oliver perez

The Mets: Giving Jason Bay The Bobby Bonilla Treatment

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The Mets have certainly given us some colorful terms over their history. In several cases a word or two has been coined that succinctly sums up a seminal moment in the team’s history. There’s the recently broken “Fregosi Curse” that they were infected with after they traded Nolan Ryan. (Yes I know, the term originated … Read more

Ollie’s Best Chance

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Oliver Perez was, unsurprisingly, unimpressive in his latest spring training outing, allowing three earned runs on four hits and two walks in three innings. His velocity “jumped” to the 84-88 MPH range, which is still much too slow for someone who has neither command nor savvy.

At this point, Perez has been eliminated from the starting rotation competition, and he’s unlikely to have much chance of earning a long relief or middle relief role. His best chance to make the 25-man roster is

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What If Luis Castillo Wins 2B Job?

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After a long delay, Luis Castillo finally arrived on time in Port St. Lucie.

I know many people are miffed that Castillo didn’t get to camp a week ago, but he had a legitimate reason — his brother is going in for serious surgery next week. Even if he didn’t have a personal matter to tend to, I’m not sure that an early arrival would have made a difference one way or the other in regard to his chances of making the team nor in the way he is viewed by the new Mets management (the on-field and front office staffs included).

Yes, it would have been nice if Castillo showed up around the same time as the pitchers and catchers. But really, at this point, how would it have mattered? He’s been in pro ball for 15 years, and by now should have a good idea of what he needs to do to get ready for a 162-game season. You could say that by arriving early, Castillo would have “sent a message” that he’s “serious” about having a comeback season. But in all honesty, is that really what you want? Be careful what you wish for, the saying goes.

Let’s pretend Castillo had

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