An Important Decision In A Not-So-Important Season

Spring Training is winding down and rosters are starting to look more regular.  For the Mets, most of the roster decisions have been made.  The bullpen is a one of the last places the Mets have to make moves.  At this point it is Bobby Parnell, Blaine Boyer, and Jason Isringhausen competing for two spots in the bullpen.  However, I don't think Parnell should be in a competition at all and it should just be Boyer and Isringhausen competing for the last spot and ultimately Boyer should make the team.

Recently reports have surfaced that the Mets considered sending Parnell to the minors so both Boyer and Isringhausen could make the team.  Even considering doing that to Parnell is a bad decision.  Coming into Spring Training the 8th inning role seemed to be Parnell's to lose.  He had a strong season last year and they were building off that and basically guaranteeing him a spot on the roster.  To make it this far into ST and then decide his spot in the bullpen may not actually be guaranteed would be wrong.  It made sense when Parnell didn't make it out of ST last year because his ST numbers were simply terrible.  He didn't only prove himself last year, he also has continued the success in ST.  The level of letdown for Bobby would be quite high.  Not only could it kill Bobby's confidence, it would also show the Mets new leadership doesn't stick to their word.  When Terry Collins said the decision on Parnell's roster spot is based on last season there is no reason to expect otherwise.  Is this Mets leadership just as full of hot air as the last?  For the future of the Parnell as well as the trust in the Mets, Bobby should no-doubt make the team.

As for Boyer over Isringhausen, my opinion really is based on Isringhausen's injury history.  At this point both pitchers have done well enough to make the team.  To break the tie I look at Izzy's three Tommy John surgeries and the fact that the Mets will probably lose Boyer completely if he doesn't make the team.  If Izzy makes the team, pitches well, and then gets injured the Mets would not have Boyer as their best backup.  This competition is close enough to make the decision based on what could happen.  Otherwise, it really can go either way.

That's my take on the bullpen.  Clearly, my love for Parnell has him in the bullpen and clearly that reasoning is more protective of his well-being.  I just don't want him torn down after he was built up as the future.

Let's Go Mets!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SMITTY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today, Joseph Michael Smith turns 27 years old.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SMITTY!

A Great Example Of Where Hard Work Can Get You

You all know plenty about Mike Nickeas if you have been a regular visitor here.  However, I can really only tell you the stats and maybe a little bit else.  Writers such as Art Stapleton can report on much more about the players and his piece about Mike Nickeas is outstanding.

Of course, I am very glad Mike did not retire before last season.  It was so beyond cool that he finally made his major league debut and also got his first and second MLB hits.  I'm looking forward to a few more major league innings and hits from maybe a game or two at the very beginning of this season.  It really is amazing the difference a year made in his career.

Let's Go Mike!

One Part Of The Mets Where The Future Looks Bright

There sure is an awful lot of negativity surrounding the Mets right now.  It's almost baseball season and yet it seems like half the fan-base and most of the front office would like another few months of the offseason.  We all know about the issues in the front office.  However, the Mets problems don't stop there.  On the field 2nd base is pretty much a black hole and there isn't much positivity for how the team will play as a whole.  However, there is at least one place where the Mets and their fans can find comfort.

The Mets look like they will have the catchers position filled for quite a while.  Josh Thole is coming into the season as the starting catcher for the first time in his career.  After learning the position in the minor leagues he showed last year that he can be a competent MLB catcher.  This spring not only has his defense continued to look good, his offense has been outstanding.  Thole isn't only getting the singles and doubles that are expected of him, he already has two home runs this spring.  This will be Josh's first full season in the majors and while the wear-and-tear on a catcher is going to be rough anywhere, it will be even worse for a full season in the majors.  This year is a big test for Thole but right now everything is pointing in the right direction for him to succeed.

As for the catchers backing up Thole, Ronny Paulino finally arrived in camp.  He will be in the majors after the last eight games of his PED suspension are up.  Mike Nickeas will likely start the season as the backup.  This spring his offense hasn't been anything special but his defense has definitely stood out.  Mike has always been known as a strong defensive catcher and he has proven it with some very strong throws as well as blocking many potential wild pitches.  Maybe in 2012 Mike will have the chance to be the full time backup.

With all the questions surrounding the Mets it's good to look at what isn't questionable.  It's a sure thing that the Mets have a bright future in terms of catching.

Let's Go Mets!

What Matters To Me During Spring Training

The offseason is gone and Spring Training games have already begun.  These games are mere exhibitions and for most players the stats don't matter.  However, for some players they mean everything.  I generally don't care about how a player does in Spring Training but this year I seem to care more than I have previously.  The Mets have more position battles and players looking to rebound from injuries so there is more to watch.

For example, players like David Wright and Ike Davis have guaranteed spots in the lineup so if they struggle during the exhibition games it doesn't mean much, but for Daniel Murphy, Brad Emaus, and Luis Castillo, they are competing to play 2nd base.  A .230 batting average in Spring Training could change Murphy's career while it would do little to Wright's.

I'm also paying attention to Carlos Beltran and Angel Pagan.  Last year Angel proved to be a more than adequate center fielder while Beltran came back from injury a few steps short.  Carlos still has a little while before he plays in a game but when he does, his defense will be important to watch.  He plays a shallow center field and that hurt him at the end of last year.  If he doesn't have all his speed I wonder if he'll move back a bit.

The main pitching stat I'm following is the ERA of Oliver Perez.  Yes, I simply want that number to get higher.  As much as I try to be optimistic about the possibility of him making the team, the more I'm reminded that he wouldn't just go to the minors last year to get himself together.  I could be watching the bullpen battle or the starting pitchers but bullpens tend to come together in mysterious ways, heck - last year Raul Valdes made the team after pitching in the Mexican League, and so many starting pitchers are needed throughout the season that I'm sure they'll all get a chance at some point.

Not all preseasons are equal.  Players have to earn the right to use Spring Training as the time to ease back into things.  Position battles are one of the few reasons Spring Training stats mean anything at all.  The Mets have a few so we should be amused for about another week before we want real games.

Let's Go Mets!

Pictures From Monday's Workout

They aren't that great, but here are some pictures I took on Monday:

2011-02-21 Mets First Full Squad Workout

Let's Go Mets!

2 Pictures From Yesterday

Before I post pictures of the workout I'll show you these two pictures:

Kevin Burkhardt:

And my favorite picture (with Mike Nickeas):

My Day At Spring Training

The Mets held their first full-squad workout today and I was lucky enough to be there.  This was my second time seeing a workout so I had a better idea of who and what I wanted to see.  My first time going was three years ago and I was basically only focusing on getting autographs.  This time I wanted to see more of the actual workout and I also wanted to focus on a few specific players.

When I got there the Mets were listening to one of the coaches.  Shortly after that they got into lines and started doing organized stretching.  It was simply the same stretching that anybody who has ever been on a high school sports team has done.  After more running and stretching they split up onto two different fields.  The pitchers and catchers were on one field and the position players were on the other.  They did some throwing and that was the end of separating the pitchers and catchers from the position players.  Pitchers threw live BP to the hitters and the hitters had regular BP with the coaches.  Pitchers practiced pick-off moves with the middle-infielders and infielders took grounders.  Some pitchers threw in the bullpen while others only threw BP.  I wish I could tell you exactly what David Wright or Carlos Beltran spent the morning doing, but I was focused on a few other players so unfortunately I can't.

I focused on Mike Nickeas, Josh Thole, and Zach Lutz.  They all happened to start the workout on the same field so I only saw what was happening on one field.  Nickeas and Thole actually didn't do anything for the first part of practice as the catchers just stood by home-plate and chatted.  Lutz took grounders at third base with Nick Evans.  At the same time pitchers were practicing pickoff moves to second base with the middle-infielders.  Naturally, one throw from Oliver Perez sailed past Luis Hernandez and into center field.

Once that part of practice was over all of the catchers and some pitchers went to the bullpen.  The bullpen was off-limits for fans but I got a sense of the pitchers and catchers that were together when they walked back in pairs.  R.A. Dickey and Mike Pelfrey both threw in the bullpen, Dickey with Thole and Pelf with Dusty Ryan, before throwing live BP for the hitters.  Dickey pitched to hitters that included Zach Lutz and Brad Emaus.  The players continued to rotate stations which mostly seemed to mean the hitters went to different forms of BP before finishing with running and conditioning.

The Best Thing About Spring Training

Spring Training represents many things.  It is the literal beginning of a new year of baseball but it is really so much more.

Spring Training represents hope.

It is the hope that your favorite team will be better this year.  It is the hope that your favorite player will finally prove they are as good as you've always thought.  It is the hope the maybe this season will be special.  Every World Series champion has to start somewhere.  The team has to bond and become that succeeds through whatever adversity the season may bring.  The 50+ players that arrive in camp will go through workouts.  The pitchers will all throw seemingly "successful" bullpen sessions and the hitters will claim to have fixed any holes in their swings.  The games will start and players with unfamiliar names and numbers reaching the 90s will get a chance to play.  As the size of big league camp shrinks the names sound more regular, although there are still a few unrecognizable names mixed in.  Shortly the exhibition games become boring and there is no way to know if your team scoring seven runs a game is actually going to be a regular occurrence during the season or if the other team's pitchers are actually minor leaguers. Before you know it there are only 25 names left.  The one or two previously confusing names are now familiar.  This is okay because these players made the team by proving they were good enough.  There is no reason to believe they won't be good enough for the rest of the year.

And through it all there is the hope that this Spring Training means something.  The hope that those no-names will soon be recognized by the rest of the league.  The hope that the hard work of the rest of the team will be rewarded.

This year the Mets have already been given plenty of reasons to lose hope for the year.  Lucky for the Mets, management is not who actually goes out and plays the game.  The players are there no matter who owns the team.  Baseball will be played and that in itself is a reason to have hope.

Let's Go Mets!

He's Baaaaack

Remember Jason Isringhausen?  Maybe you remember Generation K.  Yes, we all thought that failure of a pitching staff was gone but we were all wrong.  So very wrong.

The Mets signed Isringhausen to a minor league contract with an invitation to big league Spring Training.  If he can get the ball over the plate he's already better than some of the pitchers the Mets have had recently.  There can never be too many pitchers at camp.  If he does stick around hopefully this tenure with the Mets won't include any garbage can punching induced broken wrists or tuberculosis.

I really thought I avoided Generation K by not being able to talk when it failed.  Oh well.

Let's Go Mets!