Mets Sign Chris Young

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Joe Janish


I know, I’m about two days late on this. But hey, I’ve been busy … there’s this “full-time job” thing that gets in the way of my blogging. And if it weren’t for the damn bills that keep coming in every month …

Anyway, that’s my problem, not yours. And speaking of problems, Chris Young is now the Mets’ problem.

Oh jeez, sorry to burst your bubble. I’m sure there’s a chance that Young comes back from his latest shoulder injury and pitches well — I’m just not counting on it. Certainly, he’s more worth a $1.5M gamble than Kelvim Escobar was, but that’s not saying much, is it?

I would really, really like to see Chris Young come all the way back and be the pitcher he was in 2007. I’ve always liked Chris Young, perhaps because he pitched at Princeton so he “feels” like a local kid … and so him becoming a Met is sort of a “coming home” — even if he is a native of Dallas, Texas. So I am rooting for him — but holding zero expectations due to his chronic injury history. Expect nothing, and you won’t be disappointed … but you could be wildly surprised. And for someone who has made only 36 starts in 3 years, suffering through myriad shoulder and back issues, I think it’s fair and prudent to have low expectations.

What I like about this signing is that it’s already supported with a backup plan. The previous front office would have signed Young as the main addition to the pitching staff, penciled him in to the #3 or #4 slot, and rubbed rosary beads together while saying a hail mary in the hopes that he’d make 30 starts. In contrast, the Fantasy Front Office has a backup plan of Chris Capuano, Boof Bonser, Dillon Gee, and D.J. Carrasco in the event Young falters. If Omar Minaya were still in charge, the backup plan would have been El Duque, Tony Armas, Jr., or Bartolo Colon — and you know I’m not joking when I say that.

By the way, I noticed there is a slo-mo video of Young’s mechanics posted on youTube — spotted via MetsBlog via MetsFever. When I get some time later this week / this coming weekend I’ll break it down and explain all the elements of his style that you should not be teaching youngsters.

In the meantime, post your comments on Chris Young. What are your expectations, if any? Why are you counting on him or not counting on him to be a reliable member of the starting rotation? What do you think is his ceiling — and basement — for 2011? Do you think it was a smart signing, and why or why not? (For the record, I think it was a very good signing; $1.5M guaranteed is a drop in the bucket these days and there is a possibility he can be a solid #4 through 15-25 starts, which to me is well worth the cost.)

Posted in 10-11 Offseason | Tagged | 7 Comments

28 DUPACR: The Hammer

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Joe Janish

The book that inspired this series — Mets By the Numbers — also chose John “The Hammer” Milner as the player of focus for #28. But I have to admit, it was a tough decision.

In comparison to other numbers, #28 was not worn by very many players — partly because coach Bill Robinson hogged it for a five-year period. But it was worn by several of my personal favorites; you have to understand, though, that I’m a weird guy and like/liked players for sometimes weird reasons.

For example, there is Mike Marshall (the pitcher, not the goon first baseman / outfielder), who pitched his last 20 MLB games as a Met in 1981. His 1982 Fleer baseball card picturing him in the Mets uniform was something of a rarity; since he was not a member of the MLBPA, there wasn’t a Topps card of him for several years before then (Topps’ contract was with the MLBPA, so they didn’t produce a card for the few non-members). Dr. Mike Marshall was probably the first MLBer to study kinesiology, and among the first to apply the concepts of kinesiology and elementary motor skills to pitching mechanics. He, and his results, are widely poo-poohed and he’s considered something of a flake … not to mention, he usually comes off as an a-hole in interviews. Still, have to love his non-conformist, out-of-the-box thinking, even if it is a bit nutty.

Other #28s that strike my fancy include Sherman “Roadblock” Jones (one of the greatest nicknames in baseball history), Juan “Goggles” Padilla, Scott Strickland (for whom I had an unhealthy man-crush), and Bobby J. Jones (not to be confused with Bobby M. Jones).

But in the end, it is John Milner who, to me, most associates with Mets uniform number 28. How can you go wrong with an Atlanta native whose nickname was “The Hammer” — and named so at the same time the “real” “Hammer” (Hank Aaron) was still playing? That’s one of the elements of baseball that have sadly left us — the nickname. No one has nicknames anymore; back in the day, nearly everyone had one.

Milner was a lean and strapping slugger in the days when hitting 17 homers in a season was “slugging”. He had the meanest, coolest, thickest sideburns seen on a ballplayer before Eddie Murray arrived in Baltimore. Milner was the closest thing the Mets had to a home-grown star — until Lee Mazzilli came along to be the closest thing they had to a home-grown star — and showed flashes of fulfilling stardom with his quick wrists and plate discipline. He drew his walks and didn’t strike out frequently for a “homerun hitter”, but that combination never resulted in a very high batting average; .271 was the best he could do in the orange and blue. Prior to the 1978 season, he was dealt to the Pirates in the wacky 4-team deal that also sent away Jon Matlack and brought back Willie Montanez (ironically, Milner was traded four years later by the Bucs to the Expos in return for Montanez). After he left Flushing, I secretly rooted for Milner and his Pirates to paste the Orioles in the ’79 World Series, and renounced my fandom during the Pittsburgh Drug Trials.

Milner passed away in 2000 from lung cancer, a sad ending to the life of one who created fond memories for many a Mets fan in the 1970s.

The countdown thus far:

#28 John Milner
#29 Alex Trevino
#30 Jackson Todd

Posted in Spring Training Countdown | Tagged | 2 Comments

Does Smart Mean Good?

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Joe Janish

Since the Mets have done little in the way of providing storylines this winter, the media and blogosphere has had to grasp at straws in order to create content that involves the Major League Baseball team in Flushing.

One of the more recent angles has been the “intelligence” of the Mets’ new front office and their possibly not-so-coincidental targeting of similarly “smart” baseball players.

If you haven’t already read, new GM Sandy Alderson is a graduate of both Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School; his assistant Paul DePodesta is also an Ivy Leaguer, a grad of Harvard. Their combined smartness is expected to make the Mets a better organization. If you believe the Mets were a “dumb” organization before, then there is certainly some credence to that thought — even if DePodesta’s brains didn’t keep the Dodgers from recording the second-worst record in their LA history in 2005.

But when the intelligence angle is extended to the players, I’m not so sure it holds much water. The prospect of seeing brainiacs Chris Capuano, R.A. Dickey, and Chris Young in the clubhouse was interesting enough for an article in The New York Times, but that trio’s success will depend much more on their arms than their heads.

Maybe I’m just being my typically pessimistic self, but it wasn’t that long ago that the media made a big deal of John Maine’s intellect. More recently, there was Stanford grad Chris Carter, whose background in stem cell research apparently wasn’t valued enough by the Mets’ braintrust to offer him a contract.

One of my all-time favorite baseball stories about intelligence was rehashed by Mets By the Numbers a few days ago. It recounted the story of Jay Hook, an original Met whose sketches describing the Bernoulli Principle’s involvement in the flight of a curveball were published in an industrial magazine (pictured left, from the MBTN website). As it would happen, not long after the article’s publication, Hook was lit up (as he often was) by the opposition’s bats, prompting manager Casey Stengel to remark, “It’s wonderful that he knows how a curveball works. Now if he could only throw one.”

I know, I know — it’s a slow winter, and the writers have to come up with something. Intelligence is as good a topic as any; it’s hard to argue — at least, when there aren’t games being played — and getting smart ballplayers neatly follows the story of the intellectuals in the Mets’ fantasy front office.

What do you think? Would you feel more confident about the Mets’ chances if they acquired players with higher IQs?

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More Details on Chris Capuano

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Joe Janish

Last week we briefly discussed the Mets’ signing of lefthanded pitcher Chris Capuano — which I still think is a good, low-risk pickup that could pay surprising dividends.

If you want to learn a little more about Capuano, check out this Q&A Kerel Cooper had with a Brewers blogger over at On The Black: Getting To Know Chris Capuano.

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29 DUPACR: Alex Trevino

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Joe Janish

If you missed yesterday’s post on cancer survivor Jackson Todd, then you may not understand what’s going on here. Each day, we will honor a random former Met who wore the uniform number that correlates with the Days Until Pitchers And Catchers Report (DUPACR) to Port St. Lucie. So yesterday, it was 30 days until, and today, it’s 29 days until, so we’ll focus on a former Met who wore #29. Get it? And just so you know, this series was inspired by the book and website “Mets By The Numbers“.

It would be easy to choose Frank Viola for #29. “Sweet Music” comprised one-fifth of what should have been the greatest starting rotation in Mets history — and it could be argued, was exactly that on paper. The Mets entered the 1990 season with a rotation that consisted of Viola, Dwight Gooden, David Cone, Ron Darling, and Sid Fernandez — with Bobby Ojeda as the sixth / swing man. Wow. As it turned out, that team finished second to the Pirates (!) with a 91-71 record. Ouch.

But this isn’t about Frank Viola nor the underachieving ’90 club. It’s about Alex Trevino. Who? Continue reading →

Posted in 10-11 Offseason, Spring Training Countdown | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Mets To Sign Willie Harris

Posted on January 16, 2011 by Joe Janish

According to ESPN-NY’s Adam Rubin, the Mets are on the verge of announcing the signing of Willie Harris to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training.

The 32-year-old Harris has been a thorn in the side of Mets fans for his dramatic outfield catches in late innings against the Mets over the past few years. Otherwise, though, there isn’t much to say about Harris, who hit .183 for the Nationals last year and is a career .239 hitter. He’s an average to slightly above-average corner outfielder, and average defensively in center. He can also play second base adequately, and fill in at short and third in a pinch. Once a speedster, he’s still faster than average and won’t make many mistakes on the basepaths.

It’s good to have him around for depth, particularly considering the injury histories of Carlos Beltran and Angel Pagan, but I’m not sure Harris is any better overall than Jason Pridie. I suspect Harris’ MLB experience is valued by the Mets braintrust, as well as his ability to play second base. Similar to Harris is Russ Adams, who also hits from the left side but is primarily a middle infielder who can play some outfield when needed (whereas Harris is primarily an outfielder who can play some infield when needed).

I know this is strictly a depth acquisition, but if the Mets are going to be insistent upon having an experienced MLBer competing for the fourth outfielder spot, I’d be more excited about a return to New York by Lastings Milledge or Ryan Church, or the signing of Andruw Jones. Though, I’m sure none of those three make sense for one reason or another — even if all three can play centerfield as well or better than Harris and almost certainly will provide more offense. Most likely, it’s a money thing, in which case, I wonder if Delwyn Young is on the Mets radar? Young is a 28-year-old switch-hitter who, like Willie Harris, is an outfielder who can also play second base adequately. Young doesn’t have much (if any) experience in center field, but is pretty much the same player as Harris — except four years younger.

You may be wondering why I even care to quibble over the differences between Willie Harris and Delwyn Young but this is how the Mets fans’ winter is going … so, please, don’t shoot the messenger.

If nothing else, Harris has always been a fan favorite in his previous big league stops. You can read a very nice interview with him on MLBlogs. Harris may not be a tremendous performer, but he’s hard not to like. Nothing wrong with this signing, but nothing exciting about it, either.

Posted in 10-11 Offseason | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

30 Days Until Pitchers and Catchers Report

Posted on January 16, 2011 by Joe Janish

It’s about one month before pitchers and catchers report, and it would seem that the Mets are still in the market for free agents to plug a few holes. Perhaps a reserve outfielder who can handle centerfield, for one (though they appear to have come to an agreement with the great Willie Harris), and hopefully a few more arms for the pitching staff.

Though, it’s possible the Mets don’t sign anyone of significance in the next 30 days, meaning there won’t be much to complain talk about. Let’s be serious — if the Mets “big” signings this winter are Ronny Paulino, Chris Capuano, D.J. Carrasco, and Boof Bonser, it’s unlikely they’ll acquire more exciting than that group in the final month before pitchers and catchers report. First, because there simply aren’t many interesting players available, and second, because Sandy Alderson has no threads left in his shoestring budget.

That said, what we’ll do from here on in is count down the days to spring training by remembering random players from the past who wore the uniform number of the current count. This idea was 100% inspired by reading the book Mets By The Numbers (as well as the MBTN website). So for example, today is 30, so we can remember Nolan Ryan, Mike Scott, Cliff Floyd, Dennis Ribant, Aaron Sele, or one of the many other once-Mets who wore uniform #30. But which one should we focus on?

Ryan and Scott represent painful memories — the two aces that “got away”. Granted, at the time he was dealt for Jim “friggin” Fregosi, Ryan had issues with blisters and bases on balls, the Mets were loaded with young pitching, but light on offense, so there was a tiny hint of logic in the move. Had Ryan stayed, the Mets’ rotation of Seaver, Koosman, Ryan, and Matlack would have compared to the 2011 Phillies’ — but for all we know, it would have simply resulted in more 2-1 losses and the same amount of third-place finishes; their offense was THAT bad.

Scott stunk as a Met — he was so bad, getting Danny Heep in return seemed like a steal. It wasn’t until Roger Craig taught Scott how to scuff the ball for more movement throw a split-fingered fastball that he became dominant.

Aaron Sele holds a special place in the Mets bullpen; for all we know, he’s still sitting down there, right now, playing cards and waiting for Willie Randolph to call him into a game.

Ribant might be a good player to focus on, since he was the very first Mets starter to finish a season with a winning record (11-9 in 1966). Such a feat represents hope.

And it is spring training that hopes eternal … er … or something, right? So for me, the perfect former #30 to focus on right now is Continue reading →

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What I’m Reading: Mets By The Numbers

Posted on January 16, 2011 by Joe Janish

As mentioned a few weeks ago, the winter (a.k.a., “not the baseball season”) is unbearably long for me. In an effort to fill the hole where baseball usually is, I’ve immersed myself in reading about baseball.

This week, I’m reading Mets by the Numbers: A Complete Team History of the Amazin’ Mets by Uniform Number, a wonderful book by Jon Springer and Matt Silverman — who, not coincidentally, also run the Mets By The Numbers website.

Each chapter of the book is devoted to a specific uniform number, headlined by the Met who is most memorable for wearing that number, and also detailing other notable players who wore it. For me, it brings back plenty of vivid memories. Also, since I’m someone who has a hard time reading a book straight through, I especially like the fact that I can jump in anywhere in the book and read a chapter.

Posted in 10-11 Offseason | 3 Comments