1
2011
Alderson: We Want To Have Franchise Players
An article by Craig Lerner
Sandy Alderson, J.P. Ricciardi, John Ricco and Paul DePodesta were all on hand to host a Hot Stove Talk with Season Ticket holders on Wednesday at Citi Field.
The Mets tweeted many of the responses which I thought was very cool of them and a few of them shed some light on a lot of things on the minds of Mets fans these days.
All General Managers tell their fan bases that they are committed to winning whether it’s in major league baseball, or any of the other professional sports leagues. What I found more interesting was his comment, “We want to have franchise players.” That’s what’s going to set Alderson apart from his predecessors. I believe we may already have two potential franchise players already in the system in Brandon Nimmo and Zack Wheeler, and while the systems has other nice talents in Jeurys Familia and Matt Harvey, none of them have those high ceilings that you have in Nimmo and Wheeler.
J.P. Ricciardi also hit on something that will pave the way to a future Mets dynasty – developing pitching. It’s kind of sad really that since 2005 the only pitchers currently on the team that were drafted by the Mets are Mike Pelfrey, Jon Niese and Dillon Gee who I see as bottom of the rotation pitchers with the exception of Niese who could eventually perform as a steady middle of the rotation starter. Three pitchers in seven years and not even a number two type pitcher to show for seven drafts. Maybe if the prior regime had understood that the key to winning lied in developing pitchers, we may have fared a better fate in 2007-2010. The good news is that all of that is now gone and we are heading in the right direction.
Other items of interest were as follows:
- Sandy on Wright: We are not actively seeking to trade David…I don’t think that David is going anywhere.
- Sandy on wall moving in: There will be a different mindset for players, a lot had given up on the idea of hitting it out.
- John on Johan: He’s feeling great. He’s going to come in ready to pitch and ready to compete.
- Sandy: “We are going to be fun to watch next year”
Lets Go Mets!
About the Author: Craig Lerner
I'm a data analyst and researcher for a leading news agency who loves life and is hooked on the Mets. I love following the Amateur Draft and have a particular fondness for the Mets Minor Leagues who I follow each day. Give me a cold beer, a summer day, and a Mets game, and I'm good to go.
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LMAO…. This man is not only a GM… but a Comedian….
The last thing we’ll see as the good ship Metstitanic sinks is Craig Lerner’s poms poms waving back forth as the waves finally engulf them.
Then nothing.
LMAO, of course, i should’ve guessed it was craig’s article.. he’s like that band at the titanic, the ship sinking and they kept playing… lol, amazing
There’s just so many problems with this post:
“What I found more interesting was his comment, “We want to have franchise players.” That’s what’s going to set Alderson apart from his predecessors.”
So, your saying the Mets before Alderson never wanted franchise players? Come on that’s ridiculous. Every team wants franchise players, and to say the Mets before this didn’t want them is completley false. And what about Ike Davis, he isn’t a franchise player?
“Maybe if the prior regime had understood that the key to winning lied in developing pitchers, we may have fared a better fate in 2007-2010. The good news is that all of that is now gone and we are heading in the right direction.”
The Mets do have some pretty good pitching prospects from the prior regime: Harvey, Mejia, Familia, and there’s some guys in the lower levels who could be pretty good. And you said if they knew the key to winning lied in developing pitchers, they would have had better fate in 2007. My question is, how could they have developed good pitchers in only two years? Even saying they should have done it by 08 is unrealistic.
. “I believe we may already have two potential franchise players already in the system in Brandon Nimmo and Zack Wheeler, and while the systems has other nice talents in Jeurys Familia and Matt Harvey, none of them have those high ceilings that you have in Nimmo and Wheeler.”
Wheeler doesn’t really have a higher ceiling than Harvey. They are both really good, and you can make a good argument for either one being the teams best prospect. And why don’t you mention Mejia in your post? He’s a really good pitching prospect, and I don’t see how Nimmo has a higher ceiling than Harvey, Familia and Mejia.
And if you say Nimmo and Wheeler are potential franchise players, then so are Harvey, Mejia, and Familia.
He didn’t say that his predecessors didn’t want franchise players.I think what he meant when he said that’s what will set Sandy apart from his predecessors is that not since Doc and Darryl have the Mets developed any franchise players.They’ve developed 3 excellent players,Fonzie,Reyes and Wright but no franchise players.Ike can be but he’s not yet.I do agree with you about Harvey.Last year Wheeler was the 33rd best prospect and Harvey was 34th.Not a big seperation between the two although I have seen scouting reports that have Wheeler with #1 starter potential and Harvey #2. I’ve also seen #1 potential with Mejia as well.
He’s making a big deal about Alderson saying “we want franchise players”, and I’m saying that doesn’t mean anything becayse EVERYBODY wants franchise players. Saying that, does not seperate him from any past Mets GM.
And it makes no sense to me that he can say Wheeler and Nimmo are potential franchise players, and Harvey, Familia, and Mejia aren’t.
Let me ask the obvious question here. If “we want to have franchise players”, why are we letting one walk away?
Amen on Franchise player Joe D.
As for developing pitching to win – that is the new organizational ethos for, you’re gonna win 20 games and like it, because we don’t have money to spend.
Well, how are we defining “Franchise Player”?
Oh Christ, here we go with another round of semantics. There is no response for this individual so i wouldn’t even follow up w/that if i were anyone else
That is one person who doesn’t know.
I notice you have not offered a definition either their smart ass!
franchise player is defined as anyone Sandy has acquired around here it seems!
And to him as well!
He traded for Wheeler and he is INSTANT Franchiose player!
We drafted a kid who didn’t even play baseball in HS and he is instant Franchise player!
yeah I seen this act before it used to be popular in Times Square!
Called three card Monty, very similar to the old shell game!
Another person who can’t define it.
I guess donal thinks a franchise player is a Harris or Young or Capuano….broken down losers or has beens/never weres that come cheap and don’t complain. Those are Sandy’s big signs. They must be franchise players. Second group of franchise players, Beato and Eamus, Rule 5 guys who fill your roster when the gm doesn’t have the capability to fill it with major league talent.
LOL Izzy, no the guy doesn’t even have to make the MLB to be a franchise player to Donal!
At least Capuano IS a MLB player!
No one knows if Wheeler or Nimmo will be!
But Donal keeps hoping because if not he is going to look awfully foolish in 4 years!
3 who don’t know what it is but wan to express an uneducated opinion.
I wonder how long the list will get.
I can!…Jose Reyes is FRANCHISE PLAYER!
Is sandy going to keep him?
BULLSHIT EXPOSED!
No, Jose Reyes would be an example of a franchise player, if he fits the definition. Do I need to explain to you the difference between an example and a definition?
No you need to provide a DEFINITION instead of waiting someone else to state it so you can play your YOUR WRONG trade some more!
Put up or shut up sonny!
A franchise player is a superstar you build your team around,ie Albert Pujols,Mike Piazza,Tom Seaver,etc…
No idea how this ended up under your other comment, but here goes
Fair enough. I can work with that.
Now, does Reyes fall into that category?
Joe D – am I missing something, wasn’t it you that told me even if they wanted to get these guys they couldn’t because of what is going on with the Wilpons and MLB?
Yes, it was in my article about stopping the pretense and telling the fans the reality of the situation. Franchise players dont come cheap. I want people to see the obvious and that’s why I posed the question I did.
Oh he wants Franchise players alright…
But only if they get paid league minimum!
Sorry but his assesment that Wheeler and Nimmo are franchise players is a little weak.
Doesn’t a franchise player have to actually PLAY for the franchise?
When did we add Nimmo and Wheeler to our 40 man roster?
He said we may have 2 potential franchise player.He didn’t say they are franchise players.
Fair enough. I can work with that.
Now, does Reyes fall into that category?
Well Joe then we have more than just 2 “potential” franchise players if thats the case
Davis could be…
Duda could be…
Reyes IS!
Wright IS!
Lots of guys who fit the POTENTIAL label…
What good are they if we are intent on getting rid of the two ACTUAL franchise players we have?
Question Mr Lerner… If Ricciardi was so revolutionary as to suggest that develpoing pitching makes you a dynasty did you ask him why he spent the top draft pick on an offensive player? Second question did you really think that statement was brilliant? and if the former regime didn’t understand this, why isn’t these new geniuses getting rid of all these false prospects in the system since Minaya and company weren’t smart enough to bring in pitching prospects?
Better still Izzy someone should ask the Giants if having pitching is all you need to be a force in the MLB…
Cardinals don’t have the pitching that the Phillies and Giants had…
But they had Pujols!
Pitching wins championships but offense wins baseball games!
And you can’t get to the championships without winning baseball games!
Which we will win LESS of once reyes puts on his Marlins jersey!
And will continue to lose until 5 years from now when our two franchise players actually might make the MLB!
Izzy,
Ricciardi should know. He never finished above 2nd his entire career as GM
By the way, in J.P’s final year as a GM, the Jays ranked 22nd in the MLB in ERA.
It’s easy to say you have to develop pitching, but actually doing it, is another story.
True but he did leave them with some very good pitchers from their system.
Because pitching in this last draft was deep. Also, you either don’t know or choose to ignore the fact that their next 5 picks were pitchers.
Nimmo was projected to have the 3rd highest ceiling in the draft. The #1 was already gone and Bell was #2.
also, the Mets farm system is already short of position players.
just like day one, more lies, his hot air never equates to what he does. just trying to keep the bloggers on his side to spread his lies and try and sell some tickets. franchise players go to teams that win, mets have a triple a roster and double a pitching staff. dont worry we have last place sandy so a single a team is not to far away.
Alderson is the best, there is no other GM out there better than him. Minaya was a bum who couldn’t develop talent let alone negotiate a contract. As long as Alderson is here we are all in good hands.
LMAO..
I had a feeling you would follow that up with a LMAO! LMAO!!!
JoeDiaz, quite frankly THAT was funny as sh**… that’s the feeling some ppl have on alderson here but they’d be ducking and dodgin, this is exactly what they feel, i applaud this guy for having the cojones to actually speak his mind..
Alex, I am sure you have probably answered this before but can you please clue mein again why you feel the reason the Mets haven’t been back to the playoffs since 06 is Alderson’s fault?
he is not here to win, he’s here to slash payroll and bounced. the players failed on the field in 2007 and 2008, even though minaya was terrible as a GM imo he took risks, he took chances, he was out there man, trying to build a winner, unfortunately everyone and their mother got hurt.. what has sandy done to inspire any confidence? just because he went to an ivy league school doesn’t make him a smart GM, there’s a reason why he’s got 7 straight losing years as a GM.
Injuries – That’s why. You can’t win if your best players are on the DL. The Mets lost KEY players to injuries the last few years, and I don’t get how people can say they had no effect, when it clearly did.
Guys like Beltran, Reyes, Wright, Davis, Delgado, Santana, Maine, Perez, Putz, Church, Alou, Pagan, Bay, Niese, ect all missed time those years due to injuries, and they missed significant time on the DL – they went on the DL not for only a few weeks, but for MONTHS at a time.You can’t expect to do good if all your good players are missing months at a time…and when your forced to start backups for extended period of time.
Well Todd, isn’t he to blame for losing more games in 2011 than we lost in 2010?
Are we closer or futher away from a WS now?
“Minaya was a bum who couldn’t develop talent let alone negotiate a contract. ”
Minaya couldn’t develop talent? he is responsible for scouting and signing lot of big name players in his career…….Like, Sammy Sosa, Jaun Gonzalez, Nelson Cruz, and Jose Reyes.
Sandy and Terry was hire because it is easy to point a finger at someone who has failed and may fail again instead of admitting there own (Wilpons) wrong doings ( Madoff ). Then to Admitt they were wrong and sell the damb team to someone (Cuban ) who cares about really winning.
Sandy says what they all say. The right thing at the time. No one saids I will try or I most likely won’t do good. No They all said they will.