Author Archives: Joe Janish

About Joe Janish

Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.

Done Deal: Phillies Sign Cliff Lee

Posted on December 14, 2010 by Joe Janish

Perhaps feeling pressured by the Mets’ rabid activity over the past two weeks (signings of DJ Carrasco, Boof Bonser, and Ronny Paulino; hirings of Dave Hudgens, Jon DeBus, Ken Oberkfell, and Mookie Wilson to coaching staff), the Philadelphia Phillies responded … Continue reading →

Posted in 10-11 Offseason | Tagged , | 28 Comments

Cliff Lee to Sign with Phillies?

Posted on December 14, 2010 by Joe Janish

Throughout the Cliff Lee Pursuit of this offseason, a “mystery team” has been mentioned as an afterthought while the Yankees and Rangers seemed to be the frontrunners. In some ways, it reminded me of the 1992 Presidential election between George … Continue reading →

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Insight On New Mets Batting Coach Dave Hudgens

Posted on December 13, 2010 by Joe Janish

Adam Rubin at ESPN-NY just posted an article about new Mets batting coach Dave Hudgens, with direct quotes from Bobby Kielty, who played under Hudgens in Oakland. Interestingly, Kielty claimed that Hudgens didn’t force patience and OBP on his hitters: … Continue reading →

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Sandy Going Over Slot

Posted on December 13, 2010 by Joe Janish

On Friday during a blogger-only conference call I had the opportunity to pose a question to Mets GM Sandy Alderson. My question: You hired a new field coordinator and a new scouting director. Do you bring any kind of special … Continue reading →

Posted in 10-11 Offseason | Tagged | 2 Comments

How About Jose Canseco?

Posted on December 12, 2010 by Joe Janish

Many Mets fans are lamenting the lack of a big-time player acquisition this winter, which is due to the Mets’ limited finances. The team just doesn’t have the money nor the wherewithal to bring in someone who can make an … Continue reading →

Posted in 10-11 Offseason | Tagged , | 16 Comments

Sandy Alderson is Friend of Bloggers

Posted on December 11, 2010 by Joe Janish

This past Friday, the New York Mets held a conference call between General Manager Sandy Alderson and a group of Mets bloggers. No beat writers, TV reporters, radio jockeys, or other “traditional” media types were allowed. During the call, each … Continue reading →

Posted in 10-11 Offseason | 3 Comments

Bests, Worsts, and Mosts of the Winter Meetings

Posted on December 11, 2010 by Joe Janish

With the annual baseball winter meetings over, my wife suggested I do a list of “bests”, “worsts”, and “mosts”. A clever idea, except I’m not very good at these type of things. But, I’ll give it a try, and then … Continue reading →

Posted in 10-11 Offseason | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mets Pick Emaus, Beato in Rule 5 Draft

Posted on December 9, 2010 by Joe Janish

While the Yankees continue with their ho-hum, failed pursuit of $100M free agents, the Mets succeeded in making a big splash at the winter meetings, adding two players to their 40-man roster. In this morning’s Rule 5 Draft, the Mets … Continue reading →

Posted in 10-11 Offseason | 7 Comments