Well the one thing that we can definitely say about the Mets spring training games so far is that they have definitely not been boring. If anything the Mets offense has been on fire scoring over thirty runs in their last three days alone, spearheaded with homers by David Wright, Fernando Martinez, Mike Jacobs and that concussion grenade that was the Ike Davis grand slam ! The problem lies thus far with the pitching. While Jonathan Neise looked impressive in his first start this past Tuesday, yesterday Mike Pelfrey took his first start of the grapefruit league season , and he looked downright rusty. He let up four runs ( three earned) in three innings and his control was spotty at best. Both Sean Green and Eddie Kunz looked better yesterday than they did in their previous efforts, but we need them to be consistent. I know it is only spring training and the games don’t mean anything i, but I have no worries about the Mets offense this year - I think the Mets numbers will be among the tops in the Majors. It is the pitching that I am more worried about, because if this team morphs into the late ’80’s early ’90’s Yankees we will be a better team than last year, but we will be mediocre at best. We need Maine, Perez, Pelfrey (and whoever the fifth starter will be) to give quality starts and better than average performances. They need to keep the pressure of both the offence and the bullpen as well as Johan, because the last thing we need is a repeat of ‘07 and ‘08 where the starting pitching was barely making it to the sixth inning for most of the season - tiring out the bullpen which totally went nuclear down the stretch , which put added pressure on the offence to score more runs to protect the lead. But I still have faith in this rotation, I do believe they will be above average, and who knows they might even surprise us. But they need to throw strikes and throw strikes consistently .

                                      ” Hopefully Mike can serve up a better season than he did last year !”

And with tht said … HERE COMES THE INFAMY !!!!!

Happy Birthday wishes go out to the original Mets back up first baseman,Ed Bouchee (1933) .

One of the better Mets pitchers from their first four seasons, Galen Cisco is 74 (1936) . In his four year stint with the Mets he went 18-43 with a e.r.a. of 4.04 .

Middle reliever from the the ‘93 - ‘94 seasons, Mauro Gozzo is 44 (1966) .
Future Hall Of Fame second baseman ( and all around malcontent with the Mets) Jeff Kent is 42 (1968) .

Los Angeles Dodgers signed one time “can’t miss”  first base prospect,Craig Brazell of the New York Mets as a free agent on March 7, 2006.
And while you are watching today’s game versus the Washington Nationals on SNY, just remember that there are just 29 Dave Magadan days until the Mets open the 2010 season against the Florida Marlins at Citi Field.

While I was perusing the Internet moments ago I came across one of my favorite logs - Mike Silva’s N.Y. Base Ball Digest. He had email a host of professional scouts and here is what they had to say about first baseman of the future - The ” Phenom ” Ike Davis .

                                       ” We finally have a prospect that the scouts love - YAYYY !!!”

I love his poise on the field. He needs more seasoning in the minors, but I think the kid is a real keeper. Let Daniel Murphy or Mike Jacobs start at 1st this year while Davis develops. (Cubs Scout)

I’ve been in baseball for over 40 years and remember when his dad Ronnie first came up with the Yanks in 1979. Unlike his dad, who was this skinny kid with glasses, Ike looks like a ball player. He’s pretty polished for his age, and just needs a little more time in the minors to work on some things. I think once he works out the kinks he’ll be fine. He has a chance to be a really good major leaguer. (Yankees Scout)

The Mets are going about this the right way. Let the kid start the year in the minors to work on his skills set. Fans have to be patient with him and need to remember that it’s a huge jump from the minors to the majors. Because he was born into a baseball family, I think he totally understands what it takes to get to the big leagues. He’s a hard worker who has a lot of toughness to him. I really like his makeup. (Milwaukee Scout)

When I look at Ike Davis, I see a young kid with a world of talent, who if things break right for him, could possibly be the starting first baseman for the next ten years He needs to work on some things both defensively and offensively, and I’d also like to see him develop a little more power but I think he’s a lock to be with the club at some point in the future.. (Braves Scout)

I’ll tell you it is awesome to finally  see a Mets prospect live up to the hype in the eyes of the scouts. I know that Fernando Martinez has had some glowing endorsements, and he should be with the team soon. I just don’t remember a prospect since Darryl or Doc ( other than Greg Jefferies or Mike Pelfrey) to blaze through the minors this quickly.

To read Mikes piece , click here http://nybaseballdigest.com/

Marty Noble

Last week, everyone’s favorite Mets beat reporter, Marty Noble, answered some questions on the Mets bullpen, rotation and center fielder fill-ins. Noble also lists his projected batting order, rotation and bullpen. Finally, Noble looks at new additions, prospects to watch, players on the rebound, and players that are gone.

Projected Batting Order: Reyes, Castillo, Wright, Bay, Murphy, Francouer, Pagan, Santos

Johan Santana

Projected Rotation: Santana, Pelfrey, Maine, Nieve, Perez

Projected Bullpen: Closer: K-Rod. Setup Man: Escobar, Igarashi, Feliciano

New Guys:

Bay: That Bay bats right-handed and Beltran will miss at least the first month of the season creates a left-handed/right-handed balance power issue in the batting order.

Ryota Igarashi

Escobar and Igarashi: General manager Omar Minaya has identified Escobar and Igarashi as the likely setup relievers for K-Rod, even though the former has pitched five innings in the big leagues in the past two seasons, and the latter has never pitched in this country.

Blanco: Blanco is considered a good receiver. He threw well last year when he played in 67 games with the Padres.

Fernando Martinez

Prospects to Watch:

 

 

Martinez: He didn’t distinguish himself in his 2009 opportunities, and chances are he won’t be on the big league roster on Opening Day despite the absence of Beltran.

Thole:  The Mets see him as a 2011 possibility, with a chance to return to the big leagues in September this year.

Jose Reyes

Players on the Rebound:

 

 

Reyes: After playing in merely 36 games last season, undergoing autumn surgery on his right leg and rehabbing for months, Reyes says he is fit and anxious to return.

Santana: Santana noted he won his first Cy Young Award in 2004, the year after he had bone chips removed from his elbow for the first time. Now more chips have been eliminated and he — half-seriously — suggests a cause-and-effect relationship can happen again.

Carlos Beltran

Beltran: His left-handed power, defense and basestealing — if he still is a basestealer — are critical to the Mets.

Francouer: Surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb has him ready for his first full season with the Mets.

2010 officially begins Thursday. We all know what the Mets face this season, and all eyes in the sports media most certainly will be on the boys from Queens, as they will be a big story this year.

Should they succeed, the press will treat it as a Cinderella story of redemption. Should they fail miserably, the media sharks will devour Omar and Jerry as if they were Brody and Quint with a SMALLER boat. Even should they play .500 ball, the press will have a field day trashing the Mets’ wasted payroll, core and starpower.

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2006’s success may have come too fast and too easily for this group. Jose, Wright, Ollie, Maine, Pelf—they were all kids then. While the wise old heads residing on the shoulders of Cliff Floyd, Paul LoDuca, and Jose Valentin, and even Darren Oliver and Chad Bradford, clearly provided invaluable leadership, the nucleus of the team was very different the next two years.

Perhaps the success of the 2006 regular season led to overconfidence in 2007 and 2008; maybe the team felt that a playoff spot would be theirs, regardless. That did seem to be Willie’s attitude.

2009 may have changed this. We see Wright in camp before pitchers and catchers. We see Jose in camp early. Murph has been working on fielding with Mex. Our friend Brian Costa says that Pelf and Maine, among others, have also arrived early. We have heard about Ollie spending much of his offseason in a serious program, conditioning his mind and body. If Ollie is healthy and his mind is solid, imagine what his arm might be capable of.

Wright, Reyes, and Ollie, clearly three of the most important cogs in any success the Mets hope to enjoy this year, are all apparently seriously chastised and humbled by 2009. They seem to feel that they have something to prove. This is something that should make us all extremely optimistic.

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Yes, we have a platoon of stars and key players returning from injuries. But we are not talking about an aging Delgado trying to recover from several years of being hurt, nor are we dealing with players trying to overcome Dickie Thon or Nick Johnson-type injuries. There really is no reason to think that most, if not all, of these guys will return to past form.

This writer is a serious fan of the homegrown player. Yes, Lackey would have been great, but even greater would be another division title, and a trip to the postseason with Met farmhands Wright, Reyes, Murph, and Pelf, and virtual homeboys Ollie and Maine leading the way. Well, as a high-spending team, they will be joined by Johan, KRod, Beltran, and Bay, but seeing the largely homegrown core win would be incredibly satisfying after what the team and its fans went through last year.

In addition to the younger players, Johan and Beltran, all-stars and true professionals that they are, surely will be extra-eager to reclaim their places among the game’s best.

Jason Bay had a taste of winning in Boston, and will want to experience that again. Francoeur grew up in the Braves’ winning culture, and seemed to bring a welcome hustling, never-give-up attitude to the team. Frenchy’s OPS and UZR might not be MVP-level, but his CGH rating annually supersedes even Orlando Hudson’s. Over a full season these two should contribute greatly to assuring that the periodic mental and physical lapses we unfortunately witnessed last year do not recur.

Spring is a time when we should all focus on the team’s strengths, and be happy to see the players reach opening day in a healthy fashion. It is possible that the very laid back Jerry Manuel might again lead a team which will play horrid fundamental baseball and be susceptible to countless injuries. But what has been seen thus far is the team’s young leaders arriving to camp early and taking charge in a very self-motivated manner, seemingly eager to show the fans that the perennial contenders of 2005—2008 did not self-destruct in 2009; they just hit a historically unforeseen anomalous year, and they are chomping at the bit to play ball and put 2009 behind them.

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What will we see in 2010? Let’s get to opening day fully healthy and we’ll take it from there.

But, when looking at what we have already been seeing in Florida before pitchers and catchers even officially report is most definitely encouraging. Very encouraging. Davey Johnson knew how to set a serious and winning tone in his first few springs with the Mets. Jerry is not this kind of leader, so the early and ultra-healthy arrivals we have already seen in camp of key leaders have to bring a smile to the face of all but the most cynical fan.

We may have a sleeping giant on our hands, ready to charge back to what they began in 2006. Here’s hoping Wright, Jose, Ollie, Maine, Pelf and the rest of the guys are as eager as most of us are to right the wrongs of the last three years. If we see this attitude combined with good health and solid fundamentals, there might indeed be reason for people other than just us catatonic optimists to smile about their team.

In case you missed it yesterday, John Harper of the NY Daily News, throws us some tidbits from Santana on Maine, Ollie and Pelfrey (M.O.P.)

Ollie

I saw a different Ollie (at minicamp two weeks ago). He’s hungry. People don’t know there were times last year he wasn’t even able to walk on it.

Pelfrey

He’s got the stuff to be great. Man, if I had his stuff, oh, my God.

Maine

He’s got the stuff and he’s got the mentality, and now he’s healthy again.

In an article written by Mike Puma of the New York Post he quotes Mike Pelfrey to say,

“I understand that people look at the rotation and they have question marks. There should be,” Pelfrey said.

“Guys got hurt. I had a bad year, but guys are healthy now and I’m going to bounce back and have a good year. It’s amazing to me how big of a question there is about the rotation [by fans]. I hear about it and I just laugh.”

“I am glad to see that Pelfrey is confident I expect no less from him.  I don’t know if I find the fans concerns regarding the rotation funny but I like the confidence he shows I expect all the Met players to have the same attitude. “