Well there is something in the air in Port St. Lucie - and it was not the smell of Tony Tarasco’s bong pipe! From the media accounts that I have read, Tradition Field was buzzing with positive attitudes and healthy personnel. First off it is great to see that we will have a true front line catcher with the recently signed Rob Barajas. This is not meant to be a slight at Omir Santos, he did a valiant job as the main backstop for the majority of last season, but lets face it he was more than likely playing well over his head, and he will probably be nothing more than a AAAA caliber player. Oliver Perez seems to be a lot more focused than he was last year, and from all reports it show. His control is back and once again there is life on his fastball. Kelvim Escobar even made a appearance although he was only doing some light tossing , he was at least gripping the ball which might mean that the extent of his soreness has been greatly exaggerated. And owner Fred Wilpon came out of his coffin to give his thoughts and views on everything from this past off season ( torturous), the Mets money situation ( they still are loaded) and the Mets medical staff being the best in baseball ( delusional). So I freely admit that I am now extremely excited and can’t wait for the season to start ! By the way single game tickets are to go on sale on March 7th.

                                             ” Lets hope the 2010 Mets  prove the detractors wrong !!”

And now …. ON WITH THE INFAMY !!!!

Today would have been third baseman, Joe Foy’s 67th birthday (1943) . Til this day, Foy has been maligned by many Mets fans because he was traded for future superstar Amos Otis, and for the fact that he was a butcher at third base .He played in 99 games for the Mets during the ‘70 season, hitting .236 with six homers and 37 r.b.i.s. He was left exposed during the ‘70 draft and was picked up by the Washington Senators. It was speculated that Foy had a hardcore drug habit that led to his poor showing as a Met.

Sadly on this date two original Mets passed away, starting pitcher, Vinegar Bend Mizell in 1999 and relief pitcher Sherman Jones in 2007.

New York Mets signed free agent Joe Orsulak on February 21, 1998. This was to have been Joe’s second go round with the Mets, but he didn’t make the team out of spring training and retired soon after.

New York Mets traded pitching prospect Corey Brittan to the Colorado Rockies for Kane Davis on February 21, 2002. Davis was putrid in the half a season that he pitched for the Mets. He went 1-1 with a E.R.A. of 7.07 in sixteen games with the Mets, before being demoted.

And don’t forget - There are just 43 days until the Mets open the 2010 season against the Florida Marlins at Citi Field.

According to Ken Rosenthal from FOXsports.com,former Toronto Blue Jays catcher and  free agent  Rob Barajas and the New York Mets have agreed on a major league contract worth $1 million dollars.
He goes on to say that the deal also includes $1 million in easily attainable incentives.

Both the Mets and Rangers offered Barajas minor-league contracts. The Rangers’ initial bid was $1.5 million while the Mets originally offered one million dollars.

The Mets yesterday upgraded their bid to a major-league offer ensuring that Barajas’ money would be guaranteed.

Barajas, 34, will more than likely become the Mets starting catcher, with Henry Blanco as the primary back up. Omir Santos, Chris Coste and Josh Thole will more than likely start the year at AAA Buffalo.

The Mets will have to designate a player for assignment to make room for Barajas on their 40-man roster.

Last season Barajas had 19 home runs and 71 RBIs and has a good reputation for working with pitching staffs. His batting average however is less than desirable - he batted only .226 with a .258 on-base percentage - But he still is a hell of a upgrade over Brian Schneider. In other news  , According to New York Post reporter Joel Sherman,  former Mets first baseman - Carlos Delgado has undergone  surgery on the the balky hip that  limited him to less than thirty games with the Mets last season . He will be out for at least four more months. To read  the entire post click here  http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/hardball/delgado_needed_more_hip_surgery_6SwHzCqEFJSUp91GgJDEeM .

Lets give a hat tip to both hazmet for brining this story to our attention and to the Mets scouts for not wanting anything to do with Carlos when he was auditioning in the Puerto Rico Winter League. I liked Delgado alot , but it was plain to see the writing on the wall and his tenure with the Mets was over.

                                                                      “  Welcome aboar Rob - Hasta Manana Carlos”

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.

After seeing yesterdays footage from Mets camp on S.N.Y yesterday, I can finally say that I am psyched that spring training is just a day away. Seeing Jose Reyes running without any noticeable limp also helped squelch my pessimism for the meantime. But it is funny, I was watching Ultimets Classics on S.N.Y. yesterday evening where they were showing Johan’s three hit shutout against the Florida Marlins on the second to last day of the ‘08 season, and it occured to me. This team needs to find their inner bulldog !! They need that fire to comeback when they are down by two in the bottom of the ninth with men on base ! They need to step on the necks of their opponents ! They have to show fight - And instead of the front office trotting out some Madison Avenue Advertising hacks slogans about ” believing in comebacks” - THEY INSTEAD NEED TO BELIEVE IN THEMSELVES !!!
I can give three examples of this from the last three seasons.
First is the John Maine one hit shutout from ‘07 ( I was there) . John Maine pitched possibly the finest game of his career limiting the Marlins to one no runs on one hit over eight innings. The Mets bats were pummeling the Marlins pitchers, and the Mets swagger was in evidence by the brawl that ensued between both benches after Jose Reyes decked Miguel Olivo. Yes they were knocked out of playoff contention the next day but the electricity that team showed was amazing!
The second game was the aforementioned Johan game from ‘09 ( I was there too). Here was Johan- our ace pitching on three days rest with a bad knee, single handedly shutting down the Marlins to keep our dreams of getting into the post season alive. I hadn’t felt that kind of electricity at Shea since game 6 of the ‘06 NLCS !
The third example comes from last season in that memorable game against the Boston Red Sox  ( I wasn’t there)where Omir Santos took Boston’s dominant reliever - Jonathan Papelbon deep . As we all know it was originally called a double but overturned on challenge. I know for a fact that my heart I was on edge waiting for the umpires to review the tape, and when they ruled in the Mets favor I - as all the Mets and Mets fans let out a collective sigh of relief - then celebrated because that was the runs that helped us win the game ! Honorable mention goes out to Nelson Figueroa for pitching the game of his life on the last game of the season.
But a few random games does not mean this team has the fire to win. They need not be complacent. they have to have that fire in their bellies, THEY TRULEY NEED TO BELIEVE IN COMEBACKS !!!

                                          ” The 2010 Mets need to find their inner bulldog !!”

And with that said … HERE COMES THE INFAMY !!

Happy Birthday wishes go out to man who was the first starting pitcher in Mets history - Roger Craig (1931). Roger was a star pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers during their ’50’s heyday, but once he came to the Mets he like Anthony Young , couldn’t win a game to save his life. He was good enough to lose ( having poor defense around you will do that). Later on he became a successful pitching coach and later on manager with the San Francisco Giants. He is also credited as being the father of the split fingered fastball.
Middle reliever from the ‘05 team - Juan Padilla is 33 (1977) .

Sadly on this date in 1986 former Mets pitching coach coach Red Ruffing passed away.

Chicago Cubs signed outfielder, Jerry Morales of the New York Mets as a free agent on February 17, 1981. I don’t know why I liked Jerry - he was your average Mets scrub but for some reason I rooted hard for him as a kid.

And just remember - there are only 47 days until the Mets open the 2010 season against the Florida Marlins at Citi Field.

I’m baffled at the number of positions on the Mets that will be “up for grabs” in Spring Training this season. Sometimes competition for a position can be a good thing – it can light a fire under a player that may need the pressure to succeed. But most of the time, I believe it shows inherent weaknesses in a roster and can make a player doubt himself. Omar Minaya set out to fix the holes on the roster this offseason, but there are more positions up for grabs this season than last!

Santos Should Start

Catcher: Josh Thole or Omir Santos?

I don’t understand why there’s competition at this position. I was certain that the team signed Chris Coste almost solely to mentor Thole in AAA for at least half the season. This was a notion I firmly backed at the time, and I’m still in support of this plan. Thole is a converted catcher and could use some more time learning the position in an environment with less pressure than the Big Apple. We know what we’re going to get out of Santos, and I think it’s fine as a short-term solution. Please Omar and Jerry, just let Thole have some more time to develop. Don’t rush him.

Murphy Must Make it

First Base: Daniel Murphy or Mike Jacobs?

I can’t even believe this is in debate, but according to Omar the two players will compete for the starting spot. Daniel Murphy may not be a superstar, but he has the potential to hit for average and play a decent first base. Mike Jacobs can hit home runs. He can’t hit for average, he strikes out a ton, and word has it that his fielding is well below average. So why the need for a competition? If it’s to light a fire under Murphy, then Omar must never have met the kid. Murphy’s going to work his arse off to become a better player, maybe even working too hard.

Pagan Promises to Prevail

Center Field (while Beltran is out): Angel Pagan or Gary Matthews Jr?

Oy vei! Gary Matthews Jr has been one of the worst outfielders over the past two seasons in all of major league baseball. He can’t hit (OPS under .700 both of the last two years) and he can’t field (UZR -9.3 and -14.5) – he has no place starting on a team. Angel Pagan may be injury prone as well as prone to make an occasional boneheaded mistake, but he’s an otherwise very solid player, despite his lack of sustained starting experience. In 376 plate appearances last season for the Mets, Pagan hit for an OPS of .837 with an UZR of 5.8. Angel Pagan with a broken leg may be a better option in CF than GMJ.

Fifth Starter: Fernando Nieve or Jon Niese (or others)?

This is actually the only competing position I understand. Fifth starter spots on teams are often in competition because so many pitchers can be close to the fifth best starter on a team. I’d be fine if Omar and Jerry pick either Nieve or Niese for the role. Nieve was extremely solid last season in his few starts with the Mets and Niese may be developing into a solid middle of the rotation guy. With all the potential short-comings of the Mets, I actually like the fifth starter options.

What I really don’t understand is why Omar is adding question marks where there shouldn’t be any. We know that in all likelihood the starters at catcher, 1B, and CF will be Santos, Murphy, and Pagan – so why make these players doubt themselves? None of these three needs a fire lit under him; from what I understand they’re all hard-working guys who want to win.

There’s no roster negativity going on here. I’m absolutely fine with the team using Santos, Murphy, and Pagan as starters as well as Nieve/Niese. It’s the management decisions that I seriously question. And despite these questions, I do have reasonable faith the in the end the right decisions will be made. I just hope the Spring Training question marks don’t leave their mark on Jerry, prompting him to dilly-dally during the regular season at various positions. I’m a huge believe in a set line-up with stability, and the first step in getting that is deciding on the team’s starters and sticking with them.

Happy Valentines Day everybody ( even if it is a B.S commercialized holiday) ! It is also four days until pitchers and catchers are to meet at Port St. Lucie for the unofficial start of Spring Training. I read yesterday that both Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel are excited about the open competition in the starting rotation, catcher, first base, center field and the General manager as well as the managers position ( oops did I just say that?) . I like competition, I think competition is good. I just feel that we are going into this years season with far to many holes to fill, and not enough able bodies. I also feel that these position are Daniel Murphy , Fernando Nieve , Angel Pagan and Omir Santos to lose. Honestly the only player of the ones that just listed that should face stiff competition is Murphy. Murphy will have claw tooth and nail to win the first base-mans job against Chris Carter, Fernando Tatis and Mike Jacobs. I think Murph will face the stiffest competition against Chris Carter, because I do believe that both Jerry and Omar see both Tatis and Jacobs as bench strength. I also see Murphy as a true competitor , who needs to be constantly challenged in order to get the most optimum results out of him.

                                                                 ” Happy Valentines Day !!!”

And with that said … HERE COMES THE INFAMY !!!!
Happy Birthday wishes goes out to one of the Mets better back up catchers from the ’90’s, Kelly Stinnett (1970) .

New York Mets signed free agent José ” IT’S LIMA TIME !” Lima on February 14, 2006. Thankfully Lima time didn’t last to long. I believe these days he pitches is a fast pitch soft ball tequila league in Mexico.

Baltimore Orioles signed Steve Trachsel of the New York Mets as a free agent on February 14, 2007. I admit I have no love for the man i called ” Trash” I hated the fact that he was one of the big signings that we made after we lost the ‘00 World Series, I hated his taking five minutes to throw a pitch, and I just never warmed up to him - who could forget the botched abortion that was game 5 of the ‘06 NLCDS where he couldn’t get out of the second inning ( if memory serves me right).

New York Mets signed free agent Livan Hernandez of the Colorado Rockies on February 14, 2009. I have to admit that I originally didn’t like this signing. But for the first part of the year Livan along with Johan, were the only consistent members of te starting rotation. But as you would have to expect from a man in his late 50’s ( kidding ! kidding !) Livan flamed out and was released (it has been said it was done to save the organization from paying him his bonuses) in mid August .

And don’t forget -There is just 50 days until the Mets open the 2010 season against the Florida Marlins at Citi Field.