Mets Merized Online

This blog was contributed from one of our readers, Kay Eltman. If you would like to see yourself published, feel free to send us your story and if we like what we read we will publish it.

On Tuesday I attended my second game of the year.  Baseball has been part of our lives of my family and sitting in the Mezzanine out in right field, I was reminded why I love this pastime and the simple innocence that gets lost sometime.
 
There was a young girl not more then 8 years old watching the game behind me with her Dad.  Father/daughter night out, almost a lost art these days, she was so hooked on this game and was asking all the right questions.  She was not there to gobble cotton candy, gulp vats of soda and just be on a sugar high, she was there to learn and her enthusiasm was infectious.
 
At one point I asked her if this was her first game and she said no, but her dad added that she was very little the last time, and now she really enjoys it and follows along.  I told her that I was about her age or so when I came to see the Mets for the first time, and I got to see Willie Mays hit a homerun that night, after a brief blank look, I told her to look him up tomorrow and she’ll understand. 
 
After the dramatic 10th inning with Damion Easley hitting the game tying homerun the her energy level rose to a new level, which after 9 innings of it I didn’t think it could get much higher, but I was wrong.  After the 11th inning her Dad said to her “We have to go, you have school tomorrow”.  Well she pleaded, as only a daughter could do with her Daddy and insisted, “I want to stay and see them win, I know they will”.  Dad gave in, and I’m sure he was glad to oblige because it ended just as she said it would, with a win.  She was jumping up and down and giving out high-fives to everyone around her. 
 
Perhaps I’m a romantic, but I’d like to think that in 35 years from now she’ll tell some young kid in the stands about her fun night at Shea, just as I told her how I saw the great Willie Mays.
 
Sometimes we get lost in the headlines of million dollar contracts and accusation of performance enhancement magic pills, but I’m glad the innocence of one little girl Met Fan brought me back to how it should be just root, root root root for the home team.
 
Ya Gotta Believe!
 
Kay Eltman

Looks like Paul Lo Duca will get a well deserved day off after bruising his hand Wednesday in the Phillies game. Although he attempted to play last night, the pain was clearly affecting his swing.

The interesting thing to note is that it is not David Wright replacing him in the two hole, or even Jose Valentin. It’s Carlos Beltran! I love the look of this line-up, what do you guys think??

1. Reyes – SS
2. Beltran – CF
3. Alou – LF
4. Delgado – 1B
5. Wright – 3B
6. Green – RF
7. Castro – C
8. Valentin – 2B
9. Hernandez – P

Lets complete the sweep and head back into Shea on a high note!

I’m expecting tons of offense tonight from the Mets and a great effort by El Duque!

Go Mets!

Here is your chance to win a pair of FREE TICKETS to see the Mets play against the Florida Marlins on Monday, April 30th!

During our first two Mets Tickets Contests, we asked you questions about the 2006 Mets. This time we will take you back to the magical season of 1986. Here goes…

I was born in 1962 in Honolulu, Hawaii. I broke into the major leagues at age 20 with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1983 and was traded to the Mets soon after. In 1986 I started 31 games for the New York Mets and went 16-6 with a 3.52 ERA. I also had a career high of 200 strikeouts that season and was elected to my very first All Star Game. During Game 7 of the World Series that season, I came out of the bullpen and retired seven straight Red Sox hitters including four by strikeouts. Who am I?

We hope you have fun with this!

Enter your answer right here by leaving a comment on this blog. Make sure you include your URL or your name so that we can contact you if you win. A winner will be randomly chosen from all the correct answers received. Deadline for submitting your answers will be 12:00 PM EST on Monday.

We hope you think of Mets Merized whenever you need tickets to see the Mets or any other sporting event or concert!

This Week’s Roster Moves

The Mets made only one move this past week. The Mets signed Jason Alfaro (3B) to a Minor League Contract. The last time Alfaro played in the majors, was in 2004 for the Houston Astros. I don’t see him being on any Major League roster in the near future.

Juan Padilla had surgery on Friday for a slight tear in his flexor tendon.

Mike Pelfrey was added to the 25 man roster and Lastings Milledge was sent to AAA to make room for him.

Minor League News

AAA – New Orleans Zephyrs (5-3)

4/8/07 – The Zephyrs’ third game of the season was postponed due to rain. They had day-night doubleheader the next day. The Zephyrs swept the doubleheader and won the series. In the first game, Jorge Sosa (1-0) threw six shutout innings. Lino Urdanetta got his second save despite giving up two runs. In the second game, Chan Ho Park (1-0) and another reliever pitched a two-hit shutout. In Game 1, the Zephyrs knocked in all the runs in the 4th inning. Carlos Gomez (CF) got a base knock in the game. Ricky Ledee (LF) and Fernando Tatis (3B) got the RBIs for the game. In Game 2, Anderson Hernandez (2B) had two hits, including a double. Carlos Gomez (CF) then drove him in with a single. That was the only run of the game.

4/9/07 – The Zephyrs started a series with the Memphis Redbirds, (St. Louis Cardinals’ AAA affiliate). The Zephyrs won the game 5-2. Adam Bostick (1-0) went five innings surrendering two runs, but striking out four. Clint Nageotte was hitless as he went three innings, while striking out four. Lino Urdanetta got his third save with a hitless 9th. Five players had a multi-hit game for the Zephyrs. Carlos Gomez (CF), Andy Tracy (1B), Ricky Ledee (LF), Fernando Tatis (3B), and Sandy Alomar Jr. (C) all had two hits. Tracy had a HR while knocking in three.

4/10/07 – The Zephyrs continued their series with the Redbirds. However, they lost 14-3. Philip Humber (1-1) wasn’t his best Tuesday. He went three innings, giving up four hits and four runs. However, he did strike out six. Steve Schmoll was horrible. He went two and a third giving up six runs on seven hits, all earned. Carlos Gomez (CF) remains hot as he went 1-3. His average as of 4/10/07 is .400. Mike DiFelice (C) went 2-3 and had a HR to go with his two hits. DiFelice also knocked in two.

4/11/07 – After a tough lost against the Redbirds, the Zephyrs won the third game of the series, 6-1. Claudio Vargas (1-0) got the start and went six solid innings giving up eight hits. Jon Adkins relieved the final three innings, and received the save. Adkins only allowed one hit in his three innings of work. The story of the night was Andy Tracy (1B). He went 3-for-4 including two HR’s and three RBI’s. Carlos Gomez (CF) continued his hot bat, going 1-for-4 with an RBI.

4/12/07 – The Zephyrs fell to the Redbirds, 7-3, as they split the series. Jose Santiago (0-1) went 4.1 innings and allowed four earned runs in the lost. He also walked one and gave up five hits. Clint Nageotte went 1.2 innings and gave up a HR while striking out two. Carlos Gomez (CF) hit a triple, his first of the year. The biggest pop of the night belonged to Chip Ambres (LF) as he hit a solo shot in the 5th innings.

AA – Binghamton Mets (1-2)

4/9/07 – The Binghamton Mets had its first game of the season on Monday against the Erie SeaWolves (Detroit Tigers’ AA affiliate). However, they were shut out 8-0. Kevin Mulvey (0-1) had a bad start. He only went an inning and a third giving up seven runs while walking four. Ricardo Morales and Marcelo Perez relieved Mulvey and combined to strike out eight over 6.2 innings. Fernando Martinez (CF) was the Mets best hitter as he went 3-for-4.

4/10/07 – The Mets came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the SeaWolves in the 11th inning. Jose Sanchez got the start and went four innings surrendering two runs. Three relievers backed up Sanchez to throw a two-hitter, while striking out 10. Carlos Muniz got the win as he threw two perfect innings. Fernando Martinez (CF) tied the game in the 8th inning with a solo HR. He was batting .625 and is lighting up AA. Mark Kiger (2B) hit a run-scoring double to spark a two run 11th inning that put the game away for the Mets.

4/11/07 – After a win against the SeaWolves, the Mets lost 12-4. Marcos Carvajal (0-1) started, and was hit hard by the SeaWolves. He went four innings allowing twelve hits and nine runs, all earned. Miguel Negron (RF) hit a three-run HR in the 5th inning as he was the leading RBI producer for the game. Caleb Stewart (LF) had a solo shot in the 3rd inning.

A (adv.) – St. Lucie Mets (5-2)

4/7/07 – The St. Lucie Mets faced the Devils Rays again and defeated them 7-6. Mike Pelfrey went six good innings giving up only three runs on five hits. He also struck out two. Eric Brown (1-0) picked up the win after blowing the save. Kevin Tomasiewicz picked up the save. Sean Brown (SS) hit the game winning HR in the bottom of the 8th that gave the Mets the lead. Dustin Martin (CF) went 2-for-5 with two RBI’s.

4/9/07 – The Mets rallied past the Devil Rays to sweep them in the four game series, 5-3. Robert Parnell got the start, but only pitched four innings. He gave up three runs and six hits, while striking out five. Nick Abel (1-0) relieved and got the win. Eddie Camacho picked up his first save of the season as he closed the win. Dustin Martin (CF) went 3-for-4 with a double while also driving in a run. He also stole a base.

4/10/07 – The winning streak came to a screeching halt as the Mets were blown out by the Palm Beach Cardinals. They lost 14-1. Jose De La Torre (0-1) started and gave up four runs in only 2.1 innings pitched. Kevin Tomasiewicz wasn’t so great either. Tomasiewicz went an inning and two-thirds, but gave up seven runs on only five hits. With the exception of Jacob Ruckle, the Mets pitching was bad. The only positive of the hitting was Nick Evans (3B) as he hit a solo HR in the top of the 9th.

4/11/07 – The Mets got shut out 2-0. Deolis Guerra (0-1) got the start and wasn’t bad. Guerra went five innings allowing six hits and only allowing two runs. Two relievers combined to allow only two hits in three innings. Nick Evans (1B) was the only hot bat of the night. He went 3-for-4 including two double.

4/12/07 – After being shutout, the Mets came back to win the game against the Cardinals 5-2. The Cardinals played some scratchy defense as they let this game slip away. Jonathan Niese (1-0) was superb in his outing. He went five innings striking out five, while only allowing two runs. Eddie Camacho pitched two innings, and got the save. Sean Henry (SS) was the hot bat of the evening, as he went 2-for-4 with two doubles. He also drove in a run.

Mets Rumors

Tom Glavine has a player option with the Mets for 2008 if he pitches at least 160 innings in 2007. His value could increase from $9 million to $13 million if he pitches at least 200 innings. If Glavine decides to play another year, he said the same situation will apply as last year, he could play for two teams, New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves.

All news courtesy of MiLB.com, ProSportsDaily, and NYTimes.com

Finally, after a six game road trip to start the season, the Mets roll into Shea this afternoon with an impressive 4-2 record. Sure they could have easily been 6-0, but I’m not going to get all bent out of shape with a .666 winning percentage on the road.

There are some interesting caveats that came out of the Mets’ first week of the season. Chief among them is probably Willie’s decision not to tamper with Paul LoDuca in the two hole as you all know by now, but given LoDuca’s day off on Sunday, it was Jose Valentin, and not David Wright who replaced big Paulie. Valentin proceeded to go 0 for 4. Wright on the other hand is in the midst of a 19 or 20 game hitting streak which dates back to last season, and you figured he would have been the likely two hitter yesterday. It all goes to you show one thing… You just can’t figure Willie out sometimes.

Of course the starting pitching has been nothing short of remarkable.  Yesterday’s performance by El Duque was solid if not spectacular and he deserved a much better fate than a no-decision. All in all, the top four starters in the rotation have met or exceeded expectations. I don’t know of any other team that can say that, this early in the season.

Aside from Aaron Heilman’s meltdown against the Braves yesterday, our bullpen had yet to allow any runs. In fact, Heilman had stranded seven inherited runners prior to the 8th inning of yesterdays game. The bullpen does seem a little rusty despite their success, but as guys like Schoeneweis, Feliciano and Heilman round into form, the bullpen should get stronger and better. What’s not to like?

We really haven’t gotten a chance to see Easley and Milledge play yet. They have been riding the pine for quite some time now and I thought there were a couple of opportunities for one if not both of them to get a start. Willie had said all along that Milledge would start one of the games in the Atlanta series, but that never transpired, which begs the question, why would you keep a 21 year old prospect on the bench rather than getting valuable at-bats in the minors?

I also thought that Easley would see some action against left-handed pitching given Valentin’s lackluster results last year and this. He is hitting .125 in 8 at-bats this season. I thought it would have made sense to give Easley the start against Redman.

Our defense got off to a fantastic start before heading into Atlanta. I am going to give the Mets a free pass on this series because the weather played a big part in their performance on the field. Besides, they weren’t the only ones stinking up the joint with sloppy defense as the Braves had a couple of gold glovers that looked like Laurel and Hardy out there as well.

The one thing that I will NOT give the Mets a free pass on is clutch hitting. They stranded something like 30 runners in the three games. That’s inexcusable. If we are to repeat as division champs we need to improve our patience at the plate and get the offense into gear. Last year the Mets would have not lost yesterdays game. They would have scored those two runners in the eight inning and made Heilman’s performance a mute point. So far this year I haven’t seen that same explosiveness at the plate when runners are in scoring position. It doesn’t feel the same.

So now we embark on the first home stand of the season. The Mets need to take it up a notch and make a statement. Maine, Perez and Glavine take on the Phillies, and on Friday we will see Mike Pelfrey make his season debut against the Nationals. The next six games will show us if this Mets team can be as good as last years version who came out of the gate like gangbusters, especially at home.

Enjoy today’s game everybody! I’ll be listening on the radio as I have to work, ugh….

It’s been said that all good things must come to an end. I guess that applies to winning streaks too. You didn’t really think we were gonna go 162-0 did you? OK, so did I.

By now you all know we lost today 5-3. It was a tough game that could have gone either way. The weather definitely had an effect on the results. It was 45 degrees at game time and the 21 mph winds made it feel like 30 degrees. By the way… Andruw Jones looked like an idiot in that getup he was wearing.

Tom Glavine didn’t have his best stuff, but it was freezing and he really didn’t pitch that bad. The two errors the Mets committed were costly and led to three unearned runs. On a normal spring day the Mets probably would have made those plays. Before today, the Mets had yet to commit any errors so far this season. Glavine actually pitched better than Smoltz who got the win for the Braves. Smoltz was in trouble almost every inning, but unlike the first 4 games of the season, the Mets stranded a ton of runners in this game. New York left 10 men on base in his six innings. Third baseman David Wright struck out three times against Smoltz.

The good thing was that the Mets were in it for the entire game. They constantly put the pressure on the Braves all the way down to their last out. All they needed was that one big hit which never came.

When Shawn Green came up to the plate in the ninth with runners on the corners, I really thought he was going to get his 4th hit and tie the game up. Unfortunately, David Wright stole second base uncontested and rather than guarding the line as he had been, Craig Wilson was in the perfect spot to grab the flare off of Green’s bat. It was tough break for Green, who really hit the ball on the button. Green has actually been looking good at the plate so far this season, raising his average to .333 with three more hits today.

Tomorrow we send El Duque out and hope he can get a new winning streak started as we head into our home opener on Monday. He goes up against Kyle Davies, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.

Injury Update

Duaner Sánchez has elected to have surgery Tuesday to repair the hairline fracture of his coracoid, a small bone in the front of his right shoulder. Doctors will insert a small screw into the shoulder, and Sánchez is expected to be unavailable until at least mid-August.

Reliever Juan Padilla had a setback in his return from reconstructive elbow surgery and will meet with the team medical director, Dr. David Altchek, on Monday. Padilla started feeling soreness shortly after making his only spring appearance, on March 11, and it has not subsided, the assistant general manager, John Ricco, said.

Happy Easter my friends!

This Weeks Roster Moves
 
After an Amazin’ series versus the defending world champions, the Mets arrived in Atlanta looking for more. The Mets made small moves, if you want to call it small, over the past week. Actually, they only made like two or three roster moves from the last update. With that said, here they are:

Mets placed Guillermo Mota on the restricted list. He is currently serving a 50-game drug suspension.

The Mets optioned Mike Pelfrey to Class A – St. Lucie Mets

Mets placed Pedro Martinez, Juan Padilla, Dave Williams, and Duaner Sanchez on the 15-day DL.
Mike Pelrey will probably be called up in the middle of the month. The Mets do not need a 5th starter due to the fact that there are more off days during the first couple weeks of baseball, than the rest of the schedule (having two days off in eight days). I expect the Mets to call him up between next week and the week after. As of right now, he’s taking advantage of the warm weather over at Port St. Lucie.
 
Those were the roster moves this week. Pretty much nothing if you ask me. Well, hopefully there’s more news next week.
 
 
Minor League News

AAA – New Orleans Zephyrs
 
4/5/07 – The New Orleans Zephyrs had its first game of the season on Thursday against the Nashville Sound (the Milwaukee Brewers’ AAA affiliate). The Zephyrs defeated the Sounds 4-1.
 
Pitching – Philip Humber got the start and went five solid innings receiving the win. Humber struck out four, while walking three. He only gave up one hit and one run. Lino Urdaneta came in and got the save.
 
Hitting – Ruben Gotay (2B) had a solo home run, the first of the season and the first of the Zephyrs. Anderson Hernandez (SS) added on two RBIs. Mets phenom, Carlos Gomez (CF) got his first hit of the season, belting out a double. Ricky Ledee (1B) and Chip Ambres (LF) were also solid with two base hits.
 
4/6/07 – After a strong debut, the Zephyrs continued their series against the Sounds. However, they were defeated 4-3.
 
Pitching – Jason Vargas got the start and was solid. He went six innings allowing six hits and striking out four. Jon Adkins, however, was ugly. He lost the game giving up a game-winning HR in the bottom of the 9th.
 
Hitting – Carlos Gomez (CF) had another strong game. He had two hits, including a double, and one RBI. Anderson Hernandez (SS) was also joined Gomez as he had two base hits.
 
 
AA – Binghamton Mets
 
4/5 & 4/6 – The Binghamton Mets were supposed to have their first game on Thursday, but it was postponed due to cold weather/snow. It was rescheduled to Friday, but that game was also postponed. They were supposed faced the Akron Aeros (the Cleveland Indians’ AA affiliate). Kevin Mulvey is supposed to get the start for the first game, whenever that is.
 
 
A (adv.) – St. Lucie Mets
 
4/5/07 – The St. Lucie Mets, along with the rest of the Mets affiliate, had its first game of the season Thursday night. The St. Lucie Mets faced the Vero Beach Devil Rays (the Tampa Bay Devil Rays A affiliate). The Mets defeated the Devil Rays 2-0 (7 innings). The game was shortened due to rain.
 
Pitching – Deolis Guerra got the start and was superb. The 17-year old righty went five innings, striking out five, while only giving up two hits. Although he didn’t receive the win, he looked outstanding. Mike Swindell went two innings and got the win.
 
Hitting – Seven players on the Mets roster got a base hit. Joshua Petersen (RF) got the only RBI of the game.
 
4/6/07 – After blanking the Devil Rays in their first game of the season, the St. Lucie Mets repeated the performance Friday night. The Mets won 4-0.
 
Pitching – Jonathan Niese got the start for the Mets and foloowed Guerra. He went five strong innings, striking out three while only allowing one hit. Although he didn’t get the win, he did pitch wonderfully. Jake Ruckle picked up the win giving up four hits in three innings.
 
Hitting – Nick Evans (1B) sparked a three-run seventh with a lead off homer and added an RBI single in the eighth to cap the scoring. Drew Butera (C) was solid at the plate with two doubles and two walks.
 
 
A – Savannah Sand Gnats
 
4/5/07 – The Savannah Sand Gnats hosted its first game against the Asheville Tourists (the Colorado Rockies’ A affiliate) on Thursday. The Sand Gnats lost to the Tourist 7-4.
 
Pitching – Tobi Stoner got the start was good as he went four innings while striking out five. He gave up three hits and only allowing one run. Nelson Portillo wasn’t so great. He came on to relieve Stoner but gave up three hits in only 2.2 innings. He gave up a home run, and allowed five runs to score, four were unearned runs due to errors. Emary Frederick came on for 2.1 innings and gave up three hits, while allowing one run. Frederick also struck out two batters.
 
Hitting – There were some bright spots in the Sand Gnats line-up. Francisco Pena (C), the Mets catching prospect, had two hits. Greg Veloz (DH) got a triple and both Leivi Ventura (3B) and Brahiam Maldonado (LF) hit solo HRs.
 
4/6/07 – The Sand Gnats wanted to bounce back from a tough lost from the Tourist. But, they were outplayed as they lost 6-1.
 
Pitching – Joshua Stinson got the start and gave up three runs on five hits. David Koons was strong though. He went 1.2 innings striking out two, without allowing a hit.
 
Hitting – Leivi Ventura (3B) was strong again. He had three hits and one RBI. Juan Lagares (SS) had two hits including a double.
 
 
SS – Brooklyn Cyclones
 
Opening day for the Brooklyn Cyclones is June 19th at home against the Staten Island Yankees.
 
 
Latest Mets Rumors
 
Paul Lo Duca’s contract will expire at the end of the 2007 season. Lo Duca says he wants to stay here with the Mets, but the team says they will not do anything until the end of the season. As of 4/6/2007, Lo Duca is batting .444 with eight hits and four RBIs.
 
Remember the last update where I didn’t want the Mets to trade for Mr. Williams (Todd Williams)? Well, that trade may be in limbo. According to a baseball source, the Orioles turned down an offer from Colorado Rockies. That deal was for Byung Hyun Kim for Todd Williams. The Orioles also turned down an offer from the Mets, Jorge Sosa for Williams. In my opinion, thank god. I wouldn’t want another old pitcher, that can’t throw strikes, in the Mets bullpen. It’ll be a disaster.
 
The Mets are one of the early favorites for Alex Rodriguez, who may be opting out his final year of his contract. The other teams are Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Chicago Cubs. 
 
All information courtesy of MiLB.com, Mets.com, NYDailyNews.com, Newsday.com, ProSportsDaily.com
 
 

Yesterday afternoon, Mark Hale of the New York Post, shared some of his insights with me over the phone about the New York Mets. Mark is the beat writer for the Mets, and his articles are required reading for all Mets fans. He is certainly one of my favorite sports writers.  He also has a great Mets Blog. This is the second part of the interview. The first part was posted earlier today.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Joe – I have to ask you about Lasting Milledge, did he look as good as his spring training numbers would indicate, and do you see him taking over at right field at some point this season?
 
Mark – I would not be surprised if at some point, and that might be later this month, or in May, or whenever it might be, I would not be surprised if you have Milledge, Ben Johnson, or even a guy like Carlos Gomez starting in right field for the team. It will be interesting to see what happens with Green. I think one of the interesting things to watch is how Green’s leash might be tied into how well the team is playing, regardless of whether he struggles.
 
I remember there were some cases last year, one of which was with Matsui at the beginning of the season who really wasn’t playing that well, but the team was winning a lot. I seem to remember whenever we’d ask Willie about making any changes or giving some more at bats to Valentin, he was very resistant about making any changes. I think he believes you can hold off on making those types of changes when the team is playing well.
 
Look, Green could possibly have a really strong year and then it becomes a mute point anyway. The point is that if the team continues to keep winning, they’ll continue to try keeping Green in there for two reasons; number one, maybe he gets it going again and he hits well, and number two, maybe he hits well enough to entice another team to trade for him if the team decides ultimately that they want Milledge playing everyday. They probably hope that Green plays well, and if he does then they’re probably gonna get rid of him. Regardless, I would be surprised if Green went the whole season as the starter in right field.
 
Joe – I think one of the players I read and hear the least about is Pedro Feliciano. I really love his makeup and he is coming off a superior season last year. This spring he looked even more dominating and I have to ask, is he the real deal and can we be looking at the closer of the future for the Mets?
 
Mark – Well, I don’t know about the closer aspect of it. I’m not saying he can’t, I just never really thought about him in that kind of a role. He’d be a different kind of closer because he’s not really a hard throwing guy, and it’s hard to envision him or anyone else as a closer because Wagner is still the closer and probably will be for the next couple of years.
 
But, you know you’re right, he is very, very underrated, and part of that for me is that some of us, including myself, probably have not given him the credit, or publicity, or attention that he deserves. He had a phenomenal season last year, and you’re right he also had a terrific spring. He has really become a guy that if he can have another great season like he did last year, than all of a sudden he becomes one the best lefty setup guys in baseball. He’s become a very, very valuable person for this team and he has become very reliable. You kind of forget about him and then all of a sudden you look up and you say "wow, he hasn’t given up any runs in his last ten outings" or you look at his spring numbers and say "wow, he’s scoreless in ten innings, or whatever it is" and it makes you realize how good he’s been.   
 
Joe – Lets wrap this up with a question on Carlos Beltran. Obviously he’s off to a great start after hitting his first two home runs last night, but it wasn’t long ago that he was showered with boos at Shea Stadium after an injury plagued first season. Last year he turned those jeers into cheers and finished 3rd in the MVP voting after a stellar season. What’s next for Carlos Beltran?
 
Well, before the season he was my pick for the National League MVP. I wrote something the other day that I would certainly stand by, and I think you could make a very real case that after Pujols, Beltran could be the best all-around player in the game. He has become one of the guys I really enjoy watching.
 
As I’m thinking about it, let me just say that I love to watch Reyes, and we all like to watch Reyes, he’s so exciting and obviously he has speed and athleticism, but I really enjoy watching Beltran play, especially on a professional level. He just does everything so well. He’s still my pick for MVP, and obviously he’s off to a great start. I mean just in this three games series he has the two home runs, the RBI single, the sacrifice fly, he’s getting on base, and makes a great catch in center field, he steals a base, he’s just a phenomenal player. There’s other players you can talk about and obviously I think Pujols is a clear number one, and then there’s probably a lot of guys that you can make a case for at number two, but for me, I would put Beltran ahead of any of them.

Thanks Mark, I appreciate the time. It was fun and I look forward to speaking to you again soon.  

Yesterday afternoon, Mark Hale of the New York Post, shared some of his insights with me over the phone about the New York Mets. Mark is the beat writer for the Mets, and his articles are required reading for all Mets fans. He is certainly one of my favorite sports writers.  He also has a great Mets Blog.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Joe – What an amazing win last night for the Mets, when you start the season like this, do you think it has any lasting value that they can take into the next series in Atlanta?

Mark – It’s gotta help at least a little bit. I mean they just played as extraordinary a series as there is by outscoring the World Champs 20-2. And now they head into Atlanta which is a series that I am very curious about. Personally, I think that the Braves are the biggest threat in the division and not the Phillies. I think this is going to be a good series and I am very curious to see how they match up. It certainly looks like the Braves are about to sweep the series which sets up an interesting situation because all of a sudden you have two 3-0 teams matching up against each other. The fact that they are in the same division makes it even more interesting. I’m obviously very high on the Braves, and I think it’s going to be a good match-up.

Now, do I think there is going to be any carryover for the Mets from the St. Louis series? I think the Mets are probably feeling good right now, I mean they would have to be after beating the Cardinals 20-2. But I think it’s one of those things, and I’m sure that I’m not saying anything to revelatory here, but you know that if they go out tomorrow night and end up 3-1, whatever momentum they had gets washed away. It’s something that Willie kind of talks about a lot, and I actually think he’s right about that.

Joe – I’m kind of fearful of Atlanta myself. They made some moves to strengthen their bullpen this off season, and some of their younger players like Brian McCann and Jeff Francouer have really come into their own as well. The Phillies are getting all the ink as far as most improved team, but I look at the Braves and I gotta tell you, they scare me a little more than the Phillies do. What do you think?

Mark -I just like the way they’re constructed. They still have a very good lineup, their bullpen is obviously improved, which is something that John Schuerholz referred to as their fatal flaw last year, and their rotation is still pretty good even without Mike Hampton.

It’s also just one of those things because I’m not really sold on the Phillies, I mean yeah their lineup has three terrific hitters in Rollins, Utley and Howard, but I think the rest of their lineup is very unimpressive. That’s just the way I feel, I’m just not sold on them. Now I’m not saying that their not going to be good, I’m just saying that the Braves are going to be better and be a much stronger team and that if I’m the Mets, I’d be much more worried about the Braves than I would be of the Phillies.

Joe – Last week in one of your articles, you called Mike Pelfrey the Mets’ most important pitcher and the key to their future. What can you tell us about Pelfrey this spring, does he have what it takes to one day become the ace of the staff?

Mark – I think he does. He really impressed me this spring. Going into camp he obviously was one of the candidates to make the rotation, but I really thought that he was a real long shot to make the rotation. I truly believed that the Mets were going to go with Chan Ho Park, and that it was very unlikely that either Pelfrey or Humber would start the season with the team. I just didn’t think there was really any kind of reason for that to happen. You know, they could have always sent them down to Triple A and then recall them on April 20th or May 1st if they needed to. It’s one of those things where the only way they make the team is if they go out and pitch like 20 innings and give up like 2 runs and really look dominant, and that’s exactly what ended up happening. I mean we all heard Omar Minaya say just last week something along the lines of "he forced us to keep him".

Pelfrey has really impressed me, he’s pitched real well and gets a ton of ground balls. I think there was one game against Baltimore where 12 of the 13 balls put in play were on the ground and the one that wasn’t was just a pop-up, and it was just one of those games that made you take notice. He was an elite pitcher this spring and as far as his long term projection goes, it’s hard to say. We have to see how he pitches this season. We are still talking about a guy who has under a hundred minor league innings under his belt and I don’t know if he’s ready just yet, but a lot of people seem to think he’s ready.

If Pelfrey can go out and pitch decent this year and shows that he continues to get better as the season goes along, then I think that going into 2008, he probably slots into the top of the rotation. I’m not saying he will be number one because obviously you still have Pedro and Glavine could still come back, but he can still become one of your high end guys.

Joe – Although its still early, Moises Alou has looked very solid at the plate and surprisingly so, he has been very adept in the field as well. What did you think of his acquisition this off-season and will his addition fill the void left by Cliff Floyd when he was healthy?

Mark – I think Alou will be a bit of an upgrade offensively over Cliff Floyd. Tom Glavine has talked about how the lineup is much more balanced this year and less vulnerable against lefties, and that Alou is one of those guys that will help you there. I think he’s going to be interesting to watch, he was one of the guys that I mentioned in my Season Preview as being the Mets’ most important player. By that I don’t mean that he is the best player or the most indispensable player, but that he has some key variables that are going to be important. He needs to show that he can play in New York, he needs to show that he can stay healthy, he has to hit well in the middle of the lineup, provide protection, and prove that he can be effective at age 40. Those are all very important variables.

Obviously the jury is still out on him, but he’s also a very low risk contract for the Mets. I mean when you sign a guy like Alou for just one year, even if he is age 40, I still think he will be very productive for them over the course of at least one season. He’s gotten off to a nice start this season and he even has made a couple of nice plays in left field. I’d have to check it out but I think he hit like .330 against left-handers last year, or something like that, and thats what the Mets need right now.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

I didn’t get a chance to transcribe the entire interview from voice to text, so I will post the rest of our interview later on this afternoon. I promise you’ll find the second part to be just as insightful as this first part was.

Mets Merized is doing it again! We are giving away another pair of FREE Mets Tickets! Win tickets to the Philadelphia Series on Thursday April 12th!

Answer the following question:

Who was the Mets Starting Second Baseman Last Season On Opening Day?

Comment on this blog with your answer and we will choose one of the correct answers tomorrow morning. Make sure to include your email address so we can contact you. Or check back on this blog tomorrow to see if you won!

In Game Analysis: Julio Franco just pinch hit for John Maine who pitched an absolute gem tonight in St. Louis. Maine shutout the Cardinals for 7 solid innings.

Carlos Beltran homered twice and Jose Reyes added a homerun himself as the Mets are routing the Cardinals 10-0 as we head into the 8th inning.