Would You Bring Back Harris and Hairston?

9 Comments + Add Comment

• Donal October 31, 2011 at 12:41 pm

  In a word: meh. I’m not really married to either one of them, but they are bench players.

  The problem isn’t that Willie Harris or Scott Hairston are getting regular PAs. It’s that the bench is getting used like that.If Willie Harris is getting 4 starts a week, that is a symptom of a much larger problem.

  They’re bench players. You can’t really replace them with farm hands because the kids are better off getting regular PAs.
• Squidoo October 31, 2011 at 1:32 pm

  Actually, Hairston provided some nice power off the bench despite the low batting average. I wouldnt have a problem with him coming back.
• Metsie October 31, 2011 at 6:34 pm

  I wouldn’t resign them (one or the other maybe not both for sure) but Sandy will prob sign both!

  If we had to keep ONE guy I would make it Harris because he at least can play IF and OF where Hairston is OF only!
  • METS62FAN November 1, 2011 at 10:01 am

    PERSONALLY I’M GOING TO REMAIN OPTIMISTIC BY ASSUMING REYES RETURNS & TEJADA INHERITS 2B, IN WHICH CASE I’D PREFER THOSE 2 BENCH POSITIONS BE THE CHAIRS TURNER,MURPHY & EVANS CIRCLE AWAITING THE MUSIC STOPPING ON APRIL 5.
    MORE IMPORTANTLY AS I’M GUESSING MURPHY POSSIBLY JOINS EVANS AS “OUT OF OPTIONS” ISSUE
    • Metsie November 1, 2011 at 10:19 am

      Well 62 the problem is all three of those guys have showed that they do not hit as well without regular playing time.

      Turner especially, look at how his numbers dropped off once Reyes got back and he had to share time with Tejada at 2B!

      When he was in there everyday he was hitting and driving in runs like crazy.
      As soon as he spent time on the bench he cooled off considerably!

      Murphy may be ok on the bench, Evans is another one of those who needs to play everyday and is not ideal as a bench guy.

      If Reyes stays it makes a ton of sense to package Turner and Evans in a trade to get someone to play LF, CF or C and maybe even throw in a kid (Like Mejia) to go after Pitching!

      If you get the LF you put Bay on the bench until he works his hitting issues out!
      • METS62FAN November 1, 2011 at 11:05 am

        METSIE, I WOULDN’T CLASSIFY EITHER HARRIS OR HAIRSTON AS MUCH BETTER IN AN OFF THE BENCH ROLE BASED UPON LAST YR, IF FOR NO OTHER REASON THE 3 YOUNGER CANDIDATES ARE MORE LIKELY TO IMPROVE THAN THE OLDER VETS. AS I RECALL, BACK IN THE DAY KRANEPOOL WAS ONE WHO NEED TO “GROW INTO” THE ROLE HE EVENTUALLY BECAME MONEY IN(PHer.) I TOOK A GLANCE AT EACH OF HARRIS & HAIRSTON’S GAMELOG’S IN WHICH I CONSIDERED EACH GAME PLAYED WITH ONLY 1AB RECORDED WAS A PHing ASSIGNMENT TO MY ASTONISHMENT THE “SPLITS” DOES NOT REFLECT PHing APPEARANCES. AMAZINGLY OF THOSE PHing APPEARANCES RESULTING IN AN ‘OFFICIAL’ AB RECORDED HARRIS HAD 7 IN 2011 WHILE HAIRSTON ONLY 5 IN WHICH HARRIS ACCOUNTED FOR 3BH, HAIRSTON ONLY 1. AS I DO RECALL GARY COHEN’S RECITATION OF THEIR PHing SUCCESSES WERE DEPRESSING IN EACH AB. CERTAINLY THEIR OVERALL AVG FOR THE SEASON WAS NOT COMMENDABLE WITH ONE @ .235 THE OTHER @ .246. COULD EVANS & TURNER BE MUCH WORSE? I WOULD CERTAINLY WAIT TO SEE BAY’S RESPONSE TO TIGHTER DIMENSIONS BEFORE DEALING FOR HIS REPLACEMENT SINCE OUR TRADEABLE RESOURCES ONLY SPEND ONCE & SHOULDN’T BE WASTED
        • Metsie November 1, 2011 at 11:16 am

          Well I agree with your points on Hairston and Harris…
          I am on record as not wanting to re-sign either and if we sign any of them I would rather it be Harris as he is the more versatile bench player you can throw on the field if a DL stint hits us in the middle of the season.

          But thats still assuming you have to sign one of the two!

          I still think going after a good power LH hitting OF we can platoon with Bay would solve our bench problems better than either Hairston or Harris!
          And it might even inspire Bay to pick up his game enough to trade him mid season and get out from THAT contract!
          Thats the contracts we should be trying to purge not the reyes and Wrights who still have good ALL STAR years ahead of them.

          I say cutting payroll is fine provided your cutting the BAD contracts not the good ones!
          Even if it means cutting our losses and paying most of Bay’s contract for some kid is better than playing the bad contract because of the money and adding the ROSTER spot and position in the lineup to the waste.

          One thing to waste money on a bad contract, total other thing to waste roster space and a lineup spot ON TOP of that, trying to get something for the money that he isn’t going to give you!

          So I say go get a LH LF who you can platoon Bay with. Maybe Bay gets some value by only facing lefties and fills that bench role Haiston and Harris have now.
• sarge November 1, 2011 at 4:59 pm

  Harris sucked hitting off the bench; really was that the best option or cheapest one that SA could provide?
  I know he is versatile but every time he came up he either struck out, most of the time, or popped out.
  Hairston yes unless you bring Evans back and I take Evans over Hairston.
• Bayonne Mets Fan November 1, 2011 at 5:01 pm

  Goodbye Willie Harris.