Mets Fans

[JS19]

Seems to be a few of you around here so I figure I would bring it up. I know others are gonne get on me for complaining even though we have a 12-6 record. Imagine how good this team could be if they could fill a few holes. The way I see it, Matsui and Valetine are a waste, and the bullpen has 3 guys that shouldn't be in the majors. Those being Feliciano, Oliver and Julio. Feliciano and Oliver have good numbers as of now, but I don't see it lasting, I know I wouldn't want to go to the playoffs banking on them to hold my lead. Zambrano, well I don't think I need to say much there, and although Bannister has the wins and a low ERA, he's been shaky to say the least. He's just been lucky he's pitched against the shit teams, once he throws to a good lineup then he's not gonna get away with all those times he walks the bases loaded. Team is going good so far but I think Omar better start making some phone calls and put a complete 25 man team out there.

[saldana]

Originally Posted by JS19

Seems to be a few of you around here so I figure I would bring it up. I know others are gonne get on me for complaining even though we have a 12-6 record. Imagine how good this team could be if they could fill a few holes. The way I see it, Matsui and Valetine are a waste, and the bullpen has 3 guys that shouldn't be in the majors. Those being Feliciano, Oliver and Julio. Feliciano and Oliver have good numbers as of now, but I don't see it lasting, I know I wouldn't want to go to the playoffs banking on them to hold my lead. Zambrano, well I don't think I need to say much there, and although Bannister has the wins and a low ERA, he's been shaky to say the least. He's just been lucky he's pitched against the shit teams, once he throws to a good lineup then he's not gonna get away with all those times he walks the bases loaded. Team is going good so far but I think Omar better start making some phone calls and put a complete 25 man team out there.

i agree with matsui and valentin...i couldnt be happier if those two got tickets out of town. i also could do without a 47 year old pinch hitter taking up a roster spot. i find it hard to believe that there isnt a better guy in the minors or on the waiver wire that isnt going to need to stop at second and receive oxygen treatments on the way around. the bullpen i have a little more faith than you in i guess....those guys are young arms, and with a decent pitching coach, i think julio especially has good stuff and can get better.

i think this is the year the braves go down.

[Ramzavail]

I think you are undervalueing Julio Franco, big time.

1. Can still hit, just hit a game winning pinch hit HR on Thursday
2. Can spell Delgado at first
3. Huge influence on all the Latin players especially all the young ones, Reyes, Anderson, Julio etc.

[ISiddiqui]

Yeah, screw that (getting rid of Franco)! The guy is great . I saw him do wonders in Atlanta the last few seasons. I say let him be a pinch hitter for the Mets as long as he wants to. Even if that means he's 55 and still knocking back hits in key situations.

[saldana]

Originally Posted by Ramzavail

I think you are undervalueing Julio Franco, big time.

1. Can still hit, just hit a game winning pinch hit HR on Thursday
2. Can spell Delgado at first
3. Huge influence on all the Latin players especially all the young ones, Reyes, Anderson, Julio etc.

has he actually started a game yet this year? (serious question)

as far as the other points....i can see the value of number 3, but there are alot of guys that have that kind of hitting ability and would be more valuable in other ways....the 3rd point is the best one though...i hadnt really considered that

[ISiddiqui]

I don't believe he has started a game yet. He's just been pinch hitting.

[JS19]

Just caught it on sportscenter, Mets turned down a Wright for Willis swap. Good move I would say. I think it's a good idea to try and go after Willis, but I'm assuming the only 3 guys they would be interested in, those being Milledge, Wright and Reyes, are the only 3 I wouldn't want them to trade. Maybe they could package Pelfrey with some others.

[RPI-Fan]

Originally Posted by JS19

Just caught it on sportscenter, Mets turned down a Wright for Willis swap. Good move I would say. I think it's a good idea to try and go after Willis, but I'm assuming the only 3 guys they would be interested in, those being Milledge, Wright and Reyes, are the only 3 I wouldn't want them to trade. Maybe they could package Pelfrey with some others.

They didn't go after Willis. The Marlins offered the deal and the Mets rejected without any negotation.

[RPI-Fan]

Originally Posted by JS19

Just caught it on sportscenter, Mets turned down a Wright for Willis swap. Good move I would say. I think it's a good idea to try and go after Willis, but I'm assuming the only 3 guys they would be interested in, those being Milledge, Wright and Reyes, are the only 3 I wouldn't want them to trade. Maybe they could package Pelfrey with some others.

Oh, and by the way...

You really need to sit back and relax a bit. It's a marathon. We're 10% done. Nobody likes Zambrano. Everybody is frustrated with Reyes.

Just enjoy the ride, please.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by RPI-Fan

They didn't go after Willis. The Marlins offered the deal and the Mets rejected without any negotation.

the mets rejected it without any negotiation? Are they out of their minds? I think there are maybe 5 players in baseball right now that you DON'T trade straight-up for Willis, and Wright I don't think I'd put on that list. Crazy.

[JS19]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

and Wright I don't think I'd put on that list. Crazy.

Gonna have to disagree with you there. I would say it's the other way around, there are maybe 5 people, if that, I would trade Wright for. Not only is Wright going to be putting up great numbers, in a yr or so he will probably be taking over Jeter's role as the face of NY sports.

[bulletsponge]

Gonna have to disagree with you there. I would say it's the other way around, there are maybe 5 people, if that, I would trade Wright for. Not only is Wright going to be putting up great numbers, in a yr or so he will probably be taking over Jeter's role as the face of NY sports.

Who is this Wright, and why is he already overrated?

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

the mets rejected it without any negotiation? Are they out of their minds? I think there are maybe 5 players in baseball right now that you DON'T trade straight-up for Willis, and Wright I don't think I'd put on that list. Crazy.

The Mets were right. It may not be as bad as the Kazmir-Zambrano deal, but it would look pretty bad in the future. Wright is already a great 3B, and will be in Chipper Jones territory (but with better defense... the 3 error game withstanding) this year.

Florida can have Willis if they want to try to fleece the Mets for Wright.

[Fighter of Foo]

Got it backwards...

there are maybe 5 players in baseball right now that you DO trade straight-up for Wright, and Willis is definitely not one of them. I'm having a hard time thinking of ANY players who are of a similar age (Wright is 23-24), play a premium position (Not an outfield corner or 1B) and could provide similar offense. Cabrera, sure, but Wright's better defensively. Pujols, Arod, etc. all are fully established and have the salaries to go with their performance; Wright is still playing for peanuts and popcorn. He's Chipper reincarnated.

Edit: Maybe I should fully read all the responses before I post

[Captain2711]

Same ol same ol today. Bannister still refuses to get ahead in the count. Maybe Peterson can teach some of these guys how to do that

[ISiddiqui]

Maybe he can whisper "First pitch strike" into his ear at night?

[Captain2711]

Delgado's a monster. Too bad Pujols will win the MVP instead. A good thing Randolph used Sanchez last night when Trachsel only threw 73 pitches. He won't need him today with the pitch count master Bannister.

[JS19]

At least he isn't walking anyone today, just giving up hit after hit. I suppose that means he's around the strike zone which i'll say is an improvement.

[Captain2711]

I see the Braves lost again. They are ready for the Mets to put them away. Oh wait.... Zambrano pitches this weekend when Willie can skip him. (See the Victor Zambrano sucks thread)

[JS19]

Oh my. I think I just heard Gary Cohen mention Jose Lima and starting rotation in the same sentence.

[Fouts]

Nice one Barry.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by JS19

Oh my. I think I just heard Gary Cohen mention Jose Lima and starting rotation in the same sentence.

Admit it, you'd prefer him over Zambrano right now.

[ISiddiqui]

Btw, how embarrasing must it be to be a catcher when a 47 year old steals a base on you? Hehe.

And Bannister going 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs

[RPI-Fan]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Maybe he can whisper "First pitch strike" into his ear at night?

Where does the Rick Peterson/Horse Whisperer thing come from?

[JS19]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Admit it, you'd prefer him over Zambrano right now.

Ok, you got me. Unfortunately though Lima is a possibility of taking Bannisters spot for awhile depending on his injury, which will still leave the great Zambrano in the rotation.

[ISiddiqui]

Crap... forgot the hammy strain... its like the fates are conspiring against us

[Captain2711]

it looks like Willie is gonna skip Zambrano this weekend and with the day off, they should be able to go a little bit without another starter. I vote for Jerimy Gonzalez to come up. His so's to walk ratio is great right now. We need a control pitcher to eat up some innings. Plus somebody needs to go on the DL.

[JS19]

Thats good news then. The way Bannister looked I would assume he might be heading to the DL. Who knows whats up with Beltran, I know a lot of people are blaming his poor yr last yr on a leg problem so they are being very cautious with him but I wouldn't be surprised to see him on the 15 day.

I was watching some of the Yankee game with my brother, I had no idea Ty Wiggington was off to the start he is.

[Captain2711]

Apparently Willie is still gonna pitch Zambrano, only on Monday, and pitch Oliver or a minor leaguer Tuesday.

Hopefully they give us a glimpse of John Maine. If he's any good, the trade of Wigginton for Benson and then Benson for Maine and the wonderful Jorge Julio might not be so terrible. He's ERA is good in Norfolk but he's been walking lots. Doubt we'll see him. I just hope it's not Lima. I think a lot will depend on how the bullpen is used this weekend. If they don't use Oliver Friday or Saturday, look for him to go.

[Captain2711]

With a 6-game lead now, it is imperative to finish off this series strong and put to rest all this House of Horrors stuff at Turner Field. It will also put some fear in the Braves that when they get to Shea next week it could be do or die.

[JS19]

I agree. They take this series with Atlanta and I think it will make a huge impact, let everyone know in the NL East, including themselves, that they are in the drivers seat.

I too hope it won't be Lima, but I thought I heard Cohen mention today how Randolph might be hesitant going with Oliver bc he will only expect 4-5 innings out of him. I could be wrong. I doubt we will see Maine, tell you the truth, since I am very impatient, I would love to see Pelfrey. I know it won't happen but it would be nice to see what he's got already.

[RPI-Fan]

Originally Posted by JS19

I agree. They take this series with Atlanta and I think it will make a huge impact, let everyone know in the NL East, including themselves, that they are in the drivers seat.

I too hope it won't be Lima, but I thought I heard Cohen mention today how Randolph might be hesitant going with Oliver bc he will only expect 4-5 innings out of him. I could be wrong. I doubt we will see Maine, tell you the truth, since I am very impatient, I would love to see Pelfrey. I know it won't happen but it would be nice to see what he's got already.

That would make no sense at all. He won't be ready for a year and a half or so. So even if you were just "getting a look" with no intention of keeping him on the roster, you're moving his arbitration clock up by two years. If he's as good as he's supposed to be, that means you'll pay an extra $20 mil to keep him as long as you would without moving him up.

[Captain2711]

I think it will be Maine. Nasty stuf so far this year. Had a good outing his last start and his stas are good enuff

Player W L ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR HB BB SO WHIP
J Maine 1 3 2.63 4 4 0 0 0 24.0 21 10 7 2 0 5 18 1.08

[JS19]

Ah forgot about the good'ole arbitration. I was just saying I would like to see him, i've heard so much about him but have yet to see him pitch, just more curiousity than anything.

Wow. Didn't know Maine was doing that well, I have a strong feeling it will be Lima, just because he is the veteran with MLB experience and might be able to eat up some innings. No matter who it is though, Minaya should be on the lookout to address this problem, Zambrano and Bannister are both questions marks in the rotation and also you never know when the injury big is gonna hit.

[Captain2711]

Is it me or does LoDuca throw just as bad as Piazza? Couldn't throw out Johnsonon an obvious hit n run. Led directly to a run tonight

[Captain2711]

When do we actually start to worry abour Cliff Floyd? Almost a 1/4 of the way through the season and batting only .175

[JS19]

Originally Posted by Captain2711

When do we actually start to worry abour Cliff Floyd? Almost a 1/4 of the way through the season and batting only .175

I was thinking the same thing. He seems to be hitting the ball well at times, just right at somebody. With the year he had last yr, my opnion is you gotta stick with him for a while longer. My semi concern is actually been Wagner, 3 blown saves in 10 chances. He seems to be throwing pretty well so i'm not too worried and think he'll be just fine, but it's something to keep an eye on.

[Ramzavail]

Originally Posted by Captain2711

Is it me or does LoDuca throw just as bad as Piazza? Couldn't throw out Johnsonon an obvious hit n run. Led directly to a run tonight

LoDuca's throw out percentage is in the low 20's just like Piazza's

[Logan]

Originally Posted by Ramzavail

LoDuca's throw out percentage is in the low 20's just like Piazza's

Without looking at the stats, I'm pretty sure LoDuca's percentage has been better in the past, so hopefully this is just a slow start/down year. One way or the other, as long as opposing teams don't start having field days with LoDuca like they did with Piazza (remember all those Florida series? I'm pretty sure friggin Hee Seop Choi was stealing bases without a problem), I'm okay with him.

[JS19]

Cliffy is breaking my heart.

[JS19]

I take it back.

[Captain2711]

Hip - Hip - Jorge

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Logan

Without looking at the stats, I'm pretty sure LoDuca's percentage has been better in the past, ...

Looking at the stats, you are correct.

Lifetime CS% is .326, although it's been down since 2004, just 27% in '04, 24% last year, and 21% this year. The current mark is Piazza'esqe over his tenure there which was just under 23% for '98 thru '05. Still, it's better than Piazza's 05 mark of just 14%.

[JS19]

Well, my brother told me heard on baseball tonight something about a Milledge for Zito deal. I have no idea if it was a rumor or something thats serious. I'm not sure how I feel about that one. I'm not thrilled with Zito because he seems to be a hit or miss kind of guy, and a move to NY might make it more misses than hits. Plus I would love to see Milledge stay in the system, the guy looks awesome. However, the Mets actually have a shot this yr and do need some pitching and a rotation of Pedro, Glavine, and Zito sounds awesome. Once again, I didn't hear it myself so who knows what its all about, just something to talk about.

[ISiddiqui]

Yeah, I saw it. They were saying there was a rumor. Brantley said a prospect is not proven and deal him. Olney (I think it was him), said if he was the Mets he wouldn't do it.

They had Delgado on the phone and he said there is no way he'd make the deal because Milledge looked great this spring.

I wouldn't do the deal. Zito can look really good, but also can look horrid. One horrid streach and I wonder how he'd handle the backlash from the NY media.

[JS19]

My thoughts exactly. Sure, Milledge might not be a stud, but I think he's worth the risk to hold on to. IMHO, I don't think Zito would be a good fit in NY, but who knows.

[RPI-Fan]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Yeah, I saw it. They were saying there was a rumor. Brantley said a prospect is not proven and deal him. Olney (I think it was him), said if he was the Mets he wouldn't do it.

They had Delgado on the phone and he said there is no way he'd make the deal because Milledge looked great this spring.

I wouldn't do the deal. Zito can look really good, but also can look horrid. One horrid streach and I wonder how he'd handle the backlash from the NY media.

If you're a GM, do the EXACT OPPOSITE of whatever Jeff Brantley says.

[Captain2711]

Trading Milledge would be a huge mistake. Let's face it. This guy is gonna be a corner outfielder at the latest next year. Floyd is done. That would give you a CF, SS, 3B, and RF/LF as young potential superstars for the next 6 or 7 years. As bad as this divison seems to be the Mets might be able to cruise to the playoffs where you wouldn't need more than 4 starters anyway. And the possibility of bringing up Pelfrey sometime in August is still there. He has pitched lights out up until his last start. Let Maine, Bannister and Lima fight for those two spots and maybe one of them will emerge.

[Captain2711]

10 minutes to Lima time. Perhaps we will have a new whipping boy now that Zambrano is done

[Logan]

Just got home from the game. Left in the 6th. LoDuca's explosion was awesome to watch. Haven't seen a player go that crazy in the middle of a play in a while. Did the TV cameras catch his fantastic glove toss into the dugout? After it happened, I got texts and calls from friends saying he definitely tagged him, which was my guess as well just because his reaction. There's the "act" you put on when you're trying to sell a call, and then there's what LoDuca did when you know the ump messed up.