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June 4, 2010 Gameday Open Thread John Fitzgerald

Gameday Open Thread: June 4 vs. Florida

The Mets (27-27) look to right themselves as they take on the visiting Marlins (27-27) at Citi Field. Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (2-0, 2.84) gets the ball for the Mets and Anibal Sanchez (5-2, 2.89) gets the nod for the Marlins.

First pitch at 7:10pm Eastern…

Discuss…

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John Fitzgerald is an independent film/TV producer. In 2007, he followed former Mets 2B Wally Backman and his minor league team for the TV show, "Playing for Peanuts." Click here for DVD ordering information NOTE: $5 from each sale goes to maintenance costs of MetsToday.com
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  1. John Fitzgerald June 4, 2010 at 9:37 pm
    Beltran hit in an extended spring training game today – http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/metsblog/mets_beltr…
  2. John Fitzgerald June 4, 2010 at 9:38 pm
    Gary Matthews designated for assignment! http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/news/story…
  3. John Fitzgerald June 4, 2010 at 9:39 pm
    A pic of Beltran taking BP today – http://twitpic.com/1tx0hr
  4. John Fitzgerald June 4, 2010 at 9:41 pm
    Robin Ventura has the longest NCAA hit streak – for now: http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/backpage/ventura_th…

    I had forgotten about this. Ventura really was a big-time player in college and MLB. Makes you wonder how much better he would've been without the injury.

  5. John Fitzgerald June 4, 2010 at 9:48 pm
    Interesting take on the Mets and GMJ: http://twitter.com/Bluenatic/status/15444146696
  6. John Fitzgerald June 4, 2010 at 9:49 pm
    Anthony DiComo of MLB.com is reporting John Maine threw off the mound today – first time since going on the DL: http://twitter.com/AnthonyDiComo/statuses/1544382…
  7. gary516 June 4, 2010 at 11:26 pm
    IKE LOOKS AWFUL. BRING BACK MURPHY! LOL
  8. Tom June 4, 2010 at 11:56 pm
    In response to the Mets' 0 black players,

    they are on their second straight african american manager, and have a black 1st base coach

  9. John Fitzgerald June 5, 2010 at 12:19 am
    Excellent point, Tom.
  10. isuzudude June 5, 2010 at 1:25 am
    The Mets still have a few roster decisions to make, even with the transactions today. With GMJ gone, Pagan is the only outfielder left with adequate CF experience. With FMart and Pridie both hurt, it seems to me Jesus Feliciano is going to be making his major league debut sooner than later – more than likely coming up when Blanco rejoins the team and Santos can be optioned back to the minors. And tomorrow Jon Niese is returning, which means someone else has to go. Unless Ollie has a drastic change of heart and character and decides to accept a demotion, it won't be him. So who else could it be? Mejia? Dessens? Valdes? I'd say they are the 3 favorites.
  11. metstoday June 5, 2010 at 3:25 am
    I don't know why everyone is making a big deal about a backup CF. The position is important, for sure, but it's not like catching or shortstop, where a very rare skill set and experience is required.

    If something happens to Pagan, both Bay and Francoeur can hold their own over a few innings, and the Mets can bring someone else up. Not a big deal.

    As for the demotion when Niese returns, it won't be Dessens because Elmer is suddenly Jerry's "guy" for the 8th inning (yikes!). My bet is on Valdes, considering that Jerry likes the idea of having Mejia's electric stuff on the roster.

  12. wohjr June 5, 2010 at 12:56 pm
    I'm actually kind of enjoying the scrap-heap 8th inning guy strategy. Valdes is just about used up at this point, and I hope you all are enjoying dessens mania b/c he's probably got about 3 more passable outings in him. But thats OK, we can swap him out for some other down-and-out veteran reliever. Anyone got Roberto Hernandez's number???
  13. isuzudude June 5, 2010 at 1:17 pm
    Well, as long as you don't think Angel Pagan needs a day off until Carlos Beltran returns to the team, then I guess having no other "natural" CF on the team isn't a big deal. But if Pagan comes down with the flu, or appendicitis, or hurts himself in batting practice, we're going to be in for quite the adventure with a Bay-Francoeur-Carter outfield alignment. Plus, it's not like the Mets would bring up Jesus Feliciano just to meet their outfield quota. Looking at his performance so far at Buffalo, I'd say he certainly deserves a promotion.

    And when Santos does go back to the minors (because I doubt the Mets feel they need three catchers), who else from AAA aside from Feliciano do you see the Mets recalling? You can make an argument for Mike Hessman, but, to me, he'd be redundant to Fernando Tatis. At least Feliciano is giving you added OF depth, which is what it seems the Mets need right now. Unless you want to go with 13 pitchers?

  14. MikeTomaselli June 5, 2010 at 5:13 pm
    Couple of thoughts on the roster.

    GMJ, DL for Castillo, Perez to DL all signify the second big changes this year for the Mets. The first was the Ike Davis call up and that turned out well. Right now with Niese being called back, Santos up while Blanco is hurting (and not Thole because he was recently hit in the head with a bat while catching… well Josh had to know catching wasn't going to be easy…) and Tejada starting while Castillo is out the roster is still temporary.

    In the end we have to assume when the dust settles a bit we will have Tejada at second, Feliciano as the 4th OFer, Niese in the rotation, NIeve back in the bullpen, Perez and Maine in a constant rehab stint, Dickey and Takahashi in the rotation, and a "who ever is the hot hand" 8th inning guy.

    I'm pleased with the moves of the past few days and the likely moves to follow. I want to argue that one more roster move be made. Can we DFA Tatis and bring up Mike Hessman? I know he is a bit of an unknown, but Tatis is not playing and Hessman potentially could be a more capable replacement for Wright. I think Wright could use more days off and Tatis is just no more than below average at third. Hessman could at least hit for more power and play adequate defense.

    Also I wish they would trade Mische for Mejia, but that is wishful thinking.

  15. metstoday June 5, 2010 at 5:57 pm
    Why would Pagan need a day off? Keith Hernandez says anyone under 30 can play every single day. 🙂

    Seriously though, Bay and Francoeur are both fine enough athletes to handle CF for 9 innings if need be. Again, there aren't any special skills needed to catch a fly ball in CF that can't be transferred from the corners for a few innings or a game here or there.

    It's not unlike having Alex Cora backup as the SS backup. For a few innings or a single game, he won't embarrass himself. But if Reyes were to go down for an extended time, you'd call someone up. Same with Pagan — yeah, call up Feliciano if Pagan is down for more than a day.

    I don't know why the Mets need added OF depth. GMJ was DFA'd partly because he stunk but also because they didn't have any playing time for him. If you notice, outfielder Chris Carter also hasn't seen much time at all, and neither has occasional outfielder Tatis.

  16. metstoday June 5, 2010 at 6:00 pm
    I would be stunned to see Hessman promoted. Not because he doesn't deserve it, but because he's labeled as a AAAA guy. The Mets never brought up Val Pascucci when he was killing the ball two years ago, and they won't bring up Jesus Feliciano until they're forced to, for the same reason (viewed as a non-prospect). That's not MY opinion, btw, that is just how the Mets view things. Probably also why Chris Carter isn't getting any kind of chance at the MLB level. Go figure.
  17. MikeTomaselli June 5, 2010 at 6:01 pm
    Wow. Joe you really kicked my butt there. That makes loads of sense, I just feel that with as good as Feliciano has been in AAA the guy deserves a shot. I'd rather have these guys on our bench, capable of getting a big hit, than having both Tatis and Cora and their barely .200 averages. Honestly I think it speaks more to MAnuel's complete inability to work in irregulars to keep them active and ready to contribute when called upon. Since every day they know they won't start it would seem to be easy to not be prepared every day and thus not successful when called upon. That is my biggest problem with Jerry as a manager… that and his crummy bullpen management for opposite reasons.
  18. isuzudude June 5, 2010 at 6:39 pm
    Joe:
    If my memory serves me correctly, their was a decent amount of criticism directed towards Willie during the collapse year of 2007 when he didn't rest his "core" regulars, and severely underutilized his bench. This led to a slowdown in offensive production that was one of the main culprits for that season's infamous outcome.

    So now, in 2010, I'm not understanding why we're just accepting how this season's bench players are picking splinters out of their behinds while the "core" regulars are, once again, playing day in and day out without getting a rest. Why advocate having a dearth of depth on the bench when we've seen how this same problem has cost this team in the long-run in season's past?

    When Santos returns to the minors, the bench will consist of Blanco, Cora, Tatis and Carter. The 4 of them have the experience and the talent composition to handle every spot in the field EXCEPT CF. Moreover, it is VERY unlikely either Bay or Francoeur get inserted into a starting lineup in which they are to handle CF duties from the 1st inning onward. That having been said, and seeing how Feliciano is arguably the most deserving position player to receive a promotion from Buffalo, why are you so reluctant to bring him to NY? I don't argue that Pagan could play everyday until Beltran returns, nor do I argue that either Bay or Francoeur could play CF in a pinch. But why back the roster into a corner like that? Why not call up Feliciano as insurance behind Pagan? Why not see if his .370+ AAA average this season could translate into success at the major league level? Who else from Buffalo (assuming the Mets don't make a trade or delve into the free agency pool for bench help) do you see as a better fit for the bench once Santos gets demoted?

    I could see your point in not forcing Feliciano onto the roster just because of his experience playing CF if he were hitting .230 for the Bisons, or if FMart or Pridie were healthy. But, to me, Feliciano is the academic replacement for GMJ for the bench. He's hitting well, he fills a need the Mets have, and he deserves the opportunity. There's just no good reason to leave the team short-handed on the bench like you suggest – especially when someone like Feliciano is sitting in our back pocket.

  19. metstoday June 5, 2010 at 6:50 pm
    Mike, I didn't mean to kick your butt … is that what I did?

    Again, this isn't MY opinion on things, it's simply the way I feel the Mets think about things after watching this Minaya administration over the past 5 years. They simply have their idea about a player, and almost nothing can happen on the field to change that idea.

    That said, I agree with you wholeheartedly on all your points.

  20. metstoday June 5, 2010 at 6:52 pm
    'dude, as with Mike, I agree with you. The reality of the situation, as I pointed out above, is that once the Minaya camp makes an evaluation on a player, it doesn't seem to change, no matter what.

    Further, Jerry Manuel is not managing for a 162-game season — he is managing every single game as if it is his last, because he's on the hot seat. So although you and I agree that pushing the pedal to the metal is going to cause a problem down the road, the reality is that Manuel can't and won't look that far ahead.

  21. MikeTomaselli June 5, 2010 at 7:16 pm
    FYI Manuel claimed that he would rest starters more often once he took over in 2008. I might have but I can't remember for sure. This was after WIllie worked both his bullpen and starters into the ground because everyday he was managing for his life. This is literally insanity on the Mets part because it is Willie all over again. How can they expect to see different results when they do the exact same thing again? I keep thinking that bringing up Feliciano and Carter would help this team out because the other options were just so awful, but then I think well they are never going to play so maybe I'd rather they get regular at bats in AAA in case an injury happens and they can be called up to play every day. Maybe this is the way they think and if so it is justifiable. Still the problem is how Jerry manages because either way that does not help matters.
  22. MikeTomaselli June 5, 2010 at 3:16 pm
    FYI Manuel claimed that he would rest starters more often once he took over in 2008. He might have but I can't remember for sure. This was after WIllie worked both his bullpen and starters into the ground because everyday he was managing for his life. This is literally insanity on the Mets part because it is Willie all over again. How can they expect to see different results when they do the exact same thing again? I keep thinking that bringing up Feliciano and Carter would help this team out because the other options were just so awful, but then I think well they are never going to play so maybe I'd rather they get regular at bats in AAA in case an injury happens and they can be called up to play every day. Maybe this is the way they think and if so it is justifiable. Still the problem is how Jerry manages because either way that does not help matters.
  23. metstoday June 5, 2010 at 8:20 pm
    That claim by Manuel was addressed many times at this blog … do a search and I'm sure you'll see something.

    How about we move this conversation to the current Game Day Open Thread so we can chat in real time? http://www.metstoday.com/4581/gameday-open-thread…