Mets Hitting
Are the Mets for Real?
After a tough stretch against the Nationals and Yankees that saw the Mets drop 5 of 6, it’s time to ask the question at the back of every Mets fans mind. Are the Mets contenders this year? Will the Mets play meaningful September baseball for the first time since 2008? Luckily, thanks to sabermetrics, we [...]
What’s Wrong with Jose Reyes?
If it were still April, the “shaking off the rust” excuse would still apply to Jose Reyes. However, we’re now getting into mid-May, and Reyes is floundering with a .229 batting average and a .281 OBP. Those certainly are not the numbers you’d expect from the best offensive player on your team — a.k.a. the [...]
Mets Prepare for Pineiro
Since joining the St. Louis Cardinals, Joel Pineiro has been a thorn in the Mets’ side, most recently channeling Christy Mathewson when he faced the orange and blue. In two starts covering 17 innings this year, Pineiro has a 1.04 ERA vs. the Mets, allowing only 8 hits and a .151 batting average. Last year, [...]
Who Is Jeremy Reed and Other Mysteries
Quick quiz: who is the man in the picture to the left? I’ll give you a few hints: 1. He was part of the trade with Seattle that brought J.J. Putz and Sean Green to New York. 2. He led the team in batting average during spring training. 3. He’s currently .313 and has played [...]
A Source of Power
Jerry Manuel’s opine for power has so far fallen on deaf ears in the front office. But, perhaps the solution can be found from within. That’s right, there’s a slugging outfielder-first baseman right under our nose (well, actually, in Buffalo) — and he hits from the right side of the plate. His name is Wily [...]
No Worries About Wright
David Wright is leading the National League in strikeouts and hitting only .271. However, I see no reason for concern, since this is Wright’s M.O. for April. He is a notoriously slow starter, and we’ve come to expect subpar numbers from him in the first month of the season. But don’t listen to me, check [...]
Reassessing the Offense
Although Fernando Tatis hit only .244 in August, he picked things up these past few weeks, going 10 for his last 31 with a .910 OPS. That kind of offensive production is sorely needed on a team with a precarious bullpen situation — as I’ve been saying all along, the best defense against late-inning relief [...]
Where’s the Beef?
I’d like to share the stats of a “random” selection of batters … Manny Ramirez went 4-for-5 with 3 RBI in his most recent game, hitting .615 since joining the Dodgers. Casey Blake was 2-for-4 in the same game, hitting .364 with LA. Xavier Nady set a career high by driving in 6 runs yesterday, [...]
Say No To Ibanez
The rumors of Raul Ibanez coming to Queens continue to abound. Let’s get one thing crystal clear: = For those who are more literary than visionary, Raul Ibanez is Shawn Green. In other words, a guy who once was a strong all-around player with a slugging lefthanded bat, who has declined drastically in all phases [...]
Your Turn, Omar
So the Phillies have accomplished the impossible, addressing their most glaring need by picking up Joe Blanton from the Athletics for a package of prospects / suspects. The Phillies gave up no one from their 25-man roster, with all three players among their “top 20 prospects” according to Baseball America. However, that’s not saying much [...]
Alou Out – Now What?
So the news before the All-Star Break was that Moises Alou was finished for the year, having torn his hamstring in a rehab game the night before. There had been suggestions that Alou did not need to rush back, that the Mets would be fine with Alou returning some time after the All-Star break, but [...]
Pre-game to Mets Game #70
Where is Trot Nixon? Or as my wife quipped, “why are they not trotting out Trot?” Another observation: why in the world is Luis Aguayo on the coaching staff? Further, why is he — and not Ken Oberkfell — the third base coach? And as MetsToday loyal reader Julie asked, “how did Sandy Alomar get [...]
Listen to HoJo
Last week, in a John Delcos article on Ryan Church, the Mets’ MVP credited hitting coach Howard Johnson with his early season success. From the article: Church credits his hot start to working daily with hitting instructor Howard Johnson. “Howard and I are always talking,” Church said. “He’s a great sounding board.” Johnson has Church [...]
Walking to Wins
The Mets are fourth in the NL in walks with 187 — though, there are several teams within four or five free passes, so you could say they’re middle of the pack. Those 187 walks translate to an average of close to 4 bases on balls per game (3.8, to be exact). In May, however, [...]
Where Is Pascucci?
So … Moises Alou is placed on the 15-day DL after a stiff wind strained his calf. And the man to replace him on the 25-man roster is … Raul Casanova? Huh? I suppose this means Willie Randolph will consider using Ramon Castro as a pinch-hitter, but otherwise this is a real head-scratcher. Why in [...]
