This afternoon in an appearance on XM 175 MLB Home Plate (SIRIUS 210), former Mets catcher Paul LoDuca expressed a desire to return to the big leagues in 2010.
LoDuca missed all of 2009 due to injuries, but claims he is now 100 percent healthy, and ready to make a comeback.
The feisty catcher hit .318 in 2006 with the Mets, but dropped to .272 in 2007 before leaving the team as a free agent.
Here is what LoDuca had to say on XM: Continue reading
A while back, Jason Marquis began to lobby for a Mets contract offer through his friend and advocate Jeff Francoeur. Now he’s made a full-blown pitch, suggesting to Bart Hubbach that he and the Mets are a “perfect fit”.
As we’ve discussed earlier, Jason Marquis needs the Mets involved if he’s to obtain a multi-year, multimillion-dollar contract from an MLB team. It’s that simple. The Mets are known to overpay free agents year in and year out, particularly when they have an urgent need to fill. This year, the onus is on the Mets to find at least one reliable and durable veteran starting pitcher, and Marquis not only fits that bill but is coming off the best season of his career.
In many ways, I like the idea of Marquis as a Met. He would fit in nicely as Continue reading
According to Baseball America, the Braves have released former phenom outfielder Brian Barton.
Barton was considered a great athlete but went undrafted after a strong career at U Miami, as clubs believed he’d make use of his aerospace engineering degree rather than pursue baseball. However, he signed a $100,000 bonus (plus another $100K for schooling) with the Indians, and has been a prodigal nomad ever since.
The Beaneheads like Barton’s plate discipline and ability to Continue reading
BlueandOrange.net discusses what might have been had Steve Phillips succeeded in trading Jose Reyes and David Wright so many years ago.
John Delcos speaks from eyewitness testimony while supporting Marty Noble’s bombshell that some Mets didn’t mind losing
Delcos also sees a missed opportunity with Davey Johnson. I have to agree.
Roy Halladay “smells like a Yankee” to BrooklyMetFan
When Jeff Francoeur was acquired from the Braves in return for Ryan Church, the immediate reaction was mixed. On the one hand, the Mets were getting a 25-year-old, high-energy outfielder who regressed for two and a half years after being considered a cornerstone player and future All-Star. On the other hand, they were giving up a right fielder who — as the statheads will confirm — was a better all-around player at the time of the trade. In other words, the Mets were giving away a known, steady quantity in return for a possible flash-in-the-pan — and at that, one that might be sitting on a cold stove.
It was a moderate-risk, high-reward gamble on Continue reading
Stop the presses! The Mets have hired Dave Jauss as their bench coach for 2010!
I can envision people dancing in the streets upon hearing this extraordinary news.
Seriously, though, it’s an interesting choice. Clearly, Jauss is Continue reading
What exactly does a pro baseball scout look for when evaluating a ballplayer? What kinds of things does a scout consider, in addition to raw baseball skills? How can an amateur ballplayer attract the interest of a pro scout?
Find out by listenting to an interview I did with Tyrone Brooks, a professional baseball scout for the Cleveland Indians and formerly the Director of Baseball Operations and Baseball Administration with the Atlanta Braves (he was part of those 14 straight division championships).
One of the interesting topics he discusses is how and why Ryan Howard slipped to the fifth round of the 2001 draft.
I know, it’s not a Mets-specific topic, but it should be intriguing to hear from someone who came from the Braves organization and evaluates players for a living. It’s particularly enlightening for amateur ballplayers and their parents.
Follow this link to hear it:
As mentioned in an earlier post, the list of minor league free agents has been released, and there are more than a few intriguing men to consider.
Following are a few in particular that caught my eye, in no particular order. Continue reading