Going into the WBC, everyone knew that this tournament would end up hurting a teams chances to winning the world series. That team is the Mets.
The Mets led all major league teams by sending 15 players to the WBC. Almost half of them have landed on the DL this season. Coincidence? I don’t think so.
JJ Putz, Alex Cora, Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes, Oliver Perez, and now Carlos Beltran have all landed on the DL after playing in the WBC. Perez has seen the biggest negative impact. He was pitching on 8 days rest between starts. Thank you Mexico. Now the Mets pretty much just flushed $35 million down the train. $35 million that they could of given to a more capable player (Raul Ibanez).
Now the Mets have found themselves depleted, with their best power hitter being Sheffield who came out of retirement a few weeks before the season began. They also find themselves floating 1 game above .500 and 2.5 back of the dreaded Phillies.
Hopefully the Mets organization learned their lesson.
No more WBC for Mets players.
I understand that it’s important to represent your country, but the job that is paying you millions is way more important.
*Mets Merized Online Needs Your Help*
If the WBC would just hold their tournament in November instead of March, this wouldn’t be a problem. The weather is about the same in November as it is in March so that wouldn’t be a problem. If the players get hurt during a WBC played in November, they have months to heal before spring training begins.
You bring up some excellent points, Griffin. Welcome aboard!
Ed, it’s not really a matter of players being injured during the tournament itself, though your point isn’t incorrect. It’s more a matter of the players NOT going through the proper Spring Training training workouts (so many at-bats, running, fielding drills, off days, innings in the field, autograph snubs, etc., or for the pitchers, the same plus regular throwing sessions and days) when they’re competing in “meaningful” games before their bodies are ready for them to do so. I’ve heard players say that they went too far in the WBC (for those that didn’t ride the bench and get too few of everything) and have to bring it back down to return to their club.
No time of year would work because of the warmup and (off-season) rest that pitchers need, except during the season, and that’s a whole other debate to play it there (see my recent post about MLB committing to the Olympics in 2016 as an example).
And I do agree that almost every injury from the “WBC players” on the Mets is WBC related (aside from the freak injuries like Cora’s sliding into 2nd with his hands exposed).
8 days rest in the WBC is the reason for Perez’ failure? Are you Omar’s PR man? It was a bad signing which many Mets’ fans criticized (I didn’t) and the WBC experience has nothing to do with his failures. Cora’s finger? Putz was injured last yr.
Good debate, and I agree with some but not all of what each of you wrote.
First of all, Putz admitted his bone spur has been an issue since spring training, so yes I think you can attribute it to the WBC. Yes he had the bone spur in Seattle, but it never flared up and the Mets knew that.
Second, Oliver Perez was called out by Dan Warthen even before he threw his first pitch in the spring. He said the WBC made Perez go back to bad habits and delivery that he worked hard to change last half of 2008. So the WBC is to blame for Perez. I’m going to trust the opinion of the one person we pay to make pitching assessments before anyone else. If Manuel and Warthen blame the WBC, why assume that they don’t know what they are talking about??
Delgado and Beltran both have chronic problems with their knees or hips and even had surgery before this season. The extra workload without and conditioning program of the WBC led them both to a point where their ailments gave out. Definitely WBC related!
Since the season started and before Reyes got injured, anyone could see Reyes wasn’t running, was gimpy, didn’t look right in the field. Everyone said he was just being lazy and didn’t care and we needed to trade him. Then he ends up in the DL. Coincidence? Of course not.
Cora was not WBC related, but the damage was already done.
CAPSLOCK=DISABILITY ACCOMODATION
PERHAPS, I’M SLOW; BUT I’D JUST THOUGHT ABOUT THIS MYSELF WITH BELTRAN ANNONCEMENT. LIKELY MORE COINCIDENCE THAN NOT; IT RE-ENTERED MY MIND WHEN A QUESTION AROSE DURING LAST NIGHHT’S RAIN DELAY & THEY WERE FIELDING PHONECALLS TO THE BOOTH. THE QUESTION SURROUNDED JERRY’S CULPABILITY IN POOR FUNDIMENTALS EXHIBITED EARLY IN THE SEASON. KEITH INDICATED ST WAS GENERALLY FOCUSED ON THAT ASPECT, WHICH BROUGHT TO MIND HOW HAMSTRUNG JERRY WAS BY NOT HAVING 15 KEY PLAYERS IN CAMP FOR MUCH OF IT.
I SINCERELY DOUBT IT WILL ALTER FRANCHISE’S COOPERATION WITH WBC INVITATIONS; BUT HOPFULLY IT WILL ALTER THEIR APPROACH WHEN COACHES IN WBC ARE SAME AS ONES WHO VIOLATED THEIR TRUST THIS YR. (TEAM MEXICO).
CONSIDERING HOW UNAFFECTED THE TEAM HAS BEEN THE PAST 2 YRS BY POSITIONAL INJURIES(MOST D/L STINTS PITCHING RELATED TO HIGH RISK PITCHERS DUQUE & PEDRO+38 YR OLD WAGNER). IT’S MORE LIKELY LAW OF AVERAGES CATCHING UP OR WBC RELATERD. DELGADO’S INJURY OCCURED WHILE SLIDING INTO 3B(NON-WBC RELATED)(BELTRAN & POSSIBLY REYES EFFECTED BY WBC PLAY, XTRA POUNDING ON BELTRANS’ SURGICALLY REPAIRED KNEE) I WOULD THINK REYES’ HAMMY PROB WOULD’VE SURFACED SOONER IF WBC RELATED. THIS, I BELIEVE IS MORE MAKING THE RESULTS FIT THE CIRCUMSTANCE THAN SEEING CIRCUMSTANCE INEVITABLY LEAD TO THE RESULTS.
P.S. A WBC RELATED PROBLEM MAY FULLY EXPLAIN THE LACK OF SB FROM REYES PRIOR TO GOING DOWN. WHO KNOWS? INITIALLY I THOUGHT HAVING SO MANY INVOLVED IN ACTUAL COMPETITION MAY BE AN ADVANTAGE ONCE THE SEASON STARTED; HOWEVER THE TIMING CERTAINLY WASN’T GREAT FOR NYM, NEW MGR, NEW HOMEFIELD,NEW BATTING STYLES EMPLOYED EMPHASIZING CONTACT THE OTHER WAY OVER POWER(80PITCH DRILL)
Excellent point. The fact that all these players were not exposed to the normal parameters and time allotment for a full spring training created a type of dysfunction and disconnect. The fundamentals that should have been preached to all the the starters, instead went to the backups, reserves and minor leaguers for the most part. By the time our players got back, we were already playing games and they had a week and a half to get ready for the season opener.
“8 days rest in the WBC is the reason for Perez’ failure? Are you Omar’s PR man? It was a bad signing which many Mets’ fans criticized (I didn’t) and the WBC experience has nothing to do with his failures.”
It was a bad signing that should of lead to the Mets having an inconsistent and wild Oliver Perez. I can’t give Omar a pass on the signing, but his current condition may very well have to do with an improper spring training that the WBC caused.
To think that Johan Santana was an insurance issue away from participating in this event as well. Where would the Mets have found his 8 wins if he went down?
The WBC should be done away with. Dice K and Lindstrom got hurt from the WBC.
Get Met players out of future WBC’s.
Also of note, Jake Peavy and Daisuke Matsuzaka were key members of their rotation, and both are out for the long haul.
Thank God Johan wasn’t in this.
I agree that the WBC should be moved to November instead of March. That is a great idea. Such a good idea that you would think there is a reason it has not been done. I think like it or not the WBC is here to stay. I can see MLB down the road shorting the season rather than change the tournament dates. Its a matter of money and long term investment.
Perez did not pitch well in the WBC. I remember reading that his velocity was down and he was being hit fairly hard. Remember the Met pitching coach ripped him during the WBC for not taking his conditioning seriously and warned that he would not be ready to begin spring workouts when the WBC ended.
Reyes did not play a lot. Which I loved! so to say the WBC lead to his knee/hamstring injury is a stretch. Beltran did play a lot. Shrugs.. Beltran is so super sensitive about his body I think he would have pulled himself out of the WBC if he felt anything.
Now Delgado that’s the one that bothers Me. At his age he only has so many at bats a season regardless if they are in the WBC, spring training game or a regular season game. At his age. It’s tick… tick… tick… Delgado’s hip just didn’t flare up at once. Hwy he didn’t have the surgery done at the end of last year is very puzzling to Me. Anyway. its done I guess so why fret over it. right? Oh yeah! wit… Putz pitched a lot during the WBC I totally forgot about that! Someone look up how many inngs Putz threw and what his velocity was. I have a much too important job to have time for that busy work! Chop! Chop!
LETS GO METS!
The players are being disinguous about the WBC. It is not held in November, because that is when the players are on their annual break and they don’t want their off time interfered with. So the only other time available is right before ST. That is when it is held and it is totally disruptive. It interferes with the normal progression of ST, players gradually getting back into shape and teams performing the training that they wish to implement for the new season. So if they are so loyal to their countries to participate in the WBC, they should be willing to give up November. But no, they want that time to themselves. The only solution is November or not all. Let’s see who is so loyal to their country to show up in November. The others need not apply. No WBC before ST and no Mets should be allowed to participate next season. One injury is one too many, and we can be pretty sure at least one Met injury was caused by WBC participation and probably many more than that.
I meant disingenuous, not whatever it is that I typed.
MASK, TOO CYNICAL RE. NOVEMBER. I WOULD THINK NOV. IS PROBLEMATIC DUE TO F/A CALENDAR. WHAT FREE AGENT WILL RISK INJURY AT SUCH A CRITICAL TIME? I, PERSONALLY, DON’T THINK “FRRE TIME” IS AS BIG A HINDRANCE AS JOB SEARCH, EARLY DEC IS USUALLY WINTER MEETINGS & WHY MY B’DAY(12/10) IS A TIME I EXPECT MY METS TO PRESENT ME WITH SOME IMPRESSIVE TALENT, ALBEIT EXPENSIVE ‘BLING’!
I agee, while I know the WBC is essential to MLB economics around the world, and men are loyal to their repsective countires, I cannot help but think it has contributed to some of the injuries, performances, or lack there of we have witness. Not going to harp on the injuries, you guys have covered most of that, but performances of players may manifest from the lack of proper conditioning, work on fundamentals, and adequate rest that naturally come during the spring training time. The Mets with 15 players participating were certainly affected by not having their players in camp. Those guys had to excelerate their conditioning programs in order to participate in the WBC. By the time they got to spring training, after playing intense games in the WBC, I can see them being tired and out of sync. I think D. Wright’s lack of power & high K’s as a result of being tired. I can see where Beltran’s lack of proper rest after surgery (again getting ready to compete earlier) may have resulted in his current knee condition, who knows. Delgado’s age and excelerated program over the winter, Reyes going all out during the games, etc. Plus the the staffs on the WBC know this is a showcase for international acceptance. They know this means not only national pride, but revenue for their respective countries, and we can all use more dollars these days. I like the fact that baseball is becoming an international game, I still don’t think it will surpass “Futbol” as the favorite, but I am sure it will compete. I just don’t agree with it interfering with the MLB product here in the states. I would like to see more amatuer players participate, but I realize it does not have the appeal as we saw with the Olympics prior to professional participating but such is life. Is MLB so concerned with with revenue, that they are willing to sacrifice the players and the game we have come to love? Go Mets 2009!
I believe I mispelled accelerate, I apologize!
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