Notes On Eddie Kunz
I’m not sure that Eddie Kunz is as ready for MLB as everyone would like, but he already has some “color”. See that photo to the left? That’s Eddie Kunz after finishing his warmup pitchers, right before taking the mound. He stood for about five or ten seconds, apparently in some kind of a zen pose or personal psyche-up session. It reminded me of an old-time closer known as “The Mad Hungarian”, Al Hrabosky, who used to talk himself into a frenzy before pounding his fist into his glove and taking the mound. The point of the routine was to either intimidate the batter or at least let him know that Hrabosky was out of his mind.
Since this was the first time I saw Kunz in a game, I don’t know if this moment of meditation is something he does all the time. I hope it is … it would be nice to see a bit of character and individuality added to a game that has lost quite a bit over the last 25 years. Enough of the cookie-cutter ballplayers!
Another note on Kunz: his body type and pitching motion are both similar to Mets setup man Aaron Heilman. See the comparison below — Kunz is on top, Aaron’s on the bottom.
Pictures of Johan
See 50 megs of photos of Johan Santana in his 2008 spring training debut with the Mets. Most were shot in “burst mode” (a very cool feature, btw), so you can see his motion in sequence.
Johan’s Debut
You may have seen the game on SNY — or will watch the replay this evening, but I’ll give you my notes from the game as I saw from Tradition Field.
Johan Santana
Johan got knocked around, but there’s no reason to panic. His velocity was good, around 93-94 and maybe a few popping a bit more than that. However his location was not great, as he was getting too much of the plate and left a few right over the middle, including one crushed by Juan Gone. By the way, I still wouldn’t get too excited about Juan Gonzalez and his comeback attempt; I’m convinced it was a flat, floating changeup that he jumped on and put over the fence.
Johan spent a lot of time warming up before the game; I’d guess he threw around 60-85 pitches all told between pregame, in-between innings, and the game.
Aaron Heilman
Aaron’s mechanics looked a bit off, which is nothing new. He was getting under the ball frequently (low elbow just prior to, and at, release) and as a result his fastball was up most of the time. Somehow he manages to stay on top of his changeup — maybe he concentrates more? — and he threw a few nasty ones, including one to whiff Albert Pujols.
Billy Wagner
Billy the Kid wasn’t hitting triple digits, but I’d guess he was in the mid-90s on some of his offerings. His command was pretty good, keeping the ball at the knees and missing in the dirt. He was tinkering in the bullpen with a big overhand curve, which didn’t look so hot to me. It is too much of a change in velocity from his fastball; he slows down his windup and you can see it coming a mile away. Doesn’t help that it’s far from a “Lord Charles” – it’s a hanger. Unless it improves drastically in the next few weeks, let’s hope he shelves it.
Nelson Figueroa
Figgy is a lean, wiry guy with an easygoing, loose motion. He has a 3/4 delivery, but he dropped down sidearm a few times in his bullpen session. He has a quick release to the plate, which should keep runners close. His stuff is OK — an average fastball with decent life that seemed to be around 90-91, and he mixes his speeds well. He fooled one hitter by throwing in the high-80s most of the at-bat, then reaching back and putting some extra mustard on strike three; my guess is he hit 93 on that pitch.
Duaner Sanchez
It was a pleasant surprise to see Duaner, though he didn’t look comfortable. His warmup session in the bullpen was abbreviated and not too serious. I’d guess he threw about three-quarter speed for half his session, and less than half speed for the rest of his pregame. Once in the game, he didn’t appear to be ready to go, and his velocity was nowhere near the Duaner we know — probably in the high 80s — and Pujols jumped all over one of his fastballs like it was BP. Eventually Duaner settled in and probably got above 90 for a few pitches, and his ball had the good down and in “run” or movement that made him so successful in 2006. Despite the good movement, he was a bit up in the strike zone — he needs that ball to get more sink. He threw two downright nasty changeups in his one inning of work.
Joselo Diaz
This guy has a thick lower body, reminds me a bit of Armando Benitez in that sense — but sans the belly. He uses that thick base to propel the ball around 95-96 by my approximation, but keeps his fastball high in the zone with not much movement. His fastball reminds me of Mike Scott’s – before Scott learned how to deface the ball. Diaz also throws a really hard slider, one that breaks down sharply around 92-93, but had a hard time keeping it close enough to the strike zone to get swings and misses. If he learns how to throw a straight change, he could be a deadly force. Until then, he’s a AAAA guy.
Ricardo Rincon
The little lefty threw lots of junk, stayed around the plate, then every once in a while popped a fastball around 90-91 that looked like 100 compared to his 83-86 MPH offerings. He left several pitches up, and he can’t afford to do that. He changes speed and location on every pitch.
Eddie Kunz
This is one big dude, a horse. He’s a sidearm slinger with a quick release, but doesn’t get as low as Joe Smith. He hummed with pretty good velocity, I’d say around 92-93, and his ball had good sinking and sideways movement. In many ways he reminds me of Aaron Heilman — body type, motion, arm angle. Unlike Heilman, he’s not herky-jerky and doesn’t have much deception — he might want to try to use his glove to hide the ball a little better. He kept the ball too high in the zone today; if he wants to make the team he’ll have to get his sinker down around the knees.
Players
Ramon Castro is looking fit and mobile. Not exactly catlike, but he did move well behind the plate today, blocking several pitches in the dirt.
Fernando Martinez made a spectacular, diving catch in the ninth inning, but the eventual winning run tagged up from third and scored on the play.
Ruben Gotay did something to silence those critical of his righthanded hitting — he took one over the leftfield wall from the right side in the bottom of the ninth to make it a one-run ballgame.
The Cardinals had an impressive, tall lefty named Jaime Garcia who threw a lively fastball (93-95) and mixed in good breaking stuff. He’ll be seen again, I’m sure.
Only at Tradition Field
In the third inning, a car model and license plate number was called out as the dirtiest in the parking lot; the owner won a free car wash.
By the way, I’m curious … if anyone watched the game on SNY, and they had radar readings, I’d love to know how close my guesstimates were to the actual MPH. Comment below, thanks.
Spring Training Photos
FYI, you can see Mets spring training photos here.
Am heading out to Tradition Field now to get more photos and will be posting more pictures and captions later this afternoon … as well as notes regarding the game.
Mets Fall to Cards
It just wasn’t fair … the clean, unadulterated Mets had no chance against the juiced-up Cardinals, who appeared to be sponsored by Deca-Durobolin.
OK, OK … it’s not right to suspect the Cardinals of using PEDs. Albert Pujols, after all, wasn’t named in the Mitchell Report as had been erroneously reported before the masterpiece was published. And I’m sure that Rick Ankiel, Troy Glaus, and Juan Gonzalez all did it “once” because of an injury and stopped immediately, realizing it was the worst mistake of their lives.
Anyway, enough about them. This is about the Mets.
So here’s what I saw with my own two eyes in Jupiter on Thursday afternoon; first, the pitchers:
John Maine
Looked good in the first inning, not so good in the second. He got two quick outs and appeared to have a third on a strikeout of Glaus, but the umpire was intimidated by Troy’s bulging biceps, terrible breath, and apparent ‘roid rage. Maine was a bit flustered by the call, as well as a subsequent one, and finally allowed Glaus to single up the middle. From then on, Maine was a mess, looking completely uncomfortable working from the stretch. He was working from the 1B side of the rubber, opening up a hair too early, falling over a bit too much toward first, and therefore leaving his pitches up and in (to RH). From the windup he didn’t seem to have these issues, and was throwing both a good fastball and a nasty changeup.
Scott Schoeneweis
The Show came on to throw one pitch to get Maine out of any more damage and end the second inning, then threw a scoreless third with mediocre fastballs and sloppy changeups. His velocity was somewhere in the mid-80s by my eyes. I thought for a moment I was watching Kenny Rogers.
Juan Padilla
Juan looked very loose, relaxed, and comfortable on the mound. His velocity was so-so, in the mid 80s, perhaps hitting around 87-88 here and there, with good sinking movement. His location was where it needs to be – down in the zone – and he kept his pitches over the plate.
Ruddy Lugo
The New York boy didn’t look so hot. His velocity was probably touching the mid 90s, but he was wild high and his arm was under the ball — looked like he was pushing it at times. He walked two and gave up a few Texas Leaguers and a few hard liners; not a good day. However, he did throw one nasty off-speed breaking pitch to strike out Glaus, who was faked out of his biceps.
Joe Smith
Not a good day for Joe. He was wild, off the plate, and when he was around the plate, his pitches were up and flat and were getting hit.
Steven Register
This kid was somewhat impressive. His stuff was decent, and he looked very sharp: on the plate and low in the zone. Velocity looked to be in the 92-93 range, and he was working in what looked like a slider. He was pitching like it was midseason to batters hitting like it was the first week of spring training; still, he’s clearly trying to make an impression and win a spot.
Nate Field
This AAAA pickup threw high, straight fastballs around 88-90. That’s called “BP” in the bigs.
There wasn’t much to say about the hitting, so I’ll just offer my random notes.
- Fernando Martinez started in centerfield and batted second. There’s no question he’s an athlete, and his body is starting to fill out. He’s much faster than I thought, and has a strong arm; he threw one ball from the warning track to the edge of the infield dirt on a line. The kid takes a big, hard cut at the ball that causes him to spin around on occasion — reminds me of Reggie Jackson in a way.
- Carlos Delgado looks trim, in good shape, and very happy. He was smiling and cracking jokes the entire game, and spent considerable time talking to the young pitchers and trying to keep them calm.
- Jose Reyes did some smiling, but more concentrating. He and David Wright were FOCUSED and playing like it was a regular season contest.
- After Brian Schneider left the game I thought Ramon Castro was catching, but it was Robinson Cancel. That man is THICK. Poor kid has no neck, but he certainly hustles.
- I wouldn’t waste a fantasy pick on Juan Gonzalez. He’s in fantastic shape, is clean shaven, but lost his bat speed. That big, long, loopy swing is OK when you’re 25 years old and juiced up on PEDs, but hard to get away with when you’re age 38 and deflated.
Unfortunately not much else to report. However, I’ll be at Port St. Lucie on Friday morning and hope to have good reports on Johan and possibly Duaner Sanchez.
By the way, game photos are here.
Trouble Brewing in Jupiter
Word down here in Jupiter is that the Cardinals have released Scott Spiezio, based on his the outstanding warrant for his arrest in California.
“We had heard some things about this,” Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said. “Ultimately nothing was ever confirmed to the level it was today. To have this warrant put out there, it completely changes the landscape of what we’re dealing with.”
The more interesting quote comes from manager Tony LaRussa, who when asked about the release stated:
“I think it’s a consistent message about what the team represents.”
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!
OK, we won’t get on LaRussa for his DUI charge last spring. Nor will we point out the unfortunate death of Josh Hancock due to a drunk-driving acccident. Never mind Rick Ankiel and his HGH deliveries. The St. Louis Cardinals are not going to associate themselves with people who break the law!
Believe me, I’m not losing any sleep over Spiezio’s dismissal, and I won’t miss that stupid-looking large-mouth bass lure hanging from his bottom lip.
But you have to wonder — what if it was Chris Carpenter or Albert Pujols in this situation? Would the Cardinals take the same hard line? I do understand this is Spiezio’s “second strike” — he was put into a substance-abuse program during the season last year — but is he being released solely because of his legal issues or because of his baggage and the fact he’s a fringe player at this point in his career? Methinks if Spiezio was a 24-year-old lefty who threw 95 MPH, he’d still be in the organization — getting third, fourth, and fifth strikes if necessary.
Enough of that … will be posting on the Mets and the baseball playing from here on …
First News from Spring Training
There is one big surprise here on the southeast coast of Florida …
It’s friggin’ cold!
OK, I realize most of you are much colder than me … I hear it’s in the teens with snow in some places. Sorry ’bout that. But it isn’t exactly balmy down here … 46 degrees and windy as I type this. Good thing my suitcase is packed with nothing but shorts, t-shirts, and open-toe sandals!
Anyway, the plan today is to head over to Jupiter and watch the Mets play the Cardinals at 1pm. From what I understand John Maine will be starting for the Mets.
Port St. Lucie Bound
I’m on my way down to Port St. Lucie this afternoon to get an eyewitness report on the status of the New York Mets.
While I’d love to say this is an “official” trip specifically for MetsToday, it’s really an early birthday gift from my wife. But, assuming Florida’s power grid turns back on and I can get an internet connection, I will be posting notes and photos from spring training as often as possible.
Yes, part of the itinerary includes seeing Johan in his “debut” as a Met on Friday afternoon.
If there is anyone or anything in particular you want me to check out, leave a comment and I’ll do my best. And if by chance you are in the area, drop me an email so we can meet for a hot dog at Tradition Field.
Much Ado About El Duque
With the arrival of Johan Santana, who would have believed there’d be so much concern and discussion surrounding Orlando Hernandez at the beginning of spring training?
Only two weeks of workouts, and already pundits are clamoring for El Duque to move to the bullpen, citing his various physical woes.
For example, from Marty Noble in his most recent “mailbag“:
The Mets would be better off now and in the future if they move Hernandez into the bullpen and start Mike Pelfrey in the rotation. Hernandez would stand a better chance of lasting the entire season, and Pelfrey would get some positive big league time.
Really? Based on what? Pelfrey’s 5.57 ERA and 4 1/3 inning starts last year? Because his performances were so glowing and full of potential compared to El Duque’s 6-, 7-, and 8-inning efforts and his 1.17 WHIP?
I hate to single out Noble’s comments, because he’s far from the only pundit who has this stupefying notion that El Duque is somehow better off in the bullpen. In fact, the theory has spread like a virus this winter, and I suppose it’s based on Duque’s miraculous three innings of relief work for the White Sox during the 2004 ALCS and another single, hitless inning of relief in the World Series a few days later (he walked FOUR in that inning, by the way).
Take a look at Hernandez’s career, and you’ll notice that he’s pitched in 219 games — 211 as a starter. But those three innings against the Angels four years ago stick in people’s heads like a moth on flypaper.
I’m not going to argue the fact that Orlando Hernandez is fragile, and the fact that he might be surreptitiously carrying an AARP card doesn’t increase our confidence in his health. He’s going to break down — that’s for certain — and he’s going to spend at least one stint if not two on the DL this season. But we know that going in, and it’s OK because we have Pelfrey waiting in the wings to grab a dozen or so starts. It’s not unlike “the deal” we have with Moises Alou: no one expects more than 100 games from Alou — but no one is calling for the leftfield job to be handed to Endy Chavez, either. We know these guys are older than dirt, but also know that when they’re in the lineup, they’ll be better than at least 75% of the rest of the men who play their position. More importantly, we have Alou and Hernandez for the postseason. That’s really their singular purpose on the roster, to somehow keep their bodies patched together so they’re able to provide October heroics.
The notion of putting El Duque in the bullpen is not only baseless, it’s sheer stupidity. We all agree that Orlando has health issues — so why in the world would we think that putting him into a role of irregularity would somehow keep him healthier? People who opine that a relief role would be “best” for Hernandez based on health concerns clearly have no idea how the human body works in an athletic environment nor have any experience managing pitchers. Talk for a few minutes to a professional trainer or a physician and they will tell you that the ideal routine for an injury-prone athlete is exactly that: routine. Fragile (and recovering) players need to adhere to a strict, consistent program of physical activity — a starting pitcher’s routine, in fact, is ideal. You want to see El Duque land on the DL? Have him sit around the bullpen doing nothing for a week and a half, then put him into the fourth inning of a game for mopup duty. Better yet, tab him for a middle relief role, making him warm up and cool down three or four times during a game before getting in. Remember, he’s been a starter his entire life — to suddenly switch him to relief is not something that he can be expected to adjust to without a) difficulty and b) experimentation. For example, we don’t know if he can pitch on back to back days, because he’s never done it before. We don’t know if he can throw an inning or two, then come back two days later, on a consistent basis. Off the top of my head the only longtime veteran starters who made a successful transition to the bullpen were Dennis Eckersley and John Smoltz — but they were in their early 30s when they did so, not their early 50s. Change is difficult as one gets older.
Personally, I think bullpen management is challenging enough for Willie Randolph — he doesn’t need the added pressure of wondering whether he can use El Duque or not from day to day. Let’s remember that, when healthy, Hernandez put forth some of the best starts we saw all year — and with that in mind how should he be used out of the ‘pen? You certainly don’t want to waste his talent in a long relief, Aaron Sele role, where he may or may not pitch for weeks at a time. But does he have the physical ability to be useful in a middle relief or setup role? It might turn out that his body doesn’t recover quickly enough to pitch EFFECTIVELY more than once a week — and if that’s the case, wouldn’t you rather try to get 7-8 innings out of him rather than one or two? If he’s going to falter, I’d rather see it happen in the third or fourth inning of a game that can be salvaged, rather than the seventh or eighth frame of a 4-3 ballgame.
In a fantasy world, where all we rely on are PECOTA or Strat-O-Matic cards, having Orlando Hernandez in the bullpen seems like a great idea. In reality, where we must deal with the quirks and inconsistencies of the human body, it’s not so clear-cut. Maybe El Duque’s body will easily transition to the rigors of relief — but maybe it won’t. In a rotation where he’ll take the fifth turn — a turn that won’t be needed until late April — and isn’t expected to make more than 20 starts, is it worth the gamble?
The Next Mets Manager
One thing is for certain: Willie Randolph will not be manager of the Mets forever.
Personally, I hope he sticks around long enough to win a ring. Despite the frequent lambasting of his mysterious managerial moves and the funny Photoshopping of his face that you see here from time to time, Willie is one of my favorite people in baseball and I always root for him. I have the utmost respect for his old-school approach to the game — and the way he played it for 18 years.
However, all managers are hired to be fired, and eventually it will be Randolph’s time to go (hopefully later rather than sooner). Thinking ahead, there’s one name that would be a perfect fit as Mets manager, and it’s not Ken Oberkfell.
Wally Backman.
Before you say “whoa, has Joe lost his mind?”, understand that Backman is not the loose-cannon nut job that he’s perceived to be thanks to the media. In fact, he might be the best manager in baseball without a Major League job.
First, we’ll address the horrendous image of Backman created by the mass media, which is based on these misconceptions:
1. Wally Backman is a drunk.
People cite Backman’s DUI charge in 1999 as evidence that he is an out-of-control alcoholic. He readily admits to incident, has profusely and persistently apologized for it, and hasn’t had an issue since.
If someone can’t be a manager because he has a DWI on his record, then why does Tony LaRussa still have a job? How did Billy Martin succeed? Gene Michael was once arrested for DWI, and he was both a manager and GM for the Yankees. Those are only a few of the many throughout the last 30 years. Backman’s problem is not that he has a DUI on his record, but that it occurred BEFORE he became an MLB manager. It happened almost ten years ago, he did his time, now how much longer before he’s absolved?
2. Wally Backman is a wife-beater.
Not even close. This piece of fiction was crafted, we assume from a temporary restraining order (TRO) filed by his ex-wife in 1995 during divorce proceedings. As it turns out, the TRO was dismissed by the judge because the former Mrs. Backman was found guilty of perjury in obtaining it. Beyond the lies that produced the TRO, there is no evidence that Backman has ever laid a hand on his wife, nor any other woman. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. During a dispute with his current wife, he was wacked with a baseball bat by an intervening friend — breaking his arm and landing HIM in jail.
OK, I’ll be the first to admit that Wally has not been an angel, and absolutely has some issues with the women in his wife. But the physical violence part of his image is completely erroneous. Yes he has a temper, and it’s a lot bigger than that of others — and that same passion is part of what makes him a great manager (which we’ll get to soon).
3. Wally Backman is a loose cannon with a fiery temper — and therefore can’t be trusted.
I LOVE this one. Backman has been derided for throwing temper tantrums on the field, performing acts of insanity such as screaming at umpires and throwing objects onto the field. Hmmm… let’s see, that sounds a lot like …
Lou Piniella, Bobby Cox, Earl Weaver, Billy Martin, Leo Durocher, Ozzie Guillen, Tom LaSorda, Dick Williams, Jim Leyland … wow! and every one of those guys wears a World Series ring!
Most Mets fans chide Willie Randolph for not showing enough emotion on the field, and for not “backing up his players” during umpire disputes. Showing passion on the field wouldn’t be an issue with Backman.
4. Wally Backman can’t manage his own life, so how can he possibly manage an MLB team?
This is one of the few criticisms that MIGHT have some truth to it. Yes, he’s been placed under arrest for alcohol-related incidents. Yes, he’s been married twice. Yes, he once filed for bankruptcy. But do any of these personal issues really have anything to do with his ability to manage a baseball team? It’s not like Backman is perpetually on the verge of a nervous breakdown; even if he was, it didn’t keep Billy Martin from winning a few rings. And contrary to popular belief, Backman’s life and mental state is a heckuva lot more stable than Billy’s.
But Why Take the Chance?
The popular wisdom is simple: why bother giving Wally Backman a chance when there are plenty of other candidates who come without the baggage?
Certainly, there’s something to be said for offering jobs to people who have done a better job of keeping their nose clean — particularly in today’s image-conscious society. The emergence of the internet as a news source has put immense pressure on all media outlets, so it’s doubly important to steer clear of any personnel who may show the slightest vulnerability to a publicity nightmare. That’s exactly why Backman was fired only days after being hired to manage the Diamondbacks — the Arizona brass was more concerned with how the team would be perceived in the media than how it would perform on the field.
In my mind, there’s one reason and one reason only to consider Wally Backman as a Major League manager — regardless of his off-the-field issues: he wins.
Backman the player was part of the 1986 World Champion Mets — that much you might know. Backman the manager has been a winner everywhere he’s been, winning titles in the Western League, Southern League, California League, and the South Coast League. Last year he led the Georgia Peanuts to a 59-28 record, adding yet another league title to his cred. Just prior to being hired (and then unhired) as manager of the D-Backs, The Sporting News named him “Minor League Manager of the Year” after taking the Lancaster Jayhawks to the California League championship series. And while he’s often compared to Billy Martin for his fiery attitude and ability to get the most from his roster, he gets much better reviews from his former players.
From current Diamondback Conor Jackson:
“I’ve got the utmost respect for Wally. I love playing for that guy, and I know about a thousand other guys that say the same. He taught me how to win, how to play hard, how to make a difference.
“If anybody needs a reference, tell them to call me.”
That’s not an isolated example, but rather a representative one. Beyond his winning percentage, Backman has been lauded for his innate ability to communicate and relate with players, as well as a genius in the art of handling a pitching staff — particularly the bullpen. The Diamondbacks admitted — though not publicly — that Backman’s interview for the managerial spot blew them away, and that it was the best they’d ever experienced. In fact, former AZ farm director Tommy Jones referred to Backman as a “45-year-old version of Jim Leyland.”
There’s no question he has the ability to manage — and manage well — at the big league level. What makes him an even more perfect fit in Flushing is his obvious history as a hero from the ‘86 team, and his immense pleasure of working in New York City. How many men have the personality to manage in pressure-cooker of the Big Apple? How many are also happy to embrace it? To put it in perspective, consider that the rumors inside the Yankees’ brass was that Tony LaRussa was well-respected, but “not a good fit” for the media sensitivity of the Bronx.
In my humble opinion, Wally Backman is something of a mix among Bobby Valentine, Billy Martin, and Jim Leyland. He’s exactly the opposite of what the Wilpons would like their ideal manager to be, so we’ll probably never see him in the Citi Field dugout donning the orange and blue. But it’s an intriguing option to contemplate.
By the way, this idea isn’t completely my own — it was recently brought to my attention through various sources, most notably the upcoming “Playing for Peanuts” documentary, which will be airing this spring and might very well help Backman win a job in organized baseball (he’s slated to manage the Joliet Jackhammers in the independent Frontier League this season). I also encourage you to read a recent in-depth entry on Wally’s plight at Gotham Baseball Magazine, as well as listen to Gotham’s “Live From Mickey Mantle’s” radio show from this past Sunday, which includes a lengthy interview with Wally himself.
For the moment, though, I’m happy with Willie in the dugout. Let’s hope there’s no good reason to replace him for a few years.
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