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.

David Wright Batting Leadoff

Posted on February 23, 2010 by Joe Janish

According to zen master Jerry Manuel, Jose Reyes will be the Mets’ #3 hitter — as long as Carlos Beltran is on the DL. I don’t even want to go into the stupidity of Reyes in the 3-hole, nor the … Continue reading →

Posted in 2010 Spring Training | 8 Comments

Torture Times Thirteen

Posted on February 23, 2010 by Joe Janish

A few days ago, Fred Wilpon described this past offseason as: “Torture,” Wilpon said. “Very, very difficult.” I’m so glad that a Dodgers fan had similar feelings to mine during these past few months, even if were for different reasons. … Continue reading →

Posted in 09-10 Offseason | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Mets Sign Rod Barajas

Posted on February 22, 2010 by Joe Janish

Yes, the Mets have signed another catcher. And this one is the best of the bunch. Unfortunately, that’s not saying much. Rod Barajas is an average to slightly above-average defender and a terrible offensive player with one tool: the ability … Continue reading →

Posted in 09-10 Offseason | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Mets Add Another Catcher

Posted on February 19, 2010 by Joe Janish

According to PlanetHardball, the Mets have added yet another catcher to the spring training mix — and it’s NOT Rod Barajas (not yet anyway). Rather, they’ve brought in German-born backstop Kai Gronauer. The 23-year-old receiver was invited to spring training, … Continue reading →

Posted in 09-10 Offseason | 2 Comments

Kelvim Escobar Already Injured

Posted on February 18, 2010 by Joe Janish

I tried … I tried so gosh darn hard to be positive, to remain upbeat, being that today was the day that “pitchers and catchers report” to Port St. Lucie. Yet, hours before the doors to Tradition Field were opened, … Continue reading →

Posted in 2010 Spring Training | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Jose Reyes is Happy and Healthy

Posted on February 18, 2010 by Joe Janish

For the past few weeks, it seems that every Mets media outlet is covering something “new” about Jose Reyes every single day — so I didn’t want to be left out. The conspiracy theorist inside me thinks that the Mets’ … Continue reading →

Posted in 09-10 Offseason | Tagged | 3 Comments

Yuniesky Maya in Camp

Posted on February 17, 2010 by Joe Janish

My apologies for being negative recently … er, for most of the winter. But the New York Mets have made it very difficult to extract silver linings from the black clouds surrounding the club. It’s simply impossible to get excited … Continue reading →

Posted in 09-10 Offseason | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Henry Blanco is a Backup

Posted on February 17, 2010 by Joe Janish

According to Mets GM Omar Minaya, Henry Blanco is a backup catcher. And you thought Minaya didn’t know things. Unfortunately, Minaya also announced that the Mets’ starting catching position would be a competition between Omir Santos and Josh Thole, both … Continue reading →

Posted in 09-10 Offseason | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments