The monkeys will be checking out a bit of the Futures Game today to catch a glimpse of the Mets top prospect Fernando Martinez. Everyone remembers that when Omar Minaya traded for Johan Santana, Martinez was the one prospect he immediately pulled off the table. This Mets regime typically challenges its minor league players and as a 19 year old playing in AA, Martinez illustrates this strategy more than any other Mets farmhand.
So far this year, Martinez has been good, but not yet great(.294, 4 HR, 21 RBI in 218 at-bats this season in Double-A. He was slowed down by a hamstring injury and Mets VP Tony Bernazard has indicated that FMart may have been called up if the injury had not slowed him down. Martinez was limited to 60 games at Double-A Binghamton last season because of a broken bone at the base of his right hand that required surgery. He still needs to put together a few weeks of dominant play with some increased power before he is called up. The situation with Alou & Church may cause the Mets to rush him, but they should be cautious for now.
ANGEL IN THE OUTFIELD?
Looks like Angel Pagan will be back with the team soon after the All-Star break. Pagan was doing a nice job before his injury, but he lacks the power to be a fulltime solution. Still with Robinson Cancel and a perhaps overmatched (though the monkeys feel the jury is still out on that) Nick Evans filling up roster spots, Pagan would be an upgrade for the bench.
EARNED CONFIDENCE
It was refreshing to hear Damion Easley talk about "earned confidence." What a 180 turn from last year's Carlos Delgado quotes about the Mets being so good that they get bored sometimes. Lesson learned? Looks like it was by some.
METS STREAK GIVES METS A MULLIGAN FOR THE FIRST HALF
The monkeys posted a clip of the Dallas "Dream Season" before the Phillies series and said if the Mets swept then it would be like everything that had happened before never happened. The Mets came close taking 3 out 4. With the Mets now only 1/2 game out, it is almost like a new season as we head toward the second half. It was outlandish for the producers of Dallas to tell their audience that an entire season of the show was only a dream. However, it would have been just as outlandish for fans to think the Mets were going to basically get a mulligan on the first half of the season after all the drama and poor play. Caps off to the Mets for their fine play heading into the break.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
Eight Belles Finally Put To Sleep
It comes to nobody's surprise that Moises Alou tore his hamstring diving for a ball during a rehab game. It was not a shock to learn that he will likely need season- ending surgery that could easily mean career ending surgery. While the monkeys raised an eyebrow wondering why this fragile old man bothered to dive in a minor league AA rehab game, it also reminded us why he was a worthwhile gamble in the first place.
Moises Alou is a gamer. It is often said that he could fall out of bed and turn on any fastball. The only problem would be that he would probably realize after getting three hits that he had pulled three muscles and tore his calf & hamstring falling out of bed.
Alou was limited to 87 games in 2007 by a quadriceps injury last season, but he hit an impressive .341 with 13 home runs, 49 runs batted in and only 30 strikeouts in 328 at-bats. He set a franchise record with a 30 game hitting streak. He made other guys in the lineup better. In the two years Alou played for the Mets, David Wright hit .339 on the days Alou was in the lineup. If he had been able to repeat even just the 300 AB's, he would have been worth bringing back. Given what else was out there, the monkeys can't fault Omar for rolling the dice.
Sometimes when you gamble you lose. Such is the nature of gambling. And with Ryan Church a question mark after his two concussions and Moises Alou likely finishing this season with 49 at bats, this gamble by Omar looks pretty bad right now, but a losing bet always does.
Moises Alou is a gamer. It is often said that he could fall out of bed and turn on any fastball. The only problem would be that he would probably realize after getting three hits that he had pulled three muscles and tore his calf & hamstring falling out of bed.
Alou was limited to 87 games in 2007 by a quadriceps injury last season, but he hit an impressive .341 with 13 home runs, 49 runs batted in and only 30 strikeouts in 328 at-bats. He set a franchise record with a 30 game hitting streak. He made other guys in the lineup better. In the two years Alou played for the Mets, David Wright hit .339 on the days Alou was in the lineup. If he had been able to repeat even just the 300 AB's, he would have been worth bringing back. Given what else was out there, the monkeys can't fault Omar for rolling the dice.
Sometimes when you gamble you lose. Such is the nature of gambling. And with Ryan Church a question mark after his two concussions and Moises Alou likely finishing this season with 49 at bats, this gamble by Omar looks pretty bad right now, but a losing bet always does.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Pelfrey Revisited
Mike Pelfrey won his fifth straight start yesterrday and is looking like a pitcher that will be a mainstay in the Mets rotation for several years. The monkeys told everyone that Pelfrey just needed some time. When we wrote our May 5th column, many fans were ready to give up on Mike, but the monkeys wrote the following about Pelfrey studying Brandon Webb:
Well to date, Pelfrey has more closely resembled Peter Parker than a webslinger, but there is reason to believe Pelfrey can get there. Pelfrey does throw a hard sinker that tops out at 97 MPH. Mets fans have seen a few rare glimpses where this could be a dominant pitch. As Pelfrey observes from Webb, he needs to pound the strike zone which he just hasn't done consistently. The New York Times article states that Pelfrey is performing balance drills intended to get his hand on top of the ball when throwing the pitch. When Pelfrey does not do that, his sinker flattens out, running laterally across the plate instead of diving down in the zone, where hitters often cannot help but pound the ball into the ground — à la Webb.
Mets fans need to acknowledge that the Mets have rushed Pelfrey along. A lot of that has been more on need rather than merit. Pelfrey made a grand total of 33 starts in the minors (only 16 at AAA)and pitched a total of 176 innings. 2006, Fausto Carmona another pitcher with a power sinker was mishandled and wound up going 1-10 with a 5.42 ERA. He has since blossomed into one of the AL's best pitchers. You can't teach "stuff." Sometimes it takes time to harness talent.
The Mets have "pushed" their young talent. They have 16 year olds playing professional ball in the rookie leagues. They have a 19 year old playing in AA. Very few teams are this aggressive with their prospects. Under ordinary circumstances, fans should be patient with prospects when they first get to another level. But fans of the Mets need to be even more patient.
Well to date, Pelfrey has more closely resembled Peter Parker than a webslinger, but there is reason to believe Pelfrey can get there. Pelfrey does throw a hard sinker that tops out at 97 MPH. Mets fans have seen a few rare glimpses where this could be a dominant pitch. As Pelfrey observes from Webb, he needs to pound the strike zone which he just hasn't done consistently. The New York Times article states that Pelfrey is performing balance drills intended to get his hand on top of the ball when throwing the pitch. When Pelfrey does not do that, his sinker flattens out, running laterally across the plate instead of diving down in the zone, where hitters often cannot help but pound the ball into the ground — à la Webb.
Mets fans need to acknowledge that the Mets have rushed Pelfrey along. A lot of that has been more on need rather than merit. Pelfrey made a grand total of 33 starts in the minors (only 16 at AAA)and pitched a total of 176 innings. 2006, Fausto Carmona another pitcher with a power sinker was mishandled and wound up going 1-10 with a 5.42 ERA. He has since blossomed into one of the AL's best pitchers. You can't teach "stuff." Sometimes it takes time to harness talent.
The Mets have "pushed" their young talent. They have 16 year olds playing professional ball in the rookie leagues. They have a 19 year old playing in AA. Very few teams are this aggressive with their prospects. Under ordinary circumstances, fans should be patient with prospects when they first get to another level. But fans of the Mets need to be even more patient.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Back In The New York Groove
Well they certainly made the monkeys sweat and Billy Wagner made us curse, but when all was said and done, the Mets took 3 out of 4. As Jerry Manuel said, they accomplished an awful lot. They are now above .500, just 2 games behind in the loss column and as much as we hate this expression with a passion, "the monkey is off the Mets back" as far as beating the Phillies as their season record against them is now 7-3.
This is just the beginning though. The Mets need to use this series as a jumping off point. Yes, a letdown is to be expected tonight particularly since they are facing SI cover boy Tim Lincecum. Still if they lose tonight, they need to recover and take the next two and win this series. The same this weekend against a Rockies team that struggles on the road. Hard to believe, they even have a chance to go into the break in first place after all that has happened in this tumultuous first half.
NICK OF TIME 2
Not many expected a sequel to the Johnny Depp bomb and perhaps many were dubious the Mets would give Nick Evans another shot so soon after he appeared over matched his last time up. Still, give credit to Evans who went back to AA and continued to rake. He still is the best in-house option to break out and become that righty middle of the order bat the monkeys have said is the Mets greatest need. Let the kid play.
This is just the beginning though. The Mets need to use this series as a jumping off point. Yes, a letdown is to be expected tonight particularly since they are facing SI cover boy Tim Lincecum. Still if they lose tonight, they need to recover and take the next two and win this series. The same this weekend against a Rockies team that struggles on the road. Hard to believe, they even have a chance to go into the break in first place after all that has happened in this tumultuous first half.
NICK OF TIME 2
Not many expected a sequel to the Johnny Depp bomb and perhaps many were dubious the Mets would give Nick Evans another shot so soon after he appeared over matched his last time up. Still, give credit to Evans who went back to AA and continued to rake. He still is the best in-house option to break out and become that righty middle of the order bat the monkeys have said is the Mets greatest need. Let the kid play.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Jekyll and Hyde ... The Evil .500 Monster
The biggest series of the year so far is halfway over and the Mets looked both like a team that just doesn't have what it takes to win this season and a team on the verge of making a second half charge. Following a bad loss where the Mets wasted yet another strong Santana start missing scoring opportunity after scoring opportunity, the Mets yesterday provided clutch hitting and toughness. Following an outing where Duaner Sanchez allowed the winning run to score in the ninth, Sanchez came back and got two big outs to snuff out a potential Phillies comeback.
The single most frustrating thing in Game #1 of this series was Johan Santana swinging at a 2-0 pitch with the bases loaded. J.A. Happ was struggling with his control. The monkeys figured Santana would have been told to take 2 pitches yet alone 1. Later in the at-bat, Santana let Happ off the hook by swinging at another pitch almost above his head. Pitcher or no pitcher, this was an awful at-bat that might have cost the Mets the victory. While Santana has hinted his teammates haven't provided him enough support, he has no one to blame for this no decision than himself.
Yesterday, Brian Schneider got his biggest hit as a Met. The monkeys have supported the increased playing time that Jerry Manuel has given Ramon Castro, but Schneider is still a pro's pro so we were really happy for him there. The Mets victory was clouded by injuries to John Maine and Ryan Church. As of now, neither seems serious, but time will tell.
The Mets need to find a way to win these next two games. If they do, they will have made a big statement. If they split, it wouldn't be tragic. However, they can't continue being Jekyll and Hide the evil .500 monster and expect to win the division.
The single most frustrating thing in Game #1 of this series was Johan Santana swinging at a 2-0 pitch with the bases loaded. J.A. Happ was struggling with his control. The monkeys figured Santana would have been told to take 2 pitches yet alone 1. Later in the at-bat, Santana let Happ off the hook by swinging at another pitch almost above his head. Pitcher or no pitcher, this was an awful at-bat that might have cost the Mets the victory. While Santana has hinted his teammates haven't provided him enough support, he has no one to blame for this no decision than himself.
Yesterday, Brian Schneider got his biggest hit as a Met. The monkeys have supported the increased playing time that Jerry Manuel has given Ramon Castro, but Schneider is still a pro's pro so we were really happy for him there. The Mets victory was clouded by injuries to John Maine and Ryan Church. As of now, neither seems serious, but time will tell.
The Mets need to find a way to win these next two games. If they do, they will have made a big statement. If they split, it wouldn't be tragic. However, they can't continue being Jekyll and Hide the evil .500 monster and expect to win the division.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Opportunity Knocks
The monkeys want to talk about the big series before all the other nonsense that are taking off the headlines the last couple of days. And first let's tip our caps to Jerry Manuel who unlike previous manager Willie Randolph actually acknowledges that this is indeed a big series.
If the Mets were to pull off a 4 game sweep (a difficult task, no doubt), they would be within a half game of the Phillies and would be essentially getting a mulligan on the first half of the season. Imagine that. All the drama surrounding this team would be instantly washed away and the season would almost begin anew. It would be like when Pamela Ewing woke up and opened the shower door and saw Bobby Ewing and realized the entire season had been a dream. What an opportunity!
That being said even 3 out of 4 would accomplish an awful lot. It would make the Mets 7-3 vs. the Phillies for the season and continue their efforts of exercising last year's demons. It would put them just 2 behind in the loss column and give them a chance to have positive feelings going into the break if they have a good final week.
A split would be like kissing your sister like all ties are said to be. It wouldn't put the Mets out of it, but there would be a feeling of a missed opportunity. Still, it is a road series against a good team so it wouldn't be a tragedy if the Mets gained a game next week and finished the break within 3.5 games.
If the Mets lost 3 out of 4, it would be a blow. The team has played better baseball lately and going back to 6.5 would put them only 1 game way from their biggest deficit of the season. And after getting a break and missing Cole Hamels this series, it would be a very bad sign if this happened.
If the Mets lost all 4 games, it would be a tragic blow that would make the Mets need to really reevaluate their strategy for 2008. The Mets have been stubborn about making themselves sellers when the situation calls for it. In this case, the Mets need to understand the fans are savvy and would understand if they traded off some pieces to get younger and try for another run soon. This team is not one that is universally loved and no one is going to shed tears if the Mets get swept and decide to shake up a team that collapsed in 2007 and looks like a pretender in 2008.
Lots of different scenarios abound. The monkeys are optimistic. Johan Santana needs to step up like an ace and beat JA Happ who was just called up from the minors. The monkeys have written about how they are not disappointed with Santana because he has mostly pitched in bad luck, but there can be no excuses tonight. If the Mets score 1 run, he needs to pitch a shutout. If there are errors, he needs to bail his team out. The monkeys are confident he'll come up big.
THE MONKEYS ON THE OTHER RECENT ISSUES
Most New York papers are writing headlines today about the Jose Reyes- Keith Hernandez confrontation. Reading the story, it seems like things have been blown a little out of proportion. Keith is allowed to criticize Jose when he acts like Tanner Boyle. Reyes shouldn't be so concerned with what others are saying about him. Take a cue from the Bronx Shortstop who shrugged off the poll where his peers voted him the most overrated player in the game.
The other recent story is how Jerry Manuel didn't know who Val Pascucci was. This story was under-reported. The monkeys are among several bloggers that have lobbied for Pascucci to be added to the Mets bench. When the monkeys interview with a company, they make sure they research the company. Manuel should know the Mets system particularly the ones at AAA that might be needed. His excuse that Pascucci wasn't at spring training was lame. We're pretty sure that Manuel doesn't know who Wilmer Flores is. And if he doesn't learn soon, he shouldn't be around long enough to reap the rewards that Flores will be giving.
If the Mets were to pull off a 4 game sweep (a difficult task, no doubt), they would be within a half game of the Phillies and would be essentially getting a mulligan on the first half of the season. Imagine that. All the drama surrounding this team would be instantly washed away and the season would almost begin anew. It would be like when Pamela Ewing woke up and opened the shower door and saw Bobby Ewing and realized the entire season had been a dream. What an opportunity!
That being said even 3 out of 4 would accomplish an awful lot. It would make the Mets 7-3 vs. the Phillies for the season and continue their efforts of exercising last year's demons. It would put them just 2 behind in the loss column and give them a chance to have positive feelings going into the break if they have a good final week.
A split would be like kissing your sister like all ties are said to be. It wouldn't put the Mets out of it, but there would be a feeling of a missed opportunity. Still, it is a road series against a good team so it wouldn't be a tragedy if the Mets gained a game next week and finished the break within 3.5 games.
If the Mets lost 3 out of 4, it would be a blow. The team has played better baseball lately and going back to 6.5 would put them only 1 game way from their biggest deficit of the season. And after getting a break and missing Cole Hamels this series, it would be a very bad sign if this happened.
If the Mets lost all 4 games, it would be a tragic blow that would make the Mets need to really reevaluate their strategy for 2008. The Mets have been stubborn about making themselves sellers when the situation calls for it. In this case, the Mets need to understand the fans are savvy and would understand if they traded off some pieces to get younger and try for another run soon. This team is not one that is universally loved and no one is going to shed tears if the Mets get swept and decide to shake up a team that collapsed in 2007 and looks like a pretender in 2008.
Lots of different scenarios abound. The monkeys are optimistic. Johan Santana needs to step up like an ace and beat JA Happ who was just called up from the minors. The monkeys have written about how they are not disappointed with Santana because he has mostly pitched in bad luck, but there can be no excuses tonight. If the Mets score 1 run, he needs to pitch a shutout. If there are errors, he needs to bail his team out. The monkeys are confident he'll come up big.
THE MONKEYS ON THE OTHER RECENT ISSUES
Most New York papers are writing headlines today about the Jose Reyes- Keith Hernandez confrontation. Reading the story, it seems like things have been blown a little out of proportion. Keith is allowed to criticize Jose when he acts like Tanner Boyle. Reyes shouldn't be so concerned with what others are saying about him. Take a cue from the Bronx Shortstop who shrugged off the poll where his peers voted him the most overrated player in the game.
The other recent story is how Jerry Manuel didn't know who Val Pascucci was. This story was under-reported. The monkeys are among several bloggers that have lobbied for Pascucci to be added to the Mets bench. When the monkeys interview with a company, they make sure they research the company. Manuel should know the Mets system particularly the ones at AAA that might be needed. His excuse that Pascucci wasn't at spring training was lame. We're pretty sure that Manuel doesn't know who Wilmer Flores is. And if he doesn't learn soon, he shouldn't be around long enough to reap the rewards that Flores will be giving.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Pen Has Stopped Leaking
Duaner Sanchez had a scary moment yesterday after getting hit by a line drive. Lucky for the Mets, it looks like it was just a bruise. Duaner is 3-0 with a 3.79 ERA, but he has been even better than those numbers indicate. He has only allowed runs in 7 of his 34 outings and has not allowed a run in his last 9 outings. Take away 2 outings and he has pitched 34 innings and allowed just 7 runs for a 1.84 ERA. Although there are still times it looks like he is still holding back a bit because of his previous shoulder issues, he really has been a key cog in the Mets bullpen.
Aaron Heilman has not allowed a run in his last 10 appearances. What's more, he has been getting a good number of strikeouts. His ERA is still a high 4.60, but it had a long way to come down. Earlier in the year, Heilman was falling in love with his changeup leading to a ton of homeruns allowed. Since April 26th, he has allowed just 1 homerun. Heilman has been mixing up his pitches and he has always been a second half pitcher.
Since his disasterous week, Billy Wagner has picked it up again and has not allowed a run in his last 7 appearances earning 6 saves. The monkeys would like to see him not a blow any key saves this weekend against the Phillies and then we'll know he's completely out of his slump.
Although it may appear that Pedro Feliciano has been pretty consistent all year, he has actually got much better as the year has gone on. He was just a bit lucky earlier in the year. Check out his monthly WHIP's below:
April: 1.71
May: 1.50
June: 1.03
Like Sanchez, Schoenweiss has had a couple of really bad outings, but he has only allowed rus in 7 of his 38 appearances. Dropping his two horrible outings, he has an ERA of 1.40 for the year. He has been immensely better than he was last season and has curtailed all the fan's booing which is no easy task.
Joe Smith is the only key cog in the bullpen that has been a little inconsistent lately. He's been effective most outings, but has been hit a bit as well lately. The Mets are wisely limiting his innings since he hit a wall around this time last year.
Overall, things are looking really good with the bullpen. Hopefully, Eddie Kunz who has 22 saves as the AA closer can help out later in the season. He has not allowed a homerun in 36.2 innings. However, he has walked 23 and struck out 33. That ratio is holding him back.
EL DUQUE SIGHTING?
El Duque will possibly be making a rehab start next week. The monkeys are not sure where he fits in at this point, but we guess he can take the Claudio Vargas/Tony Armas Jr. swingman spot if he has anything left.
Aaron Heilman has not allowed a run in his last 10 appearances. What's more, he has been getting a good number of strikeouts. His ERA is still a high 4.60, but it had a long way to come down. Earlier in the year, Heilman was falling in love with his changeup leading to a ton of homeruns allowed. Since April 26th, he has allowed just 1 homerun. Heilman has been mixing up his pitches and he has always been a second half pitcher.
Since his disasterous week, Billy Wagner has picked it up again and has not allowed a run in his last 7 appearances earning 6 saves. The monkeys would like to see him not a blow any key saves this weekend against the Phillies and then we'll know he's completely out of his slump.
Although it may appear that Pedro Feliciano has been pretty consistent all year, he has actually got much better as the year has gone on. He was just a bit lucky earlier in the year. Check out his monthly WHIP's below:
April: 1.71
May: 1.50
June: 1.03
Like Sanchez, Schoenweiss has had a couple of really bad outings, but he has only allowed rus in 7 of his 38 appearances. Dropping his two horrible outings, he has an ERA of 1.40 for the year. He has been immensely better than he was last season and has curtailed all the fan's booing which is no easy task.
Joe Smith is the only key cog in the bullpen that has been a little inconsistent lately. He's been effective most outings, but has been hit a bit as well lately. The Mets are wisely limiting his innings since he hit a wall around this time last year.
Overall, things are looking really good with the bullpen. Hopefully, Eddie Kunz who has 22 saves as the AA closer can help out later in the season. He has not allowed a homerun in 36.2 innings. However, he has walked 23 and struck out 33. That ratio is holding him back.
EL DUQUE SIGHTING?
El Duque will possibly be making a rehab start next week. The monkeys are not sure where he fits in at this point, but we guess he can take the Claudio Vargas/Tony Armas Jr. swingman spot if he has anything left.
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