But I do conceed that it has it’s advantages both in catching errant throws and maybe even extends the dive and reach of the fielder.

He already reduced the hitch in his swing he used to have and it seems to have helped his swing. He still needs to learn to foul off pitches close enough to call with two strikes instead of looking at them and then pouting when the Umpire calls them strike 3!

I wouldn’t coach him to do this yet but at some point he needs to work on going the other way with those outside pitches.

And to address the final part of your post, if you look I didn’t say Ike WAS the second best 1B we have ever had, just said he could be if he reaches the potential I think he can and works on the few still raw aspects of his game which is expected from a 2nd year player at this point in his career.

Basically if he is this close to Olerud as he is now, how much better could he be if he takes one more step in his development?

So thats not saying Ike is better or more accomplished right now, But his ceiling is high enough that he could surpass Olerud if he reaches his full potential.

The question is WILL he do that? Until he does then you are correct Olerud would be the second best 1B we ever had.

I KNOW DAVIS APPEARS BIGGER THAN OLERUD;BUT NOT…

Ike has a much better range and glove than Olerud. They are very similar in Hitting but I think Ike will or can eventually be a better hitter than Olerud with the right Hitting coach to guide him.
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METSIE, PARDON THE POINT OF ORDER; BUT BY SAYING U HOPE IKE EVENTUALLY EQUALS OR EXCEEDS OLERUD, AREN’T U PLACING HIM BEHIND OLERUD OFFENSIVELY AT TYHE PRESENT TIME? MAKING OLERUD, 2, IKE 3? DEFENSIVELY, I’LL GRANT U IT’S LIKELY A PUSH, DAVIS SEEMS BETTER DUE TO THOSE INTERSPERSED BET HIM & OLERUD(EYE CHART, DELGADO, JACOBS); BUT THE SIMILARITY WOULD BE SO MUCH MORE EVIDENT HAD THEY BEEN IN DITRECT SUCCESSION. BOTH SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE THE INFIELD & OLERUD WAS MUCH BIGGER THAN HE APPEARED TO BE; BUT PERSONALLY I GO OLEERUD 2, DAVIS 3 IF ONLY BECAUSE OF ENTENSIVE “BODY OF WORK” PRODUCED BY OLERUD & DAVIS JUST BEGINNING.

I am not supporting trading Thole nor suggesting it MUST be done. But he is not a guy who should be considered UNTOUCHABLE in the way an Ike Davis should be.

Thole is doing a great job and I think he will get better but I have always thought of the C position as more of a powrer hitting position and you are correct we don’t have anyone to replace Thole who fits that mold but if we are having a firesale and get rid of players wholesale it could be one of the things we look to get as part the many prospects we will collect.

Personally I think we should simply rebuild the team around Wright Reyes Davis and Niese. Then once Wright and Reyes are no longer worth signing (say 4 or 5 years) we will by then have added two more core Youth to the mix (if they know what they are doing is the assumption here) and we should be able to maintain our core by simply adding two players to it every 3 or 4 years to replenish the core that is finally too old to keep.

This would lead to some longer term stability and competency and reduce the need to come up with 5 or 6 guys from the minors at once that we could build around.

No matter what the fielding stats are you have to look at the affect on actual games not percentage of the whole.

That botched DP of Emaus that cost Pelfrey the lead and extended an inning is a lot more significant than either FP or UZR would indicate.

I hope him and Murphy get better but I still think at some point we will get a REAL 2B who also hits and those guys might even be part of that trade when it happens (Emaus not unless the trade happens after the season though)

Ike has a much better range and glove than Olerud. They are very similar in Hitting but I think Ike will or can eventually be a better hitter than Olerud with the right Hitting coach to guide him.

Although, I’ll agree that Emaus has looked competant out there as has Murphy. I just wish Emaus would show some more offense.

EXACTLY HOW ACCURATE WERE THESE PROGNOSTICATORS CONCERNING CLIFF LEE’S DESIRES, MOTIVATIONS & FINAL DESTINATION?
MOST CERTAINLY, I BELIEVE, A RESPECTFUL OFFER MAINTAING REYES WITHIN THE NYM PAYSCALE HIERARCHY & MAINTAINING HIS PAYROLL POSITION AMONGST SS WOULD STAND A CHANCE.

u do realize MLB is unlike other business environements where u can choose the highest bidder as your ownershiup successor, be it ANGEKL or THE DEVIL himself!

Any future ownership will first have to be approved by out competitors(Ownership Committee).

Why would u seek to hand OUR team over to our enemies to select who should run it & I’m relatively confident they aren’t considering Met fans’ WANTS list; why would they choose a more aggressively competitive successor in the most influential & potentially most profitable of MLB environements? Why would the choose one with a strong desire to make this a preeminent franchise with the means to accomplish it exactly what would be the motivation behind 16 NL owners to allow a fire breathing Steubbrennerish monster in their midsst creating upheaval as well as significant, across-the-board payroll inflation wreaking the havoc they’d managed to avoid that has so disrupted their Junior League counterparts.

metsfan, a very old; but very true adage is : “BE CAREFUL FOR WHAT U WISH FOR”, Maverick ownership change has been thwarted repeatedly by the stalwart ultra condservative owners of those majority owners residing in Pitt,KC,FL,SD,MLW,ETC.,ETC., and so forth…
It is no coincidence that Mark Cuban’s former leadership positions in securing CHC &TEX franchises were both last minute “suprise fasilures”.
In ALL honesty, I must tell u our best shot at what we want is the disappearance of the Picard issues & the means to allow Alderson to work unfettered with a Top 5 payroll and your suggested boycott would not allow for that contingency, if u must act out your displeasure, stop buying souveneirs & trademarked items & attend games in camoflauged pasper bags. so that u appear as a facxeless empty seat.(lol)
BETTER YET: SIMPLY HOLD YOUR BREATH UNTIL AN IMPROVED OWBERSHIP TAKES CHARGE!

With a minimum of 50 innings played, tied for 3rd best defensive second baseman in the Majors is Brad Emaus with a 21.0 UZR/150. Emaus is tied for fourth in UZR with 1.3.

Daniel Murphy hasn’t played enough innings to be ranked yet, but his initial numbers are an excellent 18.1 UZR/150 and 0.7 UZR. The small sample size should leave us cautious, but if looks like we’re in decent hands until (and if) Reese Havens gets healthy, and gets to the Majors.

With Thole we have youth, under our control for a few years and at a good price for a good knuckle ball catching dude.

They are practically playing to crickets.
There were more people at Spring training than the average game and look how they played then?

It’s like you cut and paste it to anyone who mentions sabers or moneyball!