The Battle for Second Base

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• Metsr1 February 17, 2011 at 8:14 am

  Can’t figuure out the love affair with Murphy. It seems that people love him simply because he hussles. Did anyone see the videos from last week? He can’t turn a double play to save his life. He is beyond akward when he tries. Murphy can’t field, can’t run, and has no position. Other than that, he’s a heck of ball player!
  • Des February 17, 2011 at 8:22 am

    You gave it away when you said Murphy can’t run. You’re obviously visually impaired. A couple of years ago in Spring Training, he beat David Wright twice in a foot race.

    The two guys who really are not athletically gifted running are Lucas Duda and Ike Davis.
    • Cdub February 17, 2011 at 9:28 am

      ^Agreed. You sir are a misinformed idiot
    • Joe D February 17, 2011 at 10:06 am

      I’m pretty certain that I read somewhere that Brad Emaus has no speed either and is a below average runner.
• Des February 17, 2011 at 8:19 am

  The Fat Lady has sung.

  And the winner is: Daniel Murphy.

  Waiting in the wings is: Reese Havens.
• Metstheory22 February 17, 2011 at 8:49 am

  Wally Backman did not look like he could play Major league ball either. You never know until given a chance. He could become competant with experience.
  • t agee February 17, 2011 at 9:17 am

    Wally was a #1 pick (16th) who was drafted before Cashen got here, was rushed due to need (sound familiar) and found his stride when he was managed by Davey in AAA.

    Davey concentrated on what Wally could do, not what he couldn’t.

    He paired him with a platoon partner, demanded he set the table and learn how to defend 2B. He did the best he could and on a winning team surrounded by some very talented hitters he was able to carve out a niche and be a decent part of a very good team.
    • Metstheory22 February 17, 2011 at 12:28 pm

      YEP, BINGO
• srt February 17, 2011 at 9:07 am

  I have no idea who wins the 2nd base job. I’m content to see what each one brings to the table during ST.
  Writing anyone in – or out – right now is purely speculation at this point.
• Metsie February 17, 2011 at 10:29 am

  Well I tell you this if they try to audition every guy that has been mentioned as a possible 2B option there will not be enough ABs for any of them to show any consistency!

  They are going to have to reduce that number to 3 (who I expect to be Castillo, Emaus and Murphy) and in two weeks reduce that down to the final two.

  I tell you this though Murphy is not the favorite to win the job right now. Sure he hits but that will just get him on the bench. Fielding will be the ultimate criteria the judgement is made on which makes Murphy the longshot!
  • Donal February 17, 2011 at 10:45 am

    Didn’t the scouts from several different teams say Murphy actually looked pretty good at 2B?
    • Metsie February 17, 2011 at 11:15 am

      Pretty good will turn to CUT HIM if even one error costs us a game with the crowd that posts here. (not saying it would be fair just that it would be! lol)

      You know who he will be like? Teufel! Decent bat not so good glove and we will wind up replacing him late in the game with a defensive replacement like Emaus or Tejada!

      The animosity towards Castillo started when his legs went bad and his range suffered. in 2009 he hit .302 with a .387 OBP. So it wasn’t his bat that made people start to hate him it was his range! Last year he struggled at the plate (as did every met!) and that then made him what has been portrayed as bad as Perez in contract signings (it isn’t and isn’t important here)

      What I am saying is that Murphy may hit but when he doesn’t get to a ball that Emaus or Tejada might get to and it costs us a game it won’t matter how well he hits. The short attention span coupled with the bad short term memory of the folks around here will quickly turn on Murphy and be demanding someone else come in. I will even bet someone a year from now will complain that we didn’t sign Uggla an use it to say Alderson is clueless and needs to be fired!

      In this town you better be a superstar and great at everything you might do or someone will say you need to go!

      This is why we have never been consistent from year to year!

      I am sure he will hit. But if he can’t field or make the big play when it is needed no one around here will care…

      Not saying that would be fair just saying thats the way things are when you play in NYC!
      • Donal February 17, 2011 at 11:33 am

        “Pretty good will turn to CUT HIM if even one error costs us a game with the crowd that posts here. (not saying it would be fair just that it would be! lol)

        You know who he will be like? Teufel! Decent bat not so good glove and we will wind up replacing him late in the game with a defensive replacement like Emaus or Tejada!”

        Meh. I can live with that if Murphy bats about .280 with a .350 OBP and decent slugging.

        “What I am saying is that Murphy may hit but when he doesn’t get to a ball that Emaus or Tejada might get to and it costs us a game it won’t matter how well he hits. The short attention span coupled with the bad short term memory of the folks around here will quickly turn on Murphy and be demanding someone else come in. I will even bet someone a year from now will complain that we didn’t sign Uggla an use it to say Alderson is clueless and needs to be fired!”

        A year from now? Are you new here? Forget the commentors, there are staff members demanding that “Saber Sandy”/”Small Market Sandy”/”Moneyball Sandy” be fired. I would hope the new FO doesn’t do as much temperature taking as past regimes and that the wilpons give them a reasonable amount of time to see their plan through.

        ” am sure he will hit. But if he can’t field or make the big play when it is needed no one around here will care…”

        Hey, if he hits well enough and the team is competitve, who knows what the peanut gallery will say.
        • Des February 17, 2011 at 12:32 pm

          Metsie says — “What I am saying is that Murphy may hit but when he doesn’t get to a ball that Emaus or Tejada might get to and it costs us a game it won’t matter how well he hits.”

          Not so, but in any case, Ruben Tejada will be 400 miles away in Buffalo, so I’m pretty sure he won’t be getting to many balls at CitiField that Murphy won’t.

          Anything can happen, even maybe Reese Havens displacing all the offensive and defensive wannabees.

          Chances are that Ruben, the nice kid, will get the job only if we have catastrophic injuries or performance failures. Not likely.

          Time will tell.
          • Metsie February 17, 2011 at 1:40 pm

            You know Des if the Met Braintrust jumped to conclusions and made their lineup out and set their roster without seeing a single play in spring training the way you just did they would all last about two weeks in their job!

            And don’t complain about Pelfrey’s elevated ERA when he doesn’t make it out of innings because Murphy didn’t get to a ball even Castillo would have gotten to in a big game.

            Cause unless he is hitting .300 or above his bat isn’t going to keep him in games if that is the case!
        • Harry C February 17, 2011 at 5:37 pm

          Doanl can live with anything that sandy dictates. Having a brain that won’t think for iotself allows that to happen. Whome er Sandy proclaims the winner, Donal will proclaim and awesome choice and t agee will give a 50,000 post lecture on how bad every second baseman was for the past 20 years.
      • Jerry M February 17, 2011 at 3:56 pm

        Here is a stat on Murphy and fielding. As a 1st Baseman in 2009 Baseball Ifo Solutions ranked him 2nd best in Saving runs. 2NDBEST Bayonne. 2nd Best all who think Murphy cant field.
        • Bayonne Mets Fan February 17, 2011 at 4:07 pm

          And you actually believe that.

          IT seems all these new baseball resources that rely on metrics and all kinds of insane formulas have on thing in common – also coming up with the most ridiculously unreal results.

          Man, the future of the baseball fan’s knowledge is looking bleak as well, and I mean it.
          • Donal February 17, 2011 at 4:34 pm

            Ya, we should go back to before we used numbers to figure out a guy’s production.
  • Jerry M February 17, 2011 at 1:34 pm

    Not the favorite for the job. Did you read Collins comments yesterday. He has a love affair with Murphy for 2nd base.Go to Espn radio or read commments in this blog.
• Metsr1 February 17, 2011 at 10:53 am

  Wow. I stand corrected. “He beat David Wright in a foot race”. Let’s put him in the Met hall of fame. Maybe I’m the only person that laughs when I see him run. Or laughed watching him “trying” to turn double plays last week. No runners and he still looked like a goofball. Get off of his nads already! Murphy stinks. He’s only liked because of silly intanglibles i.e. “he has good at bats, he hussles, he’s always in the game”. Nevermind that he can’t adjust to inside pitches. We’ll overlook that because he hussles to first when walked. I can’t wait until a ball up the middle needs to be backhanded and this stiff with his cement glove and akward althetics can’t make a play. Then the Murphy lovers will say… “well we need a catcher, maybe we can have him learn to catch”. Simply put, THE MAJORS ISN’T ON THE JOB TRAINING.”
  • Des February 17, 2011 at 11:11 am

    Nasty, nasty. But no facts. Suck it up loser, the team’s on-field operational managers have made a choice. So have you. Guess who I believe?
  • Donal February 17, 2011 at 11:22 am

    Hey, if you want to watch a sport that gives points for style, try figure skating. Then you can complain about people looking “goofy”.

    Baseball measures results.
  • t agee February 17, 2011 at 11:37 am

    The Mets have always treated the Major Leagues as a place for young players to come up here and learn, usually by putting them in unfamiliar positions, exposing them before their ready, tarring and feathering them and then running them out of town.

    That’s one of the reasons we traded TWO future MVP’s and numerous future All-Stars BEFORE they won those awards.

    Not since the mid 1980′s has there been a coherent plan to identify, draft and develop young prospects for specific future needs.

    As soon as someone shows the slightest glimmer of being able to anything he is fast tracked to whatever position of need is most dire, whether he has played it before or not. Whether he is ready to come up here or not.

    This Organization always has so many needs due to having so few prospects. That’s how Pelfrey, with 176 minor league innings under his belt pitched to a 5.57 ERA in 13 starts in 2007, a year in which we lost the pennant by ONE game. That’s how Kunz with 66 unspectacular innings in the minors was able to come up here and blow four games in a pennant race we lost by two.

    Our prospect development plan for over 20 years now has been to just wing it.

    Can it really be any great surprise that we have more losing seasons than winning ones over that period of time despite having the largest payroll in the entire NL?
• Metsr1 February 17, 2011 at 11:28 am

  Believe this, Murphy man love guy…Murphy will be pulling splinters out of his rear end. He’ll ride the bench while a real second baseman plays. I’ll be thinking of you when he rides the DL (AGAIN) because someone took him out in a spring game trying to turn a double play while learning on the job. Did I metion he apparantly can’t slide or dive into a base earlier. Yeah, all things that are all so difficult for real major leaguers.
  • Donal February 17, 2011 at 11:50 am

    The injury thing is not fair. I don’t care if you are the Gorram Batman (double nerd score!), if a guy intentionally rolls into you and gets your MCL, you are done. No amount of athleticism can save you.

    It doesn’t take a Fernando Martinez like injury history to be vulnerable to that.

    And I’m glad Murphy doesn’t do head first slides. Thats how guys get injured.
    • t agee February 17, 2011 at 12:19 pm

      Even though anyone could have been hurt by a dirty slide 2B still requires quite a bit of athleticism to play well and avoid getting hurt even on clean slides.

      Murphy may be able to do it but they’re really haven’t been very many corner infielders moved to the middle that have made a successful transition so he’s really bucking the odds.

      I don’t know what the composition of his high school and college rosters were like but I would think if he didn’t play 2B there, then he projected far better on one of the corner IF spots.

      Projecting where our prospects will best play has been a consistently poor job through out many different minor league coordinators and player personal evauluators for a couple of decades now.

      It probably would have been a good projection to have Murphy begin his career as a catcher since he could always go back to the infield and still be an emergency 3rd catcher on a major league roster.

      I’m not counting him out but I am being realistic. Hopeful but realistic.
• Metsr1 February 17, 2011 at 1:11 pm

  It’s laughable. Anyone who knows baseball knows, that if you want to hide an “all hit, no glove” player, you put him in left field. Well how’d that go for Murphy? The ball found him and he sucked. Don’t tell me that when a ball was hit to him that you did not cringe until he squeezed it? Yes, you can make exceptions for really great hitters or big power hitters i.e. Miguel Cabrera, or Adam Dunn. Murphy is no Cabrera or Dunn! He’s proved zero. Also, I’m not hoping that anyone ever get hurt. What I am saying is Murphy is not athletic enough around the bag and will get hurt at some point.
  • Des February 17, 2011 at 1:23 pm

    Right now, Terry and Sandy say you are wrong.

    Can you handle it or doe we need 20 more diatribes? Are you trying to corner the market on bitterness?
    • Metsr1 February 17, 2011 at 1:36 pm

      21 more to be exact. Especially since your baseball i.q. is about 10. How do I know, only a moron would take a managers first spring address as seriously as someone like you, Des. They actually like to speak in circles to folks like you. You know, morons. People with a tad of common sense know that he is going to praise everyone! He’s soothing egos. Making everyone one believe they are starters. Take your Murphy shirt back to Modells along with your rose colored glasses. Promise me that at the end of spring when starters are announced that you’ll come back and apologize. I’ll do the same if Murphy is the starter at second base.
      • Donal February 17, 2011 at 1:54 pm

        So, anyone who disagrees with you today on February 17th regarding the Mets 2B situation for 2011 is a morons?

        Really?

        Man, the internet gives everyone big….mawbles.
      • Des February 17, 2011 at 2:13 pm

        Metsr1 — You’re a tiger behind the keyboard. We tremble at the insight you provide.
        Please take a speed course and grow up. Minimum age required is 16.

        P.S.: Your thesis that he’s soothing egos is demonstrably false. If he were, why did he and Sandy announce that Ruben was going to Buffalo? Very soothing for Ruben, no doubt.
        P.P.S.: Why do I think of another obstreperous guy whose bark is worse than his bite? Hmmm.
        • Metsr1 February 17, 2011 at 2:20 pm

          I agree that Tejada should be in the minors. He’s still not ready to hit major league pitching. Hopefully and rightfully they’ll send Murhpy to the minors to learn how to use a glove. BTW, who the blank are you to tell me that I can’t respond the way I do. You called me a loser in your first response to my original opinion. Did you expect me to not call you something back. I’d prefer to agree to disagree, but you started the name calling first.
          • Donal February 17, 2011 at 2:23 pm

            “you started it”? Ya, real mature.
            • Metsr1 February 17, 2011 at 2:35 pm

              Yeah, you’ve added loads of substance to the conversation. And you say I’m hiding behind a keyboard! No one was talking to you, but I guess since you’ve got a man crush on Murphy, I ruffled your feathers.
              • Reyes7 February 17, 2011 at 2:43 pm

                Wow. i thought only me, and Mike francesa thought murphy stinks. lots of love for Daniel cement hands here!!!
              • Des February 17, 2011 at 2:53 pm

                Metsr1 — You ruffled your petticoat, not anyone else’s feathers. You’re out of your league.

                Have you had your Big 16 birthday yet?
              • Donal February 17, 2011 at 4:39 pm

                “Yeah, you’ve added loads of substance to the conversation.”

                If I did I’d be the first one.

                “And you say I’m hiding behind a keyboard!”

                Is there a bar eveyone is gathering at that I am unaware of? I really don’t get how what you do is better than what I am doing. At least I don’t use the hyperbole.

                “No one was talking to you,”

                You posted in a public forum. If you don’t want to be criticized, don’t say anything.

                ” but I guess since you’ve got a man crush on Murphy, I ruffled your feathers.”

                All I’ve said is for epople to calm down, that its the 17th of February and that Murphy et al are getting a chance to compete for 2B. The usual bunch of haters are the ones preaching the doom of the Mets if he gets to play 2B.
              • Harry C February 17, 2011 at 5:41 pm

                Don’t worry Metsr1…. when they all find out Sandy and co are as bad if not worse than Omar and company they wiull suddenly turn and you will have the last laugh. They all deny it but they all loved Manuel until they hated him, and they all loved Omar until they hated him and they all loved Willie until they hated him. Mindless people who can’t think for themnselves. Whatever is hot in Mets blogoland thay love until they are directed to hate.
            • Harry C February 17, 2011 at 5:39 pm

              Dbaal, always throwing nothing around like the brain dead Alderson @@$#@ sucker that he is. If you don’t support Alderson 10000% Donal will call you names. You are very talented Donal. Msaybe someday you will go to Oz and get a real brain. Good luck
              • Donal February 17, 2011 at 6:00 pm

                Stay classy, Harry.
• alwaysnextyear February 17, 2011 at 1:41 pm

  as to the piece, if yo uare putting Hu on their as a long shot, should probably add Havens too. Most likely he needs some more work in the minors, but he is the heir apparent, so whoever wins the job (especially if it is luis) is likely just keeping the spot warm for Reese.

  he would have to have one hell of a ST most likely to win the job (combined with everyone else kind of sucking), but it is possible.
  • Donal February 17, 2011 at 1:59 pm

    I think they are going to want him to prove his oblique problems are in the past first. I’d say All Star Break at the earliest for Havens, if at all.
    • Des February 17, 2011 at 2:20 pm

      If Havens hits and is without medical problems, the race to CitiField will be on. But the All Star break is a likely target date.

      If Murphy does well, and Havens is in the mix, the Mets will have a strong infield and a good bench against RHP. Bring on Philly!!!! LGM.
• rickeybobby February 18, 2011 at 12:15 pm

  After years of Castilla, anthing else playing 2b is going to feel like a huge uptick. Even if Castilla hits .300, his presence in the lineup is so unitimadating..I think DMurphy can help. The bar is pretty low for feidling expectations so there is a poss that he’d be ok when given chance. I think he’ll def be part of the 2b mix this season, Id personally like to see him start season at AAA for say 6 weeks, because i agree w/earlier post the the Bigs shouldnt be for on the job training. Start him 6 weeks Buffalo, let him get some ab’s he missed last year and some work at 2b. Then promote him(at same time bring RHavens to Buffalo) and depending on progrerss (and progress of BEmaus and poss Turner and Castilla) bring him into mix. Ideally a platoon w/Emaus would be nice w/Hu coming in defensive replacemnt everygame we’re winning.

  So id like to see Emaus and Turner splitting starts to begin the season, Murphy coming in to help in May (all w/the idea ANYTHING diff from Castilla going to feel like huge uptick), even if Murphy isnt really 2b ready, he still deserves a spot on the team. He can help spot starts, pinch hitting and there’s like 9 games they need a DH. And it’s really imposs to know wo will step up and excel in this process so mngt will have to make decisions on who will get most playing time but at least they are young cheap players, not hobbled overpaid Castiall w/no future..
• Mr North Jersey February 20, 2011 at 3:50 pm

  Asked how the Mets could have so much faith in Emaus since he has never appeared in a major league game, Collins said: “I believe in the scouts. They’re the backbone of our game.”

  http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/mets/post/_/id/14989/tc-says-second-base-open-competition