21
2009
A Change Needs To Happen And Soon!
An article by 
I know that we’re only 12 games into the season. I know that today’s date is April 21, 2009 and “it’s only April.” I know that there are 150 games left to play before the season ends on Sunday, October 4, 2009 against the Houston Astros at Citi Field. I also know so far this season the Mets have not been able to hit with runners in scoring position. In Sunday’s game against the Brewers the Mets were 2 for 13 with runners in scoring position. I also know so far this season the Mets are 25 for 106 with runners in scoring position. I also know that this problem the Mets have with not being able to hit with runners in scoring position is not something new for the 2009 season. It does not go back to the 2008 season but to the 2nd half of the 2007 season. In 2007 the bullpen was overused and exhausted by the time the season ended and contributed to the collapse of the 2007 season. Last year the bullpen was downright horrible and that caused another September collapse. With all the trouble the bullpen had, the injuries to starters Pedro Martinez and John Maine and the inconsistent starts of Oliver Perez the starting lineup and it’s problems were overlooked by a lot of fans and writers.
The 2006 lineup was known for it’s clutch performances. The lineup was given opportunities and they took advantage of most of those opportunities. The team would not die. They were down they would find a way to get the game close and then win it. With the 2006 lineup you knew that there was a good chance that the Mets were going to stage a comeback. Did they always comeback and win? No, of course not, but they were always in the game. One game in 2006 comes to mind is the game where Carlos Delgado hit his 400th Homerun against the Cardinals. The Mets were down 7-1 after Pujols hit a 3 run homer in the 4th and then in the 5th he unloaded the bases with a grand slam. In the bottom of the 5th the Mets loaded the bases and Carlos Delgado promptly unloaded the bases with a grand slam of his own which was also his 400th homerun. The Mets battled back and in the bottom of the ninth inning Carlos Beltran was up, Paul Lo Duca was on second base, Beltran hits the ball out to right field for a homerun and the Mets won the ball game. That was one instance of the Mets lineup not giving up, fighting back and being clutch when they needed to be. Entering 2007 the Mets lineup was still clutch, maybe not as much as in 2006 but they were still scoring runs when they had the opportunities. Then the all-star break comes and there is a change. The lineup has suddenly lost the ability to hit in the clutch situations. Delgado was in a dreaded season long slump that didn’t show an end in sight. In September 2007, the month of the collapse the lineup was not hitting except for Moises Alou and David Wright. Jose Reyes had a horrible September in 2007, but so did most of the Mets lineup. I asked myself what changed during the all-star break? How did the Mets lineup go from being clutch to not being clutch? The answer is a promotion of 1st base coach Howard “HoJo” Johnson to hitting coach.
Growing up as Mets fan “HoJo” was one of my favorite players. I always looked forward to seeing him hit, hoping to see him hit a homerun when I was at Shea and to see the apple rise. I remember defending him when he wasn’t able to hit in 1992 and 1993 that I actually got into fights with friends who ragged on him as he was my favorite player. I was saddened to see him leave the Mets in 1994 for the Rockies. I think I was even more saddened to see him attempt a comeback in 1997 with the Mets that ultimately led to his retirement. In 2002 I was happy to hear that he took the job as the hitting coach and then the next year he became the manager of the Brooklyn Cyclones. I went to a few games that year just to see him. When he was promoted to AAA to coach future Mets batters I was thrilled. Afterall HoJo is 3rd on the Mets all time homerun lists as well as second in steals and doubles for the Mets. The future looked bright. I thought that HoJo being promoted to the majors as the 1st base coached was a good fit given his ability to steal bases. After the all-star break in 2007 HoJo became the hitting coach for the Mets and I thought that was going to make the Mets the best offensive team in baseball. Unfortunately this does not seem to be the case.
The lineup while hitting good as individuals under HoJo are not hitting well as a team. They have left too many runners on base since he took over the job. HoJo’s job is to get these guys to hit and drive in runs. There needs to be a change to the Mets offense. There were free agents available this season that would added to the lineup and taken the pressure off of David Wright but the Mets decided not to go that way. The organization felt that the lineup which did score the 2nd most runs in the league was good enough this season. Since the Mets didn’t make a player change, I believe they might need a new hitting coach. The lineup needs to start hitting with runners in scoring position otherwise we are not going to make the playoffs. The rotation has not been solid except for Johan Santana but aside from one bad start from Oliver Perez and one bad start from John Maine the rotation has kept the Mets in the game. The bullpen is certainly not the problem this year. It’s the offense and that is HoJo’s job. I certainly don’t take any pleasure in this blog for replacing HoJo but I want to win. I’m sure HoJo is doing everything he can to get these guys to hit in the clutch but as of Sunday afternoon that isn’t good enough. The Mets are leaving 10 men on base per game. Something needs to change and fast otherwise we are going to be watching other teams in the playoffs instead of our New York Mets.
I hope to hear from other fans whether they agree with me or think I’m way off in suggesting the Mets fire HoJo. Do you think that there is something else the Mets can do in order to improve the way the Mets hit with runners in scoring position? Just keep in mind I’m a fan of HoJo’s but I also want to see the Mets score more than 2 or 3 runs per game.
About the Author: Greg Pomes
23 Comments + Add Comment
MMO Featured Video
Recent Comments
- Bayonne Mets Fan: on Clubhouse Confidential On Bay’s Struggles: And Tejada is not the ideal leadoff...
- Bayonne Mets Fan: on Clubhouse Confidential On Bay’s Struggles: If he plays all year pencil in...
- saltygary: on A.J. Burnett Close To Being Traded To Pirates: He would have one extra follower but...
- trs86: on Clubhouse Confidential On Bay’s Struggles: Very true about all the reports of...
- Bob L: on Clubhouse Confidential On Bay’s Struggles: Your #'s wouldn't be too bad, Clayton....
Recommended Links
Advertisement
Write Your Own Mets Post
Advertisement
We Appreciate Your Help
Affordable Graphic Design
This is total rubbish. I think I’m gonna post this on my blog and pick it apart piece by piece. It’s 12 games in man. Clutch hitting is not something that can be taught or learned, and you know why? Because there’s no such thing as guys who are consistently clutch in the long term! I thought the writing here had taken a turn for the better but this might be an all-time low. Peace out.
I always see you tear down others on their newspaper sites and other Mets blogs. Are you that incapable of having a debate with a fellow Mets fan who has a different opinion than you? I don’t blog anymore because of other responsibilities, but to see you threaten another Mets blog with your own Mets blog sounds like a dangerous precedent to me, not to mention childish.
Everyone is entitled to their “opinion”, sure. But to say “FIRE HOJO” after 12 games is just as childish as my response. Met fans need to take a deep breath, stop listening to WFAN, and be rational about things. If this problem continues through May and the Mets are at the bottom of the league in scoring runs, then fine, take another look at a coaching shakeup. But dude it’s April 21st! Give the team a chance!
And if someone wants to take a post I wrote on another site and pick it apart piece by piece I’m all for that. I’m willing to learn and listen when people write intelligently.
Understood. But picking apart a blog on it’s own thread is why commenting was invented. I mean I’ve see you do that when John Delcos used to run the LoHud blog, and I thought it was pretty entertaining at the time. But starting a blog war over a difference of opinion? I’ve not seen that done before and I think no good will come of it. Plus doesn’t this site have like a bunch of writers? Why hammer all of them in the process? I stopped blogging in 2006, and since then I’ve seen many Mets blogs come and go. This one is unique because they all don’t tow the company line.
Sorry, one more point. I just read two other posts from two other writers who’s theme was “it’s only April”, and “don’t panic”, both written yesterdy. It makes my point about the diversity here.
On another note, is there anyway you could add an edit comment feature? I love these new comments and if we had that one capability, it would be even better,
Umm, I haven’t ever read, much less commented at, the “LoHud Blog”. Don’t know it, don’t know John Delcos. I think you’re mistaking me with someone else.
I’m all for diversity of informed, intelligent opinion, but this is neither. This is a WFAN rant transcribed into written medium. Sometimes it’s better to post nothing then to post poorly conceived stuff.
Did you dissect my post on your blog yet? I would like to see what you have to say, please let me know. And I’m not being sarcastic. James, if you read my whole piece I didn’t just cite the first 12 games, I was talking about since HoJo took over as hitting coach. Thanks for reading.
Greg Pomes
When a team is not hitting, the first person that is let go is the hitting coach, whether it is their fault or not. It’s one of those things that just happens. And a lot of the time, when you fire a hitting coach and bring someone else in, the team responds by hitting again. Maybe it’s just coincidence, or maybe the new coach is better, but for some reason they start hitting better. So, maybe we keep HoJo for a little bit longer, but remember what we have been saying for the past 2 seasons…just one more win in April could have been the difference. So, give HoJo another week or two, but if nothing changes by then, it’s time to go with someone else.
Greg: Come down off that ledge!
Listen, I understand your frustration, and the team could use someone to come up with one two-out big hit, please. Then the dam could break wide open. Or, it could be a recurring problem. Only time and 150 games to go will tell.
Firing the hitting coach, or any coach is, and always has been, window dressing. Bottom line, the coaches work for the players (I have been told that from Rick Peterson, for instance) and they love HoJo.
Hitting is contagious and hitting in the clutch is something some guys can do and others cannot. The question is, can cornerstones players, such as, David Wright and Jose’ Reyes reverse alarming trends that result in poor numbers with two-outs and runners in scoring position.
Or, Beltran and Delgado. It’s up to the players themselves and calling for the head of the hitting coach is absurb. You sound like a Mets alarmist, something there is no dearth of.
Best,
DTB
Doug I guess I might be a bit of an alarmists but I guess I didn’t make it clear in the article that I wasn’t just talking about the first 12 games but HoJo’s tenure as hitting coach going back to when he got the job in 2007.
It is the hitting coach’s job to teach these guys good habits with runners in scoring position. These guys are not sitting back, waiting for their pitch, they’re trying to force something to happen, not relaxing and not waiting, something that the pitching coach needs to fix and soon.
Greg
They were struggling offensively early in 2007 as well which is why Down was fired and HoJo was appointed hitting coach. Its not like things were going perfectly until HoJo was in charge.
The Mets need to do better with RISP obviously, but even in the frustrating season last yr they were still 2nd in the league in runs scored- which is more important than just BA with RISP. Obviously it would be better to be a great run scoring team and be great with RISP, but its still about scoring runs and winning games. The Mets are at least doing something right in creating so many opportunities to score runs…they just aren’t cashing in as often as they should. Hopefully that will turn around.
Hitting with RISP is NOT a skill (which is to say that it is not predictive). There is absolutely zero evidence out there that indicates that certain players/teams can hit better/worse than their “normal” skill level for any sustainable period. Any deviation in a player/team’s performance in “clutch” situations is most likely a statistical blip resulting from a small sample size.
Fire HoJo??? That’s blasphemy!
CAPSLOCK=DISABILITY ACCOMODATION
GREG, THIS IS POSSIBLY THE WORST RANT I’VE EVER READ. ILL FOUNDED, ILLOGICAL, WRITTEN BY SOMEONE FRUSTRATED BY WHAT HE’S SEEING & GRASPING AT STRAWS TO VENT ON ANYTHING. I’VE STATED VOCIFEROUSLY & REPEATEDLY MY PERSPECTIVE THAT BASEBALL IS AN ENJOYABLE GAME SUPPORTED BY STATISTICS & NOT A STATISTICAL GAME SUPPOERTED BY LOGIC. THOUGH I CERTAINLY DON’T USE STATS TO FORM MY OPINIONS AND ONLY USE WHAT MY EYES SHOW ME, I KNEW “OFF THE BAT”(PUN DELIBERATLY INTENDED) YOUR PREMISE WAS TOTALLY WRONMG. IT ONLY TOOK ME 2-3 MINUTES TO DO A SEARCH ENTITLED “MLB TEAM BATTING AVERAGES” TO BE SUPPLIED WITH THE NITRO NEEDED TO BLOW UP YOUR PREMISE, SAVE ME THE TROUBLE & DO IT YOURSELF NEXT TIME.
GREG, THERE IS GOOD NEWS FOR YOU HERE, YOUR IDOL HOJO ISN’T AT FAULT & POSSIBLY SHOULD BE COMMENDED. RATHER THAN SUBJECT EVERYONE TO ALL THE DATA I CHERRY PICKED SOME OF INTEREST RE JUST THE TEAMS IN OUR DIV CHOOSING TO KEEP IT SINPLE FOR SIMPLE POSTERS. HERE’S WHAT MY SEARCH YIELDED FROM YAHOOSPORTS:
AVG HR 2B 3B XBH
NYM .283 9 21 2 32
PHL .271 15 24 4 43
NATS .269 11 20 0 31
ATL .264 14 30 4 48
FL .261 15 21 4 40
WHAT THIS TELLS YOU IS HOJO IS DOING HIS JOB, CITI IS DOING HERS & LUCK IS AS FICKLE AS EVER. CERTAINLY RISP BA SUCKS; UT IT’S NOT FOR ANY REASON EASILY IDENTIFIED, IF IT WERE SMARTER MINDS THAN YOURS OR MINE WOULD’VE IDENTIFIED IT LONG AGO. PERHAPS THE DIFFERENTIAL BET ’06 & SUBSEQUENT SEASONS IS MORE ATTRIBUTABLE TO IN ’06 WE SUPRISED EVERYONE, SUBSEQUENTLY THEY’RE PITCHING US DIFFERENTLY, POSITIONING FIELDERS DIFFERENTLY? I’M NOT SMART ENOUGH TO KNOW FOR CERTAIN; BUT I’M SURE THIS ISN’T ANYTHING MORE THAN AN ABERRATION, ESP CONSIDERING HOW IN ST WE RACKED UP RUNS UNMERCIFULLY EVEN BEFORE FULL STRENGTH AFTER WBC. I READ THIS BLOG WITH REGULARITY AND I WANT TO COIN A NEW PHRASE. CONSIDERING THE WORD FAN IS SHORT FORM OF FANATIC I’D STATE MANY OF YOU AREN’T SO MUCH MET FANS AS YOU ARE MET ‘FATS’(SHORT FOR FATALISTS)
SURE OTHER ‘FATS’ WILL POINT TO WEEKS WHERE THIS RISP STRUGGLE HAS OCCURRED IN THE PAST; BUT I VENTURE TO STATE EVERY TEAM IN EVERY SEASON GOES THROUGH SUCH STREAKS. 12 DAYS IN, TEAM HAS HIGHEST BA IN DIV. DEAL WITH IT! “THIS WORM WILL TURN”, “IT’S STILL VERY EARLY” AS I SAID, I’M KEEPING IT SIMPLE, STUPID. A KISS FROM ME TO YOU! LMAO
I’m frustrated with the lack of clutch hitting, but I’d hesitate to fire anyone until at least halfway through the season. And even then, these hitters need to take some responsibility and have a little discipline at the plate. Nothing is more frustrating than seeing a guy swing and miss at ball four.
Response to:
I hope to hear from other fans whether they agree with me or think I’m way off in suggesting the Mets fire HoJo.
Well you asked, so let me toss in my two cents. Firing HoJo after 12 games is silly. Frankly, from the way you chronicled the Mets failures with RISP, shouldn;t hey be looking at repolacing some players or at least changing the batting order to see if they can get some rhythm? Shouldn;t the front office have more strongly considered another RH bat to compliment David Wright?
So, I would say that your suggestion to fire HoJo is silly in my opinion — remember, you asked for opinions.
James, sorry for mixing you up with someone else. There is another poster who frequents many of the Mets bogs signing off as James K. too, and he frequently takes the authors to task.
Anyway, I think we both understand each others positions now.
That game was August 22, 2006. I will never forget that game.
“…One swing could win it for New York… AND HE HITS IT TO DEEP RIGHT, AND THAT BALL IS… OUTTA HERE! THE METS WIN THE BALL GAME”
I gotta agree with everyone else on this one. No way is this Hojo’s fault. How come your not praising him for the Team High Batting Avg?
So just to make this clear. It’s his fault for the team not being able to hit when runners are in scoring position, but he is ok when they are just hitting regularly with out runners in scoring position.
Is there like a switch that Hojo magically hits or something. I know batters may be pitched differently but come on man.
Let me add this.
Maybe Beltran or Church in the 3 spot instead of Wright may fix some of the RISP problems.
I think Wright may put to much pressure on himself in those situations and it causes more outs.
But I’m just a guy on the outside looking in so who knows.
I don’t care how, I don’t care why, I just want to see them start winning more than they lose. from 2006 until the 2007 all-star break the Mets were 145-103, since then they are 135-114.
They are 21 games over in the year and a half, but last July and August, they were a combined 17 games over. So other than those two months, they’ve basically been a .500 team. It’s frustrating to watch, because they can’t ever seem to get anything going.
I hate to say it, but I do think there needs to be a change in hitting coach. HoJo just isn’t working out. I’ve always loved having pieces of our past working as coaches for the team (except Rickey Henderson, who filled Jose Reyes’s head with real bad habits). But maybe they need to make that change to shake things up. He was a survivor from previous cuts. But would firing HoJo now be a bad PR move right now, given the blunders the Mets have made recently regarding their history?
CAPSLOCK=DISABILITY ACCOMODATION
IF I’M NOT MISTAKEN, WRIGHT IS A NOTORIOUSLY LATE STARTER. WASN’T THAT LONG AGO(’07?) WHEN EVERYONE WAS SLITTING THEIR WRISTS & HIS THROAT CONCERNED HE’D LOST HIS SWING DUE TO ’06 HR DERBY. WASN’T LAST YR THE YR ALL CONCERN WAS THAT HE HADN’T HIT A HR FOR SO LONG? WHEN DOES EVERYONE LEARN THIS LACK OF EARLY PRODUCTIVITY IS NATURAL FOR DAVID? WHEN DEALING WITH ANYTHING CALLED AN AVERAGE, SAMPLE SIZE IS THE ONLY JUSTIFICATION. CONSIDER THIS, THE BEST HITTERS HITTING FOR AVG WILL FAIL 66% OF THE TIME RISP OR NOT. REDUCE THE SAMPLE SIZE & THE NUMBERS TEND TO DETERIORATE THROUGH NATURAL MATHEMATICS SORTA LIKE IF ALBERT PUJOLS IS BATTING .150 AFTER 3G. THIS PRESS CONCERN FOR RISP IS JUST ANOTHER “GET THE MET FANS PANICED TO BUY OUR FISHWRAP” SCENERIO. SORRY; BUT IF IT WERE ME I’D ACCEPT THEIR JOYOUS WAYS OF GATTING METS FANS WITHOUT GAUDY TITLE HISTORY AS THE MODUS OPERANDI OF THE NY MEDIA. SNY JUST CONTINUES FUELIN THE FIRES LIKE A BENITEZ RELIEF APPEARANCE. IF UP TO ME, EMPLOYEES LIKE APPLE WHO IMPLICATE THROUGH SUBTLE VOICE MODERATIONS WOULD BE UNEMPLOYED. CONTRIBUTORS SUCH AS TIERNEY & BENINGO LEFT TALKING TO EACH OTHER ON THE RADIO. I’D FEATURE MORE MADDEN & HARPER TYPES. THERE ISN’T A POTHOLE THESE RABBLEROUSERS DON’T TRY TO EXPAND INTO A SINKHOLE. REMEMBER THE SANTANA CONTRIVED CONTROVERSY? THE INSISTANCE TO REFER TO WILLIE’S DISMISSAL AS AKIN TO A MIDNIGHT GUSTAPO RAID INSTEAD OF AN UNFORTUNATE SCENERIO CAUSED BY TIME ZONE DIFFERENTIAL. TO BENINGO, IF WRIGHT MAKES OUT 3 CONSECUTIVE ABs WITH BASES JUICED, HE;S ANTICIPATING NOT ONLY A FOURTH; BUT A SEASON LONG CONTINUATION. A REAL FAN,LIKE ME, AFTER THE THIRD TIME FIGURES ODDS ARE IN WRIGHT’S FAVOR. U DISAGREE? PLEASE INCLUDE IN YOUR REBUTTAL WHY U BELIEVE DESPAIR TRUMPS HOPE IN THAT FOURTH INSTANCE.
I’M REAL CUTIOUS SINCE I’VE NEVER QUITE FIGURED OUT HOW FATALISM FITS WITH FANATICISM. TO ME, THEY’RE INCONGRUOUS.