ST Game 7 vs. Nationals
Mets 6 Nationals 5
Let’s not read too much into the win nor the Mets’ 5-2 record; it’s spring training.
But, I would like to share my thoughts on some of what we saw on channel 11 on Sunday.
Oliver Perez
His stat line was awful — 7 hits, a walk, a HR, and 5 ER in 3 IP. But, evaluating his pitching mechanics, there were good signs. What I saw was Ollie doing a decent job of staying in a straight, efficient line to the plate from the stretch (which he was throwing from for most of his outing). From the stretch, he was displaying a good, straight-up leg lift, fairly straight stride, and a balanced follow-through that left him in position to field the ball on comebacker. From the windup, however, he is still struggling, and I feel it stems from where he starts his feet. He is standing on the third-base side of the rubber, which allows him to easily start his right foot back and toward third base on a 45-degree angle. This in turn causes his body to go slightly sideways and “off line”, which then causes a slight over-rotation / close of the front hip, and then results in an over-rotation / premature opening of the front hip. That rotation then causes his follow-through to be off-balance and toward third base — you’ll see him facing third base after the release. That over-rotation is inefficient and is the reason for inconsistency in his release point. There have been periods in the past when both Rick Peterson and Dan Warthen had him beginning his windup by stepping straight back — which resulted in him staying more on that efficient, straight-lined path toward home plate — and I’m not sure why Warthen has allowed Perez to deviate from that habit.
Daniel Murphy’s New Stance
Murphy’s batting stance is now more upright. I’m not sure I understand the reasoning behind the change, but Howard Johnson knows a thousand times more about hitting than me. I guess what confuses me is the fact that once the pitcher starts his motion, Murphy hunches right back into the same crouch he started from last year. So maybe it’s a timing thing? The one potential negative is with this new stance, Murphy’s eyes start at one level, then move to a lower level as the ball is coming in — which seemingly would make the ball more difficult to see and track.
Hisanori Takahashi
I like Takahashi’s fluid, stress-free motion and balanced mechanics. It looks as though he can throw low strikes in his sleep. He reminds me a bit of Jamie Moyer, in that he pitches “backward” (setting up the fastball with off-speed pitches), stays around the plate, and can occasionally sneak a fastball by a hitter. He topped out at a surprising 89 MPH on the fastball, which was mixed with a 81 MPH changeup and a 78 MPH breaking ball. Already I’m convinced he’ll be more effective than Ken Takahashi. Whether he’ll be able to keep MLB hitters off-balance the second time around the league will remain to be seen, but I like his chances.
Ike Davis
There has been a lot of buzz around Davis, and he’s been scorching the ball in spring training. But if I hear one more person compare him to John Olerud, I’m going to scream. He doesn’t remind me at all of Olerud, other than the fact he stands in the left batter’s box. At some point, Davis is going to be in the big leagues — no question. This year? Hard to say. There are two glaring issues about his swing that concern me — first, the fact he “steps in the bucket” and commits his front hip before starting his swing; and second, the loopy length of his swing. It’s a long, long swing — one that will and does generate power. That’s why I’m not getting the Olerud comparisons — Olerud in contrast had a short, compact stroke. In fact, Davis looks to me like a hitter who can turn into an Adam Dunn-type, rather than an Olerud — someone with prodigious power, good strike zone judgment, but perhaps not a .300 average. If he comes close to evolving into either Olerud or Dunn, we will certainly be happy.
The Nationals
This team scares me a bit. They have a ton of exciting, talented, young ballplayers on their roster. I don’t see the Nats making the playoffs in 2010, but with a little luck they could surprise people. They will be a team to reckon with in 2011 and beyond.
Mike Jacobs Returns to Mets
After four seasons away from Flushing, Mike Jacobs returns to the Mets.
Jacobs signed a minor-league contract with the Mets, and though I’ve always been a huge fan of his and happy to see his return, it seems like a strange acquisition.
For one, the Mets already have two lefthanded-hitting first basemen in Daniel Murphy and Chris Carter, and Jacobs doesn’t project to be appreciably better than either of those options. His one tool is the ability to hit the ball over the fence; the rest of his game is ordinary at best — for a first baseman.
However — as I suggested back in early December — Jacobs would have much more value as a catcher. It’s too perfect a solution for both the catcherless Mets and the quickly dwindling career of Jacobs, though, to happen. The Mets don’t have the chutzpah to suggest it, and Jacobs might not want to go back behind the dish. Such a return wouldn’t be unprecedented — Robert Fick, for example, extended his big-league career by 2-3 years making such a move from right field, and Brandon Inge was a semi-regular catcher for the Tigers in 2008 after not squatting for almost four years.
If such a fantasy turned true, the Mets would have an almost acceptable tandem behind the plate. There are many fans who sincerely believe that Josh Thole should be platooning with Henry Blanco come Opening Day. For those wearing the rose-colored glasses, may I suggest that if Jacobs were willing to don the tools of ignorance again, he’d immediately be on par with or possibly be ahead of Thole in terms of defense. Jacobs wasn’t a great defensive catcher, but he wasn’t godawful, either — and he was a backstop going all the way back to little league. His defensive development was stunted by a shoulder injury in his early 20s and the fact that the Mets’ organization was loaded with good young catchers in the early 2000s (Justin Huber, Vance Wilson, Jason Phillips, Joe Hietpas). With better backstops in the system and a hole at 1B, it made sense to move Jacobs out from behind the plate and fast-track his bat to the bigs.
Enough with the fantasy though … I honestly do not believe Jacobs will consider the catcher’s gear, unless he doesn’t make the 25-man roster and is sent to Buffalo. Let’s get to the reality of the situation.
There is a glimmer of hope for the 29-year-old Jacobs, considering that he’s only a year removed from a 32-HR, 93-RBI season in Florida. The Beaneheads will be quick to point out that RBIs don’t mean anything and his OBP was awful in 2008, but the fact is this: Jacobs will likely get on base as often as Dan Murphy / Fernando Tatis, and be a similar player all-around (baserunning, defense, etc.), but is more likely to hit more homeruns than Murphy and Tatis combined. And that’s the bottom line, isn’t it? It’s not like the alternative is Adrian Gonzalez or Albert Pujols — Jacobs need only be better than Tatis and Murphy.
Considering Adam LaRoche
Early in the offseason, there was some mild buzz that the Mets might be interested in free agent first baseman Adam LaRoche. However, there’s been absolutely nothing to suggest he is on Omar Minaya’s radar since at least early December (possibly earlier) — most likely because he was looking for too much money over too many years.
But, things have changed for the lefty slugger.
LaRoche’s top suitor, the San Francisco Giants, grew tired of his contract demands and chose instead to sign Aubrey Huff to a one-year deal. Huff joins fellow free agent pickup Mark DeRosa and incumbents Pablo Sandoval and Juan Uribe to provide the Giants with four solid possibilities for the infield corners — and effectively eliminating the acquisition of LaRoche. And with that, the market for LaRoche has suddenly shrunken — considerably. Read more
Bosox Brimming at Third Base
The Red Sox made official the signing of third baseman Adrian Beltre, and at the same time announced the trade of Casey Kotchman for Bill Hall. Hall can play every outfield and infield position, but has played more MLB games at the hot corner than anywhere else.
These announcements virtually guarantee that incumbent 3B Mike Lowell will be traded as soon as possible. Read more
Talk Is Cheap
I had hoped to shelve the “Manuel Being Manuel” category until at least spring training. Unfortunately, everyone’s favorite zen master couldn’t contain himself through the winter months.
Jerry Manuel spoke with reporters in Indianapolis today, and Brian Costa provides the “highlights” of the conversation.
Among them:
- Manuel claims Read more
Will the Mets Land a Big Fish?
At MetsFansForever, Will Sommer asks several bloggers which “big” free agent will be signed by the Mets
Andrew Vazzano unearths a slice of good news from the winter meetings – that David Wright and Daniel Murphy were working out with Howard Johnson, and Jeff Francoeur may be with HoJo later in the winter.
Ted Berg wrote an uncharacteristically long post poo-poohing the concept of a #2 starter and arguing that the Mets should pass on John Lackey.
Bob Klapisch says the Mets are pretenders
We’re only a day and a half into the winter meetings, but Brooklyn Met Fan is already tired of the rumors.
Kerel Cooper responds to yesterday’s question, “Would You Want Pat Burrell?” :
2009 Analysis: Gary Sheffield
Entering the 2009 season, the Mets were one slugger short of a championship lineup. They didn’t bother acquiring one during the winter because Daniel Murphy was going to hit like Wade Boggs and the Fernando Tatis – Ryan Church in right field was going to be the best seen in Flushing since the days of Ron Swoboda and Art Shamsky.
But when Gary Sheffield was released outright by the Detroit Tigers, the Mets snapped him up — much to the chagrin of nearly every fan, blogger, radio personality, journalist, and pundit within earshot of Citi Field (note I said “nearly“).
After all, Gary Sheffield was a loafing, selfish, evil, degenerate senior citizen who was going to cause a major disruption in the delicate Mets’ clubhouse and poison the minds of the precocious young ballplayers. There were also fears that he would steal everyone’s wallets, molest the players’ wives, put a cap in David Wright’s head, eat the Wilpons’ babies, and otherwise completely disgrace the Mets’ brand image — all while confined to a body cast and wheelchair resulting from his first attempt to walk up the dugout steps and onto the field.
As it turned out, Sheffield was Read more
2009 Analysis: Daniel Murphy
Daniel Murphy tries hard. He plays hard. He works hard. He hustles all the time. He puts the team ahead of himself. He is willing to play anywhere, anytime. He doesn’t complain. He doesn’t say much at all, really. And he is a Product Of The Farm System. So as a Mets fan it’s hard not to like him.
Unfortunately, Daniel’s strength — his bat — hasn’t proven strong enough to justify penciling him into his best defensive position, which is first base. And unfortunately, his prowess at the position is unlike that of Keith Hernandez. Although UZR says that Murphy was the second-best defensive first baseman in the NL, our eyes know better — UZR doesn’t take into consideration the low balls that aren’t scooped, the over-ranging that confuses the second baseman, the bumbled tosses to the pitcher covering first, or the incorrect positioning on relay throws. It also doesn’t count the errors that were called as hits by a generous official scorer.
But even if Daniel Murphy did resemble “Mex” in the field, Read more
FOUND: Nick Evans
A year ago Daniel Murphy had a partner in crime — a righthanded-hitting version of an infielder-turned-outfielder with a simlarly promising bat, questionable glove, hustling approach, and fresh off a hitting streak in AA. The two rookies gave the team a mild spark at the tail end of the season, with Murphy’s Wade Boggs imitation overshadowing the lesser but still promising performance of his B-Mets teammate. There was much excitement surrounding the two young men, as they exemplified the best of the fruits sown from the farm known as the Mets minor league system — a system that was gravely underestimated by the pundits (according to Farmer Minaya).
It’s OK if you don’t remember the name of Murphy’s sidekick, as it’s a simple, common, unassuming name — one that sounds like it came out of a Hardy Boys mystery or a Hemingway novel. If you forget his name, don’t fret — it appears his own manager forgot it as well, since he hasn’t written it onto a lineup card for the last three weeks.
It turns out that the young man was forgotten, but not gone. Despite rumors to the contrary, Nick Evans has been with the Mets this entire time. But he hasn’t been seen in ballgames because in addition to his manager forgetting his name, Read more
Mets Game 149: Nationals
Mets 3 Nationals 2
Some days you have it, some days you don’t.
On this particular afternoon, Tim Redding had it — he brought his “A” game.
Spotting his sinker at the knees, on both corners of the plate, and mixing in a sharp slider and occasionally well-behaving curveball, Redding stymied the Nats bats through seven frames, allowing just one unearned run on four hits and two walks — easily his best outing of the season.
However, it nearly wasn’t enough, because Sean Green did not have “it”.
Green was wild from the moment he entered the game, but Jerry Manuel left him on the mound long enough to let the Nationals score a run to tighten the score to 3-2. Luckily, Everyday Pedro Feliciano came on the save the day, however, and Frankie Fantastik finished up for his 32nd save.
Notes
John Lannan nearly matched Redding’s effort, holding the Mets to 3 runs on 5 hits in 7 innings.
Dan Murphy drove in two of the Mets runs and Jeff Francoeur drove in the other. The big “hits” of the game came in the bottom of the seventh, and were actually errors. David Wright led off with a liner to right field that was grossly misplayed by Ian Desmond, a shortstop who was making his first-ever appearance in the outfield. The official ruling was a double, since Desmond didn’t even get a glove on the ball. A few minutes later, Murphy bounced a grounder that Adam Dunn ole’d to score Francoeur with the Mets’ third run of the game. That’s why the coaches say, “just put the ball in play, you never know what might happen”.
Next Mets Game
The final game of the series occurs on Sunday afternoon at 1:10 PM. John Maine faces Garret Mock.
Mets Gifts
MetsBlog FeedMore Sponsors
fix bad credit
repairmycreditnow.com - repairmycreditnow has a v phase process that will successfully fix bad credit legally
