When the Mets traded Ryan Church to the Atlanta Braves for Jeff Francoeur, there was an outcry among Mets fans such as I’ve never heard before over a trade that I thought was a great one for the Mets. All of a sudden Ryan Church was looked upon as this golden boy, when in fact he hadn’t put together a string of six solid games in a row since April of 2008.
At the time of the trade, I lobbied hard for Jeff Francoeur because I saw something in him that we haven’t seen since Darryl Strawberry last did it in 1990, almost 20 years ago. A 100 RBI season. It’s hard to believe that at a position that most teams have stocked with a slugger, the Mets have suffered through two decades of offensive futility. Not anymore.
In Francoeur, the Mets got themselves a player who already had two 100 RBI seasons before his 24th birthday. Many Mets fans have said that those 100 RBI seasons were now a distant memory and he was washed up. Washed up at 25? I didn’t buy it for one minute. What I saw was a young player who tasted success early on, and when pitchers adjusted to him, he failed to adjust to them. It was plain to see. In 2008, Frenchy unsuccessfully tried to fix things his way. In 2009, he was desperately seeking help wherever he could find it, including boarding a plane to meet with another team’s hitting instructor. That one move was the beginning of the end his tenure with the Braves, and led to a new opportunity with the Mets. It was a perfect match, although I may have been the only one thinking it at the time.
In last night’s win against the Astros, Jeff Francoeur drove in two more runs and now has 14 RBIs in 12 games as a Met. He is batting .327 with a .490 slugging percentage. And yet believe it or not, we have many complaining that he has no walks. Really?
There is a contingency in our fanbase that would prefer to see less hits and more walks. This is why I can never fully commit to all these new statistical measures. Why in the world would I ever care about how many walks my number five hitter has? I could understand if the argument was to distinguish the value of our number one and two hitters. Those hitters get paid to get on base by hook or by crook. But here we have a bona fide slugger whocan drive in runs, and yet so many would prefer to take the bat right out of his hands. <shaking my head in disbelief>
This is a Mets team that is struggling to score runs. They needed a hitter in the middle of the lineup who could drive some runs home, and in Francoeur they got just what they needed. Church had his 2.5 minutes of fame with the Mets, but he was not a leader or a clutch hitter or a power hitter. He was a square peg in a round hole. I knew it, Jerry Manuel knew it, Omar Minaya knew it.
The last thing this team needed was Ryan Church walking with a runner on second base instead of driving him home. Good riddance to him and his walks. By the way, he’s batting .200 with the Braves, but fear not, he has plenty of walks. You can keep the walks, I’ll take the RBI’s instead.
After the game last night, Mets manager Jerry Manuel said that Jeff Francoeur has energized a number of players on this team that were in need of some recharging, including David Wright.
He said that the clubhouse has had a new positive energy and a completely different dynamic since Francoeur’s arrival.
“That young man knows how to compete. He knows how to win and he hates to lose.”
Those are just a couple of those immeasurable intangibles that you’ll always see me blogging about.
Francoeur has helped revive a team that was pronounced dead at the All Star break. This weekend alone, he had seven RBIs in the three-game series against the Astros. Gary Cohen asked,
“When’s the last time any Met did that?”
When asked to comment about the series yesterday, Francoeur opted to talk about the Mets post season chances instead…
“The last two games, we’ve played great ball. It’s big momentum for us coming home. We got a shot. We’ve got 65 games left, and I guarantee you every person on this team will fight their butts off to the end.”
It sounds a lot like something Tug McGraw or Keith Hernandez would say when they once roamed the Mets clubhouse.
I am so glad that Francoeur’s 100 RBI bat is now an integral part of our lineup. And if we do manage to win a wild card this season, you can be sure that it never would have happened without Francoeur.
If we do in fact make the post season, the Jeff Francoeur trade will be known as the turning point in the Mets season. In fact, I believe it already is.
Lead the way Frenchy!
*Mets Merized Online Needs Your Help*
The Mets have needed someone to light a fire up their asses for a long time. Sheff didn’t do it, but it looks like Francouer has given this team the energy we’ve been hoping for (so far). I wasn’t mad with the move when it first came about. I thought Francouer would contribute, but I didn’t think he would be on fire like this.
Totally agree with you. How many times did Pagan/Castillo get on base and just nothing? I was watching the highlights of the 3-run HR Francoeur hit and it was from the Houston telecast. It was a 3-1 count and the announcers said that it is almost given he will be swinging and if you are gonna throw him inside it better be IN. That ball went 425ft and the announcers didn’t sound surprise. THAT’S what was missing. Just look to crush it on a 3-1 count. The pitcher clearly was afraid of loading the bases so he rather challenge him. Take the challenge and swing!
F**K YEAH!!! He is the fire that we’ve been needing for the last three seasons. All the so-called Mets fans that ripped him even before he played his first game can all kiss my ass!
We didn’t need Manuel or Cohen to tell us what we could plainly see with our eyes. Francore has kicked this team into turbo charge. He came here and hit the ground running. Did anyone see him in the dugout yeterday with his arm wrapped around Johan and the two just discussing something and their nodding in agreement? I thought it was very telling. They could have been talking about something as stupid as dinner plans, but I’m betting it was game related and team related, and it was great to see him have that comfort level with Santana. Church was always sitting by himself. I liked him, but he was not happy here.
I had no idea that it’s been 19 years since the Mets had a rightfielder drive in 100 runs. That’s pretty pathetic. It also explains why we haven’t won a world series since Strawberry played rightfield.
As for the walks, I think they are important, but not AS important from your 4-5-6 hitters as long as they produce runs. You are right in saying that’s something you want to see in your table setters. The problem with all these stats is that they hold all players and positions and types of hitters to the same standards.
I want my table setters to have an OBP of .375 or better, so I expectn plenty of hits and walks.
I wan’t my ideal three hitter to have an OPS of .800 or better. I see it as sort of a hybrid between a solid slugger who also has excellent judgement at the plate. (sorry Wright, that’s not you)
My 4-5-6 hitters need to give me slugging percentages over .425. I couldn’t care less about them not taking a walk. Swing away.
If a team can achieve that, it dont really matter who’s batting 7 and 8.
I cannot believe I could actually get dumber from reading a baseball article (well, it claims to be one), but that just happened.
Here are some that take the cake:
“There is a contingency in our fanbase that would have rather seen Francoeur walk instead of driving a dramatic three run homer that traveled over 425 feet. They would prefer to see less hits and more walks.”
There is not one logical Met fan that would rather see a walk than a homerun. However, walks are essential to getting on base. Walks are important. I cannot stress this enough.
“But here we have a bona fide slugger whocan drive in runs, and yet so many would prefer to take the bat right out of his hands. ”
I am going to stop right here. I was going to do a long, FJM-esque post about how dumb you are, but you do it yourself. I have some guess I want to throw out there:
You have a low IQ and/or have a low-end educational background(I’d love to hear what college you went to)
You are not intelligent. You are very, very dumb.
“I am so glad that Francoeur’s 100 RBI bat is now an integral part of our lineup. And if we do manage to win a wild card this season, you can be sure that it never would have happened without Francoeur.
If we do in fact make the post season, the Jeff Francoeur trade will be known as the turning point in the Mets season. In fact, I believe it already is.
Lead the way Frenchy!”
This is why this website sucks. You are a clown.
speak for yourself Jon, to me it seems like your the clown. Have you even seen the shit thats been spewed about Francoure on other sites? I’m thinking you might be one of them. The garbage upon garbage I’v read in the last two weeks from other Mets fans has been embarassing to say the least. At least on this site, these people called it a great move from day one, while others didnt. I saw three other Mets sites delighting in Francoure this morning, and two weeks ago they made him out to be a pariah. I wanted to link them to their own despicable quotes. These bloggers can take pride in Francore because they predicted the outcome. You are an arrogant idiot with your head up your ass. Why dont you take a walk being you love them so much.
Dude, it’s been like 12 games. How can you say this is a win already? He has a .812 OPS. Wow, that’s pretty average for a right-fielder actually. His .327 OBP is pretty putrid for a RF as well.
Oh, and his defense so far has been bad. Not great range and two botched catches right at him.
Don’t forget this: http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/144164/failcoeur_duck.gif
12 games? He’s had 2 100 RBI seasons already, do we just throw those out? This blogger said we haven’t had a 100 RBI season from a Mets rightfielder in 19 years. I dont know if that’s true, but I assume he did research on it. I think this guy went out of his way to step on some toes while making his point, but you should really see the outrageous things other site have said and done. You even have two Mets site selling Fail-Couer t-shirts if you can believe that. Mets sites! Before you call what this site wrote outlandish in defense of a Mets player, take a look at some other site and see what they wrote in trashing a Mets player. I dont want to name sites because I dont know the policy here, but it’s not hard to find them.
Yeah, I know those sites. I love them. Amazin Avenue = best Mets site out there. Who cares about 100 RBI seasons. They are meaningless. Here is some research for you.
Outs are very bad in baseball. Making outs are not good to do.
Francoeur in Outs Made, NL:
3rd in 2006
10th in 2007
6th in 2008
And you love RBI, right? He had 71 of them last year. The years he had 100RBIOMGOMGZOMG!! he had 103 and 105. Big deal. He gets so many RBI because he never walks and swings at everything. He was a cancer to the Braves.
Everybody makes a poor fielding play now and then. And if you are a Mets fan, then I’m sure you remember Murphy in left or Pagan and Beltran’s mix up. So what? It happens, the lights got in his eyes and lost sight of the ball. Rip on him once, but you got to move on.
I disagree with some of the comments in this post too, but you want to know what college he went to? Are you serious? You figured out his IQ and educational level based on the fact you took offense to his opinion? Are you kidding me? Where are your writing samples? Can you link us to them please?
I’m not a sportswriter. I’m a physician by training. But even I can tell this is absolute inane horse manure. I mean, OBP —> runs.
And anyone who can believe this crap with such ease and confidence cannot be all that bright. Sorry.
Jon, I know your just a doctor so I wont hold it against you, but OBP MIGHT lead to runs. Unrealized runs don’t win ballgames. RBI’s account for ACTUAL runs scored. By the way, I’m only 17 and even I knew that.
Hubie, I won’t beat up on you because you’re only 17, but RBIs are dependent on if guys are on base. If they aren’t (and that’s not your fault), you can’t get them.
Go over to FanGraphs.com and look at some of the wonderful work done. Sure, OBP doesn’t guarantee runs, but baseball is all about probability.
If Jeff Francouer drives in 100 runs with a .290 OBP, he did not have a good year. Why do you think the Braves were so willing to dump him? Why d you think the Marlins rejected him for Cody Ross? Because they understand the importance of OBP.
Thanks for the kind words doc. The fact of the matter is I rushed to write and post before leaving this morning and this being a blog and not the NY Times, I sometimes post before I proofread it.
The line now reads as it was intended to read and I also fixed another typo I was surprised you missed.
Thanks for eloquently pointing it out to me.
You should have left it the way it was Joe, I liked that it was annoying the good doctor so much.
The new graphic is very nice. Hubie, i’m with you, we should’ve left it, lol.
…Where does a non writer and a non baseball player come off saying all these things?
“And anyone who can believe this crap with such ease and confidence cannot be all that bright. Sorry.”
Jon, that’s an unnecessary shot. With all due respect, I don’t know where you’re coming off saying that. This site has been supporting Jeff Francoeur since he was traded here, and blogs are written for the purpose of opinions being expressed. It’s one thing to dislike an article, but don’t take shots at the writer himself and the readers who agree with him.
Attack the idea, not the person.
You make some decent points but the manner in which you did it isn’t too constructive. I agree though, it is way too early to declare this a win. RBI as a stat for evaluating a player’s performance is quite poor.
Excellent post Joe! I personally know that youve wanted Francoeur for a while and you were right all the way! A change of scenery can do a player a world of good! Looks like it did for Jeff. How beautiful will our lineup be when (if) everyone returns! Hell yeah!
Reyes, Castillo, Beltran, Delgado, Wright, Sheffield, Francoeur, Schneider/Santos. Not bad. with a rotation of Santana, Pelfrey, Maine, Perez, and Niese/Nieve.
It looks like things are finally brightening up!
In other news, I just found out that Charity Folks is auctioning 4 tickets to the Met vs. the Philadelphia Phillies at CitiField with seats located in Caesars Club Silver Seating!
This package includes complimentary limo service to the game and through the evening if you live within a 20-mile radius of New York City.
All of you will be able to submit your names to have pitcher Jamie Moyer personalize baseballs as souvenirs! You will also be taken to OTTO Enoteca Pizzeria for a meal at Chef Mario Batali’s pizzeria!
The winning bidder will receive personalized copies of Mario Batali’s James Beard award winning cookbook, Molto Italiano. This auction will benefit the Mario Batali Foundation!
Check it out at:
http://www.charityfolks.com/mario.
Why the heck would any of us want Jamie Moyer autographs for?
To sell it to a Phillies fan for a large amount of money.
You definitely exaggerated the line that some would prefer a walk to a homerun. I know of nobody that would admit to that. I think you were trying to make a point, but you made it in such a bad way that you deflate your own argument. I actually agree with the majority of your points, but that one statement was a cheap shot at some statistical measures that I know you dislike. I dont like all of the stats and I dont know what ZIF’s and WARs have to do with anything, but I don’t knock them just because I dont like them or understand them.
I’ll agree that Francoeur has shown himself to be a run producer even withjout the walks. You cant even say it’s a small sample size because he’s had over one thousand at-bats where he has done the same thing before.
He has definitely recharged this team. But I seriously have a problem with that one line you threw in there. You ruined an otherwise great post.
Hahahahaha….a brilliant piece of satire on the inanity and ignorance of modern sportswriting.
Huh? You believe this? Oh, well then that’s just dumb.
I love the new Jeff Francoeur graphics! Thanks!!!
Imagine this lineup when we get healthy…
1. Jose Reyes
2. David Wright
3. Carlos Beltran
4. Carlos Delgado
5. Jeff Francoeur
6. Gary Sheffield
7. Omir Santos
8. Luis Castillo
Damn, I’d love to see this lineup play for a month straight!
I dont know how I feel about Wright batting 2nd. Luis has been great in the 2 spot and Beltran hit really well there when he played for Houston. I would love to see some players come back.
You can gloat all you want. The fact is that I’ll be back when we DFA Francoeur and cut him sometime next spring. He is doomed to failure and two lucky weeks won’t change that. Why is it that this site always supports the losers like Santos and Francoeur? Don’t you guys wonder why all the other Mets sites agree that these players suck ass? Niether of these players will even be in a Mets uniform next opening day. Educate yourselves and see the light, then maybe you’ll understand why intelligent Mets fans would take Castro and Church over Santos and Failcoeur 99 times out of 100. The day we traded Castro this team went into the tank, and by next week when the Rockies manhandle us, you’ll say the same thing about Failcoeur!
I dont know if you even read your replies, but I replied to you in the other post. Why all this anger aimed at the guy? He did nothing to deserve this. If you dont like the trade than point your anger toward the GM, niot the player he acquired. He is a Met now and it wasn’t his choice to be here, it was Omar’s. I do not for the life of me understand how a trade like this has made such a lightning rod out of JF. He is being hated and yet he’s done nothing to merit all of it. This Mets bashing has got to stop or no good players will ever want to play for us again.
Do you think I give a shit what you think about me? I could care less. All I’m saying is when Francoeur gets DFA’d which I know he will, don’t forget that I told you so.
Mets going to DFA Francouer? A very productive player? He’s done more for the Mets in 12 games then Church has done all season. Francouer will do fine. And your comment about Santos…he has been a real surprise to us Mets fans. No one expected him to hit 6 homeruns so far, especially in the clutch. And calling him a loser just seems wrong.
Seriously? What is with the poor trolls here? Obviously from Amazin’ Avenue.
People who disagree with the Francoeur move are not real Mets fans. They don’t represent the majority of the Mets fan base here. Francoeur has given the Mets what they needed is a right hand bat and has thrived since he was traded for Church before the all-star break. If the Francoeur haters don’t like then leave to root for the other teams. Francoeur is here to stay whether you like it or not.
When Francoeur starts sucking all the people here who say “it’s his job to drive in runs not walk” will jump on the why is he not walking bandwagon. He wasn’t traded by Atlanta for no reason; the Braves aren’t idiots, they’re not like our management.
WHEN????? Why do you have to speculate when? Right now the man is playing well, he’s had some very good years, and some not so good. WHY do we ASSume its all doom and gloom. Perhaps a simple thing as a change of scenery can be the best medicine.
So far, I’m liking what I see. For the state the team is in, game by game is all we can do right now, so lets stop thinking about “when”….
Boggles my mind that so called “faithful” are talking about someone POTENTIALLY sucking……..
As a Braves fan, there was no doubt in my mind that this trade was an absolute win for the Mets from day 1. After last year, and the management and even the fans turned on him in Atlanta was a shame. Yes he struggled for a little bit in Atlanta, but a large part of the pressure he had to put up with. It is downright insulting when Garrett Anderson, Casey Kotchman, or Greg Norton all still have spots on the team and Francoeur was shipped off (and don’t even get me started on TP).
Don’t get me wrong, I hate the Mets. I hate all of you cocky pricks that come into Turner Field and think you can talk crap to everyone. I think its absolutely hilarious how you guys have had 2 seasons of relevance in the last 20. And, I love the fact that Chipper named his kid Shea.
But despite all of that, you guys won on this trade. No doubt about it.
BTW- Do you guys at Amazing Mets or whatever that stupid ass Mets blog hang out with those douchebags at Talkingchop.com? Because you clowns all sound like retard haters who form dumb opinions ie “Frank Wren is an awesome GM”
I have nothing to do with Amazin Avenue, they do not have an exclusive on the name Amazin you idiot!
Good Comeback!
HAHA you have Braves fans patting you on the back.
http://www.amazinavenue.com/2009/7/27/964402/jeff-francoeur-is-just-what-the
Hey Amazin Mess! They mocked this post at Amazing Avenue coincidentally! Coincidence or well laid out plan?
lol, you could look at it two ways.
1. Yahoo Sports thinks this is a very significant site. Not a bad thing.
2. This site figured out how to make eggheads crack.
Either way, I think it’s a good thing.
Interesting read:
http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/index.php/jeff-francoeur-and-rbi-opportunities
[...] Jeff Francoeur has played all of twelve games with the Mets, posting a modest but encouraging .817 OPS. Too soon to call it a win for the Mets? Too soon to look at his statistics as if they are any way predictive? Too soon to post a sparkly magic pony picture of him rubbing his grissiony chin? None of the above. [...]
Well I gotta say Joe, it was well written and the graphic is great. Everybody is fighting over Francouer over what he is capable is. How about that he is the most productive player in his 12 games or so. He is productive, that’s all that matters. End of story. Don’t over think everything.
Why don’t you read what Cerrone wrote. I usually don’t agree with him, but even he said that Francoeur’s crappy OBP is worrying when he gets into a funk. Oh, and he has a .333 BABIP. League average is .290
Here’s my take on this topic. Does anyone think Ryan Church would have 14 RBI in the past 12 games had he still been here? There isn’t anyone on this planet who can say who will be better in 2010, Francoeur or Church. Either one could have a great season and either one could be a flop.
When I compare Francoeur to Church, I also have to compare him to Church’s replacements, because there sure were plenty of those in his 1½ year stint with the Mets. Sure the Mets could have gotten a better offensive player, but it definitely would have cost them more than in injury-prone 30-year-old player who has yet to have a 500 at-bat season in the majors.
Maybe Frenchy won’t do well in 2010. But for now, I like what I see.
Oh, and super new graphic as well. Can’t forget to compliment a work of art like that!
I see there are a lot of “moneyballers” out in full force or I should say so-called Mets fans who would actually love to see Jeff Francoeur fail miserably just so they can say “I told you so.”
It is absolutely killing them that Francoeur is having a little success here in the early goings of his Mets career.
You stat mongers should petition Major League Baseball to see if they can just stop playing the games on the field and just put two lineups in a computer program and get the results that way because as you all know there are no other variables then your oh so accurate metrics. Seriously, why even play the game on the field anymore considering your all experts and no exactly what is going to happen anyways?
Talk about taking the fun out of the great game just to say “I told you so, I told you so, I told you so.”
“considering *you’re all experts and *know”
no one claimed to be an expert.
Wow, this would be pretty funny if it wasn’t so pathetic. Thank you, Amazin Avenue for taking the time to making a big joke of a simple blog that showed a little enthusiasm for one of our own.
Joe, I’m glad you decided not to jump into the fray, and make this and worse. You can never go wrong by taking the high road.
The one thing all those Bill James disciples have in common is their propensity to be arrogant and rude whenever they try to make their points. They never pass up an opportunity to belittle any fan who shows an ounce of passion for the team. And God forbid you disagree with them.
I read their post and also their comments and I can’t believe how shameful they are. But you know what the worst part is? The final line to their post in reply to Joe’s final point:
Joe wrote:
I am so glad that Francoeur’s 100 RBI bat is now an integral part of our lineup. And if we do manage to win a wild card this season, you can be sure that it never would have happened without Francoeur.
If we do in fact make the post season, the Jeff Francoeur trade will be known as the turning point in the Mets season. In fact, I believe it already is.
Amazin Avenue wrote:
Wanna bet? Listen, the Mets aren’t going to make the playoffs, and if they do, it’s through an act of God, and in spite of the Francoeur trade, not because of it. I want him to succeed, but let’s give him the rest of the season before we proclaim him savior, or even good.
Wow! They are willing to bet the Mets are dead and only an act of God will get them to win a wild card. That’s outrageous. What kind of a Mets site would promote that in July?
Wow! They are willing to bet the Mets are dead and only an act of God will get them to win a wild card. That’s outrageous. What kind of a Mets site would promote that in July?
A shitty one!
one that doesn’t want to get peoples hopes up.
Or one that doesn’t subscribe to Mets motto’s like Ya Gotta Believe like this site plainly does.
Can we all agree at least that Church was a Grade A Pussy. He needs to go back to Washington where passion is as common as a mistress-free politician
Um… dude?
Francoeur not only gets on base less than virtually any other non-middle-infielder in the game, he HAS A LOWER SLUGGING PERCENTAGE than Church, lifetime. Even during his “peak” years, dude was slugging .440-.450; in other words, during his “100-RBI” prime, he was Armando Rios/David Segui, power-wise. (Except he got on base a lot less.)
I wish him well, and cheered like hell when he hit tonight’s home run.
I just hope a 12-game hot streak doesn’t prompt Mets management to make any rash decisions, extension-wise. (Hell, Castillo’s been hotter and for longer– that doesn’t make his contract any less of a mistake.)
Thank you for writing some sense. Great point about the slugging percentage.
If you want to watch the Mets via boxscores, calculators, and slide rules, why come to a site with a name like Metsmerized? This is a fan site, not a site for people who got their asses kicked in grade school and had their lunch money stolen. take your mood rings, Star Trek figures, graph paper, pocket protectors and everything else and wallow in your statistics elsewhere. This site is for die hard fans who believe in things like having heart, gritty players, hard-nosed baseball, clubhouse leaders and a host of other things you will never understand in your perfectly planned out life.
you know just because people actually read statistics and understand what they mean unlike you, does not mean that they are nerds and “got their asses kicked in grade school and had their lunch money stolen”. I for one never watched star trek, star wars, or anything else with star in it. Just because your an idiot when it comes to stats does not mean you can criticize people because they understand what on base percentage and slugging average is.
You never saw Star Wars? What do you live in a cave or something?
You have no idea how to take in a baseball game and enjoy all of it’s wonderful intricacies. Things like the smell of the grass, the crack of the bat, or a glove popping are lost on you.
You take a wonderful game and try to dissect it until you get to the seedy parts just so you can criticize players and tear them down.
You care nothing about the human element, only your cold hard numbers. Those percentages you cite are not what makes one a baseball purist. To me those are the tools used as weapons to take down players you dont like just as all of you are doing with Francoeur.
You use and manipulate those numbers to create a false vision of the player and recast them as you want others to see them.
It’s probably a heartless attempt at getting back at the athletes who called you geeks in grade school.
Don’t waste your numbers on me because I watch the game for the enjoyment and pleasure I derive from it.
Dude! You’re my Mets man crush of the week!
This controversy among Mets fans is ridiculous. Don’t get overly carried away with your own convictions about stats. It comes down to whether his presence is benefitting the team or not. For his first couple weeks, the objective person has to say that he has.
When the trade was anounced, I was sceptical for many of the reasons cited. However, I have seen now a player who has made key hits and provided some power to a lineup that has had almost none. Is he perfect – no. .Ccould we have gotten a better player – perhaps. Is he here and performing well – yes! That’s what counts. It is obvious the Mets are not making a key trade and picking up any powerhouse players. In that circumstance, let’s appreciate the playe.rd we did get and give him a chance. If you’re not willing to do that, then you are not a Mets fan, but a closed minded individual with a private agenda. LGM!
to Devin,
actually I do know how to take in a baseball game. I play it regularly and I enjoy it. Things like the crack of the bat are not lost on me. However, stats is the only tool we as fans have to measure players. It’s been this way since the game was invented. Baseball is a stat driven game. Thats what get people big contracts. Do you think A-Rod gets a $300 Million dollar game because of intagibles? Please, he gets hit because he hits 40 homers a year, and helps your team win.
I get not being happy with the way things have gone this season or the previous two seasons but this…
“Another Mets blog, created by another fan who is fed up with the Mets”
“About Me-Aidan G.-A Mets fan whose fed up with Jerry Manuel, Omar Minaya and the Mets”
“So, really, since joining the Mets, Jeff Francoeur has been no better than Mike Hampton. So why all the hype?”
…sounds like just a miserable so-called Mets fan. That last comment is beyond laughable but you have every right to your opinion. I know what comes next, you will say it is not opinion it is fact and it will still be laughable. Again, just another example of taking the fun out of the great game. Good luck with all that.
actually I don’t say its fact, its all my opinion. If you think this season hasn’t been frustrating to us fans, then you’ve had your head in a toilet all season. We had such high hopes about this season, getting K-Rod, Putz, etc, and its been frustrating. I’m also frustrated about the management we have. You don’t have to agree with me, and I don’t have to agree with you. But I am not another example of “taking the fun out of the great game”. Part of the fun of baseball for a lot of fans, is comparing players using stats. Thats why fantasy baseball is so popular. Thats not taking the fun out of the game. Thats making it more popular.
I guess you failed to comprehend the first 18 words of my reply since you said this…
“If you think this season hasn’t been frustrating to us fans, then you’ve had your head in a toilet all season.”
…and comparing Jeff Francoeur to Mike Hampton is just, well, moronic. Sorry, I have no other word to describe it. I know it is eating at all the stat heads that a player like Francoeur is having a little success. Keep wishing the worst so you can say “I told you so.” I am sure the first slump Francoeur goes through will be the end of the world and Omar Minaya will be crucified because he traded the great Ryan Church.
And concerning Francoeur, I posted this when the trade happened…
http://the1constant.mlblogs.com/archives/2009/07/mets_news_braves_and_mets_swap.html
…but I am willing to give the guy a chance and so far he has been a nice addition. I could not care less what he did during his Braves’ career. What I care about is what he has done from July 10 and moving forward.
I never said Ryan Church was great… I was looking for people to compare Francoeur too, and Mike Hampton popped up. Listen, I have a right to my own opinion, and I hope Francoeur does well, because I want to win. I just think it is too early to say that he has been exactly what we need. I think after 25 games, you can start to make a judgement. And I will change my mind, if he does well, but I think part of him doing well is changing his approach, and walking more. Imagine if you can maybe even 10%of those strikeouts into walks, we’ll score more runs.
yes, maybe I didn’t comprehend the first 18 words you said, but then why criticize me for saying on my blog (which I can say whatever the hell I want to) that I’m a frustrated Mets fan who is fed up with the Mets. As a fan, I’ve been through a lot as everyone else was. It’s disappointing, frustrating, and I’m tired of all the stuff that happens to this team. If you live in Philly, as sadly I do, you’re more easily frustrated then most Mets fan.
Church will fit in nicely with all the marshmellows down in Atlanta as long as someone holds his head while Chipper changes his diaper
hey francoeur keeps proving a lot of people wrong, and I hope he continues to do so, but also someone who has been criticized a lot is Castillo. Some of it is fair (dropped pop up, sucking last year), but he is one of our more consistent hitters.
I criticize because everything is negative, negative, and more negative. All I hear and I have said the same thing at times is that you cannot use the injuries as an excuse, well, it is not an excuse, if the Mets had their full roster healthy they would be right in the thick of the division race as well as the Wildcard.
Everyone is out for blood like it is the cool thing to do. No matter what someone must be blamed.
Yes the Mets have handled a lot of different issues this season in an odd manner but no team in baseball could overcome the amount of injuries to key players. No one.
Again on Francoeur, just like someone responded above, you say “when” Francoeur struggles like you are so sure he is going to fail almost to the point that you want him to fail just so you can say “I told you so.”
I don’t want him to fail, but the track record is that he’s going to go into a slump… all hitters go into slumps, and hot streaks, as we’ve seen with David Wright this year
Everybody has different opinions, and they are all welcomed on this site. Sometimes though, it’s easy to forget we all share one common goal for the Mets. I don’t mind a good debate, but it gets silly when it sinks down to mocking one opinion or resorting to name calling or labeling. There’s always been two schools of thought on determining what a good player is, and all the arguing in the world won’t get one side to see it the other way. When we win it all it doesn’t even matter. We’ll scream, and cheer, and drink beers together, and relish the moment. That’s all I gotta say.
Pelf has got a shutout going in the 6th, Mets up 3-0! It’s all good.
I’m good with that. Nice way to intervene.
I don’t have much to say other than anyone who thinks rbi are a stat worth measuring a player is an idiot. It’s not a matter of opinion either, it’s fact.
That braves fan is delusional. Failcy sucks. You were probably in love with him because he was the golden boy. He sucks, mets will realize this soon enough. And frank wren isn’t a good GM? Haha.
He turned jurrjens, campillo, Morton, reyes, and ? Into Derek Lowe, Javier Vazquez, Jair Jurrjens, Tommy Hanson, Tim Hudson/Kawakami/Medlen. He also replaced Schafer and Crotchman with McLouth and LaRoche. And BTW the platoon of Diaz and Church is much more prosuctive than Failcy.