Links From Metsopotamia Tweet This Post
Shannon at Metspolice notices a decrease in Mets related traffic and twittering and ponders if anyone’s still here. Well, I am. It’s still baseball, it’s still the Mets, it’s still Citi Field. I’m going to at least two more games this year. I’m going to enjoy watching Duda seem to become a serious major league slugger, watching Reyes and Wright be Reyes and Wright, and looking for signs from guys like Bay, Pagan, Thole, Parnell, etc to see what we can do about next year. You know you’re going to spend all offseason yelling about some of these guys, at least be informed and see how they finish the season with your own eyes.
Kerel of On The Black discusses Google Plus (add me to your circle if you like) and how well it worked for his weekly Mets chat with Dave Doyle of Mets Report.
Randy at The Apple says a humorous goodbye to the err, umm.. *pickastadiumname* the Marlins play in.
In a fanpost at Amazin’ Avenue, nerfan breaks down the top 10 completely wrong arguments about the Mets. Also known as ‘debunking sports radio’.
The Dilemma ofMeaningless West Coast Baseball Tweet This Post
The Mets are on the west coast to play the San Diego Padres and tonight and tomorrow the game doesn’t start until after 10. I’m not usually one to complain about this; normally I like the quiet nights when everything else has been done for the day and there is nothing left to do but sacrifice sleep to the Mets.
But this Mets team is out of the playoffs. The Padres are out of the playoffs. These games have almost no meaning and the Mets are missing some of their most watchable stars to injuries. Additionally it’s early enough that I don’t feel the panic of “Pretty soon there will be no more baseball games, so I better savor every one” that comes mid-September. There are still over a month worth of games to watch and they’ll happen at much better hours of the day and the Mets aren’t even playing well right now.
So while baseball, particularly Mets baseball, is always worth watching, if there was a game or series to skip and get other things done, it’s this one.
Tags: 2011 mets, Baseball, late starts, meaningless games, Mets, mets on the west coast, mets west coast trip, New York Mets, watchable games, watching the mets
Get Me Fernando Martinez Tweet This Post
Photo by Michael Baron
It’s not like we’re expecting Mike Baxter, Nick Evans, or Scott Hairston to be the solution in right field, so why not bring up our oft-injured forgotten prospect Fernando Martinez? He’s back from his latest injury, is already on the 40-man roster, and has already had his option burned for this year. He’s 11/36 with 2 walks, 1 HR and 5 doubles since returning to Buffalo.
I had wondered if he may be out of options. The rule is a little confusing, but it seems to state that a player is on optional assignment in any year that he is on the 40 man roster but spends 20 or more days in the minors. This would apply to 2011,2010, and 2009 for Martinez. A player may be optioned a fourth season if he has less than five years of professional experience. Martinez first year of pro ball was in 2006 at 17 with three different Mets minor league teams, which would give him six years of experience, so it seems like he cannot be optioned next year. A little digging seems to find an interview with Paul DePodesta saying he does have another option for next year, so it’s probably not D-Day for him yet. It looks like him being injured in the majors in 2009 prevented it from counting as an option year. If you’re curious about which players do and do not have options, there appears to be a handy little list right here by tpgmets.
Still, it’s growing close and 2012 will be the last season you can easily bring him up and down. Obviously the biggest concern is injuries keeping him from getting full seasons of plate appearances in the minors. He’s never played 100 games in a season, although if he doesn’t have another injury this season he will. He can prove he’s healthy just as easily in the majors as in the minors, and it seems like giving him the opportunity to prove he’s ready is pretty much win-win for the Mets.
Trading him is certainly an option too, but he’s had DL stints this year and hasn’t exactly destroyed AAA although his .766 OPS isn’t bad either. You’d basically be trading low, given his history, unless he shows you something through the rest of the season. The best way for that to happen is for him to show it at the major league level where it has the most clout. If he can hit major league pitching over the next six weeks in the majors, it only increases his value and the options Alderson will have regarding him.
As the Mets injuries pile up and they continue to prove they’re not going to make a significant break with .500 and legitimately chase the Braves, it seems like it’s in everyone’s best interest to promote Fernando Martinez to the big club. At this point I’d suggest just releasing Willie Harris, who isn’t very good and isn’t part of a solution.
Tags: 2012 mets, Baseball, fernando martinez, fernando martinez options, Mets, mets 2012 outfield, mets outfield, mets outfielders, mlb options, New York Mets, options
Redirecting the Optimism Tweet This Post
I don’t quite want to eulogize the Mets just yet. While the chances of making the playoffs just went on the DL with little hope of returning this season, there is still baseball that’s being played, and out of the playoffs is not the same as no longer playing. There will be plenty of time to deconstruct and over-analyze 2011 in the offseason, while we’re rooting against all those evil teams that made the playoffs.
So where do we direct that optimism that failed us in 2011? For starters, the rookies and prospects that will get some extra time will go a long way towards being able to make informed decisions about the 2012 roster. How feasible is Lucas Duda going to be? Has Josh Thole rebounded from a poor beginning to the point that we don’t need to look at other options? There are enough guys that will get some playing time to have a lot of options for the future.
The other place to direct the optimism is at the teams we hate. The Phillies, despite the pitching, tend to look like they can be had if the opposing team’s pitching is on. Given that they may have to face the Giants and the Braves, they certainly could be looking at an early exit from the playoffs if they hit a hot pitcher in a short series. The Yankees look more well rounded than the Phillies, but they also seem to lack a certain depth that may leave them exposed if everything is not clicking when they reach the playoffs.
Personally I’m rooting for Carlos Beltran and the Giants over the Red Sox in the World Series.
Tags: 2011 mets, 2011 mlb season, Baseball, Mets, mets optimism, mets prospects, mlb, New York Mets, optimism
Random Stuff About the Mets Tweet This Post
This is from last week. Why is there a phantom NYY on the out of town scoreboard?
There are plenty of parts of Citi Field that remind me of Shea Stadium. Being able to watch fans wind their way into or out of the stadium is one of them.
I always love taking random shots of things and areas around the stadium. Citi Field doesn’t create standing pools of water like Shea did, but here’s a part that does accumulate some water.
Tags: Baseball, bill gallo, Citi Field, citi field rain, Mets, mlb, New York Mets, Shea Stadium
Carlos Beltran Beats The Phillies Tweet This Post
Last night I watched Carlos Beltran play right field and beat the Phillies. Even though he went 0-4, you can tell he’s going to be a great fit on that team. He makes the team so much better, and can provide the offensive boost they really need.
There are so many great Carlos Beltran moments with the Mets that it’s impossible to name just one. He’ll be sorely missed regardless of how the team does. Carlos Beltran was a truly Amazin’ Met and one of the greatest players in franchise history and one day he just might be a Hall of Famer wearing a Mets cap.
Good luck in San Francisco Carlos. Maybe we’ll still see you again at Citi Field this year..
Tags: Amazin mets, Baseball, best mets, Carlos Beltran, carlos beltran trade, Citi Field, giants, greatest mets, Mets, New York Mets, san francisco giants
Is Rex Ryan Hurting the Mets? Tweet This Post
Currently the Mets are squandering an opportunity to climb back into the playoff race by not capitalizing on a struggling Atlanta Braves team, but whether or not they get closer it seems like some interest in the Mets could be waning as the season goes on, and I blame Rex Ryan.
The last couple of years Mets fans in their negativity have looked for any reason to give up on the team and root for next year. Fans were doing it as early as Spring Training this year, proclaiming the season as hopeless and getting mad at people that suggested maybe they could actually be a winning team. Now that the NFL has ended it’s lockout and is set to resume as normal, there is something else for Mets fans to focus on. Rex Ryan’s antics become more enticing than Daniel Murphy’s defense. Potential free agent signings for the Jets or Giants seem to become more interesting than what the Mets will or won’t do with Carlos Beltran at the deadline, or who will slip through waivers. The health of various injured football players becomes more intriguing than Johan Santana’s rehab schedule.
I think the Mets still have plenty of interesting baseball left in them, and I suggest you don’t let preseason football, which most of you profess is pretty boring, get in the way of actual sport. There will be things to watch on this team that will be exciting, games that will be a great deal of fun to be at, and players that are a marvel to watch play everyday. If the Mets are out of it you can switch channels on Sundays, but don’t miss out on some fun baseball just because the Giants and Jets haven’t disappointed you yet this year.
Tags: 2011 mets, Baseball, football, Mets, mets and football, mlb, new york football giants, New York Giants, new york jets, New York Mets, nfl, nfl lockout, nfl preseason, nfl season, rex ryan ruining baseball, season, watch the mets
Welcome Back David, We Missed You! Tweet This Post
Today the Mets get back their unofficial captain and star third-baseman. After all, how can the Mets take on the Goliath challenge of making the playoffs without their David?
The Mets playoff chances appear to be hanging by a thread, despite still technically controlling their own destiny as far as the Braves are concerned. While they are playing just well enough to not fall out of it, they’re not gaining any ground either. Another week without gaining ground possibly spells the end of Carlos Beltran as a Met, but looking to sell at the deadline or not, the Mets will get reinforcements. David Wright returns tonight, and it looks like the road is marked for the return of Johan Santana. I wouldn’t rule out Sandy Alderson making a trade that can help the Mets, both this year and in the future, at the trade deadlines. Perhaps it’s unlikely, but you never know what’s going to be out there.
We’ll start with David Wright. He’s tearing up Florida in the minors, and here’s hoping he’ll continue to tear up Florida in the majors this weekend. It’ll be nice to have him back. Everyone time someone mentions the Mets third baseman I instinctively think David Wright, and Daniel Murphy’s name starting with the same letter doesn’t help.
So welcome back David Wright, and here’s to a great end of the season for you.
Tags: 2011 new york mets, Baseball, captain david wright, David Wright, david wright and goliath, Mets, mets captain, mets injuries, mets playoffs, mets third-baseman, mlb, New York Mets
1969 World Series Tickets Tweet This Post
Not trying to step on the toes of Metspolice’s ’80s week, but I came across these 1969 playoff ticket stubs (Not mine, I wasn’t alive) and figured the Thursday before the second half would be the perfect time to post them. (And a much longer post I have planned complaining about FIP is lazily unfinished)
That’s the clinching game of the NLCS, which I’d forgotten was only a five game series. Game 3 of the World Series, presuming they mean game 3 and not home game 3, would’ve been the Agee catch game and the first World Series game ever at Shea Stadium.
Tags: 1969 mets, 1969 new york mets, 1969 ticket stubs, 1969 world series tickets, Baseball, baseball ticket stubs, mets nlcs ticket stubs, mets ticket stubs, Shea Stadium, tommie agee, world champion new york mets, world series ticket stubs
I Love The All-Star Game Tweet This Post
I attended the All-Star Game in person in 2006 in Pittsburgh, and it really changed my opinion of the game in general. It’s a true celebration of the greatest sport on Earth, and that’s something I can look forward to.
Just because I enjoy the game does not mean I don’t recognize that there are a lot of problems with it. The biggest is the huge amount of players that do not participate, and truly do not want to participate. There are problems with the voting, with the ballots, and with how much the game matters. There are similar issues with the Home Run Derby, including it’s length. I did actually like the way it was done this year, with two players selecting the rest. It’s harder to say no to a coworker than it is to a boss.
So I’m going to enjoy celebrating baseball this week, and wish I was there. If you don’t like the festivities (And if you don’t, I question why you clicked on a link that said “I love the All-Star Game”), don’t watch. That’s fine, the Mets will be back Friday. Just please refrain from tweeting and arguing about how much the game sucks and this and that. Why rain on my parade? I try to keep the negativity to a minimum myself when I see my timeline filling up with boring soccer tweets, or college basketball tweets, so do me the same courtesy. I don’t need to see you tweeting about how you’re so much better because you’re not watching the game.
Tags: 2011 mlb all-star game, All Star Game, Arizona, Baseball, baseball all-star game, Carlos Beltran, celebrate baseball, greatest sport on earth, Home Run Derby, mets all-stars, watch the game