding a much missed power bat in the middle of the order.

I've said it before, but because I lack original thoughts from time to time I must say it again: the Mets have missed Carlos Beltran more than any other injured every day player. He's a guy that talk radio callers like to complain about but it's undeniable that Beltran brings a stability to the Mets lineup and defense.

Beltran, with his enormous contract, may be one of the most under appreciated players in baseball. He's a doubles machine. He's smart on the base paths. Plays the best center field since Andruw Jones put on 200 pounds. But Mets fans are ready to trade him or hang him at a moments notice.

I don't expect Beltran to look like the Beltran of old right away. I expect he'll struggle for a few weeks and then turn things on at the very end of the season. But it'll be nice to see someone other than Daniel Murphy batting cleanup and give David Wright some backup both on the field and in the order.

For the guy who's never "100%" it was a welcome surprise to see him declare that he's back to full health and eager to play.

Metssloppily

This is legendary. Jason Fry of Faith and Fear in Flushing created this unbelievable mock Monopoly board for the Wall Street Journal that depicts the mess that is the Mets season.

It is appropriately named Metssloppily.

Unbeliveable job on this. Jason, your mom must be proud.

Click here to see the interactive piece.

Memories of Past Mets Are Becoming Present

The more I watch the 2009 Mets, the more I am reminded of past failures from my beloved team. I experience a bit of deja vu during every game and find myself being sent back to such glorious teams at the '93 or '03 Mets teams.

Why are the Mets so destined to relive their past mistakes and seem to attract the same type of talent they have in years before? It's creepy. Don't know what I mean? Take a look at past Mets who are now reincarnated on the current Mets roster:

Daniel Murphy is Ty Wiggington
Scrappy, hard nosed player who came up with some sparks in his bat only to find out that when he plays full time he's more like a .250 hitter without the pop that you hoped he'd have. Also you're not quite sure what position he should play because he's not exactly dominant at any of them. Are we talking about Daniel Murphy or Ty Wiggington?

Mike Pelfrey is Oliver Perez
A neurotic pitcher who can throw hard, but can't find the strike zone which forces him to implode in at least one inning every game. One innings worth of mistakes is enough to sink the Mets chance for victory. But then in another 4 starts, this pitcher shows up and just dominates the opposing lineup making you forget just what an unreliable nut job he really is. Sure they're both on the current roster, but Mike Pelfrey is becoming the Oliver Perez the Pirates traded and that Mets fans have experienced for the last two years.

Brian Schneider is Charlie O'Brien
I've detailed this ad naseum in a previous post which you can read here.

Anderson Hernandez is Rey Ordonez
A gifted fielder who can't hit to save his life. Sure he'll surprise you with a 3 for 4 outing once a month, but in every subsequent at bat it appears he hits a ground ball to the second baseman. Now Ordonez was more talented with his glove than Hernandez, but they're basically the same player.

Gary Sheffield is Mo Vaughn
A career All Star who's on his last legs comes to Queens and only tries to hit home runs. He can't play the field because moving laterally is like giving birth so he's relinquished to serving as a pinch hitter who can't hit unless he gets lucky on a fastball. Sheffield is obviously in better shape than Mo ever was, but still. Is he really that different?

Bobby Parnell is Bill Pulsipher
Young pitcher with great arm becomes "untouchable" before he even finishes a complete season, but turns out he's not the starting pitching talent that you had envisioned. A few down on his luck starts and he has now lost all confidence in himself as well as the fan base. Parnell obviously started in the bullpen, where Pulsipher was always a starter, but I fear that Parnell will meet the same fate as Pulsipher.

Tim Redding is Bobby Jones
Mediocre pitcher is forced into #1 starter because of injuries and just sheer lack of a better option. Grows goatee, pitches well for a few months, and then slowly fades away. Redding is pitching well of late, but let's pray the Mets aren't desperate enough to offer him an extension.

Other notable similarities include:
Angel Pagan is Derek Bell; Johan Santana is Mike Hampton; David Wright is Mike Piazza; Nick Evans is Jeff Keppinger; Carlos Delgado is Bobby Bonilla

Welcoming Back David Wright

In a season where practically every Mets player has missed games due to injury, I personally have missed David Wright the most. I think the circumstances regarding his trip to the DL makes him a more compelling story, but I believe it has as much to do with the fact that David Wright is the leader of this team. And no team feels complete without their leader.

Questions have been made in seasons past about Wright's leadership skills and whether he is outspoken enough to be the leader of a New York team. The media likes to harp on the outward display of leadership skills, but anyone worth their salt knows that leadership is less about what you do when everyone's watching and more about how you act when no one is.

Wright has become the last man standing for the Mets during this pitiful trip to the depths of the NL East, but through it all Wright has been there answering questions, handling the media, and showing up to play every night with the same intensity as he did that first week in April.

While other players have been criticized for their lackadaisical play at times, including All Stars like Reyes and Beltran, have you ever found yourself saying that about Mr. Wright? Have you ever seen Wright take a play off or be less intense about striking out with runners on when the Mets are down by 6 runs or up by 1?

This year is the year Wright officially became a veteran. He had no say in the matter. He's been forced into the role of team spokesperson, on-field leader and big bat in the lineup without asking for it. But somehow I think he welcomes being tested. He's not one to back down.

While the Mets will plunge farther in the standings, I find hope in David Wright and that the trials he has experienced this year will pay dividends in future seasons because of his experiences in 2009.

Welcome back David Wright. Even with his dorky new helmet.