So as most of you know, the Mets acquired Gary Matthew Jr. from the Angels for Brian Stokes last week. Some people wonder why Omar would do a deal like that, but he probably saw his votes slipping in the worst GM in baseball voting and thought he had to do something durastic. Although the idea of getting some insurance for the oft-injured Angel Pagan seems like a good idea and Matthews Jr was had for cheap, it gave the Mets more questions rather than an answer to any of their problems.  It’s a common thing in the media that Matthews Jr can be a distraction, although his former coach says otherwise, but his main reason for leaving the Angels was because he wanted to be an everyday player. In an ideal opportunity for him he plays everyday until mid-May, then rides the bench until a day off for someone or until Henry Blanco get up to bat in late game situations. We can try to figure out how he will take it now, but we’ll have plenty of time to do that later on in the season.

What seems to be important now is who will start in place of Carlos Beltran? Adam Rubin of the Daily News says that Pagan tends to have a hot start and that he’s not ready to make Matthews Jr the centerfielder yet. It seemed that once Beltran went under the knife, it was Pagan’s job to lose, but know it seems like its the other way around and that Pagan will have to take it from Matthews Jr. We’ve seen that Pagan is more than capable to be a ML outfielder, though he makes more mistakes than most professionals should, but is he not as good as his new teammate? Matthew Jr used to be the definition of defensive CF but he has aged and he is not the graceful player he once was. The two players both have their positives and negatives in the field, but Pagan seems to be a much better player at the plate and on the basepaths. It would only seem that Pagan lacks the veteran experience that Matthews Jr has, which is one of those baseball intangibles. So let us hear what you think!

The most recent Mets transaction saw reliever Brian Stokes traded to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for outfielder (and former Met) Gary Matthews Jr. The Angels are also throwing in a reported $21.5 million towards Matthews’ $24 million salary over the next two years. That being said, I still think it’s a crappy move.

First off, read this. Sam Miller of the Orange County Register did a great job comparing GMJ to other free agent outfielders* back in October.  If you don’t care for statistical analysis, Buster Olney of ESPN (subscription required) compiled comments from some scouts and front-office types, the theme of which seemed to be that GMJ has slowed down on the field and turned into a negative presence off it. Nothing I’ve read so far has been positive.

*Read the post, it’s excellent. But here’s a little spoiler: he wasn’t comparing GMJ to Matt Holiday or Jason Bay. Just wait till you see who he did compare him to.

There’s not much more I can add. GMJ is a 34 year-old outfielder who hasn’t posted an average OPS+ since 2006. I wouldn’t have signed him to anything more than a minor league deal, never mind traded a viable asset for him (and I’m beyond pissed that they just gave up Stokes, but that’s a post for another day). This trade smacks of over-reaction.

What I’m really worried about is that this trade will limit Angel Pagan’s playing time. Yes, I hear you saying that Pagan showed a “low baseball IQ” last season, but I feel like his performance at the plate was obscured by the wreckage of the 2009 season. He posted a 121 OPS+ and had 59 Runs Created (which is 9 more than GMJ had last year, in only 27 additional at-bats). Pagan topped GMJ in batting average (.306 to .250), on-base percentage (.350 to .336) and slugging percentage (.487 to .361). For those of you fixated on Pagan’s baserunning issues, the Bill James Handbook shows that Pagan created 12 more runs with his baserunning than the league average. Matthews is not bad either (11 runs better than average), but is no certainly no upgrade in that department.

It’s a trust issue for me, I guess. I can totally see Jerry Manuel wasting at-bats on GMJ because he’s a “veteran” with a “proven track record” and “we just need to get him started” and any other cliche you can come up with to describe leeway given to veteran players. That would be inexcusable, and it gets to the heart of my anger at this trade: why not give Pagan (and Stokes, for that matter) a chance to fail? You’re telling me that the Angels wouldn’t have done this trade in March or April? I find that highly unlikely, just like I find it unlikely that GMJ will add much to the Mets this season.

With the prospects of missing centerfielder Carlos Beltran for at least a month, the Mets acquired outfielder Gary Matthews, Jr. from the Angels for middle reliever Brian Stokes.  The Angels, who overpaid for Matthews having a good year back in 2006, sent more than $20 million back to the Mets to cover the bulk of Matthews’ salary.  For Matthews, who wants to play every day but hasn’t been more than a fourth outfielder since 2007, this is a chance to earn full-time status – in center for now, and possibly in right field once Beltran returns – assuming Beltran is healthy.  [SI]

I’m not sure why the Mets want him.

Matthews used to hit for power – a little bit.  In 2006, he stunned everyone by hitting 19 homers and batting .313 for Texas – and making a highlight reel catch off Mike Lamb where he climbed a wall and reached over it to steal away a homer.  He hit 18 more in his first season in Anaheim, though his other numbers fell off.  Then, Matthews was named in a steroid ring that ended Jason Grimsley’s career.  Since then, Matthews’ power has fell off the map – eight homers in 2008 and just four last year – 12 in more than 700 at bats.  While he will take a walk and can still run the bases smartly, he strikes out more than ever.

His defense is slipping.  He was okay in 2006 and 2007, but fell off in 2008 and was below average in 2009.  Matthews isn’t getting any younger, either, having turned 35 in August.  So, the likelihood is that neither his bat or wheels are suddenly going to improve.  With the Angels picking up the tab, he’s cheap help and if he has a good six weeks and Beltran is healthy, I guess that’s worth $1 million in New York.

Good luck with that.

The Angels get a righty reliever who has been marginally better than average despite not having a consistent command of the strike zone.  Brian Stokes came up with Tampa, moved to New York in 2008, and has been decent despite not having a big strikeout pitch.  He’s not really a long term prospect, but he helps fill out the bullpen by providing an experienced arm for the ninth or tenth spot on the staff.

Another confusing move…

The Phillies signed Jose Contreras to a one-year deal.  The last Cuban player who was a teammate of Fidel Castro, Contreras has moved back and forth with the White Sox; two of the last three years he was costing the team about 20 runs more than the average pitcher – and his control is slipping, as if he’s trying to be more careful with his pitches.  Maybe Contreras can fill a long relief, spot starting role.  For sure, even at this stage, he’s probably more dependable than trying Adam Eaton or Chan Ho Park again.  [SI]

What are the Royals Thinking?

The Kansas City Royals signed outfielder Rick Ankiel to a one year deal worth $3.25 million, with bonuses and an option for 2011.  It’s not a HORRIBLE deal – but another signing of a 30 year old guy whose career isn’t moving in the right direction.  Having switched from his pitching days, Ankiel is getting more comfortable in centerfield; his range and runs saved rankings have gone from a negative to a positive in the last three years.  However, his power – Ankiel is another guy caught in the PED scandal – has fallen off.  In 2007, Ankiel slugged .500, but last year it was under .400.  The Royals COULD benefit from picking up a guy who is on the cheap after an off-season, but I’d rather have Chris Gomez coming off an off season than a 30 year old centerfielder.  I think Ankiel could help the Royals in right – so, if you see him there the Royals may do okay provided he stays healthy (an oufield of DeJesus, Podsednik, and Ankiel would be a step up, though I’d rather see Mitch Maier in center if his bat steps forward…).

Milwaukee Addresses Rotation…

In my “Worst NL Pitchers” list, you couldn’t help but notice that the Brewers were loaded with guys who weren’t helping the cause in the rotation.  Earlier, the Brewers added Randy Wolf and now Milwaukee adds lefty (and former Brew Crew) Doug Davis. Each of the last three years, Davis has been an above average pitcher, a dependable lefty capable of six good innings and ten wins.  I like this move because it continues to lower the predicted runs allowed number for Milwaukee – and I think makes them a contender in the NL Central this year.  [MLB]

Quick Hits…

So Taguchi is retiring from US baseball and heading back to Onix in Japan.  [MLB]

Despite an ailing shoulder, the Giants are happy with the Freddy Sanchez deal and signing.  [MLB]

Javier Vasquez may call it a career after 2010?  [ESPN]

Is Jason Giambi coming back to Colorado for 2010?  [ESPN]

Afterthoughts…

A’s prospect Grant Desme, recently named the most valuable player in the Arizona Fall League is retiring – to pursue the pulpit.  “I love the game, but I aspire to higher things,” Desme said.  [SI]

Any excitement the New York Mets and their fans had from the Jason Bay signing was somewhat tempered with the news that star center fielder Carlos Beltran had knee surgery and would miss some time during the regular season.

When the Mets learned Beltran would be out for an extended period of time, they had two options. They could either go with an internal option, such as Angel Pagan or look outside their organization and make a trade or sign a free agent.

Matthews will call Flushing, NY home in 2010

While the Mets still might go with Pagan, they added some insurance yesterday.

As first reported by SI.com’s Jon Heyman, the Mets have acquired OF Gary Matthews Jr. from the Los Angels of Anaheim for RHP Brian Stokes. The key to this deal is that the Angels will pay $21.5 of the $23.5 million left on Matthews’ contract.

How bad does a player have to be for a team to eat $21.5 out of the $23.5 million remaining on his contract? Well, Matthews is pretty bad.

Everyone except the Angels knew that giving Matthews a five-year, $50 million contract was a mistake. Matthews had a career year in 2006 and the Angels fell for a time honored tradition in sports where a guy has one great year in his life, it just so happens to be his walk year, and some silly team signs that player to an overbloated contract that he doesn’t deserve.

It took the Angels only one year to realize the error of their ways as they signed Torii Hunter to replace Matthews in 2008. Since the start of the 2008 season, Matthews has been an afterthought for the Angels and quite frankly a terrible player.

Here is a scouting report given by a talent evaluator on Matthews via Buster Olney’s blog:

Matthews is a player to be avoided. Slow bat. Declining range. And above all else, a player who wants to be a regular and will be an unhappy distraction in your clubhouse when he’s not in the lineup every day.

Not the most ringing endorsement. However, despite being a terrible hitter, a terrible fielder, and potential a clubhouse distraction, I don’t think I can fault the Mets for making this move.

What’s the worst thing that can happen when you pay a guy $1 million for a year? Matthews hit .250 with four home runs and .697 OPS last season. As pathetic as that hitting line is, if he does that in a Mets uniform, then he is worth the million.

I wouldn’t worry about Matthews being a clubhouse distraction because this regime in Flushing clearly doesn’t factor in intangibles when assembling a team. The Mets’ clubhouse has distractions throughout.

If Matthews becomes that big of a distraction, then the Mets can just release him. Again, they are only paying him a total of $2 million.

Despite the acquisition of Matthews, I still expect Pagan to start in center field for the Mets. He is not the smartest baserunner in the world, but he has shown potential.

Pagan’s average has increased each year since he arrived in the major leagues in 2006 (.247-.264-.275-.306). He also had a career high .838 OPS in 88 (also a career high) games last season with the Mets.

Defensively, Pagan is much better than Matthews in center. Pagan had a -0.3 UZR in center last year compared to Matthews’ -13.7 UZR, which was one of the worst in baseball.

The Angels in this deal get Brian Stokes, who is nothing more than a fifth or sixth inning reliever. Last year in a career high 70.1 innings, Stokes had a 3.97 ERA with 45 K’s and a 1.56 WHIP.

Again, I know Matthews is virtually useless, but it’s hard to kill a team when they are only paying a guy $1 million a season.

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Gary Matthews Jr.

The Mets acquisition of Gary Matthews Jr. is now official. The trade really puzzled me because I feel the Mets could’ve gotten a better bat and glove off the free agent market instead of trading for Matthews who hasn’t shown his potential since 2006. I’m glad they are only play $1.25 million each of the next 2 seasons, but they could’ve signed a free agent to a minor-league deal and cut him once Beltran returns instead of keeping an ineffective Matthews for the next 2 years. If they needed to clear up a roster spot, they could have cut Brian Stokes or another player instead. Matthews will compete with Angel Pagan for the starting CF job during spring training. What do you think, was this a good trade by Omar to bring in Gary Matthews Jr.?

The Mets acquired outfielder Gary Matthews Jr. from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim today for pitcher Brian Stokes. The Angels will be paying nearly all of Matthews’s salary, so it’s not a bad trade for the Mets.

With Carlos Beltran out of action for at least the start of the season, the Mets did need to pick up another outfielder who could play center. I’m in favor of giving Angel Pagan the starting role, but you still need somebody else who can fill in for him.

I’m going to overlook the fact that Cory Sullivan and Jeremy Reed both signed minor league contracts earlier this week. I’d be surprised if Reed would have been willing to come back to be a forgotten man on Jerry Manuel’s bench again, anyway.

No, this was a decent trade. It filled a need at a relatively low cost. I’ll miss Brian Stokes. He pitched well at times over the past two seasons, but he wasn’t guaranteed to win a spot in the bullpen this year.

My problem is with the “News Alert” that the Mets marketing department felt the need to send out this afternoon. Gary Matthews Jr. — a fourth outfielder — is really not worth a “News Alert.”  Though I do have to give somebody credit for making him sound like an important acquisition:

Matthews, Jr., 35, hit .250 with four home runs and 50 RBI in 103 games last year, his third season with the Angels. Over his final 37 games, the switch-hitting Matthews, Jr. batted .289 and compiled a .410 on-base percentage for the Angels in their drive to the American League West title.

Still, I’m really supposed to want to buy season tickets or get a Mets jersey because the team got Gary Matthews Jr.?

I don’t think so.

NEW YORK – Gary Matthews Jr. was traded from the Los Angeles Angels to the New York Mets on Friday for right-hander Brian Stokes.

Matthews hit .313 with 19 homers and 79 RBIs for Texas in 2006, when he made the AL All-Star team, then signed the big deal with the Angels that turned out to be the worst contract in the team’s history.

He slumped to a .252 average with 18 homers and 72 RBIs during his first season in Anaheim, then lost his center field job when the Angels signed Torii Hunter.

Matthews, who also endured some knee problems in Anaheim, had just 46 RBIs in 2008 and 50 last year, when he started 80 games. Now 35, he is the son of Gary Matthews, the 1973 NL Rookie of the Year.

Matthews expressed a desire to be traded last spring, and reiterated that request this offseason. Sources said that trading Matthews was a major priority for general manager Tony Reagins this winter.

SI.com reported in February 2007 that Matthews was sent human growth hormone by Applied Pharmacy in August 2004, an accusation Matthews denied. Major League Baseball concluded there was insufficient evidence to discipline him.

The 30-year-old Stokes was 2-4 with a 3.97 ERA last season, setting career highs for games (69) and innings (70 1-3). He spent the last two seasons with the Mets after making his big league debut for Tampa Bay.

With Matthews’ departure, the Angels still have Hunter, Bobby Abreu and Juan Rivera in the outfield, with Reggie Willits in reserve.

Hideki Matsui, who signed a one-year deal to be the Angels’ principal designated hitter, has said he would like to play some outfield this season after knee problems limited him to the DH role with the Yankees.

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Wow! Gary Matthews, Jr. is now with the New York Mets. Unreal! I mean, this deal could be fruitful. The Mets only sent away Brian Stokes.

Not really feeling this deal.

Here’s the nuts and bolts of it.

The Angels are paying the bulk of the contract. Matthews is owed $24 million. So, according to Jon Heyman, the Angels will eat $21.5 million over the next two years and the Mets will handle $1.25 million for each season.

So that’s how we are spending some of the money that we were going to give Bengie Molina.

Here’s why I’m not happy. Matthews has been hampered with injuries just as much as Angel Pagan. Now, with the Mets medical staff being as it is, do we really want another injury prone player on this team?

This is not a great trade. It is not even good. It is decent at best. I agree with Matthew Cerrone of Metsblog when he said:

To me, I don’t understand how that, plus giving up a pitcher, is better than, say, re-signing a guy like Jeremy Reed, who just signed a minor-league deal with the Blue Jays.

Stokes, when given some time, would have proven to be more valuable than Matthews.

I want to see a pitcher. That is all I want. At this point, I don’t care about anything else.

Gary Matthews Jr

According to SI’s Jon Heyman, the Mets have acquired Gary Matthews Jr. from the Angels for Brian Stokes. The Angels will pay $23 million of the remaining $25 million left on Matthews’s contract over the next 2 years. He will most likely compete with Angel Pagan during spring training for the starting CF job while Carlos Beltran recovers from surgery.

Has Omar cracked his skull? This deal makes absolutely no sense for the Mets. Omar could’ve easily signed Endy Chavez (who is looking for a minor-league deal) for cheaper without giving up an effective reliever like Stokes. Matthews last good season was back in 2006 back when he made this catch with the Rangers. While with the Angels, he’s hit around .250 AVG, 10 HR, and 56 RBI. He was once know for his defensive prowess, but he’s become noticeably slower since 2007. Unless there is a corresponding 3rd team involved in the deal (like the Reds), this deal will be marked down as a loss for the Mets. It also questions why Luis Castillo wasn’t involved in the deal to swap bad contract for bad contract? It’s no wonder why Omar was voted the worst GM in baseball in a USA today poll.

Many Mets fans may be surprised to learn that Brian Stokes appeared in 69 games this past season — but the final record says he did.

Stokes was roleless throughout the season, or perhaps the better descriptor was “everyman”. He was used as a long man, a short man, a mopup guy, a setup man, in middle relief, and as a situational / matchup guy. Strangely, the only thing he didn’t do in 2009 was start.

There were times that Jerry Manuel used Stokes in back-to-back games, and three games in a row, and just as many times when Stokes went a week or more without appearing in a game. Manuel and Dan Warthen seemed unable to figure out where Stokes fit into the plans.

But, previous managers and coaches have been equally confused about Stokes. The 30-year-old righthander has been an eternal enigma from the day he signed a pro contract, shifting from the bullpen to starting and back to the bullpen, all the while impressing onlookers with a 96-97 MPH fastball and a full arsenal of secondary pitches. Yet, with those tools, he’s been able to strike out only 121 batters in 190 MLB innings.

Stokes has two major problems. First, his fastball is usually straight as an arrow. Second, his curve, slider, split, and change are all equally inconsistent, but show promise. If he had just a little sink or lateral movement on his fastball, and/or could transform one of his other offerings into a plus pitch, he’d be an ideal setup man. He has the assortment of a starting pitcher, the velocity of a reliever, but expertise in neither.

I like Stokes’ raw talent and his demeanor. He doesn’t appear to lose his focus in the face of adversity, and he’s fairly aggressive and confident in pounding the strike zone. If I were Dan Warthen, I’d work on his fastball grip, insist that he choose one secondary pitch to focus on, and pencil him in as a 7th-inning reliever. And then, I’d ask Jerry Manuel to give the guy regular work, and see what happens.

If the first relief pitcher in place of a starter blows a game for a starting pitcher and ends up getting the win, the credited victory should not go to the relief pitcher who blew the lead.

It happened again last night in the Mets-Cubs game. A starting pitcher leaves after seven innings with the lead, and then the bullpen comes in a blows the lead. In this case it was Bobby Parnell of the Mets going seven strong (109 pitches), before being relieved to start the 8th inning by Brian Stokes.  

Now, after a pretty decent season where he was solid save for a couple of bad appearances, Stokes had the wheels fall off August 28, when he allowed four runs in one-third of an inning, blowing Pat Misch opportunity for his first ever victory. Then on September 2nd, he allowed three more runs in one-third of an inning, allowing three hits and three walks.

Last night was brutal again. Stokes was blowing a lead and the win for Parnell, who needed a good appearance AND A WIN to get the confidence back.

After Stokes blew Parnell’s lead, the juggernaut Mets offense burned the Cubs bullpen for five runs to turn a 2-2 tie game into a 7-2 Mets lead. And with the Mets holding on for a 7-3 win (Stokes needed K-Rod help in the 9th), Stokes ended up getting credit for the victory.

Make no mistake, if a pitcher throws well like Parnell did last night, but does not get the win, he doesn’t feel good about the performance. How can he feel good? You will here starting pitchers say, ” I threw the ball well and kept us in the game long enough to where were able to win, and that is the most important thing.”

One work for that – bullshit. Parnell needed to get that win last night to build him up. A no decision means nothing.

For a team like the 2009 New York Mets, it is not the important thing for a team just to win a meaningless game. It is important for the young starter to pitch well and GET THE VICTORY. For a starter to give seven strong innings, and show nothing for it is useless.

And this is not a knock on Jerry Manuel in removing Parnell after seven innings and 109 pitches, because the Mets are only trying to save a young mans arm (snicker, snicker, cough, cough). Although a starting pitcher should be require to continue going until he gets in trouble. Personally, I would have run Parnell out there again in the eighth. How are young pitcher to learn how to go deep into game, if they aren’t allowed to go deep into games?

Bu this is not about the removing of pitchers too early. It is about the fact that a relief pitcher can blow a lead for a pitcher, and gets the win when his team scores runs the VERY NEXT INNING.

Phil Coke of the Yankees got two wins that way this season. The first time was on July 26 against Oakland, while the second was on August 9th versus the Red Sox. It was after that Red Sox game was when I first came up with the idea. The photo accompanying this piece is from that August 9th appearance.

So, my rule has to do when a relief pitcher comes in for the starting pitcher to BEGIN AN INNING, blows the lead any time while he is pitching, and his team comes back to take the lead while he is the pitcher of record. If their team ends up winning the game without giving up the lead again, then the starting pitcher should get credited with the win.

So, in last night’s game, Parnell goes seven innings, and leaves the mound with the lead. In comes Stokes to start the eighth inning, blows the lead, and then the Mets score a bunch of runs to take the lead when Stokes is pitcher of record. The Mets hold on and Stokes gets the win.

With my new rule change, the starting pitcher (Bobby Parnell inthis case) would still get the win as he gave the team all those effective innings.

With pitchers ever more reliant on the bullpen now (since managers almost never let starting pitchers go the distance), the starters should not be penalized because a garbage middle reliever can not do his job.

The highly anticipated debut of prospect Josh Thole could have been more difficult, but the Mets made the right move by matching him with lefthander Pat Misch.

Sure, I could be completely wrong — Thole could suffer seven passed balls and six stolen bases, while striking out five times. But I believe the Mets have given him a strong opportunity to succeed by choosing this game, this opponent, and this starting pitcher.

For one, it’s a day game, played outdoors and under natural light. Right there, Thole should be comfortable, as it is always much easier to see the flight of a ball in broad daylight than it is at night under artificial lighting. This is an advantage both in terms of batting and in receiving pitches behind the plate.

Secondly, the Mets have matched Thole with one of their easiest pitchers to catch. Pat Misch relies on pinpoint control, using a small repertoire of pitches that generally range from 70-85 MPH. If anything, he throws too many strikes and is always around the plate. He’s thrown only one wild pitch in his MLB career, and less than a dozen in close to 800 minor league innings. In short, he is a catcher’s dream in terms of receiving the ball. Additionally, Misch is a poised, unflappable, easygoing veteran — no worries about having to calm him down in times of adversity.

Contrast Misch with, say, Oliver Perez, and it’s easy to understand my point.

Loyal MetsToday reader “Murph” (of MurphGuide) posed the question:

“Do you think it is harder for a rookie to hit major league pitching, or to catch major league pitching?”

Neither is easy, but from my own experience, catching a pitcher whom you’ve never caught before can be much harder than hitting one you’ve never faced before — and it all depends on the pitcher’s command, velocity, and repertoire. Someone like Ollie Perez, John Maine, or Bobby Parnell — who throw at high velocity and tend to be all over the place — are extremely difficult to receive because the catcher may have no idea where the ball is going, nor what route it’s going to take, and he has little time to react. Remember the struggles of Brian Schneider early last season? Those were due specifically to the unfamiliarity with the pitching staff, and secondarily to a new glove.

As we’ve been told, Josh Thole has been catching many of the Mets pitchers in the bullpen since his promotion. And that’s good, but not necessarily enough — it depends on the pitcher. Some are around the plate and have pitches that run and break consistently, and you can get a “feel” for the distance they’ll move when they’re not on target. Also, it’s easier when the top velocity is lower, and there are less pitches to “learn” — for example Pedro Feliciano throws only an 87-MPH fastball and a sweeping slider, so he might be easier to catch than, say, Brian Stokes, who can hit 97 MPH with the fastball, and also has varying degrees of success with a curve, slider, changeup, and split. Francisco Rodriguez, I imagine, would also be difficult to catch, mainly because his pitches break so sharply and so late — and often into the ground and wide of the strike zone.

The pitcher’s personality is another can of worms which we won’t get into in depth. But consider this: what if Thole’s MLB debut came last night, and he had to deal with Mike Pelfrey’s case of the yips? Or if he had to get Oliver Perez back on track during one of those “Ollie Innings” ?

Another consideration is calling the game. I would bet that the pitches will be called from the dugout today. After all, Thole doesn’t know much about the strengths and weaknesses of MLB hitters, and isn’t yet familiar with Pat Misch’s game-time abilities.

We’ll see soon enough how well Josh Thole handles himself behind the dish. We’re told his best tool is his bat, and that he needs work on his catching skills. That said, the Mets have made his MLB debut as easy as could possibly be managed. For once, a logical decision based on thought and preparation.

Well, this thing is a mess. Not nearly as much of one as the next team I’ll preview, though.

New York Mets Depth Chart – mlb.com

Francisco Rodriguez – RH (Closer)

Pedro Feliciano – LH (Set-up)

Brian Stokes – RH (Set-up)

Sean Green – RH (Mid-relief)

Tim Redding – RH (Long-relief)

Nelson Figueroa – RH (Long-relief)

Elmer Dessens – RH (Mid-relief)

Manager: Jerry Manuel

Pitching Coach: Dan Warthen

Bullpen Coach: Randy Niemann

Overview:

In order to attempt to correct the scapegoat of the Mets’ 2008 season, the bullpen, Omar Minaya signed Francisco Rodriguez to a 3-year, $36 million deal and traded a great deal of the farm for J.J. Putz. Putz–an incredibly injury-prone reliever–pitched 29 and 1/3 innings of 5+ ERA before going down with season-ending surgery. So basically, the Mets are now where they were in 2008 minus Billy Wagner plus Francisco Rodriguez. Rodriguez has been about as good as I expected him to be. Other people expected him to be amazing. I certainly didn’t. He’s pitched 54 innings with a 3.33 ERA, 53 K’s, 30 walks, a 1.30 WHIP, and has converted 26 of 31 saves. He’s tailed off recently, posting a 13.50 ERA in his last 6 appearances. Batters have touched him up for a 1.085 OPS in that span. Keep in mind he plays in probably the most pitcher-friendly ballpark in baseball. If I’m a Mets fan, I’m worried. If I’m the Mets FO, I’m probably looking at shutting him down soon. This season is meaningless and it looks like he may be developing an injury.

Pedro Feliciano was the sort of default closer last year after Wagner went down with Tommy John surgery. The Mets learned that they never want Pedro Feliciano to regularly pitch the 9th again. He started the 2008 season as a lefty specialist but his role was elevated throughout the season due to injuries and incompetence by his fellow relievers–eventually becoming the closer. He got his first save opportunity on August 12th–having already amassed 62 appearances with a 3.77 ERA. He proceeded to fade down the stretch retiring only 31 of the 49 batters he faced and posted a 5.23 ERA. People understandably attribute his struggles to his new role, though I wonder if something else is at play here. He led the league in appearances last year and I wonder if he was tired. He’s been good this year, posting a 2.87 ERA with a 42-to-11 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 47 innings. He currently leads the league in appearances, so I’m very interested to see if he fades down the stretch like he did last year. To this point, the usage pattern has been remarkably similar and this is about the point during last season that he started fading.

The bullpen is incredibly uninteresting after the first two members now that Parnell is in the rotation.

Brian Stokes is 29 years old and has totaled 170 and 1/3 MLB innings. When I see that, I just assume they aren’t good or they’re Cuban or Japanese. Stokes isn’t Cuban or Japanese, but he’s been fairly good this season, posting a 3.02 ERA in 50 and 2/3 innings. The rather pedestrian 32-to-25 strikeout-to-walk ratio suggests he’s rather lucky and his actual ability is a lot closer to his pre-2009 career ERA of 5.66. The delusion of Citi Field: a bad pitcher can post good numbers.

Sean Green, not much unlike Brian Stokes, is 30 years old and has totaled 203 and 2/3 MLB innings. Unlike Brian Stokes, he’s put up a horrible ERA this season–5.05 in 51 and 2/3 innings.  His strikeout-to-walk ratio is 42-to-20, so he’s sort of the anti-Stokes.  Decent K/BB, crappy ERA.  He’s a low-leverage type.

Tim Redding was awful as a starter, posting a 6.99 ERA in 9 starts, but has posted a 4.05 ERA in 11 appearances post-demotion to the bullpen.  His 12-to-10 strikeout-to-walk ratio suggests that despite his decent ERA, he is in fact in the correct role–mop up man.

Nelson Figueroa.  I really don’t know why the Mets keep him around.  You might as well let one of your kids, someone who will learn something and actually improve and figures to be part of your organization in the future, take his innings.  He’s got a 5.93 ERA in 13 and 2/3 innings.  Wasn’t any better last year.  Meaningless innings pitcher.

When you have a 7-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio and that doesn’t figure to improve all that much, you’re not a MLB pitcher.  Elmer Dessens is another one of the scrap heap types who the Mets should simply release.  It isn’t like he’s giving them quality innings.

Usage:

Who knows?  Francisco Rodriguez pitches the 9th.  Feliciano the 8th.  The rest of the relievers are pretty bad and the Mets just use them in set-up roles when they have nobody else to go to.  Because there isn’t much quality in this bullpen.  It started with K-Rod, Feliciano, Parnell, and Putz as a fairly potent back-end of the bullpen, but with Putz predictably out for the year and Parnell accommodating one of the rotation vacancies, there’s just a shell of a back-end of a bullpen there.  And when your front-end guys assume back-end roles and AAAA organizational filler pieces assume front-end roles, your bullpen starts to suck pretty fast.

Inactive Notables:

Billy Wagner – 60 day DL.  Tommy John.

J.J. Putz – 60 day DL.  Bone spur surgery.

In Sunday afternoon’s game, Mike Pelfrey entered the 8th inning with a 2-1 lead. He had thrown 90 pitches entering the frame, had retired his last seven batters and was in the midst of a three-hit gem.

After getting the first batter on a ground out, Pelfrey gave up back-to-back doubles to Eugenio Velez (his second hit if the day) and Randy Winn which tied the game at 2.

After that run scoring double, Mets manager Jerry Manuel trudges to the mound to remove his starting pitcher during the 8th inning “mess.” He brings in another right handed pitcher Brian Stokes who gets Freddie Sanchez swinging for the second out. After an intentional pass to Pablo Sandoval, Manuel brought in Pedro Feliciano to face the lefty swinging Fred Lewis, knowing full well the Giants had Ryan Garko on the bench to pinch hit.

But Jerry was in one of his Jerry moments, eschewing the future for the present, and proceeded with his mix and match madness. Feliciano ended up getting Garko to line out to end the inning, much to the delight of Mets TV broadcaster Gary Cohen.

I have to ask a question? What is more important, winning a meaningless game in mid-August for a team which is not going anywhere (meaning the Mets), or letting your #2 starter Pelfrey, get out of one of his own jams late in a game?

Similar to how Joba is being babied by the Yankees, Pelfrey is treated like a 14 year old entering his freshman year of high school. Pelfrey is no baby, but is 25 year old full grown man. And at 25 years of age, should be past the Verducci rules.

Pelfrey also has tremendous mechanics, throws free and easy and was not laboring at all.

At his point of the season, I say Manuel needs to let Pelfrey get out of late inning jams. Even if the Mets were in a divisional or wild card race, Manuel would need to let Pelfrey pitch. Manuel needs to understand that if Pelfrey is to develop into a top pitcher, he needs to learn how to clean up his own mess.   

Cleaning up 8th inning messes will only help Pelfrey down the line when tough situations occur to him early, mid or late in future games. If Pelfrey could of gotten out of that 8th inning jam on his own, then it would have been a boost to his confidence that he can be that go to guy starting pitcher, a tough #2 behind Johan Santana–at least until Santana asks out of New York.

Even if Pelfrey gave up another couple of hits and ended up losing 3-2 own his own accord, it would be better for him to get a decision (even if it was a loss) than being taken out with the game on the line.  Pelfrey was pulled after back to back doubles, leaving with the negativity that surrounds giving up the lead.

Pelfrey never got the opportunity to leave on a high note by getting out of that jam, and even if he would have received the L, but it would have been HIS decision, not the managers decision.  

Starting pitchers are getting fewer and fewer decisions each year, and it is a problem when they begin to think that 6 or 7 innings is a quality start, but don’t have a factor in the decision.

Manuel needs to realize that this season doesn’t count anymore, and that it is better to build for the future and to make the New York Mets team as good as it can be for future years, even if MANUEL IS NOT HERE TO DO THE MANAGING.

Lets hope that Pelfrey is allowed to clean up after himself the rest of the season, and can build upon his experiences, both good and bad.

But it likely will not ever happen.

With a record that has incurred more losses than wins, the Mets and their fans must savor any chance they can get in witnessing a victory. Heading into the top of the ninth inning last night, the Mets were leading by two runs and they had their All-Star closer, Francisco Rodriguez, on the mound to save it. To make a long story short, he blew the save and the Mets went on to lose the game in extra innings by the dreadful score of 12-7. Prior to the start of the game, Mets manager Jerry Manuel admitted that Rodriguez was being used sporadically. He also made reference to the fact that his closer loves to pitch and would have no qualms with being called upon to throw four out of five days. Manuel also reiterated these comments after the game as well.

After placing my violin back into its case, I waited for one of the many beat reporters to inquire why the Mets manager had pulled right hander Brian Stokes so quickly in the tenth. With the score tied at seven, Stokes was able to induce a ground ball that registered the first out of the inning. For his success, Stokes was taken out and replaced with left-hander Pedro Feliciano. If you haven’t noticed yet, Manuel loves to matchup his relievers, lefty-on-lefty, and then proceed by rolling the dice. After allowing the bases to load, Feliciano battled back to strike out Cardinals Skip Schumaker for the second out. Feliciano’s reward? An early trip to the showers. In comes, you guessed it, Sean Green. Not only does Green hit Cardinals Mark DeRosa with the first pitch he throws but he then goes on to surrender a grand slam to who else? Albert Pujols. I guess the only positive you could take from that hit was that unlike Pujols’ first home run of the game, this one didn’t land inside the Mets apple.

New York Mets 9 @ Pittsburgh Pirates 8 (10 innings)

• Just when you think you know the Mets, they prove you wrong. I was in bed listening to the game on the radio this afternoon, and when they fell behind by five runs, I thought we had no chance. I ended up falling asleep, and when I woke up, I was shocked to hear that the Mets were leading. I fell back asleep, and by the time I woke up and got out of bed, it was over. The Mets had secured a victory that was as impressive as it was troubling.
• The Mets fell behind early due to a terrible performance by starter Tim Redding. After a relatively easy first inning, Redding gave up three runs in the second and two more in the third. He couldn’t even get through the third inning. With a man on second and one out, manager Jerry Manuel was forced to take Redding out.
• Redding’s final line was: 2.1 IP, 6H, 5ER, 2BB, 2K. This is the fourth straight start in which Redding has given up four-plus earned runs. Of his nine starts this season, only three could really be called good. He’s been awful several times. His ERA is 6.99. It’s time to get him out of the rotation.
• Give the middle relievers credit. Pat Misch came on in the third to replace Redding, and managed to strand Redding’s runner on second, recording two consecutive groundball outs for the Mets.
• Misch was followed by Elmer Dessens who managed to skirt trouble and pitch a scoreless fourth. Other than one rough outing against the Yankees, Dessens has been fantastic for the Mets. Of his five appearances this year, four were hitless and scoreless. He has walked four hitters though, which is a slight matter of concern.
• Brian Stokes had a great outing, giving up just one hit in his two innings of work. Stokes has been excellent all season except for a few really rough outings. Of his 30 appearances this year, 26 have been scoreless. But when he does give up runs, he tends to give up a lot of runs. Four earned against the Brewers. Four earned against the Yankees. Five earned versus the Red Sox. Apparently, either he’s got it or he doesn’t. There’s no middle ground.
• Pedro Feliciano gave up one run in two innings of work. He was somewhat wild, but managed to hold the lead for the Mets.
• Francisco Rodriguez, on the other hand, had a terrible ninth. He gave up hits to the first two hitters, including a game-tying two-run home run to Adam LaRoche. Then, with two outs, he gave up two more singles before finally recording the third out. But he recovered to pitch a perfect tenth to get the win. Bad appearance but a fairly impressive recovery from K-Rod.
• On offense, the Mets simply exploded against Paul Maholm, usually a fairly decent starter for the Pirates. In Maholm’s four and a third innings of work, the Mets scored 6 runs on 11 hits. They faded a bit in the later innings, but still, an impressive outburst from this Mets offense.
• Daniel Murphy may’ve had the biggest hit of the game. With his team trailing 5 – 0, he had a pinch-hit 2-RBI single, putting the Mets back in the game.
• Most of the offense, however, came from Fernando Tatis, Nick Evans, and Ryan Church.
• Tatis went 3 for 4, scoring four times and knocking in two runs. His big blow was a two-run homerun in the sixth that put the Mets up by a score of 8 to 5.
• Evans went 2 for 6, including an RBI single in the big fifth inning, when the Mets scored three runs to tie the game at five. Evans is hitting an impressive .333 (8 for 24).
• Meanwhile, Ryan Church went 3 for 6 with 2 RBIs, including the go-ahead RBI single in the tenth. Church is 10 for his last 18. Clearly, bringing in Church was one of Omar Minaya’s best moves. Church is hitting .292 for the Mets, while Lastings Milledge never did anything for Washington and is now in the Pirates minor league system.
• The Philadelphia Phillies had better get their act together, because the teams behind them are finally chasing them. The Florida Marlins have won three straight, seven out of ten, and are now tied with the Phillies for first place in the NL East. The Mets have won two straight and are just a game back. And the Atlanta Braves have won four straight and are just two games back.
• The Mets are now three games back in the NL Wild Card race.

There is much I loathe about sports — the interviews, fantasy teams, ESPN in its entirety, athletes treating everyone else like public urinals — but I keep watching because of the little raw, unfiltered moments in competition that send chills up my spine.

For example:

Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia.

Bottom of the eighth inning.

A Phillies batter — Jayson Werth, for example — has fouled off three straight pitches with a full count, two outs, and the bases loaded.  His team trails by two runs.  The home fans are wired, buzzed, ready to burst.  They stomp, cheer, clap, scream, taunt — anything to sway the outcome in their team’s favor.  One good swing by Werth and the fervent, frothing scene will be brought to a euphoric climax as the Phillies take the lead.

The camera shakes as it zooms in to crop out everything but Werth and, in the foreground, a pressure-packed Mets reliever.  Brian Stokes, for example.

Stokes, standing sideways in the stretch, his knee bent, leans in to get the sign.

Werth waggles, cocks his bat.  He’s ready to be the hero.  Fans in the first three rows, on their feet, provide a glimpse of what the other 43,000 are doing.  Joe Buck rattles off a statistic from the television booth that, while meaningless and contrived, adds to the tension.

Stokes, a man on an island who somehow seems unfazed by it, shakes off a sign.  Then another sign.

Werth is still cocked and loaded, his front toe tapping as his bat swirls above his head.  The noise and momentum and the home turf makes it almost certain Werth will destroy what Stokes is about to offer him.

Finally satisfied with his ammunition, Stokes nods his head, then comes set.

He delivers, condensing nearly a minute of posturing, fantasizing and anticipation into a split-second moment of truth.

Werth hitches forward, then freezes as 96 mph of starched, sizzling cheese singes the outside corner of the plate.

Strike three.

The scene at home plate shatters around the Phillies hero.

All the characters who could possibly do harm to the home team’s boy — characters who, a split second ago, were in place, focused, vulnerable, ready to be devoured — scatter: the umpire lurches back and, one-two, seals Werth’s fate; simultaneously, the catcher leaps from his crouch and bolts out of the picture, excited; Stokes, knowing his pitch was perfect, vacates the mound, fist-pumped, before his catcher has even rolled the ball back to the mound.

In the stands, a few shrieks, but mostly silence.  Boos.  Fans frozen, Stokes’ island now shifted 60 feet, six inches beneath Philadelphia’s hero, who looks to the sky in disbelief.

* Another example: When the visiting team scores an overtime goal in the Stanley Cup playoffs to instantly mute a building.  All you hear is faint, distant, rebel-yelling from the visitor’s bench.  I love scenes like this.  Why?  Because the only thing more stunning than hearing 40,000 screaming fans is not hearing them.  And getting out of jams like the one Stokes did (fictitiously) above, to me, illustrates the depths of an athlete’s gut.

New York Mets 3 @ Milwaukee Brewers 6

• For the first time in a long time, the Mets actually gave their fans the illusion of victory Tuesday night. They got off to a great start in the top of the first, when Alex Cora walked to lead off the game and David Wright drove him in with a 2-run home run. 
• With a 2 – 0 lead and their ace on the mound, things were finally looking good for the Mets. Johan Santana got through the two innings fairly easily, and managed to get out of  the third mostly unscathed.
• He started the third by giving up three consecutive singles and a run but got out of a two-out, bases-loaded jam with the Mets still leading 2 – 1.
• However, the bottom of the fourth proved deadly for Santana and the Mets. Santana started out by striking out the number eight hitter before walking the opposing pitcher, Mike Burns. He then gave up a double to Corey Hart, putting runners on second and third with just one out. After walking J.J. Hardy to load the bases. Santana got Ryan Braun to hit a catchable fly ball to center field. But center fielder Fernando Martinez fell down in his pursuit of the ball and all three runners would score as a result, with Braun scoring as well on a Santana throwing error. The Mets had gone into the inning leading 2 – 1. Now, they trailed 5 – 2, and were completely devastated.
• The Mets would mount a couple rallies as the game went on. They got a couple runners on in the eighth but failed to score. They scored in the ninth on Martinez’s first major-league home run. But none of the threats were particularly serious. The Brewers would win by a final score of 6 – 3, but the game was essentially over when Martinez failed to catch the Braun fly in the fourth.
• Over the past couple days, the Mets have seem to found their hitting stroke. They pounded out nine hits Tuesday and thirteen hits Monday. They struck out just six times in the past two games after striking out 28 times in their three-game series with the Yankees.
• Unfortunately, they have also regained their old inability to translate hits into runs. Monday was all about leaving runners on base, 10 to be exact. Tuesday was all about rally-killing double plays. After Wright singled with one out in the sixth, Gary Sheffield hit into an inning-ending double play. Then, in the ninth, down by a score of 6 – 2, Ryan Church led off with a single, but then Nick Evans grounded into a double play. Martinez followed with a home run, and one has to wonder if the Mets would’ve been able to mount a comback had Evans not grounded into the double play.
• Two double plays is obviously not that many, but for a team like the Mets, who have virtually no power and whose offense relies entirely on long drawn-out rallies, double plays simply cannot happen.
• The Mets are now a full five games  back in the NL Wild Card race.
• On the bright side, the Phillies lost, the Mets got scoreless innings from Brian Stokes and Sean Green, and Wright got three hits including the two-run home run.

Mets won last night, Thanks to an awesome double play c/o Mr Stokes!

Brian Stokes hasnt pitched much at all this season, and I am a big fan of him. Im really happy for him. Its even more amazing because Albert “The Machine” Pujols grounded out. Thats no easy out!

Not much news today, no new cards. So, Mets are taking on Cardinals again, Tonight at 7:10 Livan is goin for Mets, He has been great this season! (I was at his complete game!)

Thanks for reading!

And thanks to Cardboard Junkie For giving me a shoutout! New viewers, be sure to check out the Mike Pelfrey Collection Enjoy!

Fans of the New York Mets nearly doubled over and died after hearing Carlos Beltran, who has been the most competitive player this team has this year, has gone down to visit with Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado on the disabled list.

I received comments, both here and on Facebook, along with emails proclaiming the Mets season was over.

What did the players think? Well, let’s just say Mets fans just might have some renewed faith in this team.

Alex Cora was among the ones who spoke to the media and said exactly what I wanted to hear:

“It takes more than five superstars to win.”

I love a man who is confident. Cora hit the nail right on the head. Everyone talks about how the Yankees have all of these superstar players and cannot seem to get a championship with them. They got all their rings with a bunch of nobody’s.

Well that is the same situation the Mets are in. They have very few superstars on the roster. The only ones are David Wright, Johan Santana and Francisco Rodriguez. Who can forget Gary Sheffield? The rest of a bunch of guys who would never get a vote to go to the All-Star game.

These are your bench guys. They are guys who have come up from the minors to get dirty and will play their hearts out because they know this is their chance to prove they can do something for this team. It is their moment to shine.

And shine they did.

The Mets won last night’s game with guys like Daniel Murphy, Alex Cora, Omir Santos, Tim Redding and Brian Stokes. Luis Castillo contributed with speed and a killer play from his knees to throw out Yadier Molina at first.

The big hits came from Santos, who went four for four, and Cora, who went three for three.

Redding, who was pitching for his job last night, made a comment that I will always love to hear from a pitcher:

“Wins for me doesn’t matter. I just want to keep the team in the game.”

That he did. He pitched his heart out never giving up the lead the offense gave him. He showed Albert Pujols and the rest of the Cardinals who the boss was. Redding only gave up tw home runs and a double. He pitched seven plus innings before being taken out.

It was a performance needed since it was announced Pedro Feliciano, Shawn Green, and Bobby Parnell would not be available.

Jerry Manuel managed a great game by sticking to his plan to rest those three guys. He used Jon Switzer and Stokes to bridge the gap to Rodriguez. Stokes gave the performance of his life by getting Pujols to hit into a double play to end a potential threat.

What Stokes did last night was beyond amazing. I did not think he would pitch to Pujols. I thought for sure it would be an intentional walk. Stokes was having none of that. He did his job and did it well.

The Mets have done it again. As far as they are concerned, they will continue to do it. They will play until the very last out is made on the very last day they are allowed to play.

Nobody is going to tell them they are dead and have no shot at making the playoffs. Only the Mets can determine where they land.

Where did they land after last night’s spectacular performance? Mets fans, they are only one and half games out of first place.

Let’s keep it going tonight with Livan “Rubber Arm” Hernandez on the mound.