Results tagged ‘ 2009 ’
The Tony La Russa Method
Tony La Russa is easily one of the most recognizable managers in the game of baseball. He is also one of the most successful. He has won 2,461 career games, and is ranked third all time in that category. During his time managing, he has been known to do something almost forbidden in baseball: bat the pitcher eighth. This is supposed to get the offense jump started, by in essence adding a second leadoff man to bat ninth this way you have two leadoff guys in a row, three if your two hitter is good enough. In American League play with a DH, eighth is generally where a lot of managers bat their “worst” hitter. So this method makes a lot of sense. During the Mets Spring Training, Jerry Manuel has been batting the pitchers second so they can work on their bunting. Obviously, this will not be retained during the season, but it gets me wondering, why can’t Manuel bat the pitcher eighth, just like Tony La Russa?
There has been talk of batting Jose Reyes third and having Luis Castillo lead off. In that case, here would be the lineup:
1. Luis Castillo
2. Carlos Beltran
3. Jose Reyes
4. Carlos Delgado
5. David Wright
6. Daniel Murphy
7. Ryan Church
8. Brian Schneider
9. Pitcher
There are a lot of things wrong with this. First off, there are three lefties in a row at the bottom of the lineup, and then the pitcher. That is bad anywhere, but the bottom of the lineup with your weakest hitters is the worst place, because at the end of the game it allows an opposing manager to throw in any pitcher. If the three lefties were Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Raul Ibanez, then you are forced to pitch your lefty specialist, and if they come back in two innings then you are stuck. In that case, it works. But for the Mets, three hitters with something to prove – Murphy, who must show last year wasn’t a fluke; Church, who must bounce back from injury; and Schneider, who must stay the everyday catcher ahead of Ramon Castro – is a very bad situation to have at the end of your order. Furthermore, there has to be some way for Reyes to bat leadoff, and for Castillo to hit in a place where he can shine. If the Mets just go with a standard lineup, no gimicks, then here is what it will look like:
1. Jose Reyes
2. Luis Castillo
3. Carlos Beltran
4. Carlos Delgado
5. David Wright
6. Daniel Murphy
7. Ryan Church
8. Brian Schneider
9. Pitcher
Once again, we still have three lefties in a row at the bottom of the order before the pitcher. And if Castillo can’t produce, then we have an automatic out in between our cadalist and our big boppers. That’s a problem. You can move Castillo to the eight hole, but then you won’t have anybody for the pitcher to bunt over and there will be two automatic outs. It seems there is no place for Luis Castillo in the lineup. That is, unless you improvise. Hence, the Tony La Russa Method. Bat the pitcher eighth, and Castillo ninth. You then have some options as to who to bat second. Go with Beltran there, and move down everyody else up one spot from the standard no gimicks lineup. But then after David Wright hits clean up, we have 5 hitters who we are not sure if they can hit for power in 2009. So have Brian Schneider bat second? Daniel Murphy? Ryan Church? Well, Ryan Church batted second a few times last year and shined in that role. But he does have power potential. Seeing as he did have 12 homers last year before his concussion, he would be useful for the lower part of the order if he can bring back his power. However, Daniel Murphy would be an even greater candidate seeing as he is a good contact hitter who does not try to swing for the fences. He can hit fastballs and can take a pitch for Jose Reyes to steal. And who knows, if he has a whole year in the majors, he can hit a good 7-12 home runs, which is in my opinion, the perfect number for a number 2 hitter. So, here is the 2009 Mets lineup, if they choose to go with the Tony La Russa Method.
1. Jose Reyes
2. Daniel Murphy
3. Carlos Beltran
4. Carlos Delgado
5. David Wright
6. Ryan Church
7. Brian Schneider
8. Pitcher
9. Luis Castillo
This way, there are no more than two lefties or righties batting consecutively. Obviously, it changes depending on who the pitcher is that day, but as far as I know it doesn’t make a difference your handedness when all you are doing is bunting.
Which lineup looks best?
What Really Grinds My Gears
You know what really grinds my gears?
It annoys me how there are still so many free agents left on the market for anyone to pick up for practically nothing, and Omar Minaya has the nerve to say that he is not going to make any more big moves this offseason.
Another thing that bugs me is that Omar Minaya is spending millions of dollars signing nobodies when he could instead use the money to sign Adam Dunn or Orlando Hudson.
Hey, did you know that Ben Sheets is going to need surgery, so nobody wants him anymore? It’s too bad that Omar Minaya isn’t going to sign him, at this point he might even come as cheap as a nobody.
Also, it really annoys me how all the fans want Manny Ramirez, and Jerry Manuel wants Manny Ramirez, and David Wright wants Manny Ramirez, and the lineup needs Manny Ramirez, yet Omar Minaya wants to be done and Fred and Jeff Wilpon don’t want to pay for him. Even though they are going to sign him anyway and go, “I was just kidding! Dee dee dee!”
Lastly, I hate it how Manny Ramirez is too stupid to accept a great offer when he gets one.
I’m Bobby, the Mets’ Main Man, and that’s what really grinds my gears.
Manny Is Unrealistic; What Actually Happens When Negotiating a Contract?
OK, I want Manny Ramirez to be on the Mets just as much as the next guy. Depsite his bad attitude, he could actually be great in the clubhouse. He would fit into the Latino theme, and he would be a hit with Jose Reyes (I hope), especially since he provides a bunch of extra chances to do a home run dance. His bat would be tremendous in the lineup with Beltran and Wright, and Delgado if he can stay hot, and Church if he can come back after an injured season. But the thing is, we just can’t afford him.
While I have not heard this from any official sources, the Mets have around $20 million left to spend. If Manny will accept that to play in 2009, then what do we do abuot the rotation? There is nothing left to sign Oliver Perez or Ben Sheets. And you can make it $19 million, because the Mets just signed a bunch more nobodies to minor league contracts, including Bobby Kielty, Tony Armas Jr., Matt DeSalvo, and Valerio de los Santos. Who the heck is he?
There was actually a Manny Rally last night. A bunch of Mets fans dressed up in dreadlock wigs and custom Manny Ramirez jerseys all stormed the set of Mets Hot Stove. With signs in hand, they all stood right outside the window behind the camera chanting, “Manny, Manny!”
But it’s just not going to happen. The Mets simply can’t afford him.
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Recently, I was thinking about all the different free agents who still aren’t signed. Manny Ramirez, Bobby Abreu, Orlando Hudson, Orlando Cabrera, Adam Dunn, Ivan Rodriguez, Eddie Gaurdado, Denys Reyes, Ken Griffey Jr., I could go on and on. There has to be at least 40 or 50 names that are always ticking on MLB Network. I was thinking, why can’t these guys get a job? They are some really great players. Sure, they may be more expensive than teams would like, but why does it take so many months? I’m no lawyer, so I don’t really know what goes into these contracts that takes so long to create. I’ve always pictured it going something like this:
Mets: Hello, Mr. Perez, its me Omar Minaya. I wanted to sign you to play with us.
Oliver Perez: Sure. I want 4 years and $15 million a year.
Mets: Are you crazy? No way!
Perez: What were you thinking?
Mets: How about 2 years, $8 million each with a third year option with incentives?
Perez: Heck no! I want at least $10 million a year, and make the third year guaranteed.
Mets: We can do $9 million. That’s it.
Perez: Well, I’ll go see what other offers I can get.
A half hour goes by as Perez and his agent call up the other GMs to discuss a possible contract. Perez calls back the Mets.
Perez: Yes, Mr. Minaya. It’s me Oliver Perez. I want to sign with you.
Mets: Okay, but now we just signed some other guy. We can only give you $7 million now.
Perez: Okay, let me talk to my agent.
Oliver Perez talks to his agent and decides that this is the best deal he will get. He calls back five minutes later.
Perez: Okay I am going to sign it.
Mets: Great. I’ll fly down to your house tomorrow.
Omar Minaya flies to Perez’s house and he signs a contract. The end. Is that so hard?
And Julia, don’t worry, I’ll do a whole offseason recap soon. But we still have a month or two to go, so anything can happen. As of right now I do think the Mets can make the playoffs though.
I Think The Mets Are Done
The starting pitcher’s market is getting very small. With the resigning of Andy Petitte with the Yankees, the only names that still come to mind are Tom Glavine, Oliver Perez, and Ben Sheets. The Mets continue signing nobody players to minor league contracts, with the recent signing of not only Freddy Garcia, but Rob Mackowiak, Kyle Snyder, and Jon Switzer. The Mets are using up all their money. After Spring Training, we’ll never hear these names again. So stop wasting time, Omar Minaya. Sign Oliver Perez already. I would ask you to sign Ben Sheets instead, this way we could sign Adam Dunn or Orlando Hudson or Ivan Rodriguez as well and maybe use the nobodies you’ve already signed so you can look like a genius, but I know that isn’t going to happen. So at least sign Perez already. I think its inevitable at this point, but watch what Scott Boris can do. Maybe we can at least get Perez for cheap if we wait, like the Yankees did with Petitte who turned down a $10 million offer to later accept a $6.5 million with incentives deal. But I think the Mets are done. Now, I am going to waste my time and run through some possible options for the Mets to go with if they choose Sheets instead, even though I know they won’t happen. Consider it a gift since I took so long to post a new post.
Adam Dunn: The Mets have about a million left field options in Daniel Murphy, Fernando Tatis, Angel Pagan, Jeremy Reed, Fernando Martinez, Nick Evans, Marlon Anderson, Rob Mackowiak, and Cory Sullivan. While I think the Murphy/Tatis platoon is a good idea, Murphy could turn out to be an Ian Kennedy, a player who came off great and then stunk. Tatis is old, he will not have another season like 2008. Adam Dunn is a lot cheaper than Manny Ramirez, and he is an enormous power bat. Plus, he can play first base if Delgado can’t produce.
Orlando Hudson: I think Luis Castillo can have a good 2009 at second base, despite his horrible performance last year. However, I know Orlando Hudson can have a better 2009. And while it might be a bit of work, I am sure you can get something in return for Castillo in a trade.
Ivan Rodriguez: The Mets want to upgrade at catcher, it just isn’t their top priority. It’s no secret that Brian Schneider isn’t much good, and while I am a big Ramon Castro fan, he gets hurt way too much.
Eddie Gaurdado: After the Mets traded away Scott Schoenweis, they needed another lefty reliever to compliment Pedro Feliciano. They signed Casey Fossum and plucked Darren O’ Day from the Rule 5 Draft, but like I previously said, they are nobodies. Everyday Eddie is a veteran who has closing experience, and he tought J.J. Putz his signature splitter. He would be an amazing asset to complete our bullpen.
Oliver Perez: That’s right, sign Ben Sheets instead of Oliver Perez and then use the money you saved to sign Perez. Doesn’t make sense? Nobody else wants Perez. If you sign Sheets at a bargain deal, all the other teams looking for a starter will probably choose to upgrade at offense instead. Perez won’t sign. He’ll need a deal, and he’ll drop down to a ridiculously low price. The Mets can at that point sign him to perhaps a 2 year, $18 million deal, and have a starting rotation of Santana, Sheets, Perez, Pelfrey, and Maine, with backup of Garcia, Redding, Niese, and Parnell.
Go For Sheets and Garcia
Right now it seems like the Mets are going to resign Oliver Perez, I’m thinking to a four year, $12 million contract. Nobody else is interested in him, (I have heard some rumors about the Yankees, but where would Ollie fit in their already uber-rotation?), and it seems like the Mets are once again bidding against themselves and they will once again overpay. While I do think this is one of the most productive offseasons in a long time, the Mets gave up too much in the Putz deal in my opinion, and Alex Cora does not deserve $2 million to play as a backup when David Eckstein is getting $850k to be a starter. It is time to go for the bargains. Right now, the starting rotation looks like this:
1. Johan Santana
2. Mike Pelfrey
3. John Maine
4. Tim Redding
5. Jon Niese
Instead of signing Perez to be the number two starter and pushing everyone back a slot (Niese would go to long relief probably), I say go after Ben Sheets. As I have said in the past, he is an absolute ace, just with some injury history. What about A.J. Burnett? He is an ace, who got payed a lot, even though he has had some injuries. Sheets stayed healthy all year in 2008, and he put up pretty good numbers. He will only cost about $9 million a season on a one year deal with a club option for the second year. The only reason the Mets are reluctant to sign him is because of his injury risk. I have a solution.
The Mets are basically just bidding against the Yankees at this point for Freddy Garcia, who might even come on a minor league contract. Garcia has been terrible in the past few years, mostly because he has missed so much time to injury. But if you recall, he had some great years in Seattle, including a phenominal 2001. He made the All-Star team twice and won the World Series with the White Sox in 2005. He is only 32 and he is a fantastic deal.
Freddy Garcia will be the Cliff Lee of 2009.
If the Mets sign both Sheets and Garcia and the injury bug backs off, the Mets can have one of the top five starting rotations in baseball. Think about it.
1. Johan Santana – arguably the best pitcher in the entire Major League
2. Ben Sheets – he has ace stuff
3. Freddy Garcia – a player who should be in his prime may find his stuff again
4. Mike Pelfrey – an amazing young star who in a few years might be a Cy Young winner
5. John Maine – A solid starter who has started 57 games in the last two years and won 25 of them.
And to top it all off we have Tim Redding in long relief, and Jon Niese and Bobby Parnell in the minors. Don’t forget Brad Holt, one of the system’s fastest growing players.
Fifth Projection of 2009
Omar Minaya certainly has been busy since the last projection. He hasn’t made any major splashes, but he has signed many minor leaguers to add depth. These moves include signing Casey Fossum, Jason Cooper, Tom Martin, Cory Sullivan, and my personal favorite, resigning Argenis Reyes. Here is the fifth projection of 2009, presented by Geico Auto Insurance (not really, but I thought it would make me sound more professional).
Starting rotation:
1. Johan Santana
2. Oliver Perez
3. Mike Pelfrey
4. John Maine
5. Tim Redding
Bullpen:
Closer – Francisco Rodriguez
Set Up Man – J.J. Putz
Middle relief – Sean Green
Duaner Sanchez
Casey Fossum
Lefty specialist – Pedro Feliciano
Long relief – Jon Niese
Lineup:
1. SS Jose Reyes
2. 2B Luis Castillo
3. 3B David Wright
4. CF Carlos Beltran
5. 1B Carlos Delgado
6. LF Fernando Tatis/Daniel Murphy
7. RF Ryan Church*
8. C Brian Schneider/Ramon Castro
9. Pitcher
Bench:
OF Daniel Murphy/Fernando Tatis
OF Cory Sullivan
IF Alex Cora
IF Marlon Anderson (I comlpletely forgot about him the past four projections :p)
C Brian Schneider/Ramon Castro
Fourth Projection of 2009; Hall of Fame Thoughts
A lot has changed since the last projection. Pat Burell signed with the Rays. The Mets picked up Tim Redding. Jason Marquis was traded to Colorado. The Braves have been connected with Derek Lowe. So witout further ado, here is my fourth projection of 2009.
Starting rotation:
1. Johan Santana
2. Derek Lowe
3. Mike Pelfrey
4. John Maine
5. Tim Redding
Bullpen:
Closer – Francisco Rodriguez
Set Up Man – J.J. Putz
Middle relief – Sean Green
Duaner Sanchez
Rocky Cherry
Lefty specialist – Pedro Feliciano
Long relief – Brian Stokes
Lineup:
1. SS Jose Reyes
2. 2B Luis Castillo*
3. 3B David Wright
4. CF Carlos Beltran
5. 1B Carlos Delgado
6. LF Fernando Tatis/Daniel Murphy*
7. RF Ryan Church*
8. C Brian Schneider/Ramon Castro platoon*
9. Pitcher
Bench:
OF/IF Daniel Murphy/Fernando Tatis
OF Angel Pagan
IF Alex Cora
C Brian Schneider/Ramon Castro
*will be adjusted in the case of a lefty pitcher
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Also, today they announced the Hall of Fame voting. Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice made it in. That was what I was predicting, and I wasn’t surprised to see that Andre Dawson and Bert Blyleven missed the cut. One thing disappointed me, though. Out of over 500 voters, only 1 person voted for Jesse Orosco. And only 21 people voted for David Cone. I didn’t think Orosco is a HOFer, but I did think Cone was. Since neither of them got 5%, they will not be in the HOF.
Third Projection of 2009
Well it turns out that the Mets non-tendered Ambiorix Burgos and Argenis Reyes, which means they are free agents. I understand Burgos, but why in the world didn’t they offer Reyes a contract? Now who are we supposed to have as a backup infielder? Even if they sign Alex Cora, they still need a second backup. I can highly see them making a trade, or possibly signing a Jaun Uribe type player. Or, perhaps, they could sign a proven left fielder, say Pat Burrell, and have Fernando Tatis and Daniel Murphy both act as outfield and infield backups. Anyway, here is my 2009 predictions.
Starting rotation:
1. Johan Santana
2. Oliver Perez
3. Mike Pelfrey
4. John Maine
5. Jason Marquis
Bullpen:
Closer – Francisco Rodriguez
Set Up Man – J.J. Putz
Middle relief – Sean Green
Duaner Sanchez
Rocky Cherry
Lefty specialist – Pedro Feliciano
Long relief – Brian Stokes
Lineup:
1. SS Jose Reyes
2. 2B Luis Castillo
3. 3B David Wright
4. CF Carlos Beltran
5. 1B Carlos Delgado
6. LF Pat Burrell
7. RF Ryan Church
8. C Brian Schneider/Ramon Castro platoon
9. Pitcher
Bench:
OF/IF Daniel Murphy/Fernando Tatis
OF Angel Pagan (I think he will just barely beat out Jeremy Reed and Nick Evans)
IF Alex Cora
C Brian Schneider/Ramon Castro
Second Projection of 2009
With the new acquisitions of K-Rod and Putz, the 2009 team will be a lot different than my last projection. Here we go.
Starting rotation:
1. Johan Santana
2. Oliver Perez
3. Mike Pelfrey
4. John Maine
5. Jason Marquis
Bullpen:
Closer – Francisco Rodriguez
Set Up Man – J.J. Putz
Middle relief – Sean Green
Duaner Sanchez
Lefty specialist – Pedro Feliciano
Scott Schoenweis
Long relief – Brian Stokes
Lineup:
1. SS Jose Reyes
2. 2B Luis Castillo
3. 3B David Wright
4. CF Carlos Beltran
5. 1B Carlos Delgado
6. RF Ryan Church
7. LF Daniel Murphy/Fernando Tatis platoon
8. C Brian Schneider/Ramon Castro platoon
9. Pitcher
Bench:
OF Daniel Murphy/Fernando Tatis
OF Jeremy Reed (but he may see competition in Spring Training from Nick Evans)
IF Argenis Reyes
IF Alex Cora
C Brian Schneider/Ramon Castro
First Projection of 2009
I haven’t posted in a while and I just wanted to let everybody know that I will continue to be blogging, so don’t worry. I know the previous post kind of sounds like I’m saying goodbye, but rest assured, I will keep blogging so keep reading and keep commenting! I will always try to comment back at your blog so it is a win-win.
But in the meantime, I feel like blogging but there is no really no Mets news going on, and I think it will be like that a lot this offseason, so I am going to randomly post my projection of the 2009 Mets from a combination of what I think should happen and what I thikn will happen. Let me know how your projections match up!
Starting Rotation:
1. Johan Santana
2. Jon Garland (if I were GM he would be my most targeted starter)
3. John Maine
4. Oliver Perez (as I said earlier there are several reason why the Mets will resign him)
5. Mike Pelfrey
Bullpen:
Closer – Francisco Rodriguez
Set Up – Joe Beimel
Middle Relief – Joe Smith
Aaron Heilman
Duaner Sanchez
Lefty Specialist – Pedro Feliciano
Long Reliever – Brian Stokes
Lineup:
1. SS Jose Reyes
2. 2B Luis Castillo (Give him a second chance, he actually had the highest plate discipline of all players on the Mets)
3. 3B David Wright
4. CF Carlos Beltran
5. 1B Carlos Delgado
6. RF Ryan Church
7. LF Daniel Murphy/Fernando Tatis platoon (but I think they will both get hurt and we will eventually have Nick Evans, Endy Chavez, and Angel Pagan all getting a turn to play there regularly at some point or another)
8. C Brian Schneider/Ramon Castro platoon
9. Pitcher
Bench:
OF Endy Chavez
OF Daniel Murphy/Fernando Tatis
IF Damion Easley
IF Argenis Reyes
C Brian Schneider/Ramon Castro
What do you think?
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