2009 Mets Evaluations

2009 Analysis: Carlos Delgado

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delgado-fistImmediately after Johan Santana was acquired in February 2008, I made the bold statement that the “key” to the Mets’ season would be Carlos Delgado. Since the Mets started winning when Delgado began heating up, it seemed to me that the big man’s bat and health would be the key again in 2009.

Maybe it was just a coincidence, but the Mets’ fortunes seem to have paralleled the performance — and availability — of Carlos Delgado. His presence in the cleanup spot took the pressure off Carlos Beltran, gave protection to David Wright, and created a speed bump in the lineup where opposing pitchers had to slow down and proceed cautiously.

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2009 Analysis: Alex Cora

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alex_cora_metsThere were points in 2009 that Alex Cora was considered the glue of the team.

You might look at that in one of two different ways — either Cora is that great a ballplayer, or the ballclub sunk that low.

Cora was — for stretches — a very good ballplayer. Almost immediately after Jose Reyes was “day to day”, Cora went on a hot streak offensively, getting on base a blistering 44% of the time and hitting .333 just prior to injuring his thumb in mid-May and landing himself on the DL. When Cora returned, he was still

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2009 Analysis: Luis Castillo

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luis-castillo-popupExcept for that one matter of a dropped popup in the bottom of the ninth inning of a Yankees game, Luis Castillo played as well as anyone could have expected — and far beyond the expectations of most Mets fans.

Anyone who was reading MetsToday back in early April might remember my “Wild Mets Predictions“. Most of them were off, but one of them was:

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2009 Analysis: Josh Thole

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josh_thole-hitJosh Thole made the improbable jump from A-ball in 2008 to MLB in 2009 — making a pit-stop in AA Binghamton in between. After hitting .321 in his 17-game September debut, and delighting fans with his youth, energy, and choked-up line drives, there’s at least a little buzz pushing for Thole to assume the starting catching role in 2010.

But is Josh Thole ready for full-time, prime-time action behind the plate?

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2009 Analysis: Brian Schneider

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brian-schneider-profileThere was a time that Brian Schneider was an agile receiver with a great glove, strong arm, and the added bonus of some pop in his bat. In fact I can remember when Omar Minaya was GM of the Expos, and he supposedly spent every winter turning down offers for his young and promising backstop.

Those days are long gone, unfortunately. Today, Schneider is only about average behind the plate in all areas and well below average offensively. He has ten years of experience in the National League, and appears to be a bright fellow, so we can assume he has a “book” on most opposing hitters. Still, we didn’t hear many glowing comments about his abilities from the members of his pitching staff — which is mildly concerning. He may have the reputation as a guy “good at handling pitchers” but other than a few notes about him doing a nice job with Mike Pelfrey, there hasn’t been any concrete proof of that.

Part of the problem could be that

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2009 Analysis: Omir Santos

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omir-santos-commonsIt’s safe to say that Omir Santos exceeded expectations in 2009.

Santos was signed as a minor league free agent in mid-January, an under-the-radar move lost among announcements such as Casey Fossum, Bobby Kielty, and Valerio de Los Santos — not unlike a similar transaction that brought Ramon Castro to New York in the winter of 2004. At the time, even those who noticed the signing figured Santos was simply an extra guy to catch all those pitchers invited to spring training. Santos was competing with Rene Rivera, Robinson Cancel, Salomon Manriquez, Josh Thole, and others for a third-string backup job that didn’t exist.

But Brian Schneider struggled with back ailments all spring, something about Santos caught the eye of Jerry Manuel, and the rest is history.

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2009 Analysis: Darren O’Day

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darren-oday-metsHey! Darren O’Day wasn’t on the team by Game 162 — in fact he was gone before the end of April. So what the heck is he doing as part of the 2009 analysis?

It’s a sore spot, that’s why — and O’Day’s brief tenure as a New York Met is a symbol of the organization’s shortsighted, knee-jerk “strategies” of building and maintaining the 25-man roster.

What this post should have been was a congratulatory note to Omar Minaya and his scouting staff for having the boldness and acuity to pluck Darren O’Day in the Rule 5 Draft. The acquisition could have been a soothing bright spot amidst a dark year of disappointment. But even when the Mets did something right, they found a way to undo it.

O’Day earned a bullpen spot on the strength of a sparkling

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2009 Analysis: Tobi Stoner

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tobi-stoner-handstandThe photo to the left sort of sums up the season for Tobi Stoner, one that seemed destined for a storybook ending, but somehow fell short. You might say it was … upended.

Stoner began his journey to the big leagues in Lanstuhl, Germany — though, it quickly transferred to a small town in western Maryland, and proceeded through the relatively unknown Garrett College and a tiny liberal arts college called Davis & Elkins — where he was randomly discovered by a scout whose intention was to watch an opposing hitter.

“The scout had actually come to see the other team’s best hitter, but I struck him out.”

It was a case of right place, right time for the small-town, German-born boy, as Stoner pitched the game of his life and was drafted in the 16th round that June. As Stoner himself admits

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