Comments on: Players Available http://www.metstoday.com/spring-training-08/2008/players-available/ New York Mets news, game recaps, opinion, and analysis Thu, 08 Jan 2009 03:43:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: joe http://www.metstoday.com/spring-training-08/2008/players-available/#comment-10522 joe Mon, 24 Mar 2008 02:26:00 +0000 http://www.metstoday.com/spring-training-08/2008/players-available/#comment-10522 Nice argument. I'm still not convinced he's THAT MUCH better than Clark. He'll likely have a bit more pop, but may strike out more often ... 12 of this for a dozen of that. He'll come for nothing, which is nice. BTW I have not advocated trading for Juan Rivera nor Marcus Thames. The Mets will never bring back Diaz so he's not an option either. Delwyn Young is slightly interesting, but again, is he or Johnson any better -- really -- than Angel Pagan and/or Brady Clark? I suppose the one thing against Pagan is that in his career he's like Ruben Gotay -- not much of a RH hitter. Your argument is sound ... but I see Johnson as the same player as Clark, in so many ways (skills, attitude, etc.). Nice argument. I’m still not convinced he’s THAT MUCH better than Clark. He’ll likely have a bit more pop, but may strike out more often … 12 of this for a dozen of that. He’ll come for nothing, which is nice.

BTW I have not advocated trading for Juan Rivera nor Marcus Thames. The Mets will never bring back Diaz so he’s not an option either. Delwyn Young is slightly interesting, but again, is he or Johnson any better — really — than Angel Pagan and/or Brady Clark? I suppose the one thing against Pagan is that in his career he’s like Ruben Gotay — not much of a RH hitter.

Your argument is sound … but I see Johnson as the same player as Clark, in so many ways (skills, attitude, etc.).

]]> By: isuzudude http://www.metstoday.com/spring-training-08/2008/players-available/#comment-10517 isuzudude Sun, 23 Mar 2008 22:37:46 +0000 http://www.metstoday.com/spring-training-08/2008/players-available/#comment-10517 Joe - since the composition of this article, Reed Johnson has become a free agent: http://rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/player_main.aspx?sport=MLB&id=3657 With this knowledge in hand, I think it should definitely be on Omar's to-do list to snatch up this guy. Having read your post, I know you're not too keen on Johnson, so allow me to try and sell you on him now. First and foremost, it would take nothing to bring Johnson to the Mets. Whereas a Marcus Thames, Delwyn Young, Victor Diaz, Juan Rivera, et. al. would cost a package of prospects or relievers, Johnson would come without having to give up any other player. To me, that alone makes him very attractive. I know we're all hot on trying to dump Schoeneweis or Sosa, but who knows if there are even any takers for a couple of mediocre, over-priced middle relievers, let alone for something of any value. Add to the equation that the #5 spot in the rotation is in shambles, and suddenly Sosa and Show become all the more valuable for our own team. I've said it before and I'll say it again - I'll hate it if we trade them now for a temporary LF fill-in, only to find out in June that we desperately need them back because of injuries to our other pitchers. On to Johnson as a player. The notion that he gets injured often is untrue. His only major injury since beng called up in 2003 was a herniated disk in his back last year which he needed surgery for. He missed almost 3 months recovering, but made it back by early July and didn't miss any further playing time. As a strike against him, he only hit .235 over the season's second half with just 1 HR, a sign perhaps that he wasn't fully recovered from the injury. However, this Spring he was hitting .289 in 38 ABs before getting cut. Still no home runs - but it's not as if Clark or Pagan have been losing balls over the fences this Spring with any regularity either. What I think we really need to focus on with Johnson, though, is the role he would play on the Mets. And the way I envision it, in Alou's absence he'd platoon in LF with either Endy or Marlon, getting starts when the Mets faced a LHSP, and then perhaps platooning with Church in RF after Alou came back if Church proved he's not able to handle lefties in Alou's absence. This is what the Mets would be injecting into their lineup with Johnson vs. LHP: a career .308 hitter (including .325 last year) with a .462 slug%, .371 OBP, with a 46/103 BB-to-K ratio. In contrast, Brady Clark vs LHP is a career .273 hitter with a .401 slug%, .361 OBP, and a 70/53 BB-to-K ratio. Those numbers don't lie. Considering the temporary LF will be hitting somewhere around 7th in the lineup, I'd rather have a power-theat presence like Johnson than a singles-hitting Clark. Johnson is also a tremendous fielder. Just 10 errors in over 4400 big-league innings with 35 OF assists. Clark has 18 errors in under 4400 innings with just 17 assists. There's another edge for Johnson. Alot of conversation on this blog has also focused around finding a 'gamer'. Someone who is scrappy, who does the little things, who takes pride in improving, who shows up to the ballpark everyday expecting to win. Well, reading Johnson's profile on wikipedia, here's what I found... "Johnson's assets to the Blue Jays include his hard work ethic. He is known to hustle on every play. Reed also has a great defensive arm which is well scouted around the league. Many scouts have observed that he has great bunting ability, in particular his talent in bunting for base hits." Does this not reflect the type of character and demeanor we're looking for? Not only would it seem like he'd embrace a chance to play any type of role for a World Series contending team, but also bust his butt whenever given an oppurtunity to contribute, no matter how far between those opportunities might be. Don't get me wrong here. I don't think Clark is a bum by any stretch. I've admired his play this Spring and was happy the Mets decided to give him a look. I also am very impressed by Pagan's play, but he has minor league options left and no one seems too confident he can continue his Spring swoon once the regular season opens. I think, for the role we're looking for, Reed Johnson beats Clark and the rest of the competition in pretty much every category. Is Johnson necesarily a better overall player than Clark? Maybe, maybe not. But we're not asking Johnson to steal 20 bases, or get 300 ABs vs. RHP. Johnson would simply get most of the LF ABs in Alou's absence vs. LHP, platooning with Chavez/Anderson, and then switch to our #1 right-handed OF bench option, with Easley focusing more on backing up Delgado. To me, it seems like a no-brainer. Joe - since the composition of this article, Reed Johnson has become a free agent: http://rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/player_main.aspx?sport=MLB&id=3657
With this knowledge in hand, I think it should definitely be on Omar’s to-do list to snatch up this guy. Having read your post, I know you’re not too keen on Johnson, so allow me to try and sell you on him now.
First and foremost, it would take nothing to bring Johnson to the Mets. Whereas a Marcus Thames, Delwyn Young, Victor Diaz, Juan Rivera, et. al. would cost a package of prospects or relievers, Johnson would come without having to give up any other player. To me, that alone makes him very attractive. I know we’re all hot on trying to dump Schoeneweis or Sosa, but who knows if there are even any takers for a couple of mediocre, over-priced middle relievers, let alone for something of any value. Add to the equation that the #5 spot in the rotation is in shambles, and suddenly Sosa and Show become all the more valuable for our own team. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - I’ll hate it if we trade them now for a temporary LF fill-in, only to find out in June that we desperately need them back because of injuries to our other pitchers.
On to Johnson as a player. The notion that he gets injured often is untrue. His only major injury since beng called up in 2003 was a herniated disk in his back last year which he needed surgery for. He missed almost 3 months recovering, but made it back by early July and didn’t miss any further playing time. As a strike against him, he only hit .235 over the season’s second half with just 1 HR, a sign perhaps that he wasn’t fully recovered from the injury. However, this Spring he was hitting .289 in 38 ABs before getting cut. Still no home runs - but it’s not as if Clark or Pagan have been losing balls over the fences this Spring with any regularity either.
What I think we really need to focus on with Johnson, though, is the role he would play on the Mets. And the way I envision it, in Alou’s absence he’d platoon in LF with either Endy or Marlon, getting starts when the Mets faced a LHSP, and then perhaps platooning with Church in RF after Alou came back if Church proved he’s not able to handle lefties in Alou’s absence. This is what the Mets would be injecting into their lineup with Johnson vs. LHP: a career .308 hitter (including .325 last year) with a .462 slug%, .371 OBP, with a 46/103 BB-to-K ratio. In contrast, Brady Clark vs LHP is a career .273 hitter with a .401 slug%, .361 OBP, and a 70/53 BB-to-K ratio. Those numbers don’t lie. Considering the temporary LF will be hitting somewhere around 7th in the lineup, I’d rather have a power-theat presence like Johnson than a singles-hitting Clark.
Johnson is also a tremendous fielder. Just 10 errors in over 4400 big-league innings with 35 OF assists. Clark has 18 errors in under 4400 innings with just 17 assists. There’s another edge for Johnson.
Alot of conversation on this blog has also focused around finding a ‘gamer’. Someone who is scrappy, who does the little things, who takes pride in improving, who shows up to the ballpark everyday expecting to win. Well, reading Johnson’s profile on wikipedia, here’s what I found…

“Johnson’s assets to the Blue Jays include his hard work ethic. He is known to hustle on every play. Reed also has a great defensive arm which is well scouted around the league. Many scouts have observed that he has great bunting ability, in particular his talent in bunting for base hits.”

Does this not reflect the type of character and demeanor we’re looking for? Not only would it seem like he’d embrace a chance to play any type of role for a World Series contending team, but also bust his butt whenever given an oppurtunity to contribute, no matter how far between those opportunities might be.
Don’t get me wrong here. I don’t think Clark is a bum by any stretch. I’ve admired his play this Spring and was happy the Mets decided to give him a look. I also am very impressed by Pagan’s play, but he has minor league options left and no one seems too confident he can continue his Spring swoon once the regular season opens. I think, for the role we’re looking for, Reed Johnson beats Clark and the rest of the competition in pretty much every category. Is Johnson necesarily a better overall player than Clark? Maybe, maybe not. But we’re not asking Johnson to steal 20 bases, or get 300 ABs vs. RHP. Johnson would simply get most of the LF ABs in Alou’s absence vs. LHP, platooning with Chavez/Anderson, and then switch to our #1 right-handed OF bench option, with Easley focusing more on backing up Delgado. To me, it seems like a no-brainer.

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