18
2013
Blue Jays Introduce Jose Reyes To Toronto Fans & Media
An article by 
The Blue Jays formally introduced Jose Reyes to fans and media on Friday in Toronto. General manager Alex Anthopoulos was very excited to add Reyes who he called a catalyst and one of the most dynamic players he ever saw:
“I don’t know that we’re going to see another shortstop like this in Toronto for a long time,” the GM said Toronto’s Rogers Centre Friday afternoon. “I don’t know that we could ever think we’re going to draft someone like this or sign someone like this out of Latin America. This is one of the great players to play the game.”
“He’s probably one of my favorite players in the league to watch. He’s the type of guy you want to watch play. He’s electric. High energy, smile on his face, just so many things. This is a rare guy to find. Leadoff, shortstop, energy, makeup — check off every single box.”
Reyes, 29, said he found out he was traded while receiving dozens of texts while vacationing in Dubai with his family, but quickly realized he was in a better situation to win which is what he wants more than anything.
“It’s a better opportunity with the Blue Jays.’ It’s all about winning, the team that we’re going to put on the field is going to be good, so I can’t wait. Everybody knows the way I play. The one thing I’m going to do is try to get on base and score a lot of runs. That’s what I’ve been doing my whole career, and hopefully I can keep doing that here. We have a very good lineup and we’re going to be dangerous.”
The former Mets shortstop has five years and $96 million remaining on his contract. Reyes has a career .291 average with a .342 on-base percentage and 410 stolen bases in 10 big-league seasons including a National League batting title in 2011 (.337 average) and a Silver Slugger Award in 2006.
Last year, the switch-hitting shortstop played in 160 games and batted .287/.347/ .433 with 37 doubles, 13 triples, 11 home runs and 40 stolen bases. In 716 plate appearances he struck out just 56 times while drawing 63 walks.
“If I’m feeling good, nobody’s going to take my bat out of that lineup,” Reyes said. “It’s going to be a special season for the Blue Jays.”
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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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 23 | 18 | .561 | - |
| Nationals | 23 | 19 | .548 | 0.5 |
| Phillies | 20 | 22 | .476 | 3.5 |
| Mets | 16 | 23 | .410 | 6.0 |
| Marlins | 11 | 31 | .262 | 12.5 |
Last updated: 05/18/2013
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You know what’s interesting is, Reyes in consecutive offseasons has been newly acquired by a team that will become one of the popular picks to win it all – and in both cases, the teams attempted a complete overhaul in 1 offseason
What’s interesting is that Toronto actually did way more overhauling than Miami. Miami added Reyes, Bell, Buehrle, Zambrano and later Lee and that seemed like a lot. When it didn’t work, how many of us thought about previous examples of teams trying to redo their team in 1 offseason and seeing it backfire in sports?
The Marlins were seen as a drastic overhaul and they added 4 guys.
The Blue Jays added Reyes, Melky, Izturis, Thole, Dickey, Johnson, Buehrle, and Bonifacio.
I gotta be honest, I really want to see Toronto take the AL East.. but I just wonder, are they going to just be another example of a team that does so much in the offseason that we are setting them up to be a failure?
By the way – as part of this story Joe. Reyes said the owner of the Marlins told him five DAYS prior to the trade that he would not be traded
“Five days before I got traded I was with the owner of the Miami Marlins and he said he was never going to trade me,” Reyes recalled.
Good point. The Giants added Angel Pagan and won it all.
yes and a healthy young starting catcher
He wasn’t an acquisition though. BTW, you made me lose my bet. I bet someone that the first comment will be something like,
“I thought this was a Mets site. Reyes isn’t a Met.”
Yeah but he did come back from a season ending injury to his leg.
I do have to question the sanity of anyone who chooses to vacation in Dubai. Maybe we got rid of Jose just in time.
Maybe you should get out more. it is awesome over there.
I’d been to Dubai and the other emirates quite a few times, actually. It’s awesome if you like deserts that are incredibly overpriced, bizarrely restrictive and based on fantasy land. It’s Disney in the desert with a whole bunch of woman hate thrown in for good measure.
Last time I was there the big issue was how much freedom endured slavess, um domestic workers, who were brought in from 3rd world pits to serve the newly rich shells of oil land were entitled to.
Super awesome.
Totally hypothetical. Moving forward. Wright at $142M through 2020 or Reyes at $95M through 2017?
No question Reyes. Wright is a nice a guy and a good complimentary player who plays the game the right way. Needs to be batting 5th or 6th on a championship team, not third. He is Aramis Ramirez with a better pedigree.
Reyes contract looks even cheaper after what teams shelled out this year.
honest answer: it depends
in some cases, u can say BOTH.
in some cases, u can say neither
in OUR case, at the end of 2011, we had more options that could play 3B than SS.
The fact that so many of David Wright’s most ardent defenders even point to the marketability aspect of that contract pretty much makes Reyes’s contract a clear cut winner.
Nothing markets itself better in NYC than a team that wins.
Reyes on the Mets, pushes Tejada to 2B.
Pushing Tejada to 2B drastically improves the middle-infield defense.
3B becomes either Daniel Murphy’s position going forward, or he becomes a cheap place-holder for the even cheaper Wilmer Flores.
This gives our organization a few more years to search for a long term replacement at SS.
Right now, god forbid anything happens to Ruben Tejada, but organizational depth wise, we have nobody at SS…
When Omar left in 2010,
we had Valdespin …signed for dirt cheap ( no glove ),
Tejada…signed for dirt cheap ( no bat ),
Flores….signed for dirt cheap, no range, good bat… best option…
Since then…
Flores moved away from SS
Valdespin moved away from SS
Phil Evans drafted in 2011
Cecchini drafted in 2012
Tejada is now the SS
If anything happens to Tejada that impacts him going forward, we are waiting a few years on Evans and Cechinni to possibly become more than the scrubs they are projected to be
Not to mention…from a lineup perspective…exactly who do we have leading off in 2013?
Tejada? that’s like having Edgardo Alfonzo leading off…good hitter…but not exactly the right place in the order…
Valdespin? I’ve seen fat kids with more discipline in an ice-cream shop
Murphy?
Ike?
Bueller ?
Bueller ?
Wilfredo Tovar could play in the Majors this year defensively, just hoping his offense improves. That’s why Jose is so special. Had it not been for the money problems mixed with the worry of leg injuries to a speed guy they probably would have signed Jose long term also. I also think this Org. would have been too worried about him, so in a way its in his best interest that he was able to move on. He was one of my favorite players and always assumed he’d be here long term. Just didn’t work out but I’m still disappointed even though I like Tejada.
To be overly technical…its 138 vs. 96 (assuming the buyout and not the 22 mil option is picked up on Reyes). And I’d take Wright. Wright’s deal is longer which is always a concern, but right now actually works out to less per year than Reyes’. And Wright has been the better and healthier player over the course of their careers.
The Mets should have been able to afford the both of them though. It’s pathetic that this even has to be a discussion.
Giants and Cardinals added Beltran and did not win it all.
Now who is the better player (rhetorical question). It takes a whole team to win it all.
As for posting about former Mets that is fine and informative.
However we have a right to boo them when they pay against us.
I am not trying to be difficult but just stating the obvious.
Reyes
really think so? IMO, reyes was never in the same stratosphere as Beltran, as a player.
jose is only 29 and still in his prime. has a lot left and has gotten better with age thus far. Has the ability to put a team on his back. Plus to Beltrans credit, he helped Jose grow up with the Mets. I am a huge beltran fan and think he was mistreated terribly here, but he always had something missing.
does anyone ever wonder why 2 studs in their prime who produced were constantly picked on by the media…
In 2010…
Mets fans should Jose Reyes cut his hair?
5/16/10
http://www.forums.mlb.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?nav=messages&webtag=ml-mlb&tid=102046
2009
Ignorant woman wishes Jose Reyes would stop speaking Spanish
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Ignorant-woman-wishes-Jose-Reyes-would-stop-spea?urn=mlb,146695
2008
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/jose-reyes-short-article-1.349591
One theory…and u can agree or disagree with me…
http://www.stevepinto.com/Baseball_Knowledge/Baseball_Player/13276.html
“I am not a race-car fan, but it worries me how many latino players play in the Majors nowadays.”
The Giants added Pagan and then resigned him.
Does this mean Pagan is better than Beltran?
cmon dude, u can do better than that
It takes 25 guys to win a championship. Pagan HELPED SF win a championship. Beltran did not. The better player is clearly Beltran: Where does a championship ring a measure individual merit of ability? Reyes was not even in my analogy. However he has no ring so he must be a bum by the Pagan championship logic.
Neither Pagan, Beltran, Reyes are bums, and the “pagan championship” standard is not a standard.
its more thumbing a nose at the detractors who said he had no value when we shipped him off.
obviously pagan DID have value…
if u look at his numbers from the 2nd half of 2009, the entire 2010, we saw a player entering his prime. He had a bad 2011 for various reasons. Health apparently one of them. I think Terry was impatient with his mistakes and didnt see the forest through the trees. Every CF makes a few mistakes. Torres in his first day as a met misjudged a fly-ball, then got injured, 2 things that he rarely did. 2 things that Pagan was kicked out of NY for.
and still sandy’s defenders staunchly hold the idea that Pagan IS terrible. Despite his good 2012
Fonzie13 September 1, 2012 at 9:57 pm
Point was trading away Pagan didn’t create a hole in CF, Pagan was a hole in CF.
David Wright is Just-da bum.
Ernie Banks was a Just-da Bum
The 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers were Just-da Bums
Get a life Just-Da Damaja .
I was being sarcastic
Worked for the Yanks in 2009. Miami’ s problem is they over rated who they already had. Plus it was a scam to begin with
I wasn’t surprised at all to see the Marlins bomb. Some of the players they added just weren’t particularly good (Zambrano) and with Reyes…he’s awesome, but with Hanley there (who had been a better player than Jose most years) and supposedly not happy about moving it didn’t seem like the right fit. Then add in an idiot manager….I am not surprised the situation didn’t go smoothly.
I don’t think Toronto will bomb like the Fish did. They already had some really good players in place, and had terrible luck with injuries this past year. Adding the guys they added, they should be a good team. Tough division though – hard to know how good “good” is.
It’s rare for a team with a top-3 catcher NOT to contend. I read a study from a few years ago that looked at elite catchers and the effect they had on their teams. Among the 8 player positions on the field, having an elite catcher is the single biggest predictor for team success. Think about it, Posey, Weiters, Molina, Mauer … with the exception of Mauer (who until last season had several straight years of playoff appearances) all were in the playoffs. Historically our last World Series appearance came with an elite catcher behind the plate, so did our last world series title. Bench, Munson, Berra, Fisk, all seemed to propel their teams into contention as some point or other.
Thus the gamble on D’Arnaud is a good one.
I still can’t get over Reyes not being a Met. Should have never happened. It’s like an alternate reality, like the Borg went back in time and interfered with the space-time continuum and now Reyes is a Blue Jay.
>>It’s rare for a team with a top-3 catcher NOT to contend.
Yeah, I’ve been saying that since the d’Arnaud trade. Still haven’t quite figured out why some people don’t understand this.
Even though he maybe a very good catching prospect, it’s still unlikely that he’ll be a top three catcher in the MLB.
Maybe. But he really doesn’t have to be top 3 for this to have been an excellent trade.
Top 3 may make it a near certainty that you are a contender but a top 10 is good enough as long as the rest of the team is solid.
There is no more important position player in baseball. Period. We had some of the worst catching in the league over the last couple seasons and we were never going to win with them. We are building a rotation based on some of the best young arms in the game and having a solid, maybe top catching prospect to grow with them fills my tiny black heart with joy.
Your mileage may differ.
Well, let’s wait and see. He may not even be a top 10 catcher, and it’s possible when it’s all said and done that he’s not even a major league starter. He is a very nice prospect, but he’s still just a prospect, and it is not uncommon for top prospects to fall flat on their faces.
Or maybe he could be a top catcher – I don’t know, and it’s impossible for anyone at this point to know.
How about we be patient? We are told all the time here to be patient, so why can’t we be patient with Travis? Let’s wait and see how he develops before we start throwing around names like Bench, Berra and Poesy as reasons to justify the trade.
I’ve been a Mets fan for a long, long time. I spent my 5th birthday at Shea eating a Carvel birthday cake and seeing my name on the scoreboard (along with a bunch of other snot nosed birthday kids). My first catchers mitt was a Rawlings Jerry Grote autographed model. I’ve lived through the locust, frogs and other assorted pestilence that have been most of the Mets seasons. Don’t you talk to me about patience you young whippersnapper!
I obviously have no idea if d’Arnaud is going to pan out but taking a chance with a player of his upside is definitely worth the risk.
Boomer was it Fudgie the Whale or just a regular Carvel cake? My mom always used to make the birthday cakes for my brother and sister, but when it came to me I always insisted on a Carvel cake.
Standard Carvel fare. The Carvel shop was right around the corner from one of our little league fields and they were doing the promotion. It was the Rheingold beer for kids of it’s time.
That Carvel cake is going to be my Rosebud when I’m on my death bed.
I’m not sure if it is worth the risk. I mean we did give up a pitcher who won the Cy Young award. I think it was a fair trade for both sides, and I think it is a trade that will take a long time before we know if this was actually a good trade.
well of course you have a point saying we will only see who is the winner of this trade in the future. But Dickey is aged , the NL has seen his knuckler now , and it is unlikely that he would have produced another year like 2012 IN A MET UNIFORM .But do not judge to quick , dickey has huge advantages in toronto. the dome, the supporting cast, he is quiet unknown in the AL . Dont make it tougher for D´arnaud then its already is . My biggest concern is that “new york” destroys this kid . Give him his time, his chances, allow him to fail , he is young and only at the beginning of learning that game on the highest level . GO METS
Well its pretty much always a while before the true winner of a trade is known unless its an obvious dump like the Marlins just did. And while I agree that Dickey had a great year after a couple good years with the Mets, the CY thing doesn’t move me that much.
Dickey may prove to be one of the knuckleballers who play into their mid-40s, or he may have left it all on the field last year. He was late to the knuckleball, is still missing an arm ligament last I heard and is really in uncharted territory. Nobody really has any idea what he will do going forward anymore than they do what d’Arnaud will do.
I really like Dickey and love what he brought to the Mets last season. But he was made available in a very public way to every team in baseball and only a couple showed interest and whether people like the Toronto trade or not, that was the best that was offered.
Both teams got what they needed so as of now I’m content to call it a draw. What is interesting is that as of now, Toronto does not have anything close to a top catcher. It will be interesting to see if they can win without one.
Let’s just hope he’ll be able to lead the pitching staff, calling the game right and in the long term, take the Mets where they need to be.
http://www.minorleagueball.com/2009/1/23/734228/the-recent-history-of-catc
PART ONE: Top Catching Prospects, 1995-2008.
Here is a look at the Top Catching Prospects in baseball over a fourteen year period, as identified in the STATS Minor League Scouting Notebook (1995-2002) and the Baseball Prospect Book (2003-2008). My friend Eddie Epstein wrote the ’95 edition of the old STATS book, and I wrote the subsequent editions until STATS dropped the book. I began to self-publish in 2003.. Here are the catchers who appeared on the Top 50 prospects lists.
1995 (Eddie Epstein list)
Charles Johnson, Grade A: Career .245/.330/.433 in 3836 at-bats.
Raul Casanova, Grade A-: Career .236/.304/.379 in 1081 at-bats.
Todd Greene, Grade B+: Career .252/.286/.444 in 1573 at-bats.
COMMENT: Johnson of course had a long and productive career with a decent bat and strong defense. Casanova never lived up to his early potential, partly due to injuries, but is still hanging around as a backup catcher. Greene was a converted outfielder with a power bat and bad plate discipline. He had a decent run as a bench player in the mid-2000s.
1996
Jose (Javier) Valentin, Grade A: Career .251/.310/.402 in 1507 at-bats.
Mike Sweeney, Grade A-: Career .299/.368/.489 in 4795 at-bats.
Jason Kendall: Grade A-: Career .293/.371/.388 in 6741 at-bats.
Todd Greene, Grade B+: see above.
COMMENT: Valentin’s bat stagnated when he reached Double-A, and he struggled offensively upon reaching the majors in 1998 at age 22. He’s carved out a career as a backup. Sweeney converted to first base and was one of the best hitters in baseball for awhile. Kendall was excellent from 1996 through 2000 but began declining after that, worn down by the position.
1997:
Mike Sweeney, Grade A-: See above.
Javier Valentin, Grade B+: See above.
Pat Cline, Grade B+: Never reached the majors.
COMMENT: Cline was a very solid prospect 1995-1996, but started to have strike zone judgment and injury problems in 1997. He rebounded with a good year in Triple-A in 1998, but after that he fell apart completely and was out of baseball by 2001.
1998:
A.J. Hinch, Grade B+: Career .219/.280/.356 hitter in 953 at-bats.
Ramon Hernandez, Grade B+: .Career .263/.326/.421 in 3975 at-bats.
Ben Petrick, Grade B+: Career .257/.336/.448 in 669 at-bats.
Cesar King, Grade B+: Never reached the majors.
COMMENT: Hinch had an outstanding year in A-ball and Triple-A in ’97 and had a good glove rep to boot. Handed Oakland’s catching job in 1998, he failed to hit and it was all downhill from there, dogged by strike zone problems and injuries. Hernandez has been a solid regular. Petrick reached the majors in 1999 and played well that year and in 2000, but he started to have health problems and his career ended early due to Parkinson’s Disease. King was a flash-in-the-pan guy who played well at a young age in 1997 but who failed to hit in Double-A, got too fat, saw his defense fall apart, and was out of baseball by 2003.
1999
Michael Barrett (3B-C), Grade A-: Career .264/.320/.422 in 3494 at-bats.
Angel Pena, Grade B+: Career .209/.256/.326 hitter in 187 at-bats.
Ramon Hernandez, Grade B+: See above.
Mitch Meluskey, Grade B+: Career .283/.386/.449 in 414 at-bats.
COMMENT: Barrett was a good player for awhile but faded very quickly once he hit age 30. Pena showed he could mash the ball in the minors, but never did the same in the majors and got too fat. Meluskey had a great year for the Astros in 2000 (.300/.401/.487) but vanished after that, ruined by back and shoulder injuries.
2000
Ben Petrick, Grade A-: See above.
Ramon Hernandez, Grade B+: See above.
Matt LeCroy, Grade B+: Career .260/.326/.440 hitter in 1388 at-bats.
COMMENT: LeCroy had success as a platoon player, catcher/1b/DH type for the Twins.
2001
J.R. House, Grade B+: Career .167/.206/.367 hitter in 60 at-bats.
COMMENT: House had injury problems and gave up baseball for football for awhile, but he still has an outside chance to do something. He is a career .310/.372/.496 hitter at the minor league level and under the right circumstances he could be a LeCroy type.
2002
Jayson Werth, Grade B+: Career .263/.355/.451 hitter in 1394 at-bats.
Joe Mauer, Grade B+: Career .317/.399/.457 hitter in 2059 at-bats.
John Buck, Grade B+; Career .234/.298/.398 hitter in 1727 at-bats.
COMMENT: Werth converted to the outfield before reaching the majors. Mauer is terrific of course. Buck has stagnated offensively and doesn’t look like he will improve at this point.
2003 (first year with Top 50 hitters)
Joe Mauer, Grade A: See above.
Victor Martinez, Grade A: Career .298/.370/.462 hitter in 2658 at-bats.
Jeff Mathis, Grade B+: Career .195/.272/.326 in 512 at-bats.
John Buck, Grade B+: See above.
Justin Huber, Grade B+: Career .220/.273/.302 in 159 at-bats.
Jeremy Brown, Grade B+: Career .300/.364/.500 in 10 at-bats.
COMMENT: Martinez was excellent until 2008. Mathis can’t hit but could hang around a long time as a reserve. His bat stopped developing in 2004. Huber moved to first base, has had some nagging injury problems, and looks like a bust right now. Brown was Mr. Moneyball and had fair success in Double-A and Triple-A, but retired after 2007. He could probably have been an OK backup if he hadn’t quit.
2004
Joe Mauer, Grade A: See above.
Jeff Mathis, Grade A-: See above.
Dioner Navarro, Grade B+: Career .263/.327/.376 in 1266 at-bats.
Guillermo Quiroz, Grade B+: Career .201/.266/.269 in 234 at-bats.
Justin Huber, Grade B+: see above.
COMMENT: Navarro looks like he will have a long career though the exact shape is still uncertain. Quiroz’s bat stagnated and he looks like a guy who will bounce around Triple-A and the majors for a long time.
2005
Daric Barton, Grade A-: Career .243/.341/.388 in 518 at-bats.
Brian McCann, Grade B+: Career .297/.358/.501 in 1635 at-bats.
COMMENT: Barton converted to first base. He struggled in 2008 and while still young, it remains to be seen if he will live up to his early potential. McCann is terrific and just getting better. Love the power/low strikeout combination.
2006
Jeff Clement, Grade A-: Career .237/.309/.393 in 219 at-bats.
Russ Martin, Grade B+: Career .285/.373/.433 in 1508 at-bats.
George Kottaras, Grade B+: Career .200/.200/.400 in five at-bats.
Neil Walker, Grade B+: Not in majors yet.
Brandon Snyder, Grade B+: Not in majors yet.
COMMENT: I think Clement just needs more time, but a change of scenery might be helpful. Martin is excellent and his superb plate discipline really helps him. His heavy workload may wear down his bat however. Kottaras has been unable to duplicate his 2005 breakout but could still have a career as a reserve. Walker and Snyder are no longer catchers.
2007
Chris Iannetta, C, Grade B+: Career .249/.368/.440 in 607 at-bats.
Miguel Montero, C, Grade B+: Career .239/.309/.411 in 414 at-bats.
Jeff Clement, Grade B: See above.
COMMENT: Iannetta had a rough debut in 2007 but was more effective in 2008, obviously it is too early to know exactly what will happen with guys at this stage. Montero is still trying to get established as well.
2008
Matt Wieters, Grade A-: Not in majors yet.
Jeff Clement, Grade B+ See above.
Taylor Teagarden, Grade B+: .319/.396/.809 in 47 at-bats.
Geovany Soto, Grade B+: .291/.365/.507 in 574 at-bats.
J.R. Towles, Grade B+: .188/.288/.323 in 186 at-bats.
Hang Conger, Grade B+: Not in majors yet.
COMMENT: Wieters looks outstanding in the minors and I have full confidence in him. Teagarden should be a solid player if injuries don’t hold him back. Soto is really good; the only question now is how much durability he will show. Towles was a big disappointment but deserves another shot. Too early to tell about Conger of course.
Nice post J D D. So the history of highly rated catcher prospects is not so good….hmmmm.
Raul Casanova now that’s a trip down memory lane. I do believe that he caught Nelson Figuroa’s first game with the Mets in 2008. Beltran loaned his suite to Nelson’s family for the game. Sweet.
JDD:
Players who were Grade As at one point:
Charles Johnson (Epstein): Successful outcome.
Javier Valentin: Bust compared to expectation. I was an easier grader then.
Joe Mauer: Excellent outcome.
Victor Martinez: Excellent outcome.
Players who were Grade A-
Raul Casanova (Epstein): Bust.
Mike Sweeney: Excellent at another position.
Jason Kendall: Excellent for awhile, successful outcome.
Michael Barrett: Solid regular.
Ben Petrick: Some success before injury bust.
Daric Barton: Too early to tell, now at another position.
Jeff Mathis: Too early to tell, don’t like current trends.
So the catchers rated A- or better had a 54% success rate – that’s actually pretty dang good if you ask me based on the uncertainty of prospects. I’ll tell you this – if d’Arnaud turns out to be as good as guys like Johnson, Barrett, Kendall, Mauer, VMart, or Sweeney – the Mets will be a-okay with that.
Plus this article was pre-Wieters, so I will happily throw him into the A- or better mix which jacks the % up to 58%
2009 you can add Jesus Montero, Carlos Santana and Buster Posey to that list.
So while any prospect list is skeptical – I think your point is actually not valid because the success rate is actually pretty solid
I think we are overrating catchers on this site. Posey will be a 1st baseman by 2014. Piazza was a Terrible catcher but a great hitter. I don’t consider the O’s contenders off one good or lucky year? Did we win because of Carter or because of Keith, Doc, Darling and Darryl, etc….
Did the Yanks win because of Posada or the other 15 all stars on the team.
The only catcher today who is good defensively and really good offensively is Molina and while he has been huge in their championship years, hard to say he propelled them anymore than Albert.
I think mostly it helps to have good players in general.
The study (it was a couple of years ago I believe on baseballanalysts.com — I’ll look for it) specifically looked at catchers who could hit and didn’t necessarily take defense into account. They correctly pointed out that unlike (for instance) shortstops who could hit, a catcher who could hit was more likely to hit for power and occupy a middle of the order spot — this seemed to give their teams’ respective lineups an inordinate boost in production because the power source was from a traditionally defensive position. Theoretically you’d think the same would hold true for boppers like A-rod and Tulowitsky and Jeff Kent when they played SS and 2B (and it is to a degree), but for some reason catchers who could hit seemed to have a knack for getting their teams into the playoffs.
Interesting but I keep thinking about Piazza. Was great despite being a catcher.
If you build around a catcher , you a putting you’re investment in a guy who needs more rest than the other 7 position players and is more susceptible to injury because of his position. Plus they don’t play for that long at least not at a high level. Now if he is Johnny bench circa 21 st century then it doesnt matter but most aren’t. There is a reason Mauer and Posey will be playing 1st base alot
i always felt piazza was selfish for not moving earlier. his obsession with stats and getting the all-time record trumped his passion for winning a ring in my opinion.
“Did we win because of Carter or because of Keith, Doc, Darling and Darryl, etc….”
While I understand the example you’re trying to set, wasn’t Carter regarded as the final piece of that championship puzzle when he came from Montreal?
Yes, thus perhaps why the 86 Mets attained “juggernaut” status. On the other hand consider the difference between the 2012 Giants (without Posey) and the 2013 Giants.
Woah, baseballanalysts.com appears to be defunct as of Feb. of last year … sad.
Hernandez was the first piece, Carter was the last. Couldn’t have done it without either one. Hey Matt, remember Carter’s very first game as a Met? I had chills down my spine after that one.
Yep, 10th inning walk-off. I always felt like Carter made it almost a foregone conclusion … like overkill.
Welcome to New York Gary Carter! That game was something. I agree it was overkill, I mean we didn’t just win the division we crushed everybody who got in out way in 1986.
By the way, Jeff Pearlman was on Twitter a couple of days ago and he mentioned how he finds some of our latest articles very fascinating. I think you were one reason why.
Anyway right after I saw that I asked him if he’d do a Q&A for us and he immediately responded, “of course”. So I’m actually working on some questions for him right now as we speak and one of them has to do with how the team was constructed and if he could draw any comparisons to what is happening now. I’m curious to see what he thinks being he wrote the quintessential book on the 1986 Mets.
Jeff Pearlman is a big-time feather in your cap. I always enjoy reading his stuff, very informative and honest.
true but lets not assume even if he was the final piece ( and i think he was), that it was because of the position he played. May have been or not. Doc was pretty good before he got there.
reyes will be with the next team in one year or two , cant imagine he will have a ring by then
more likely then if he stayed in METTOWN
well see about that in 2 years or so
I white-listed your IP, you should be okay now. Sorry for the inconvenience.
i doubt it
HonusWagner – I’m sorry your comments are going into moderation. You have done nothing wrong and I’m trying to figure out why it does that to you. Please know it’s not intentional. Thanks for commenting.
no thats ok, i just tried another username some days ago, all good , its me, angelo
Well Angelo, welcome back.
Keep in mind Reyes’ contract is heavily backloaded — 10 million this year, 16 next, 22 per from 2015 to 2018, with an 18 million option (4 million buyout) in 2019 when he’ll be 36.
22 million per for a 32 to 35 year old lead-off guy who relies on his legs is kind of a lot, still if he can stay healthy enough to put in even 3 or 4 full seasons I think he’s probably worth it — especially in Toronto where he’ll easily hit 22 – 25 homers.
i am not sure about him hitting 20+ bombs .
Playing 22 games in Yankee Stadium, another 22 in Fenway Park…another 22 in Camden Yards…another 81 in Toronto…
lmao
Reyes might have more HR than Wright !!!
i think he will….1st time Jose is playing in a hitters park and he has a great lineup behind him. Certainly will lead the league in triples again. One thing about Jose…he was never intimidated by Citi Field unlike all these other complainers. Same in Miami
i actually would take a bet that franchise jr. hits more HR´s in 2013
considering that the nationals just improved their bullpen…and the braves improved their bullpen…and the mets did not make any attempt to either bring David any help or shrink the park further….
I’ll take the bet that Reyes will hit more HR than FranchiseFace aka DaveyDimples in 2013
That’s actually a very provocative thought after spending his entire career hitting in extreme pitcher’s parks. It will be interesting to see how he does now that he’ll be playing in so many hitter’s paradises. I could easily see him hitting 20, but more than that and you can color me impressed. Reyes always had that massive upper build and arms and was underestimated when it came to his power. He adapted his game to fit his role as a leadoff hitter, but if he had opted to pull more he could have been a perennial 15-20 homer guy.
by the time Reyes hits 32, he’ll be a middle of the order type hitter
in an absolutely anemic lineup, in a pitchers ball-park, last year as a #3 hitter in 62 games, Reyes hit .308 with 17 2B, 5 HR, 6 3B
stretched out over 162 games and thats 40 2B, 18 3B, 15 HR with a .308 batting avg.
o and he got paid 5 mil less last year than FranchiseFace
Remind me why folks think Dr.Dimples is a better deal again?
Just imagine Wright is Dominican and sports dreadlocks. You’ll sleep better.
A Dominican David Wright with dreadlocks and command of the english language on par with Oliver Perez’s command of the strike-zone?
Yeah, David would not be up for team ambassador…therefore would not be so tied up with the marketing of the team, would not be so tight with the wilpons, and would not be wearing a met uniform right now
chances are he will be in the playoffs…
like beltran was…
like pagan was….
like david wright probably wont be…
“Its all about winning” so I signed with with Miami?
Yeah ok, what he meant to say is, I signed with Miami cause they gave me a bunch of tax free money, now I am screwed.
well, he gets free health care now, right?
I see lots of positive projections, I agree I think he will have a good year in the line up, but I really love to see those legs hold up on artificial turf for the next 5 years. See ya
Think he looks better as a Mets.
Okay so the Blue Jay got Dickey, Thole and Nickeas fair and square. They back doored Reyes. Undercut us with the Bisons. Brought Darrin Oliver back from retirement. But now I’m pissed. They got Adam Loewen too. Oh the humanity!
I like what the Blue Jays are trying to do for the 2013 season. The AL east has been a tough division and they saw the opportunity to go for it after looking at how the balance of power is likely to change next season. They’ve been piling up prospects for several years and decided to cash in with them now, going all in.
Reyes is just a piece of the puzzle for them. After adding the last piece – Dickey – they’re now predicted to win the AL east division. Yankees and Red Sox aren’t projected to even make post season.
Remains to be seen how it works out for them. Right now, they look pretty good on paper.