As the Mets reached the statistical halfway point yesterday, the monkeys were curious about some of the players first and second half splits over the years. Are they better earlier in the season or is the best yet to come. Here's what we found:
Carlos Delgado
2007: .242 - .285
Career: .269 - .291
What we have seen recently may not be a complete mirage. Delgado traditionally has been a better second half hitter. As we mentioned in yesterday's post, if he could finish 26, 90 .250, most fans would happily take that.
Luis Castillo
2007: .305 - .296
Career: .299 -.285
Castillo usually has a mild falloff in the 2nd half, but given his size, that is to be expected. Perhaps with more rest, he'll hold up a little better. Needless to say though, Castillo could break down at any time.
Jose Reyes
2007: .307-.251
Career: .284-.287
Last year's dramatic second half slump had the monkeys expecting poor second half numbers throughout his career, but the numbers indicate last year might have been an aberration. Reyes needs to be given more rest than last season during the hotter months, but it is reasonable to expect him to maintain his current production.
David Wright
2007: .292-.364
Career: .294-.324
Wright made an MVP run last year in the second half and if not for the Mets collapse, he would have battled Matt Holiday for the award. Wright has been a second half player throughout his young career.
Carlos Beltran
2007: .264-.293
Career: .272- .291
Beltran has also been a better second half player and he has improved as is legs have healed so no reason to expect things to change this year.
Ryan Church
2007: .259- .293
Career: .282 - .267
Church got better in the second half last year, but that was contrary to his career numbers. As he recovers from his concussions, the Mets are just hoping for maintenence.
Brian Schneider
2007: .235 - .236
Career: .248 - .260
Nothing very telling in these numbers. Expect Schneider to hit between .250-.260 in the second half.
Many of these numbers are encouraging particularly for the guys in the middle of the lineup. We'll believe it when we see it (and the Mets have already pushed back his return), but Eight Belles may soon return as well. So there is some hope for optimistic fans about the offense.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Weekend Mirrors Season
After a weekend of hype, what are we left with?
A .500 weekend just which pretty much should have expected considering this season. A lot of what happened should have been expected.
Johan Santana pitching well enough to win, but the offense couldn't support him leading to a loss.
Jose Reyes creating runs and acting as a spark while also making a baserunning blunder and a silly error.
Carlos Delgado leading an offensive explosion in Game #1 on Friday followed by the team being shutout by Sidney Ponson.
Oliver Perez made the monkeys look good by dominating the Yankees as he often has. The monkeys still believe the Mets need to stick with him as the chances are greater that he could roll off a bunch of wins than that Tony Armas Jr. or any replacement would.
Carlos Delgado made the monkeys look bad after we wanted to DFA him. All of a sudden, he projects out to 28 homers and 90 RBI. The monkeys would gladly sign up for that right now.
As fun as the subway series is, the Mets have bigger fish to fry. Next week the Mets take on the wildcard leading Cardinals and Division leading Phillies. A hot start to the second half of the schedule would put the Mets in pretty decent shape heading toward the All-Star Break.
But, the monkeys want to take a minute and celebrate the Mets winning the 2008 subway series and shove it in the Yankee rally monkeys' faces a bit
THE BEST ANNOUNCING TEAM IN BASEBALL
Today, talking about Roger Clemens throwing the bat at Mike Piazza in the 2000 World Series, the following exchange took place:
Gary Cohen: Clemens said he thought it was the ball.
Keith Hernandez: Was he under oath?
Gary Cohen: Does it matter?
Classic.
OUR FAVORITE 16 YEAR OLD
If you missed Baseball America's hot sheet, here you go.
No. 10 WILMER FLORES, SS
METS
Team: Rookie-level Kingsport (Appalachian)
Age: 16
Why He's Here: .400/.417/.578, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 7 RBIs, 0 BB, 7 SO
The Scoop: Flores is a 16 year old playing in a league where the average age is more than 20, and he has been arguably the best player in the league for the first week and a half. After belting a home run in his professional debut, Flores has continued his steady production. Enduring the loss of manager Nick Leyva, who also served as his Flores' translator, could have been a hitch in the road for Flores, who had grown close to Leyva, but the teenager's makeup impressed observers in Kingsport as he kept up his steady production under new leadership. The only knock on Flores is his defense, which at times can be shaky. He made three errors in a game on Tuesday night, but played the next two games error-free. Flores' hitting is his best present tool and he showed it on Thursday night, going 4-for-5 with a triple and three RBIs.
A .500 weekend just which pretty much should have expected considering this season. A lot of what happened should have been expected.
Johan Santana pitching well enough to win, but the offense couldn't support him leading to a loss.
Jose Reyes creating runs and acting as a spark while also making a baserunning blunder and a silly error.
Carlos Delgado leading an offensive explosion in Game #1 on Friday followed by the team being shutout by Sidney Ponson.
Oliver Perez made the monkeys look good by dominating the Yankees as he often has. The monkeys still believe the Mets need to stick with him as the chances are greater that he could roll off a bunch of wins than that Tony Armas Jr. or any replacement would.
Carlos Delgado made the monkeys look bad after we wanted to DFA him. All of a sudden, he projects out to 28 homers and 90 RBI. The monkeys would gladly sign up for that right now.
As fun as the subway series is, the Mets have bigger fish to fry. Next week the Mets take on the wildcard leading Cardinals and Division leading Phillies. A hot start to the second half of the schedule would put the Mets in pretty decent shape heading toward the All-Star Break.
But, the monkeys want to take a minute and celebrate the Mets winning the 2008 subway series and shove it in the Yankee rally monkeys' faces a bit
THE BEST ANNOUNCING TEAM IN BASEBALL
Today, talking about Roger Clemens throwing the bat at Mike Piazza in the 2000 World Series, the following exchange took place:
Gary Cohen: Clemens said he thought it was the ball.
Keith Hernandez: Was he under oath?
Gary Cohen: Does it matter?
Classic.
OUR FAVORITE 16 YEAR OLD
If you missed Baseball America's hot sheet, here you go.
No. 10 WILMER FLORES, SS
METS
Team: Rookie-level Kingsport (Appalachian)
Age: 16
Why He's Here: .400/.417/.578, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 7 RBIs, 0 BB, 7 SO
The Scoop: Flores is a 16 year old playing in a league where the average age is more than 20, and he has been arguably the best player in the league for the first week and a half. After belting a home run in his professional debut, Flores has continued his steady production. Enduring the loss of manager Nick Leyva, who also served as his Flores' translator, could have been a hitch in the road for Flores, who had grown close to Leyva, but the teenager's makeup impressed observers in Kingsport as he kept up his steady production under new leadership. The only knock on Flores is his defense, which at times can be shaky. He made three errors in a game on Tuesday night, but played the next two games error-free. Flores' hitting is his best present tool and he showed it on Thursday night, going 4-for-5 with a triple and three RBIs.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
GOLDEN KEY FOLLOWED BY CHANGING LOCKS
Before the season started, most analysts figured there were three keys to the Mets season: Carlos Delgado providing a middle of the order presence, Pedro Martinez being a top of the rotation stater and Duaner Sanchez being a top flight setup man.
Well, as the Mets continue to float around .500, it is obvious that these answers have not turned out all favorably. Until yesterday, Carlos Delgado had struggled driving in runs and hitting for average. Pedro Martinez had fought injuries and has to quote the since gone Mr. Randolph "not really found his rhythm yet. Duaner Sanchez has not been the stellar 2006 version, but really has been mostly solid and more effective than his ERA might indicate.
Yesterday, the monkeys were in the Bronx where we saw Carlos Delgado turn back time. The monkeys have been a bit rough on Delgado, but yesterday he looked like the type of presence that could help turn the Mets season around hitting 2 homers, a double and driving in 9 runs. It was only one game and he was quiet in Game 2 so we don't want to get too excited just yet. Still, the monkeys will hold off a week or two before writing anymore DFA Carlos columns.
On the other hand, Pedro Martinez just looked awful. The monkeys are hoping he is just rounding into shape after his long layoff. He had very little command of any of his pitches. Claudio Vargas who was just DFA'd had actually been doing a better job in that spot. Hopefully, Pedro turns it around. His velocity has been better than before the injury and Pedro is a very bright man so we would expect he will make some necessary adjustments.
The Mets were able to gain another 1/2 game on first place yesterday so it was still a productive day. The monkeys are hoping for at least a split the next two games as the Mets move on to games that are really more important than the subway series namely against wildcard leading Cardinals and division leading Phillies.
Well, as the Mets continue to float around .500, it is obvious that these answers have not turned out all favorably. Until yesterday, Carlos Delgado had struggled driving in runs and hitting for average. Pedro Martinez had fought injuries and has to quote the since gone Mr. Randolph "not really found his rhythm yet. Duaner Sanchez has not been the stellar 2006 version, but really has been mostly solid and more effective than his ERA might indicate.
Yesterday, the monkeys were in the Bronx where we saw Carlos Delgado turn back time. The monkeys have been a bit rough on Delgado, but yesterday he looked like the type of presence that could help turn the Mets season around hitting 2 homers, a double and driving in 9 runs. It was only one game and he was quiet in Game 2 so we don't want to get too excited just yet. Still, the monkeys will hold off a week or two before writing anymore DFA Carlos columns.
On the other hand, Pedro Martinez just looked awful. The monkeys are hoping he is just rounding into shape after his long layoff. He had very little command of any of his pitches. Claudio Vargas who was just DFA'd had actually been doing a better job in that spot. Hopefully, Pedro turns it around. His velocity has been better than before the injury and Pedro is a very bright man so we would expect he will make some necessary adjustments.
The Mets were able to gain another 1/2 game on first place yesterday so it was still a productive day. The monkeys are hoping for at least a split the next two games as the Mets move on to games that are really more important than the subway series namely against wildcard leading Cardinals and division leading Phillies.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Changes Coming?
After last night's game, Jerry Manuel claimed changes are coming. Despite the Mets DFA Claudio Vargas and calling up this year's early frequent flyer from New Orleans Carlos Muniz, nothing has occurred just yet. Today's lineup which includes Marlon Anderson and Fernando Tatis does follow through on Manuel's promise to reward players as those are two of the players that actually hit a little bit yesterday.
The monkeys were a little disappointed to read Omar's comments that he still likes the team as is and Manuel can be in charge of lineup and rotation moves, but Omar is still in charge of personnel decisions. Fact of the matter is that tweaking the lineup is not likely to produce real results.
Here are some of the monkeys thoughts on 2 moves that people have shouted for:
DFA Carlos Delgado -- The monkeys strongly endorse this move. Delgado has become the symbol of what ills the Mets. A passionless veteran past his prime that often does not give max effort. Mike Carp could provide a boost of energy and fans would be more inclined to forgive his struggles with a realistic hope that he might get better. Even Valentino Pascucci who the monkeys wrote about yesterday would be a decent stopgap who would certainly welcome an opportunity and play hard when he finally got his chance.
Trade Oliver Perez -- The absolute wrong move. First, the Mets would get less for him than they would if they just let him go as a free agent and got draft picks. It is important that he keeps pitching and wins enough games to remain a type "A" free agent (determined based on the last 2 seasons) that could bring the Mets needed extra draft picks. Besides as maddening as Perez can be, when he is on he can shut down teams like few others in this rotation.
Revisiting our recommendation from a few weeks back, the Mets should consider trading Billy Wagner. Now that he is pitching well again, you can see the monkeys are not just making an irrational decision based on his recent struggles. The Mets need a young right-handed hitting outfielder in any retooling scenario. They have no other somewhat replaceable asset to trade to get one. Free agents do not offer young players. Besides Reyes, Wright, Beltran, Maine, Pelfrey and Santana (all untouchables), what assets are there to trade? Wagner is only going to be here for a year and a half more. The Mets might be able to trade Heilman for Brian Fuentes and not throw in the towel for this year.
Why not tempt the Brewers who have a legitimate shot at the wildcard for the first time in years but lack a closer? The Mets can try and get Matt Laporta who has 19 homers and 59 RBI at AA and is the type of young right-handed hitter the Mets need. It's a gutsy move and the monkeys are fans of Billy Wagner, but the Mets need to start getting in the habit of taking risks on younger players rather the old ones.
The monkeys were a little disappointed to read Omar's comments that he still likes the team as is and Manuel can be in charge of lineup and rotation moves, but Omar is still in charge of personnel decisions. Fact of the matter is that tweaking the lineup is not likely to produce real results.
Here are some of the monkeys thoughts on 2 moves that people have shouted for:
DFA Carlos Delgado -- The monkeys strongly endorse this move. Delgado has become the symbol of what ills the Mets. A passionless veteran past his prime that often does not give max effort. Mike Carp could provide a boost of energy and fans would be more inclined to forgive his struggles with a realistic hope that he might get better. Even Valentino Pascucci who the monkeys wrote about yesterday would be a decent stopgap who would certainly welcome an opportunity and play hard when he finally got his chance.
Trade Oliver Perez -- The absolute wrong move. First, the Mets would get less for him than they would if they just let him go as a free agent and got draft picks. It is important that he keeps pitching and wins enough games to remain a type "A" free agent (determined based on the last 2 seasons) that could bring the Mets needed extra draft picks. Besides as maddening as Perez can be, when he is on he can shut down teams like few others in this rotation.
Revisiting our recommendation from a few weeks back, the Mets should consider trading Billy Wagner. Now that he is pitching well again, you can see the monkeys are not just making an irrational decision based on his recent struggles. The Mets need a young right-handed hitting outfielder in any retooling scenario. They have no other somewhat replaceable asset to trade to get one. Free agents do not offer young players. Besides Reyes, Wright, Beltran, Maine, Pelfrey and Santana (all untouchables), what assets are there to trade? Wagner is only going to be here for a year and a half more. The Mets might be able to trade Heilman for Brian Fuentes and not throw in the towel for this year.
Why not tempt the Brewers who have a legitimate shot at the wildcard for the first time in years but lack a closer? The Mets can try and get Matt Laporta who has 19 homers and 59 RBI at AA and is the type of young right-handed hitter the Mets need. It's a gutsy move and the monkeys are fans of Billy Wagner, but the Mets need to start getting in the habit of taking risks on younger players rather the old ones.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
THEY ARE BENCH PLAYERS FOR A REASON
Check out these numbers for the Mets key bench players this year:
Endy Chavez 1 HR, 6 RBI, .239, .586 OPS
Trot Nixon 1 HR, 1 RBI, .174 (but a .321 OBP).669 OPS
Fernando Tatis 1 HR, 10 RBI, .224, .562 OPS
Marlon Anderson 1 HR, 6 RBI, .188, .489 OPS
Damion Easley 2 HR, 14 RBI, .254, .652 OPS
The greatest measurement of production is OPS. As a point of reference, Luis Castillo has an OPS of .702. The Mets bench has atrocioius OPS numbers. The most legitimate indictment of Omar Minaya this season is the lousy bench he put together and this is a skill that Minaya excelled at the past few years. However, stocking the bench was more important this year than any time during Minaya's tenure.
Between Moises Alou, Carlos Delgado and Luis Castillo, you have both fading veterans and not very durable players. The monkeys like many Mets fans are mystified that Minaya didn't have the foresight to stock the bench with at least one if not two legitimate power threats considering two of his top 4 homerun threats were likely to regress or spend time on the DL. The Mets have gotten 2 homeruns out of leftfield this season. That is not a typo.
The monkeys and other bloggers have called for Valentino Pascucci who has been getting on base (.420 OBP) and hitting for power (14 homers). We know he is defensively challenged, but he really needs to get a shot. The Mets sent Chris Aguila make to the minors after just 6 AB's, but despite Robinson Cancel's "Chip Ambres" moment, does anybody not believe Aguila would have provided more as a righty option in the outfield the last couple of weeks?
Since the Mets will need to make a roster move involving adding a pitcher next week, the monkeys expect them to send down Tatis (Cancel will go down for Church this weekend). After the Mets do not need the extra pitcher, why not call up Pascucci then? The Mets need to reshuffle the deck a bit with their bench. And although some Valentinos may have better footwork, Pascucci can hit.
Endy Chavez 1 HR, 6 RBI, .239, .586 OPS
Trot Nixon 1 HR, 1 RBI, .174 (but a .321 OBP).669 OPS
Fernando Tatis 1 HR, 10 RBI, .224, .562 OPS
Marlon Anderson 1 HR, 6 RBI, .188, .489 OPS
Damion Easley 2 HR, 14 RBI, .254, .652 OPS
The greatest measurement of production is OPS. As a point of reference, Luis Castillo has an OPS of .702. The Mets bench has atrocioius OPS numbers. The most legitimate indictment of Omar Minaya this season is the lousy bench he put together and this is a skill that Minaya excelled at the past few years. However, stocking the bench was more important this year than any time during Minaya's tenure.
Between Moises Alou, Carlos Delgado and Luis Castillo, you have both fading veterans and not very durable players. The monkeys like many Mets fans are mystified that Minaya didn't have the foresight to stock the bench with at least one if not two legitimate power threats considering two of his top 4 homerun threats were likely to regress or spend time on the DL. The Mets have gotten 2 homeruns out of leftfield this season. That is not a typo.
The monkeys and other bloggers have called for Valentino Pascucci who has been getting on base (.420 OBP) and hitting for power (14 homers). We know he is defensively challenged, but he really needs to get a shot. The Mets sent Chris Aguila make to the minors after just 6 AB's, but despite Robinson Cancel's "Chip Ambres" moment, does anybody not believe Aguila would have provided more as a righty option in the outfield the last couple of weeks?
Since the Mets will need to make a roster move involving adding a pitcher next week, the monkeys expect them to send down Tatis (Cancel will go down for Church this weekend). After the Mets do not need the extra pitcher, why not call up Pascucci then? The Mets need to reshuffle the deck a bit with their bench. And although some Valentinos may have better footwork, Pascucci can hit.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Give Us Some Credit, Fred
The monkeys watched Fred Wilpon's interview today and smiled. Fred seems like a nice man, but despite his business acumen, he does not seem exceptionally bright. This was a man who met Art Howe and thought he lit up the room. This was a man that actually argued that Victor Zambrano had the third best fastball in the AL and was a budding ace. This was a man that just told us Omar is doing "a great job." The monkeys are stronger supporters of Omar than most, but even we would be hard pressed to describe his work as "great." But the thing that made us smile most was Fred's insistence that Willie's firing was Omar's decision.
Now, maybe it was Omar who made the final decision. But after all the organizational leaks, what choice did Minaya have? The constant speculation of Willie's status was simply just too distracting. And the person who leaked the rumored firing really made the decision for Omar. If Fred doesn't respect the fans enough to know they will figure that out then shame on Fred.
CONFLICTING REPORTS ON INJURIES
So, let's see. Luis Castillo is heading to the DL, but he is in tonight's starting lineup.
Moises Alou can't be counted on for this year, yet Tony Bernazard says Alou will be back by the All Star break.
Angel Pagan is recovering nicely and just needs to start swinging yet other reports have him needing season ending surgery.
The Mets and the beat reporters need to get their stories straight.
KINGSPORT AND GULF COAST METS
Wilmer Flores has slowed down a bit since his crazy start, but the monkeys are still watching him. Javier Rodriguez, the Mets most recent draft signee who was the top high school prospect in Puerto Rico just joined the Gulf Coast Mets. Recent pick catcher Dock Doyle plays on that team. Fernando Martinez is rehabbing with the GCL team. Let's get some rookie league games on SNY. Enough with the loudmouths.
www.kmets.com
Now, maybe it was Omar who made the final decision. But after all the organizational leaks, what choice did Minaya have? The constant speculation of Willie's status was simply just too distracting. And the person who leaked the rumored firing really made the decision for Omar. If Fred doesn't respect the fans enough to know they will figure that out then shame on Fred.
CONFLICTING REPORTS ON INJURIES
So, let's see. Luis Castillo is heading to the DL, but he is in tonight's starting lineup.
Moises Alou can't be counted on for this year, yet Tony Bernazard says Alou will be back by the All Star break.
Angel Pagan is recovering nicely and just needs to start swinging yet other reports have him needing season ending surgery.
The Mets and the beat reporters need to get their stories straight.
KINGSPORT AND GULF COAST METS
Wilmer Flores has slowed down a bit since his crazy start, but the monkeys are still watching him. Javier Rodriguez, the Mets most recent draft signee who was the top high school prospect in Puerto Rico just joined the Gulf Coast Mets. Recent pick catcher Dock Doyle plays on that team. Fernando Martinez is rehabbing with the GCL team. Let's get some rookie league games on SNY. Enough with the loudmouths.
www.kmets.com
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Maybe Jack Bauer Should Be The GM
The dust has settled a bit on the Mets firing fiasco this week, but it will take the organization a little while to recover from the hit it took this week from the press and the fans. With all the talk of leaks and moles in the organization, the monkeys think that watching the Mets has become a little bit like watching "24."
In Season 1, Jack Bauer was able to thwart the terrorists, save his family when it was held hostage and stop the assassination attempt of President Palmer only to find out in the very last scene that his wife was killed by his enemy, Nina Myers. It was a devastating blow that Jack still has not fully recovered from.
In the 2007 Season, the Mets were able to fight off challengers despite Pedro Martinez and Moises Alou missing most of the season and looked like they would be in the playoffs until the very last day of the season when they were eliminated by their rivals, the Phillies. It was a devastating blow they still not have recovered from.
At CTU where Bauer works, everybody always is suspicious. There are moles like Nina Myers and Marianne Taylor that reveal government secrets to the enemy making Jack's job more difficult.
With the Mets, everyone is suspicious. There are organizational leaks revealing information to the press that makes every Manager's job more difficult.
Jack Bauer frequently screams "Damn it" when a key witness dies before revealing a key clue.
Mets fans frequently have had to scream "Damn it" when Billy Wagner blows a save during a key game.
On 24, there is often someone in the White House working against the President. President Palmer's right hand man Mike Novick betrayed him in Season 2 and had him removed from office.
With the Mets, Omar Minaya's right hand man Tony Bernazard might have been working against him. Although Minaya seems to have preferred keeping Willie around, many think Bernazard was responsible for the leaks that left Minaya with little choice but to fire Willie Randolph.
On 24, they have twice tortured a CTU agent they thought was conspiring against them only to find out they had the wrong guy.
The press started to skewer Jerry Manuel for being spotted speaking with Tony Bernazard just prior to his being named Randolph's replacements. Later reports leave a little more doubt that this was anything sinister.
On 24, Season 5 reveals the ultimate villain was the President of the United States.
The more Mets fans learn about the insider workings of the Mets, the more it seems as though Owner Jeff Wilpon is the man responsible for the issues that plague the Mets.
Maybe Jack Bauer should be GM of the Mets.
In Season 1, Jack Bauer was able to thwart the terrorists, save his family when it was held hostage and stop the assassination attempt of President Palmer only to find out in the very last scene that his wife was killed by his enemy, Nina Myers. It was a devastating blow that Jack still has not fully recovered from.
In the 2007 Season, the Mets were able to fight off challengers despite Pedro Martinez and Moises Alou missing most of the season and looked like they would be in the playoffs until the very last day of the season when they were eliminated by their rivals, the Phillies. It was a devastating blow they still not have recovered from.
At CTU where Bauer works, everybody always is suspicious. There are moles like Nina Myers and Marianne Taylor that reveal government secrets to the enemy making Jack's job more difficult.
With the Mets, everyone is suspicious. There are organizational leaks revealing information to the press that makes every Manager's job more difficult.
Jack Bauer frequently screams "Damn it" when a key witness dies before revealing a key clue.
Mets fans frequently have had to scream "Damn it" when Billy Wagner blows a save during a key game.
On 24, there is often someone in the White House working against the President. President Palmer's right hand man Mike Novick betrayed him in Season 2 and had him removed from office.
With the Mets, Omar Minaya's right hand man Tony Bernazard might have been working against him. Although Minaya seems to have preferred keeping Willie around, many think Bernazard was responsible for the leaks that left Minaya with little choice but to fire Willie Randolph.
On 24, they have twice tortured a CTU agent they thought was conspiring against them only to find out they had the wrong guy.
The press started to skewer Jerry Manuel for being spotted speaking with Tony Bernazard just prior to his being named Randolph's replacements. Later reports leave a little more doubt that this was anything sinister.
On 24, Season 5 reveals the ultimate villain was the President of the United States.
The more Mets fans learn about the insider workings of the Mets, the more it seems as though Owner Jeff Wilpon is the man responsible for the issues that plague the Mets.
Maybe Jack Bauer should be GM of the Mets.
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