30
2010
F-Mart Has Arthritic Knee, Time To Shelve The Phenom Tag
An article by Hojo's Mojo
Yesterday, Daniel Murphy (tired legs), Nick Evans (shoulder) and Fernando Martinez (knee pain) were flown to New York to be examined by Dr. Struan Coleman at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan.
Today, the team announced the following in a press release.
An MRI revealed that Daniel Murphy, who was hitting .320 in winter ball before his injury, suffered a mild left hamstring strain with no loss of motion or strength in the leg. Murphy, a candidate for the starting second-base job next season, will rehab his hamstring and resume baseball activities as tolerated.
Fernando Martinez, who recently felt pain running to first base in winter ball, has a case of mild arthritis in his right knee, according to an MRI. He will wear a brace and continue to strengthen his knee before resuming baseball activities.
Evans, who has spent his offseason rehabbing the left shoulder strain he suffered at the end of September, has been swinging a bat pain-free and has suffered no setbacks. He will progress with baseball activities “as tolerated,” the team said.
The Mets are calling it good news for their young trio, although I don’t see how the case of Fernando Martinez could be termed good news at this point.
Having an arthritic knee at 22-years old is nothing to put a smiley face on. Especially for a player whose game is built on speed as well as hitting.
The Mets are reporting it as mild arthritis, but reports from eye witnesses who saw Martinez yesterday, said he was limping badly.
When you consider all the other leg injuries Martinez has suffered from, including three different hamstring problems and one to his calf, you have to be worried about this diagnosis, especially if it ends up being chronic.
I think that moving forward, the Mets can no longer operate with the expectation that Fernando Martinez will one day be their right fielder of the future. If it happens, great, but lets just get him to at least complete one full season in the minors before the high expectations start flying again.
At this point all the Mets can do is hang onto him and pray, since whatever high trade value Martinez once had, has completely vanished into nothing.
About the Author: Rob Johnson
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 26 | 17 | .605 | - |
| Nationals | 25 | 17 | .595 | 0.5 |
| Marlins | 23 | 19 | .548 | 2.5 |
| Mets | 22 | 20 | .524 | 3.5 |
| Phillies | 21 | 22 | .488 | 5.0 |
Last updated: 05/22/2012
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Fernando Martinez’ game is based on speed?
Really?
He hasn’t stolen more than 8!!! bases in a season since 2006…when he was 17 years old.
His outfield range was never that great to begin with.
He was always tabbed as a 5 tool player, and stolen bases is not an indicator of speed.
The phenom tag needed to be shelved about 3 years ago. Does anyone really believe that Fernando Martinez is ever going to help the Mets??? Most help he could be is if the Mets trade him for something, unfortunately his value is so low right now. Best case scenario…FMart has a great April-May-June in AAA and the Mets can find someone dumb enough to trade a player of moderate value for him.
I wonder if the Mets knew about the arthritis and thats why they moved him from playing centerfield everyday to playing a corner outfield position? It wouldnt be the first time they hid injury news from their players.
If you look at pictures of F-Mart when he first came and recent pictures his body has gotten bigger and I don’t think he would be right for a center fielder. Though you could be 100% right, I wouldn’t put it past this team do that.
With all the people yelling that a 22 year old is a bust, then what does that make Daniel Murphy, who’s going to be 25 at the start of the season and is still trying to find a position to play?
Good point Bryan. Though in fairness Murphy never was at least to my recollection called the future of the franchise, etc… Arthritis does not get better so I do think it’s fair to say F-Mart is a bust.
I’ve had mild arthritis in my right knee for a long time. It came from rotating on the slab while I was pitching. It’s always there and I’m a lot older than F-Mart, but it’s never more than a minor reminder when I pivot or run. Maybe it’s time to take F-Mart aside and tell him that he has to play through minor aches and stiffness. Did Omar promise this guy a rose garden?
This is a joke right? Please tell me he dont really have arthritis.
I said this at my blog but I feel it’s worth repeating.
Yeah, FMart and his inability to stay on the field is getting tired already. I know he is young still and under control by the Mets but this kid just seems to always have something wrong with him.
Fern puts extreme pressure on his right foot, ankle, knee and hip by not pointing his foot at the pitcher when he swings. I simply cannot believe that no one on the Mets has ever made him correct this. How he could not injury various parts of his right leg is beyond me. What exactly is the coaching staff doing in the minor leagues?
Its crap like this that Alderson and company need to straighten out. Training in the minors needs to be consistent and for the long term benefit of the talent. Fmart obviously spends alot of time working out his upper body yet his lower body is skinny compared to his top. His stance is screwed up as well. He should of been guided to address both so that he doesnt ruin his body prematurely.
PS – It also irked me to find out that S. Green’s injuries came from the Mets trying to make him a submariner rather than leave him a side-armer. Ever since we let Bradford go, Omar had submariner envy. The fact that the kid’s career was jeapordized is stupid.
Mets Motto – If its broke leave it alone, if its perfectly fine, try to fix it.
I didn’t hear that one about Green but it certainly sounds like our ace development team sabotaging us yet again. Man, that is depressing.
well, they are pretyt much all gone. and the soldiers left have a new general and marching orders!
still time to save some of these prospects.
They sure ain’t straightening out F-Mart and Ike. It’s criminal that we don’t get these guys swinging the way they should. Each on brings something special to the table, but we just might wind up with hash. Stupid. Insane.
Both guys have a lot of power. But both want to hit the ball 800 feet. They need to be sent to Swing Boot Camp.
I remember hearing something about Vin Scully commenting on Davis’ swing and Ike dropping his hand back when he playing in the AFL. It amazes me that they never tried to correct that. Though remember during the season Keith mentioned that Ike is stubborn and he’s set in his ways as far as batting goes. Not exactly sure what he meant by that, but I found it interesting.
Greg, I remember both the Scully comments made about Ike on TV and what Keith said. If Ike wants to be stupid, there’s not much we can do.
Ike has a pronounced vertical hitch ans a moderate horizontal hitch when he drops his arms and tucks them behind his body. Ike is very strong but all these motions cost him time and swing repeatability. What’s so hard to understand about this for his high school and college coaches not to correct? And now the problems are Mets problems.
Don’t get me wrong. Ike may turn out to be a swinging stud, though I doubt it. Whatever he becomes will not be all he could be.
a lot of people believe that if it is working, don’t mess. And obviously he was able to be very successful with the swing that is comfortable to him.
And as long as he can continue to get results, not much will change.
anyway, while starting in the majors, during the seaosn, isn’t the time to comepletely rebuild a swing. Minor tweaks, sure. But if you want to retool something he has ingrained in muscle memory from years of practice, that needs to happen in the minors (wasn’t there that long) or in the off season.
very likely that after the season, team Davis will evaluate everything about his game, and if it really needs to be adjusted, he will do it.
besides, would you have listened to Hojo about fixing a swing?
Stick I was gonna comment on all this, and then you pretty much said it all. If there was something that needed to be fixed, it would have been fixed, and you are right, during a major league season is not the time to do it. Are you telling me that if this hitch was a big problem and he fixed it, he would have went .300/30/100 this year and won rookie of the year? come on. jeez he had the best rookie year since Strawman with NO protection. what the hell else did you want from him? Like I said yesterday, Ike will be fine once he learns major league pitching. If he hits 30 next year you’ll be saying he could have hit 40 if he fixed that darn hitch.
And Agee, we went over that a while back. Pointing your foot to the pitcher is not ideal. If you teach him to point his foot you’ll screw him up even more. You want the front foot planted until after contact. If anything it’s 45 degrees. Then you can do whatever the heck you want with the foot. Preferably run to first base. F-Mart doesn’t do it because you’re not SUPPOSED to do it. NO one in the major leagues points their front foot to the pitcher until after they hit the ball and they have to start running. I don’t know who told you about this foot pointing business.
If the choice was either Hojo or Tony Bernazard, my vote is Hojo!!! lol
PS: I think Jeff and Fred, no lovers of Bernazard, would agree!!!
Leaves him extremely vulnerable to off speed stuff outside. Swing camp is not a bad idea.
I still say he was rushed through the system. His body never had a chance to really develop and this is partly the reasons for all these injuries. I do agree though that he’s no longer a phenom, just a guy who had some potential.
maybe this will be the year that everyone forgets about him, and just lets him play a full season in the minors with no attention (other than the coaches) are expectations that he would be getting called up.
might be best to get him on a serious professional training regime (for his body) the rest of the off season, and forget about playing.
Then next year, revisit whatever flaws he has (like the stuff Agee mentioned), and try to build him correctly as a fluid, viable BB player.
He does have a heck of a lot of natural talent with the bat. Just find someone to coach him to exploit it.
the flaws Agee mentioned are not flaws. It hasn’t been fixed because it’s not wrong.
We’ll take no action based on what you say, Chris. Thanks.
K…not just what I say though. It’s pretty much what all good hitters say, and do.
http://www.chrisoleary.com/projects/baseball/hitting/thehittingmechanic/2007/TheHittingMechanic_200709.html
so you can base it on Prince Albert too, if that’s good enough.
The weight is on a stiff front side, with NO weight on your back leg. The weight is back, but not ON your back leg, it’s on your front leg. so try doing a squat on your heel. tell me how that works out. You want your foot flat and to move as little as possible through the swing.
thanks for playin’.
Chris, Fern has his toes pointing toward the plate before, during and after his swing. His front (right) foot is parallel to the pitching rubber. The stress put on the hip is severe and the swing itself is robbed of power. This is why he hits so many balls softly to 2B and back to the box. Try taking a swing while not opening up your front side. Your basically holding yourself back.
I didn’t say don’t open your hip Agee. I said don’t point your foot to the pitcher. You don’t have to swing your foot or point it to the pitcher to open your front hip. Any athlete with normal flexibility can do it just fine. I can sit here and link youe endless pictures of great major league hitters that do it correctly. I already posted a couple of Prince Albert above, but heres a couple more.
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.profantasybaseball.com/images/Albert-Pujols-Pictures/Albert-Pujols-6.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.profantasybaseball.com/Albert-Pujols.htm&usg=__LzoGmqQa9TTBeygfpF6uElkk1c4=&h=367&w=298&sz=23&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=D-EXEV1CfU85_M:&tbnh=135&tbnw=111&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dalbert%2Bpujols%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1R2ADRA_enUS343%26biw%3D1263%26bih%3D601%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=609&ei=5YT1TNzWB8OxtAa0xMG6Aw&oei=5YT1TNzWB8OxtAa0xMG6Aw&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:0&tx=54&ty=69
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://actionsportstrivia.com/files/2010/09/Albert-Pujols-for-blog.jpg&imgrefurl=http://actionsportstrivia.com/2010/09/07/cool-baseball-trivia-questions/&usg=__J3LifBMd-M5SMEsLthn9PlT0UvQ=&h=500&w=509&sz=71&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=CRjWig83cZSgMM:&tbnh=130&tbnw=139&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dalbert%2Bpujols%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1R2ADRA_enUS343%26biw%3D1263%26bih%3D601%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=585&vpy=245&dur=1982&hovh=223&hovw=227&tx=108&ty=101&ei=5YT1TNzWB8OxtAa0xMG6Aw&oei=5YT1TNzWB8OxtAa0xMG6Aw&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:0
Your front foot is the only thing on the ground when you swing except for your back tippy toe. You don’t want that foot to move at ALL. but 45 degrees is fine. Try standing on one foot and rotating on your heel. probably can’t really do it that well.
Chris your front foot naturally moves from pointing toward the plate to pointing toward the pitcher ON your follow through. Fern’s doesn’t. Fern keeps his toes pointing toward the plate ON the follow through. This can’t be doing his right leg/hip any good and it is most definitely costing him power as well.
I know how we can settle this! Let’s ask Bayonne! He coached AND played. He’ll know the right answer. He always does.
X, lol.
Agee, looks like he turns it just fine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j1pBOBii-I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3hoVNXsUR4&feature=related
Fernando Martinez’s front foot is not the problem T. You’re focusing on something very insignificant. These kids have been playing ball since they were in diapers, they know what to do with their feet. F-Mart’s problem with weakly rolling over groundballs to the 2B is timing and nothing else.
Chris, First I’m not arguing a point just to be right. I’m discussing a flaw in Fern’s technique first brought up by Keith Hernandez (a pretty good hitter and a thinking man’s hitter at that) When SNY focused on his front foot in support of Hernandez comments he was absolutely keeping that foot pointed toward the plate and I took a a few swings in my garage (where I was watching the game) with that same technique. It does seem to me that by “locking his hip” it would lead to brushing, with an uppercut, the top half of the ball and COULD be the reason for all those meek 38 hoppers to 2B and back to the box. In the video’s you were able to provide he wasn’t keeping his foot pointed toward the plate and obviously the results were quite different from the aforementioned 4-3′s and 1-3′s. The video was also from 2006 and 2009 so this might be something new OR due to an injury (when your playing hurt sometimes you have to find new ways of doing things) and that could be the answer but no one can say that he hasn’t seriously underwhelmed while being up here. If I am wrong about this it won’t be the first time I was wrong about something but I did clearly see what Hernandez was talking about and not thinking of comparing video, thought it likely that this is the reason or one of the reasons for his underwhelming results.
agee – maybe i didn’t make myself clear enough the first time , maybe that was my fault.
When you’re in your stance you start with your foot parallel to the mound, then after contact…sure…your foot opens up and the toes point towards the mound. Right, you don’t hit keeping your front foot parallel to the mound after you complete the swing….you just can’t do that, lol. If it opens up to soon that’s called pulling off the ball which I’m sure you already know about. I’m not gonna be like that ignoramus Chris and actually believe you don’t know what you’re talking about when it’s clear that you do. We may have disagreements on the approach but it’s clear you know what you’re talking about.
Chris is right that you wound up w/your front foot on the ground on your follow through, agee is right that the front foot winds up facing the pitcher only AFTER the follow through – that’s the way it usually is.
The only thing I’m gonna add is that after your swing your back foot should be firmly planted on the balls of your feet (which is right beneath the toes in case someone is not sure). That’s where you get balance, that’s where you’re balance helps when you’re bending your back knee adjusting the bat when bunting.
Not sure if what Chris meant by “back tippy toe”.
You guys keep on laughing that I coached – go ahead and keep acting immature. don’t know if you guys have done it but it does feel good when some kids come up to you years later and thank you for helping them make in impact in their lives.
What I meant by back tippy toe Bayonne is that at contact you are either on your your back tippy toe or you foot is completely OFF the ground. You don’t get to the ball of your foot until after it lands after contact. But you probably thought you “squash the bug” on the ball of your foot all the way through the swing.
that lesson was free….the next one will cost ya.
Right Bayonne. Your back foot is on the ball. But back to the original issue. The front foot. How can you follow through if your front foot stays pointed toward the plate? I don’t see how you can even swing like this at all or how the Mets have never worked this habit out of him. We may not see him for a while but I would be real interested in your opinion on this issue when we finally get a look at him. Maybe I’m not correctly stating the issue but I cannot believe that any profesional coach wouldn’t seek to correct this in the first 5 minutes of seeing him for the first time.
no need for lessons, i’m not gonna waste time w/sarcasm and get right to the point.
You don’t squash the bug all the way through the swing but it’s good to be squashing the ball at the point of contact. Beltran is a great example of “staying back” when he makes contact. After that then your foot can start moving all kinds of ways.
You always have to adjust – you can be badly fooled on a changeup and wind up making contact w/your back foot off the ground and fully on your front. But for ideal balance you should be on the ball of your foot at the point of contact.
agee – i agree – your front foot, after contact, usually moves to pointing towards the pitcher.
In your stance, however, is should be parallel to the pitcher’s mound.
that’s why in a lot of cases being able to see the ball well can sometimes trump what is supposed to be proper hitting technique. If you are fantastic at picking the ball up from the pitcher then you can forego a lot of fundamental stuff as long as you can make contact – that’s why Manny Sanguillen was so unusual yet so good. Bad ball hitters. Some guys just have great eyes and great quick hands that can go right through the zone like lightning.
LOL, Bayonne, do I have to own you AGAIN??? as long as you keep teahing that to kids, I will have a job.
Your back side drives TO the ball. It may even slide on your toe towards the pitcher if you drive it hard enough. NO major league hitter is on the ball of the foot at contact. no good ones anyway. You are on your FRONT foot at contact. Not your back. Your WEIGHT is back, but you are not on your back foot.
Say “Chris is the man” in your head as you’re watching these videos. I shouldn’t even be showing you these, so you can continue to teach it wrong to kids and my teams can continue to beat them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypr-ZPUMC4Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7CUMrsMP5A
Further proof that you will forever be owned on any topic that is ever discussed in these threads. go ahead say it, “I’m sorry Chris, you were right.”
uh, not really…i mean if you want to announce to everybody that you want satisfy your ego and make these types of responses a competition go right ahead but that wasn’t my intention. Shows you were a fool to begin with.
Back to the point you have to have balance on the back foot, naturally your front foot is gonna be parallel and firmly on the ground at the point of contact. I thought that was understood when I made my first point. We were just talking about the back foot.
Guess the problem here is more of a communication problem than a baseball problem.
also want to quickly add before I go out that when your hips are turning, when you’re generating that torque your back foot has to be “squishing the bug” so to speak. It’s the beginning of the weight transfer from back to front..but yes your front foot should also be planted firmly, parallel to pitcher..like I said i thought this was understood in the first place.
And like agee said – if you want to do this to be right more than discuss hitting technique than you and i are not on the same wavelength, sorry.
no Bayonne not everyone, it’ just a competition with you, because you’re an imbecile.
You’re right we were talking about the back foot. wasn’t I? I thought that’s all I just talked about. “You have to have balance on the back foot” is what you just said. But that is 100% false because you don’t have ANY balance on the back foot at the point of contact because you’re either on your toe, or it’s completely off the ground like I said before. ALL the balance is on a stiff FRONT leg, not back. Two of the best hitters in the game just proved it in those videos.
If what you said is true than Hanley must have real good balance on the tip of his toe as it’s literally dragging across the ground. He should be a ballerina. And if Pujols has balance on his back foot he must have the power of levatation because it’s off the ground. I knew he was super human but I didn’t know he had the power of flight. I don’t even know why I’m still bothering with you. It’s just too fun to constantly prove you wrong.
You have to be balanced…..again not everybody is the same and that video of H Ramirez is an extreme example. Not every hitter lifts his leg up like that. SOme not at all. That’s just you wanting to do anything to prove a point instead of staying within the context of a conversation. You’re the one that’s a acting like a jerkoff, again.
Pujols is still shifting his weight from back to front. You have to be balanced to start that in the first place. I wasn’t wrong. If you want to be a douchebag about it fine but i wasn’t wrong, it was still correct fundamentals. Try practicing your swing in your house and try going on your front foot at the point of contact with your back foot off the ground.
It does not work that way. Period.
Again, like i said before everybody is different but it’s still good to have the basic, correct fundamentals to begin with.
Yes Bayonne, In your stance you begin your AB with your toes toward the plate, but as you begin your follow through you must open up. This is what Fern has not been doing (at least he wasn’t in the game I watched where Hernandez pointed this out) Now he only played in 7 games last year (August) so if any of those telecasts are available I may be able to show you what it is I am trying to say.
You’re right you do have to be balanced. on your FRONT foot. But you said “Back to the point you have to have balance on the back foot”, remember?
You’re right not every hitter lifts their leg like that. and not every player does it the same way every swing. Hanley was an extreme case of drive with the lower half. But NO major league player “squashes the bug” on the ball of their back foot as they rotate and transfer their weight. But you said “also want to quickly add before I go out that when your hips are turning, when you’re generating that torque your back foot has to be “squishing the bug” so to speak”, remember? EVERY player drives their back foot either straight up to their toe, or forward to the pitcher, or straight up in the air. and that just depends on how hard you are driving it. Do I really have to sit here and post links to pictures and videos all night?
So yes Bayonne, you were wrong. and I always find it funny when you try to change your story and take back wrong things that you said already. Let me list them again…
“when your hips are turning, when you’re generating that torque your back foot has to be “squishing the bug” so to speak”
“Back to the point you have to have balance on the back foot”
Damn I didn’t mean to press it yet. I wasn’t done proving you wrong.
“You have to be balanced to start that in the first place. I wasn’t wrong”
when were we talking about stance? of course you have to be balanced to start in the first place. again, changing your story.
“Try practicing your swing in your house and try going on your front foot at the point of contact with your back foot off the ground.”
don’t worry I dont need to. I do it all the time. And I do it just fine. It’s called BP.
“It does not work that way. Period.”
lol, yes it does. tell that to Albert Pujols in that video and Frank Thomas after he hit a 500 foot home run. When your back leg lifts up it just means you put everything you had into your swing fom the back lower half, which is where your power comes from. I can school you on this all day my man.
Bayonne=wrong…..again.
Hey Bayonne, get a load of Bryce Harper..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2d1R7OwZHVM&feature=related
lol. sleep on it man. it’ll feel better in the morning…..clown.
Chris, Harpers front foot is clearly opening up on his swing unlike Fern’s foot (at least when he came up here in August) which stayed completely parallel to the rubber through out his entire swing. From start to finish.
It never gets even close to pointing to the pitcher though Agee, it only turns to about 45 degrees if that, pointing to third base like I said, which is the way it is with most hitters a lot of the time if you watch a lot of them. And Bryce’s doesn’t start to turn until after contact, which I agreed with. If you watch Chase Utley, his never really turns that much at all, even after contact, until he’s ready to start running then it has to turn. If you can find video of Fern’s foot not turning ever and link it that would be awesome, because I couldn’t find one on youtube where he didn’t. It has to, to start running to first base which you should do the second your follow-through is complete anyway.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLZTOTilC4w&feature=related
You can see his toe never gets to third base, and then doesn’t start to turn all the way until he starts to run. But all hitters are different and do different things with their front foot. But it doesn’t HAVE to turn. If Fern’s knee was bothering him he would BE turning his foot to relieve the pain, not NOT turning it. And if it was something that they thought was really effecting his swing, they would point it out and fix it. Same with Ike’s hitch. Those guys are the pros. But it’s not, so they don’t. Fern’s front foot is the least of his worries.
But I wasn’t even talking about the front foot anymore Agee. I was schooling Bayonne on the BACK foot, because he seems to think you squash the bug and have balance on the ball of your back foot as you rotate and transfer your weight, which is clearly not the case in any picture or video you will EVER see of any major league hitter. But I actually hope he keeps teaching his kids that because it will ensure that I always have a job.
Nope Chris,
I’m right. I hate to talk that way but this is the way you want it. His weight is anchored on his back foot and he transfers it at time of contact. I know what I’m talking about – you can make all the immature jokes you want because you’re a fool.
Obviously you can’t just stay back and NEVER transfer your weight. Don’t be a wiseass if you can’t just simply know where a person is coming from. I’ve been doing this for years and if you can’t understand the way I express myself it’s your problem..also like you’ve done before if a person doesn’t express himself 100% a way you like you run with it like hell and try to make a fool of someone and you don’t. You make a fool of yourself.
I know how to teach hitting. I know what I’m talking about.
lol, are you still trying to make it seem like you weren’t wrong about everything you’ve said about hitting to this point?? you are tenacious, lol.
Obviously you can’t just stay back and never transfer your weight? But how can you say that, and then also say this,
“also want to quickly add before I go out that when your hips are turning, when you’re generating that torque your back foot has to be “squishing the bug” so to speak. It’s the beginning of the weight transfer from back to front”.
You are like a walking self-contradiction, and there is so much wrong with that comment I don’t even know where to begin.
1) Torque isn’t generated when you open the hips, the torque is generated before that, so apparently you don’t even know what torque is. The torque is RELEASED when you open the hips. The torque that was generated during the LOAD.
2) “Your back foot has to be ‘squishing the bug’.” Well, I already proved that wrong many many times with numerous videos of great hitters. But
Bayonne my friend, how can you transfer weight and rotate on the ball of your foot at the same time?
3) “It is the beginning of weight transfer from back to front”. That is so 100% false that it is LAUGHABLE. That is NOT the beginning of weight transfer from back to front. Weight transfer is accomplished with the STRIDE. When your WHOLE back foot is on the ground and driving your weight forward, before your hips even start to open. Once the front foot lands, all weight transfer ENDS. Watch any slow-mo video from the side of a hitter and tell me if his head has anymore lateral movement once his front foot lands.
That is the point when the hips start to open, and the back leg and foot drive FORWARD to the ball, not around on the ball of your foot. It is impossible to turn on the ball of your foot and transfer weight. Weight transfer happens before the hips open, and turning on the ball of your foot doesn’t happen at all. So both those things you just said were wrong. The only thing that’s being transferred is the power in your lower back half driving TOWARDS the ball, which my man Bryce just showed you up there.
So no Bayonne, I did not misinterpret anything you said. everything you said was pretty self-explanatory, and blatantly incorrect. So no, you do not know how to teach hitting, or know what you’re talking about, at all really. But what’s funny is you do all your contradicting of yourself AFTER you realize you’ve been proven wrong many times over to make it seem like you weren’t wrong. But it doesn’t take back all the wrong things you said. It’s sad man, very sad.
I can sit here all night and link you websites and videos that will teach you hitting. It looks like you need it. But then again, no I don’t want to do that because like I said, as long as you keep teaching that crap to your kids, it will ensure that I will always have a job. So please, keep doing it.
I just read the first paragraph and you already misunderstood me. You’re a clown, you expect me to read that entire manifesto? Nope. Don’t tell you’re that Chris O’Leary idiot.
also i think you have a HUGE problem interpreting the English language. You’re completely OFF on your torque assessment too. You’re a complete douchebag. It’s beyond baseball now you don’t even know how gauge a debate. at the very start you had some good points and I wanted to clarify – now it’s a complete mess, I disagree COMPLETELY on some points and you just ramble like you’re on cocaine binge. Douchebag
lol, what exactly am I misunderstanding??
its sad, i remember when he was the teenage hitting machine, one of the top prospects in baseball, was untouchable, was compared to Manny…
he was supposed to be our RFer of the future, who would hit .320/30/120 consistently every year.
now all he does is sit on the DL. and yeah, he was rushed, but i dont think thats the reason for his injuries.
you could be 100% right, he could just be an injury prone person, not enough detailed paid to his personal health by himself and the club, etc… Either way the Mets need to start looking to someone else to be the future of the franchise. Don’t write him off but they need to start planning.
Wilmer Flores is probably the “new” future of the franchise now. Flores is legit though, and he doesn’t get hurt much. he needs to find a position, but he can rake. he’s probably already in the top 25 or 30 prospects in baseball, but i think he can blow up this year and put himself into the top 5.
Actually Wilmer Flores was ranked #47 in 2009 by Baseball America. That was followed by him being ranked #88 in 2010 by Baseball America. At the mid season of 2010 Flores had yet to crack the top 50 prospects by Baseball America.
baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/rankings/top-100-prospects/all-time.html
baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/rankings/top-100-prospects/2010/269554.html
baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/rankings/top-100-prospects/2010/2610314.html
yeah, i knew where he was ranked. he had a bad 2009, but ripped up the FSL in 2010 and should be in the top 30.
He wasn’t even in the top 50 when baseball america released their 2010 mid season report July 9th.
What makes you think he jumped into the top 30 after that date?
his great bat and his .300 batting average in the FSL?
“his great bat and his .300 batting average in the FSL?”
So it is your belief that what Flores did in St Lucie over 67 games will jump him up more than 20 plus slots at the minimum since we have no idea if he was ranked 51st or 100th when Baseball America released their rankings this past July 9th.
If that’s the case then I will respectfully disagree.
Which position would he play? He’s not quick enough in the majors for SS/2B/CF.
RF or 3B, he has a good arm.
A throw from RF is so completely different than SS. When would you suggest he start to learn the nuances of that position?
So will he replace David Wright or Ike Davis?
I’m not seeing many Mets. I thought Omar and, earlier on, Tony Bernazard were doing a great job.
i think he should start learning RF now if he’s going to play there. and Des, it all depends what happens in the future to decide if he replaces Wright or not. he might move to RF which would mean no he wouldn’t. but Ike Davis? i know he played RF high school and college, but he’ll only be playing first base on the Mets, and i don’t think Flores will be moved there. and no, Bernazard rushed guys really badly. look at Ruben Tejeda and Martinez.
As a laugher, didn’t Ike also pitch? Maybe we could spend a few nights discussing that potential move. lol
haha, yeah he pitched, i heard he could hit 95 on the gun. but i think ill take his great defense and good hitting with alot of potential to improve over his pitching.. hahah
metsrock128, I’ll take it too. When will it occur?
Matt Cerrone says:
I just talked with someone who is very familar with what Kansas City is up to this off season, and he said the Mets will most likely have to part with 19-year-old SS Wilmer Flores and either Jon Niese or Ike Davis in a deal for Royals RHP Zack Grienke, assuming either side is interested.
“At this point all the Mets can do is hang onto him and pray, since whatever high trade value Martinez once had, has completely vanished into nothing.”
A bit over the top, wouldn’t you say? So another team could buy him for a bag of balls? lol
You can never let yourself count on just one guy for a position down the road. Injuries, Wash outs, depth and trade chips need to be accounted for as well as starters and backups on the 25. Counting on just one guy coming through for you is just being naive and hopeful. Not properly developing your young talent is nothing short of stupidity. Imagine if Thole and Davis hadn’t panned out (as they have to some degree so far) Playing your prospects at positions they actually project to play in the Majors is a big part of developing prospects. Tejada getting time at both SS and 2B is a smart move but what about Flores still playing SS? By the end of their first season of pro ball they should start learning to play a position they most likely can fill in the Majors.
Going back to the Tony Bernazard and Omar days, the Mets thought it was smart to play blue chips in the middle defensive positions (especially SS and CF). It was thought that those positions accelerated experience. Now we’re seeing some of the down side of that philosophy.
rule of thumb usually says keep a guy at a premium position until he proves he can’t play it. And so far, he hasn’t (it is just a lot of people speculating that he won’t be able to in the future).
Plus, he is in A ball, and only turning 19. He is not on the cusp of reaching the majors, so he can certainly still move to a new position.
Probably best that he is set someplace by the time he is ready for AA at least. SO this should be the year where he is about as big as he is going to get, so they can figure it out in PSL (where I assume he starts) as the season goes along.
F mart could disappear for the next 2 years, and reappear for the 2013 season and still only be 24. Not exactly over the hill for a prospect. and not the 1st time a hyped teenager took a few extra years to develop (Nelson Cruz did this, right?)
so get him 1st trained correctly (his body, healthy living, etc.). THen get him the right coaches in the minors to rework his game, to best utilize his natural talent and take as much stress off his body (legs) as possible.
then, let him play until he proves he can’t keep it up, or until he is ready. if that takes 2 years, fine.
I get the impression that he has been skating along purely on natural talent, and not really being developed correctly (and certainly not at a logical pace).
Hopefully the new regime rectifies that, and installs a true coaching.training program at the lower levels. Even if it means keeping guys down a little longer to learn the right way to play, and to break bad habits.
Train them correctly at the beginning, and correct the obvious swing flaws or pitching mechanics issues, and they can move a lot faster later on through the system.
I agree. Fern could very well figure it out. Go on a tear and keep it going. Angel got it figured out at 29. Fern really reminds me of Billy Beane in Moneyball. I’ve watched him on TV and in person in the DWL as well as when he’s been up here and he just doesn’t look like he enjoys playing baseball.
This would be great and might be the first time the team has had any sort of real plan for F-Mart. Omar was too concerned with moving him up right away and proving what a great player F-Mart was. Hopefully Alderson will learn from Minaya’s mistakes.
A chimpanzee could learn from Minaya’s mistakes. I’m so happy that clown is gone.
Yeah you want to give him every chance but it hasn’t really looked likely and while the new FO probably won’t be rushing unprepared prospects up here, Flores will almost certainly be in AA sometime this year. Even two seasons of say LF isn’t really adequate.
Typical Mets!! What is it with them..Beltran, Martinez..anyone see a common thread!!
Arthritic knee……ahhhhhhhhhhAhHHHHAAAAAAAAAa.AhAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHAAAA HAAHAAHAAHA HAAAAAHHHAAAAaaa…….
Oh God, I needed that. OH No! I can’t stop! AhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaHHAHAHa.. 4 dys befoer the Winter Meetings Start HHHHHhaaaaaaa…. Mets annouce 3 of their young tradables have chronic injuries.HhhhhhhAaaaaaaaa Hahaahhhh… Oh God! It’s just so funny.HHHHHhhhhhhhhhaaaa Haaaaaa…… Ohhhhh Oh Oh. ok ok ok. I’m ok now.
Where: Florida
When: Sunday 1st Day of Winter Meetings
General Manager X: “Why Hello Sandy! Congrats on the Met job.”
Alderson: “Thanks General Manager X say We need pitching. you have surplus. Lets talk!
General Manager X: “Gee, Sandy I’d love to but I am looking for good young low cost outfielders and yours have a bum shoulder and a chronic knee condition. See ya around the pool.”
HHahahahahahhhaaaaaaaaaaa.Hahhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaa. Oh God! 4 days befoer the Winter Meetings! Hahhhhhhhhaaaaaa. No one thought to hold off the medicals for a week?! Hhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…………
I think the Mets were going to stand pat anyway this winter. Still not trading the young guys and letting them develop. Murphy has a very good chance of starting at second base.
As far as pitching goes, look for them to sign a one free agent and a bunch of others to minor league deals. Hopefully, one of them pans out. That’s what happened with Dickey last year.
This is a rebuilding year. But if the offense finally gets going (it didn’t this year), the Mets can be in the wild card race.
this I agree with. 2011 is not necessarily either/or. Not making huge moves does not doom them to sub-70 wins (I have seen some posters already predicting ~65!)
some smart but modest moves, and players on hand finally playing up to expectations, and yes they can compete for the WC. While still breaking in some younger talent.
How cool would it be to get to the W.S. in 2011? Talk about cashing in on the odds one would get for that happening.
Stick, maybe the team really played up to their ability. Why are we always giving the ownership and FO a pass?
For 2010, I predicted a 3rd or 4th place finish. They met my expectations. It’s time to take off the rose colored glasses. Look out for the Nats next year.
between the guys that missed significant time, and the ones that were way out of line with career norms and/or the prior year (and in some cases they were the same guys!), I really don’t think the offense played up to their abilities.
not saying that at this point they can do better. Just that the reasonable expectation is there (the potential).
and that was the point of the post. If we get lucky and the guys they have perform as they can, then the team will a WC contender most likely.
Entirely different question though as to whether you think they will be able to.
Aside from the hullabaloo, the slow dancing by the front office reminds me of Omar’s approach. Promise little, do less. When will this team act like a major market franchise? Ever? Because Sandy is up front and lowers expectations (taking advantage of his honeymoon period), that doesn’t mean fans should not expect more.
The Yankees don’t have to worry about our Mets stealing front page headlines for a while.
I can understand to an extent the frustration of wanting to see the Mets simply cut a Ollie & Castillo and take the loss and go out and sign a Crawford and a Lee with no consideration for payroll.
Yet I have followed the Mets long enough to know that just throwing money at the situation is not what gets you to a W.S.
All you need is to see Ollie & Castillo to confirm that.
I am willing to wait and see what Alderson can do to get from some of these contracts as he builds this team going forward.
I just hope he can get this ship righted a.s.a.p.
at this point, outright cutting them is plan last. they will do everything they can to get some value out of them first, before just kicking them to the curb and guaranteeing they pay their entire salary with no return.
no reason to do it now as opposed to ST. And yes, making the fans happy is not a valid reason at this point!
Agreed.
Too bad you forgot one teeny weeny detail, like reasding the report which would have told you that the knee is the same as it was the least MRI. Miss the point gleeful Met hater? Of course you… The arthritis isn’t new. And guess what silly rabbit that is happy about Mets being hurt, other teams get the medical reports and get to do a physical before a trade is final. So sorry to burst your happy bubble
You do be a strange dude. Following ambulances around must give you laughing fits.
Fernando…finito benito!
Get real people! After signing Jason Bay last year the Mets outfield had no room for Fernando Martinez and there are plenty of clubs who could use an outfielder with speed but this guy has been hurt constantly and has never shown that he will be able to hit major league pitching. Believe me the word is out on F-Mart and there will be no takers. If he needs surgery, that should be the team’s parting gift to this kid. I don’t think he has a good work ethic either and instead has been reading the “5 tool player” line for far too long!
The “5 tools” don’t mean anything unless you can translate those tools into skill. F-Mart has been unable to translate his “speed” tool into a skill such as stealing bases, or good range in the outfield.
He is not going to be a star, but I still think he can be a useful player, at least against RHP. I think he can hit, and hit with game power.
His biggest problem is staying healthy. And until he shows he can do that for a full season, none of this really matters, anyway.
This is the reality:
Fernando Martinez is 21 yrs old and has been playing professional baseball since the age of 16. In the 5 years of professional ball that Martinez has played he has NOT been able to remain healthy for one of them! Each year Martinez has required significant time on the disabled list. Martinez has had 2 serious knee injuries and one serious shoulder injury. The knee injuries have left him with an arthritic knee and the shoulder injury has resulted in the loss of arm strength.
Daniel Murphy played 3rd base in the Mets minor league system. Murphy played 3rd base in rookie ball, Single A and then at AA before being called up. The Mets all but gave Murphy the LF job. Murphy failed miserably. The Mets then played Murphy at 1st base. Murphy played the position well enough not to be a liability however who wants a 1st baseman who hits like a middle infielder.
The reality is this: Daniel Murphy has had 2 serious knee injuries both of which required season ending surgery in the last 2 years.
Henry Medja is slightly built and has NEVER thrown more than 160 pitches in a “season.” When the Mets did finally get around to stretching out Henry M’s arm his shoulder responded so poorly that he had to be shut down. Given the loss of arm strength and the shoulder injury that occurred as a result of more inngs it’s difficult to consider Henry M. a phenom let alone a viable potential major league starting pitcher.
Josh Thole is right now a below average major league defensive catcher who has demonstrated little to no offensive production.
Thole right now is a low on base percentage, low slugging singles hitter.
Nick Evan; Before his shoulder injury I would have said that Nick Evans is the overlooked jewel in our organization. Evans has excellent power, hits naturally to the opposite field and can adequately play the corner outfield positions or 1st base.
IF Evans can make it back from this shoulder injury I think Nick Evans has the most potential to produce on the major league level of any of the Mets minor “beleaguers.”
Josh Thole is low on-base percentage? He was on base .357 this year, and .356 last year, with a double-digit walk rate this year. Is that low? missed the memo on that. Josh is the best we’ve had since pauly in ’06.