Pagan on Baserunning Blunders: “Nobody is perfect”
Posted by prismo on 9:25am, Tuesday February 23rd 2010
"Sometimes I'm in a jam/I've gotta make a plan/It might be crazy/I do it anyway"
Angel Pagan arrived at camp this morning (as well as Alex Cora and Fernando Tatis). Dave Lennon, Adam Rubin, and Steve Popper got a couple questions in to the potential Mets center fielder.
Angel is “happy” to compete for the starting center fielder job (while Beltran’s rehabbing). He hopes to learn from Gary Matthews Jr and is viewing the competition as more of a learning experience rather than solely a competition.
Pagan was asked about his base-running blunders of last season, and responded “A lot of people talk about me and the bases. Everyone makes mistakes. Nobody is perfect.” adding that the blunders are all in the past.
What do you guys and gals think? Can we forget and forgive Angel’s brain-farts of 2009 and give him another chance to successfully navigate the infield?
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Not a big fan of bleacher report but this is about as close to accurate as I’ve seen on the discussion of Murphy.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/350811-the-daniel-murphy-situation
Thanks for endorsing and promoting this link. I too am no fan of bleacher creature report and due to that simply hadn’t bothered clicking on the link in sportspyder. This article was refreshingly realistic and well put together.
Interesting.
put me in the “think he will improve but who knows” camp.
Odd thing is, when he came up, his big selling point was pateince at the plate, and working the count to get on base. ANd Ithought his MiL numbers showed a good OBP? So yeah, I think he can improve on that, and if he slugs close to the post ASB figure, he will be fine.
If anything, he was following the old adage (with a twist): “You can’t walk off the island”
His was, hit HRs of back to Buffalo with you.
Yet another writer has come up with yet another fancy way to tell us why Jeff Francoeur sucks. Yet another writer that won’t be completely happy until the game is played by 9 well programmed baseballbots.
http://baseballmusings.com/?p=47103
LoL hey as far as that guy is concerned he is the Sherlock Holmes of stats he just proved why Frenchy sucks. He should be raking in the dough playing Fantasy Baseball. How can he lose with stats like that. LoL
What I hate most about some stats is how they refuse to recognize the ability to grow, or the human element. And I think they make some assumptions sometimes that just aren’t true.
Exactly. If someone wants to use stats to tell me about an 8-10 year veteran and use them and certain regression parameters to tell me why they are going to suck, I am much more likely to buy it.
But to tell me that 24 and 25 year old athletes will not get better and will almost certainly get worse that I’m not buying.
actually, an interesting speculation isto list, by group, actual open spots and who (of the current cast of characters) is in the mix for them.
1B - Murphy, Jacobs (Carter? Davis?)
BP - 2 spots? 3? depends on who you lock in.
SP - 1 spot: Neise, Neive, takagucci, ? ?
Bench - 1 spot: Carter, Catalanatto, ? ?
C - 2 spots(?): Blanco, barajas, Thole, Santos, Coste
CF - guys set, but battle for starter, loser to bench.
2B - Damn it all to heck……
I enjoy this type of speculation.
My own assumptions are generally that the team will be comprised of 25 players (OK, that one’s obvious) and the breakdown will be 12 pitchers (5 starters, 7 relievers) and 13 “players.”
Another assumption I make is Barajas passing his physical and of course the greatest assumption of all I make is everyone we know is healthy now will remain so (so I exclude for conversation’s sake Beltran and Escobar from consideration at this time).
In that context I think there is 1 bench spot open (with the other 4 being filled by Blanco, Cora, Tatis and GMJ). Reading the tea leaves of early ST leads me to conclude that Mike Jacobs fills this role.
Otherwise I think the “players” docket is full.
So to the pitchers.
Starters 1-4 are pretty much stone cold lead pipe locks. So that leaves us with # 5 and my early assumption was Nieve. The ST tea leaves are telling me Niese, so Niese it is.
Lastly the bullpen.
KRod and Feliciano IMO are the only stone cold lead pipe locks. To a lesser degree Igarashi seems likely to stick given his 2 year major league contract, so that’s 3 of 7.
The team had the opportunity to non-tender Sean Green and didn’t take advantage of it so I imagine he stays. That’s 4. I believe that the organization is enamored of Nieve and doesn’t want to lose him on waivers so he makes 5.
Two spots left. Did I say “left?” Misch is also out of options and it’s easy to envision the team at least starting the year with him on the 25 man roster in the pen. One to go. If healthy this would be Escobar but I already said I wouldn’t be counting him so…as one last kiss to my good friend I give that spot to Figgy until Escobar comes along at which point Figgy gets his walking papers.
So we have
Barajas & Blanco
Murphy & Jacobs
Castillo, Reyes & Cora
Wright & Tatis
Bay, Pagan, GMJ & Francoeur
Santana, Pelfrey, Perez, Maine & Niese
KRod, Feliciano, Igarashi, Green, Nieve, Misch & Figgy (hopefully soon to be Escobar)
a thorough analysis. Hard to argue with it. But, I will! Not argue, just counterpoint.
Not sure about jacobs, if they will want to carry him. Carter actually could be a dark horse. But, this is really a case of ST showing off what you can do.
I also think Neise will end upstarting in AAA just to get fully ready, but that could change. It would also help him pace for later in year (so he doesn’t run out of innings too soon).
And Green at least could pitch himself off the team with a lousy spring.
Dino Costa filling in for Mad Dog saying that Bobby V. is currently in talks with the Wilpons and that it’s only a matter of time.
I hate listening to this stuff because he is what I wanted most in the off season. And a SP…
What has Jerry done to be fired since the end of last season?
And does “in talks” mean neogitations for a managerial position or are they merely “talking,” perhaps in an effort to reconciliate their personal relationship.
I can’t think of much he screwed up since the end of the season, however I’ve long thought it’s silly to have guys on a short leash. No matter what you think of Jerry, he’s obviously not top of the line, so if you can bring in someone better, you do it. How does it hurt anything? Especially if it’s a guy you think won’t screw up next year for this.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m first in line to boot Jerry. But the timing of this report seems odd, even for the Wilpons. Hence, I question the accuracy of its implications.
Forgive my ignorance but who is Dino Costa and should I pay any attention to anything he says? I can’t help but think of the Flintstone’s dog right now.
I’m not asking to be a smartass, I’m asking because I genuinely have no clue about him.
According to Sirius this is how they describe him.
Dino Costa
If you’re looking for a sports talk radio program with some rabid bite to it, this Mad Dog Radio show is sure to satisfy. Dino’s stock and trade is his high octane, no nonsense approach. Dino cuts through the clutter and delivers with a high impact dose of sports talk radio that leaves the listener with no doubt as to the feelings of “The Mile High Mouth.” No two programs are ever the same, but the non-stop need to opine on myriad topics is a consistent part of every program. Dino has done sports radio and rattled cages in places like Jacksonville, Fla., Wheeling, West Va., and Denver. He’s been a part of the Colorado Rockies pre- & post-game shows on FSN Rocky Mountain and he’s hosted his own sports talk television program on FSN.
http://www.sirius.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Sirius/Page&c=Channel&cid=1224020054695&s=person
Wow, what service! Thank you
I certainly acknowledge the brilliance that is Bobby Valentine so I guess if he does come back I’ll hope he’s the exception to my own experience as a Met fan that the 2nd time is definitely not the charm.
I have no 2nd time managers to point to but the 2nd time players that come immediately to mind haven’t exactly set the world on fire: Seaver, Bonilla, Cedeno, Brooks, not good.
Ugh that is a depressing list. Cone wasn’t all that in his return either.
Sounds like Pete Franklin reincarnated.
He’s been on Mad Dog’s station for a while and is filling in on Mad’s Dog’s slot while he is on vacation. Based on other things that he’s said in the past, it looks like he has decent sources.
He is saying that he met with Booby V personally at his restaurant and that he has known him for a long time. Bobby is currently in talks with the Wilpons and based on the discussion he would be shocked if he is not the manager for the Mets at some point in 2010.
It’s been known for sometime that Bobby and the Wilpons are close. It would not shock me if the Wilpon’s have plan B in place for that bad streak. Gangster needs a miracle to stay through the year. If the have Bobby ready to come in quick, then the transition wouldn’t be so messy.
I have to dismiss this as mere speculation. The idea that Bobby V has talked to the Wilpons does not surprise me in the least because he is scheduled to be in Mets camp today as part of ESPN Baseball tonight tour around the Spring Training. So having a talk to Fred or Jeff is no biggie they share a past and as far as I know are friends.
This Dino character is just trying to generate a story where there is none imo.
Oh he is and unfortunately since I want it to happen I’m listening.
Jason Bay from the NY Times:
{Eight years later a more polished Bay returned to the Mets’ organization as the marquee off-season acquisition, wondering why Mets fans are so skeptical about a team that has Johan Santana, Francisco Rodriguez, Jose Reyes, David Wright, Carlos Beltran, eventually, and now him.
“I think I offered a fresh perspective coming in as an outsider being like, I don’t really get it,” he said. “Maybe that’s good for me just to come in with a clean slate and see what I see. I guess most people, as in life, it’s what have you done for me lately. Obviously last year didn’t go as well, but there’s no reason to think that this year shouldn’t be a lot better.”}
He doesn’t get it? I guess players pay less attention to other teams, especially those in the opposing league, than we fans do.
And maybe that’s a good thing, that he doesn’t get it, ’cause he might have passed on the Mets offer - LOL.
Seriously, I think this is a good thing. The less on that team that remember ‘07 and ‘08 finishes and the ensuing controversy about ‘chokers’, the better.
Your last sentence was one of the reasons why I desired more roster turnover than I got this off season. Starting with 2007 there has been some opportunity for the team to use it’s previous season’s failure as a motivator and each time it ultimately hasn’t worked. So I was hoping the fewer guys around who’d been through any/all of those failures the better.
The Tatis and Cora spots specifically I felt could’ve gone another way. But what’s done is done and now that they’re back I’m rooting for them. If I get the roster I “predicted” above in these comments it will mean 6 of 25 new guys, 7 if Escobar makes it and doesn’t replace a “new” guy in doing so. That will have to be enough for me, can’t do much about it now.
I was hoping for a change of face a bit too, in Tatis specifically, Cora was a secondary change but didn’t feel he necessarily offered anything over anyone else.
Francoeur is still new enough for that and we got two catchers. Rosters always flux during the season so maybe something will work.
I have to run out but I will leave with this last thought and as the self-proclaimed Optimistic Mets Fan I hope you’ll appreciate it:
what makes this roster changeover ultimately “good enough” for me is precisely what you mentioned, the two new catchers. That position with it’s strong relationship with the pitching staff allows for that change to be more felt throughout the roster than say the change of backup corner OF/IF who really impacts no one but himself. These two catchers and their impact on all the pitchers make it a psuedo-14 roster spot changeover.
Good call. The catchers do have ripple effects (and not the ‘oh my the ground is shaking! type ripple effects MOlina would have)
I think there might be enough of a turn over now where that black cloud can be lifted. I’m hoping the youth of that team such as Wright, Reyes, Fancoeur, KRod, Maine, Pelfrey, etc. will provide the enthusiasm youth usually brings with it when it comes to doing what others deem ‘impossible’…..
Why is it so quite all of sudden? Just in case anyone is interested, Mets are selling 4 game packs that includes one of the premium dates (Opening day and 3 Yankee games).
Hey, lookie. I got Hannah Montana on the top of TRDMB all day!
Worth reading:
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/story/12963019/mets-camp-tour-keeping-reyes-santana-upright-is-new-yorks-only-shot?tag=coverlist_active;coverlist_photo
Thanks for this link.
Those are some pretty ugly numbers concerning the injury season that was ‘09.
What was even uglier though were those comments on that post.