Overall, Jonathon Niese took a step forward in 2011. But there were two issues that may impede his progress in 2012.
2011 Mets Evaluations
2011 Analysis: Jason Isringhausen
When Jason Isringhausen walked off of a softball field and into spring training in Port St. Lucie, expectations were low. After all, the 38-year-old hadn’t thrown a big-league pitch in almost two years — and even then, it was only 8 innings before blowing out his elbow and undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery. Izzy himself wasn’t necessarily convinced he could pitch in MLB again — he had resigned himself to playing recreational softball after a brief comeback attempt in AAA during 2010. But nonetheless, he gave it the old college try. And who were the Mets to deny any pitcher entrance to their spring training complex, much less one with Isringhausen’s resume and previous history with the organization?
It was a longshot, and if Izzy could just make it back on a big-league mound it would make for a fabulous feel-good story. As it turned out, Izzy gave the Mets and we fans much more than that.
2011 Analysis: Danny Herrera
Diminutive Danny Herrera became the shortest pitcher in Mets history when he climbed up to the rubber in Washington, D.C. (without the help of a step ladder) on September 2nd. Amidst the catcalls of “hey, somebody left a hat on the mound” and “where’s the rest of the pitcher?”, little Danny began his Mets career … Read more
2011 Analysis: Dillon Gee
At the beginning of the spring, not much was expected of Dillon Gee. Yet by the end of summer, it could be argued that Gee was a disappointment.
2011 Analysis: R.A. Dickey
In the winter between 2009 and 2010, Omar Minaya pulled R.A. Dickey off the scrap heap. I made fun of the signing at the time. Much to my — and most others’ — surprise, Dickey got the last laugh, coming out of nowhere to put together a rags-to-riches story of success that seemed more like … Read more
2011 Analysis: D.J. Carrasco
After being non-tendered by his previous clubs two years in a row, D.J. Carrasco signed the first multi-year contract of his life last winter — a two-year, $2.4M deal with the Mets that included another $150K in performance bonuses. At the time, it was seen as a prudent move by the new Mets front office, … Read more
2011 Analysis: Chris Capuano
Way back in 2008, I wondered if the Mets would consider Chris Capuano as a “low-risk” free-agent pickup. I wondered the same thing in 2009. Luckily, the Mets didn’t sign him either time, since he was still going through the rehabilitation process following Tommy John surgery. But, the third time I brought him up was a charm, as “Cappy” turned out to be a solid, reliable starter — and, he lived up to my preseason prediction:
Personally, I think Capuano is a safe bet to be better than Jeff Francis or Chris Young in 2011; you heard it here first.
Chris Capuano started strong, peaked in July, then
2011 Analysis: Tim Byrdak
Although many Mets fans were sad to see “Perpetual” Pedro Feliciano leave Flushing, in retrospect, that move couldn’t have turned out better. For one, the five years of abuse the Mets put on Feliciano finally caught up to his arm. Second, as a fourth-place club, an expensive LOOGY really wouldn’t have made a difference. And … Read more