16
2010
A Spring Time Dilemma For The NY Mets
An article by Former Writers
This is the time during Spring Training that all Major League teams start to cut down their rosters, sending some players down to their Minor League affiliates, while others are sent on their way right out of the organization.
The funny thing about this process is that there are very few surprises as to who stays and who goes. Sometimes a young player with just a little minor league experience makes such an outstanding impression that management feels that he is ready for the big leagues and they can’t envision him not being with the parent club.
Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals comes to mind this year as he has not allowed a run in three appearances so far. It was expected that the number one overall player in last years draft would start the year perhaps even as high as AAA. He did have an advantage of playing college ball under Hall of Fame great Tony Gwynn, but still there would seem to be no real reason to rush him into the fray. It’s not like the Nationals will be in the playoff hunt this year.
On Sirius/XM Radio yesterday, Rob Dibble, who I love as a color commentator and sports talk show host, said that when he was in his first couple of years of Spring Training and he knew he wasn’t going to make the Reds big club, he actually asked the team to cut him early enough so he could get more work in at the level he would be playing at. Amazing.
For the Mets as they start their cuts, the big controversy at least among the Mets faithful, revolves around whether or not Fernando Martinez and Jenrry Mejia, the young pitching sensation, should be on the big club at the opening of the season.
It has been well chronicled that Martinez, still only 21 years old, has been the Mets best prospect for the past five years and has a history of injuries. During the injury fest of 2009 F-Mart, as he is affectionately called, had what’s known as a cup of coffee with the Mets and was not very effective with a batting average just somewhat north of 100.
He was and is still slated, according to Mets General Manager Omar Minaya, to start the season at AAA Buffalo and if he does well he should see action with the Mets no later than September 1st.
The problem is that he’s tearing the cover off the ball this spring after an excellent showing in the Caribbean World Series. Right now it looks like Angel Pagan, who had a walk off home run yesterday, will begin the season in center field until the return of perennial All Star Carlos Beltran.
Newly acquired Gary Matthews Jr. is also having a torrid spring and will definitely make the team as it’s 4th outfielder and maybe even the center fielder, again that is until Beltran’s return. If that is the case where would Martinez fit in? Personally, and what most writers and fans agree on, is that Martinez needs to play everyday and Buffalo is the obvious place for him to be.
Mejia’s situation is even more complex. From here it doesn’t look like the Mets organization has decided what their expectations are of the role that Mejia will play. Is he a starter, perhaps even a top of the rotation starter, or can he become a lights out closer?
There is a case for both sides. He can crank it up to 98 mph on the gun and is developing some pretty good secondary pitches. He has drawn favorable comparisons to Dwight Gooden who at Mejia’s age, 20, was already dominating Major League batters. That in and of itself is not too shabby.
The other comparison has been to Mariano Rivera who some are already calling the greatest closer in the history of the game. His “cutter” over the years has been practically un-hittable and his post season performances have become legendary.
Former Met and Yankee, Darryl Strawberry has said that Mejia’s “cutter” is just as good as Rivera’s and the Mets need to use him right now, this season, in the pen.
So what are the Mets to do. Jerry Manuel, not my favorite Mets manager to say the least, has said Mejia could wind up as the 8th inning specialist this year if all falls into place.
What the Mets must be concerned about is not falling into what I call the “Joba Catch”. The Yankees have perhaps marred Chamberlain’s chances for super stardom as they vacillate between having him in the bullpen and as a starter. Most pitching experts agree that the transition from starter to reliever is much easier and likely to be more successful than the other way around.
So the Mets must decide which way to go with Mejia. I just want them to make a decision either way and more importantly, stick to it. What it comes down to, as I see it, is what’s the better long term solution. You have Frankie Rodriguez as your closer for the next two years. Mejia, if on the big club, would serve as the apprentice waiting to move into the closers role in 2012 if the Mets chose not to resign K-Rod.
If he goes to the Minors he would have at least a year or maybe two to develop his arsenal of pitches and at 22 he could become the ace of the staff for the next 10 to 15 years. My opinion, which amounts to nothing more than a hill of beans, is that Mejia and Martinez need to be sent down to develop. I think that in the long run, that would give the Mets the best opportunity to compete for the playoffs for years to come.
Agree? Dis-agree? Your thoughts and comments are appreciated.
About the Author: Former Writers
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i agree wholeheartedly. Great post. The Mets have other options for both CF/OF and for the 8th inning role, presently. As you’ve said, Pagan/Matthews Jr for CF/OF; and Calero/Takahashi/Figueroa/Igarashi for the setup role.
Both F-MArt and Mejia should benefit greatly from a good stint in AAA and i think this would position the Mets better for the longer term also. And, in my view, the same would apply for Ike Davis.
I actually was going to put Ike davis as the third dilemma but I didn’t want to make the article too long. I totally agree with you. BTW if BOb Parnell gets himself under control I actually see him as the best alternative for the eight inning.
They need to go down to AAA. If Majia is as good as stated and from what I see…he is, he needs the time in AAA. I’m not sure who but I’m pretty sure one of the 3..Maine Pelfry and Perez won’t be here next year. Maybe 2 of them who know? There’s a lot of good pitching talent coming available next year if we can get a Cliff Lee and bring this kid ( Majia ) up???? WOW!!!
I’d like to see him stay a starter.
F-Mart…Call me crazy but if he stays healthy I see him replacing Beltran when his contract is up. Beltran is great but his knees are shot. He can’t put a full year in anymore. And make no mistake about it F-Mart is a great Center fielder. Hitting and being Healthy is his keys to the Big’s.
Mark my thoughts exactly about F-Mart replacing beltran. Besides after the Mets have handled his injury Boras and Beltran will never sign with the Mets again
Very good article.
When in doubt…I reckon both F-Mart and Mejia start the season in Buffalo.
They are only a phone call away and they will play all the time. F-Mart needs to start and he won’t in Queens. If Beltran needs more time to heal – which, by the way, is his nature – he is NOT a quick healer. And Pagan and Matthews stumble (or for that matter Frenchy) then he gets called up.
The Joba comparison is a fair one. Why not figure out what Mejia’s value to the club will be over the long haul. If it’s being a starter then let him start in Buffalo every fifth game. If their convinced that he’s better off relieving then make him Buffalo’s closer and see how he does.
The question I have is – what happened to Parnell and is it fixable?
I love Parnell. He can be fixed and I believe he will have a breakout year. Believe it or not I still see him as a starter and if he developed a good second and third pitch he could be lights out.
Age, I completely disagree re. Beltran’s healing time. Don’t u recall “THE COLLISION” in San Diego? Unfortunately, I believe he was scarred by the fans’ booing him while struggling through inury pain in his first yr. Remember also, he DID make it back last season brace & all.
Well, we’ll have to agree to disagree. Playing doesn’t necessarily mean that he is healthy. The first year with the Mets he played with a couple of nagging injuries and had a very sub-average year.
After that first year I agree that he was somewhat hesitant to play if he wasn’t 100% because of the fan reaction – but he probably went too much in that direction.
As far as coming back while injured last year – well, he had a couple of injuries, including a bone bruise on his knee, that never healed during the season. Yes he came back but he didn’t heal. Keep in mind, by the time he came back, the Mets were pretty much already out of it.
There are ballplayers with high thresholds of pain – in my opinion, he is not one of them.
I also think he should go to AA.Have some success move up too AAA,in July then if the Mets need him for the bullpen it is in September. That way he can get atleast 25-30 starts learn how to pitch and be successful. Then the Mets can call him up,they wont have to trade for a set-up guy he is ready.It would be a mistake to let him start the year in the pen.
Without a doubt I agree that FMart needs to go down to AAA and play a full season. He needs to prove he can stay healthy and as your article stated, Martinez will be with the big club September 1st. The other consideration is that if we bring him up now, what will happen to him when Beltran comes back. Most likely we will be sending him down anyway. The last and maybe most important consideration is trade value. If FMart stinks again he will be worth next to nothing. Also, there were several teams interested in Pagan so it would be best to allow him to play everyday to further increase his trade value. For the first time, in a long time, the Mets have some depth. We need to develop the younger talent (FMart) and allow guys like Pagan and Gary Matthews Jr. play, so before July 31st we could look to trade for that much needed pitcher.
In regards to Mejia, I would keep him in the majors as long as he could see plenty of action. He could serve as the 8th inning guy this year and if we decide to make him a starter next year, we could move him into a long relief role in 2011 to properly increase his innings. This would alleviate the problems that the Yankees had with Joba. Our starting pitching is questionable at best, but if we had Mejia and Rodriguez in the 8th and 9th innings, we could essentially shorten the game to 7 innings.
I look at it like this, Jose Reyes might be out. They looked ready n hungry, hungry to win. Give them a chance, especially Ike Davis, the guy is amazin, Helloooooooo The Amazin, plus, we need him. Or would y’all rather see a repeat of 2009 ?
Don’t let Davis’ ST fool u, as I recall the most damage he caused was late in games against pitchers with nearly 3 digit numbers(lol); but against top-flight wriggling stuff from bonafide major leaguers he seemed to struggle a bit. Of F-Mart,Mejia,Davis, Tejada, I believe Ike holds the most promise & needs the best TRAINING AVAILABLE TO ENSURE HE FULFILLS HIS POTENTIAL TO THE ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM.
COMPARISONS OF MEJIA TO GOODEN ARE REDICULOUS, ‘DOC’ DOMINATED WITH STUFF & CONTROL THROUGH EVERY SINGLE LEVEL INCL MLB! Mejia’s control has been a constant issue until this Spring. Perhaps he, like Joba is best served in setup role where he can effectively dominate 3-4G/week, not just 1. I’m just a fan, I defer to those who are paid to truly understand what MLB requirements are, if they proclainm setup is best option for Mejia, who am I to argue? I dson’t understand exactly why he’s gone from being a merry-go-round operator as a SP to nasty,dominator as a reliever. STRIKE WHILE THE IRON IS HOT! Before he wakes up.
I am excited about the future of the NY Mets when I think of a AAA/AA group like Martinez, Davis, Mejia, Nieuwenhuis, Bowman, Holt, Thole, Havens, Tejada & the often forgotten Nick Evans. I left off Carter because of all these guys he is the one I think that should be brought north with the team. I’d rather have him with the ML team than Jacobs because he is a better hitter and fielder than Jacobs. As for the pitchers I think the Mets have some good arms that are out of options and should be kept. I am OK with Niese going to AAA and being a call away if it means keeping Misch, Nieve, and Figgy. Misch was a highly regarded pitcher when he was claimed from the Giants and was OK last season and has looked good this spring. Nieve was also highly regarded when he was claimed from the Astros and pitched well last year (although his peripheral numbers were not as good as his era suggests). Both will likely be lost if they have to pass through waivers. The same is true for Figgy. I think Parnell may benefit from some time in AAA developing a second pitch to go with his heater and maybe come back as a shutdown setup man, but with only his heater ML hitters figured him out last season and he will be only marginally sucessful without another pitch to keep hitters off his fastball. Santana, Pelfrey, Perez, Maine, Takahashi with K-Rod, Igarashi, Figgy, Green, Misch, Feliciano and Calero in the pen.
I agree with you NC met fan.play the ones you could lose.if they don’t perform then you can release them or send them down.During that time it gives Niese even Mejia more time to develop.I’d still like to see Mejia start in AA be lights out before he is called up to Buffalo!!
I would totally agree about sending down both young players. Martinez is better off playing everyday at Buffalo as he looked totally over matched by N.L. pitchers when he was called up last season. Personally, it would surprise me if he ever became a good hitter based on what he showed us then. Mejia too should be sent down and with his stuff should be groomed to be an ace starting pitcher. There is no substitute for having a live arm and if he continues to show command and control with his velocity and movement, we will once again have a home grown stud pitcher out there every 5 days!
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