16
2011
I Sense A Big Shake-Up This Week, Some Heads Will Roll
An article by 
It’s taxing times for a beleaguered Mets team these days, but there’s no rest for the weary as they get set to play a doubleheader for the second time in three days.
The Mets even tried unsuccessfully to get MLB to intervene and overrule the Braves decision to play two games today, but their pleas fell on deaf ears. Atlanta is the home team and it’s their call. The Braves have their own problems and if they can squeeze an edge out of the Mets plight, why shouldn’t they? We’d have done the same thing in their shoes.
The Mets were hoping to get some relief for a bullpen that is already tapped out, but the bigger problem is how ineffective the bullpen has been when they had a stiff wind in their sails. As a whole they have been awful.
Chris Young’s start on Sunday is in limbo. Young is concerned that the strain may prove to be too much for his biceps tendinitis and is concerned about the consequences to the bullpen if he were to leave his start early.
Young should just focus on his own well being and about pitching well enough to beat the Braves… If he has to come out early, then so be it. The dearth in the bullpen is Alderson’s problem, not Young’s. It’s ironic that the pitcher with the arm woes is more concerned about pitching deep into the game than the other birds in the rotation who all have healthy wings.
Poor Terry Collins has a lot on his plate and it’s only mid-April, but give him some credit because he keeps on keepin’ on…
Collins is hoping that a bulldog will emerge from his collection of number four and five type starters, but that will be tough with this ragtag group who each have their own problems and limitations. The chance to add an innings-eater in the offseason already came and gone, and they knew what they were getting themselves into when their two big additions to the rotation haven’t logged a healthy season in years. It won’t be long until they re-think their decision to giving Jenrry Mejia a full season in Triple-A to hone his craft. The same desperation that caused Omar Minaya to lean heavily on Mejia last season, is beginning to set in now. Forget all that talk about developing Mejia the right way, and expect rumors to float that the organization sees him as major league ready, whether he really is or not. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
The Brad Emaus experiment has not gone as everyone expected. The team made it very clear early in spring training that they viewed second base as an offensive position, and how offensive it has been… It stinks to high heaven!
Brad Emaus may be with the Toronto Blue Jays again by the start of the next homestand unless things change drastically for him both at the plate and on the field. Right now he is giving the Mets no offense or defense. At least with Ruben Tejada they had sure hands, and with Justin Turner a sure bat, something is always better than nothing… Especially when you’re trying to turn around a 4-9 start to the season.
After this weekend is over, expect something dramatic to happen. If the Mets don’t win at least two out of three in this Braves series, some heads are gonna roll ala Blaine Boyer and Lucas Duda.
This team will have so many shake-ups in this first half they will start to resemble a rag doll.
Yesterday, I talked about sagging attendance. To that end, they will do whatever it takes, aside from adding payroll of course, to make something happen.
They will squeeze every drop of juice then can get from these already dried-up lemons to give their fans some lemonade.
It should be an interesting next few days coming up, so as Bob Murphy used to say, fasten your seat belts everybody.
Oh and speaking of the venerable Bob Murphy, can you believe the Mets radio broadcast booth that was once named for the late, great Murphy, is no more?
For shame… I know you Mets people are reading this…
Do the right thing and get Bob Murphy’s name, gold plaque and all, back on that wall!
At least give us that…
About the Author: Joe DeCaro
I'm a lifelong Mets fan who loves writing and talking about the Amazins' 24/7. From the Miracle in 1969 to the magic of 1986, and even the near misses in '73 and '00, I've experienced it all - the highs and the lows. I started Mets Merized Online in 2005 to feed my addiction. Follow me on Twitter @metsmerized.
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I like Chris Young and he’s been our best pitcher so far and also seems to care about the team. I hope he does alright on Sunday if he gets to pitch.
Maybe instead of chaging pitchers it is time to change their coach!
How many times did you see Apodaca out there in the last series and how many times did Warthen go out there and talk to our guys?
Bringing Mejia up now is not the right move. Who in the rotation do you scrap in favor of him? Young who has been the best so far despite his current health? Better to bring up Gee so if Young does get over it you didn’t stop the progress of the guy who is probably our most promising Pitching prospect next to Harvey.
But firing Warthen would send a message to the entire staff. The only problem I see with this is there really isn’t anyone much better in the organization that could take his place. Unless maybe Ojeda wants to give up his cushy desk job!
Metsie, desperate times call for desperate measures, but there is a limit….
Firing Warthen ain’t gonna help guys put the ball over the plate.
Firing Warthen will send the mesage that Terry and Sandy are looking for scapegoats and are likely nuts!!
I agree with that Des, The only thing that will inspire the pitcher to throw it over the plate is better fielding!
Right now they are too scared to throw strikes for fear it will get booted in the field or give up the big HR like they have because they DID pitch scared, Nibbled through the AB and had no other choice but to throw a fat pitch that winds up in the stands for fear of giving up yet another walk!
You need to throw strikes but it really more important to WHEN you throw those strikes.
I believe that the shaky fielding has possibly led the pitchers to try and nibble early in the count instead of throwing strikes early and then nibbling later in the count where the batter is in a defensive posture.
They are nibbling early and missing and then are force to throw fat in a hitters count and they are teeing off on it!
I agree also that it isn’t really Warthens fault for much of our pitching woes, Dickey’s is definitly not approach but something else.
But considering there really is no option to bring up save Mejia and Gee (and whose place do they take) if you really want to send a message Warthen is about the only guy that can be replaced that could have any affect without demoting Pelfrey, Dickey, Niese, Young and Capuano.
Just having a conga line go through the pen is not going to stop the problem we have with our starters giving up 5 runs in 5 innings leaving the lineup who is hitting have to score 5 runs just to stay in the game.
I think this will all get sorted soon as the starters calm down and get into rythmn but thats is one of the things Warthen needs to make happen and I just don’t see him doing enough to try and get them there.
I think 3 starting pitchers would have to go on the DL to cause Mejia to be brought up this soon. I believe Misch and Gee would get called upon first. I do expect to see Mejia in the Mets rotation this season but not before the weather warms up, not before he gets at least 10 starts in Buffalo first, and ideally not until July after Alderson has traded a healthy (?) Young or Capuano who are performing decently enough to a contender for prospects creating a spot for Mejia who hopefully by then will be forcing their hand to bring him up through sheer AAA dominance.
Exactly. Get Young and Capuano at no cost, re establish them (?) then trade them for prospects or let them go FA and get a pick (or 2). While they are reestablishing themselves hopefully Mejia is FORCING his way up here. Coming up here with confidence and firing on all cylinders. That’s the only way your really ever going to get anything out of your prospects. Bringing them up when you and they are merely hoping they can do it will just lead to the sort of results we have gotten from all the prospects we have brought up here in their first go arounds. Nothing.
Mejia, as good as he has been in his two starts, is still not major league ready. He’s throwing 40% of his pitches for balls and he’s pitching at a nine inning rate of 135 pitches/game.
The temptation is to use him now. It’s a big mistake and runs the risk of a September ‘dead arm.’
Calling Willie, Jerry, and Omar!!! Tell Terry and Sandy they’re making your mistake all over again.
geniusalderson should bring duda back up then big time him and send him down again.then some of the birds on this site will say how geniusalderson won’t tolerate bad baseball. hey emouse our second baseman,by way of jp ricciardi,hows he doing?how bout paulino or moyer or biff the bonser or well ya get the idea.is jp ricciardi still giving orders from california? i tell u this wilponzie mob sure knows how to pick them.the smell of this ballclub is pure wilponzie.the lights are on but nobody is home …
Emaus has been a disappointment so far. Hopefully this talk that the team may just give up on him may light a fire under his ass. Who is to say that the Blue Jays want him back after seeing what they’ve seen from him at the major league level and may try to hammer out a “give me anything and we’ll call it even” trade for Emaus. The guy is just SOOOOOO obviously over matched at the big boy level.
They should have gone with Justin Turner at 2B against LHP and Murphy against RHP.
“The Brad Emaus experiment has not gone as everyone expected. The team made it very clear early in spring training that they viewed second base as an offensive position, and how offensive it has been… It stinks to high heaven!”
Maybe Terry Collins likes the philosophy of Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby, a guy who played every position on the field except pitcher, catcher and possibly center field. (The records are not complete.) Hornsby played 23 seasons in over two thousand games. He played 2B over 70% of the time. Rogers had a lifetime batting average or .358. He said:
“Give me the good hitters, you can shake all the good fielders you want out of the trees.”
P.S.: Hornsby wasn’t noted as a good fielder and had a dog in this fight.
As far as for Warthen …. I hear Rick Petersen is looking for a job!
Joe, while I certainly may be wrong; but I think you’re a tad confused in believing Alderson is so desperate to win in April; Certainly a lousy start to a season disfavors a contender; but remember, he didn’t envision a contender, merely a competitor, if you’re somewhat envisioning losing abou 80 games, what difference to SA is it where they come? his job certainly isn’t threatened, unlike Minaya’s who ewas never wanted by Jeff in the first place, as he sought to merge the GM/COO job descriptions from the outset.
Joe, I certainly disagree Mejia is getting that level of attention by the triumvirate of Alderson/Ricciardi/DiPodesta. If Gee handles his next assignment effectively, I certainly believe the shakeup u envision may be more limited to Capuano joining Byrdak as LH option in pen while Gee slides into rotation permanantly & Young surrepticously returns to displace Pelfrey in that spot most likely aligned Vs #1s with a rather rippleless rotation shift to Young,Niese,Pelfrey,Dickey, Gee while the first lhp out of pen becomes Capuano reserving Byrdak for late & crtitical LHH oportunities. While just as stealthily former Xaverian Clipper Beato sees more critical setup assignments along with Izzy after Parnell’s dominant 7th inning while Thole & Pagan alternate bet batting second & seventh or eighth. Emaus’ time may get altered from over half to barekly third as Harris stays active @ 2B with Bay’s return