Blue chip pitching prospects are professional sports’ most delicate flower. Except, unlike a flower, no scientifically proven method has been established regarding proper cultivation.

There’s no “right” way to bring a teenager up through an organization’s system while still absolutely maximizing his production at the major league level. And in the back of everyone’s mind lingers the possibility to a debilitating injury that is always one pitch away.

For every David Price or Matt Moore who’s appeared to have bloomed with relative ease, a dozen Mark Prior or Joba Chamberlain clones lay crumpled on muddy soil.

Coddling a prospect by hawk-eyeing his pitches and innings hasn’t proven to do more bad than good, but it hasn’t proven to do more good than bad either. Once a prospect is inside the system, fertilization can be a high stakes game of roulette.

Should he start? Should he come out of the pen? Should more pitches be added to his arsenal? Should he focus on developing a curve? Is he throwing too much heat?

But the lure of what a young blue chip pitching prospect brings to an organization is enough to make all the stress worth it. Even though they only contribute once every five days, a sturdy starting pitcher is any good baseball team’s foundation.

Momentum will never be strong enough to overcome ace starters like Justin Verlander or C.C. Sabathia once they take the mound. The fear they instill in the opposing team is unmatched.

The New York Mets are lucky enough to be holding two aces in their hand right now: Zack Wheeler and Matt Harvey. The former is currently sporting an ERA of 4.80 in Pacific Coast League Triple-A, while the latter is making major league hitters look like kids on a sandlot, and through the season’s opening month is arguably the National League’s best starting pitcher.

Harvey is 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA, and, well, despite averaging 10.62 strikeouts per nine innings in 10 starts last season (a number that would place him in the top 10 so far this season, where he happens to be anyway, with 10.2 strikeouts per nine), those numbers are still a little shocking.

In 2012 he averaged nearly four walks per nine innings. This season his control has been even better, as he’s down to 2.68.

That’s not all he’s shown.

So far this season, Harvey ranks fourth throughout baseball in Wins Above Replacement (second behind only Clay Buchholz among pitchers), fifth in ERA, third in WHIP, second in hits per nine innings, and eighth in strikeouts.

He’s throwing an impractical 90 mile per hour slider about once every five pitches, and is dominating with his high heat, which averages 95 mph and tops off at about 98 mph.

Before the year began, most projections had him as a solid starter in New York’s rotation—after all, the process of bringing along a prospect with Harvey’s skill is supposed to be slow and careful—but through the first month he’s blowing by everything anyone thought he could accomplish so soon.

Wheeler is two years younger than Harvey, and has yet to throw one pitch at the Major League level. But he’s striking out 10.8 hitters per nine innings through 30 minor league innings this season (six starts), despite having trouble gripping the ball.

Harvey appears to have already come along, and Wheeler should be following soon enough. If the Mets can successfully oversee both of them reaching their full potential for years to come, it’ll be viewed as a serious job well done. Two flowers are always better than none.

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This Fan Shot was contributed by Michael Pina who is also a writer for ESPN’s TrueHoop Network. His work has been published on The Classical and ScoreBig. Follow him on Twitter @MichaelVPina.

Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 17,000 Mets fans who read this site daily. Send your Fan Shot to GetMetsmerized@aol.com. Or ask us about becoming a regular contributor.

Over in left field, Lucas Duda is getting on base and hitting with some serious power. He’s moving up in the order and Davis is moving down.

Assuming Sandy Alderson fulfills his promise and nabs a decent outfielder before the deadline and during the offseason, it’s a safe bet that the front office is going to have to make a decision as to which player is the first baseman of the future.

I think it’s reasonable to say that Ike isn’t going to finish the season with a sub-200 batting average. On the other hand, Duda’s going to come down to Earth at some point. These are two very streaky hitters we’re talking about here, and Ike is having his slump in April for the second season in a row.

But who’s the better player? Who’s the best fit at first if we get a legit outfield bat?

Small sample sizes tend to lead to knee-jerk reactions, and Lucas and Ike haven’t had equal seasons in terms of at-bats and playing time. I went over to Baseball Reference and grouped both Davis and Duda’s plate appearances in batches of 500, spaced out over intervals of 100. In other words, I looked at the stats from plate appearances 1-500, 101-600, 201-700, and down the line for each players career to date. I took four key stats – K%, BB%, HR% and BABIP (batting average on balls in play) – and graphed them to see if there were any trends.

Lets look at Ike’s chart:

The most alarming thing is that Ike’s BABIP has been plummeting. He’s making weak contact and popping up more and more each month. Basically, he’s becoming Adam Dunn without the walks. If his BABIP keeps trending down then we’re going to be seeing a lot of .220 seasons in the future. Lots of home runs are nice, but out of all the players who hit 30 or more homers in 2012, Ike had the second-worst OPS behind Josh Reddick.

Looking over at Duda’s chart, we see that he’s a little more consistent:

His strikeouts and walks are going up, and home run power has remained pretty consistent since he was called up in 2010. For all the talk about his explosive power potential, it doesn’t seem like he’ll ever hit more than 20-25 in a season.

All of these revelations shine a light on the fact that the Mets are stuck between a rock and a hard place at first base. You don’t even need charts or stats to see the Ike is lost at the plate. Every time he faces the pitcher he blinks his eyes like he’s been driving cross-country for thirty-six hours and the Red Bull is wearing off. If I had to choose one, I’d probably pick Duda just to be able to put someone with some range out in left field. At least Duda has a chance to get on base at a respectable pace.

In the meantime, Sandy should add “first base” to his shopping list.

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This Fan Shot was contributed by MMO reader Eli Brazell. Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 16,000 Mets fans who read this site daily. Send your Fan Shot to GetMetsmerized@aol.com. Or ask us about becoming a regular contributor.

It’s now been over seven years since that promising Opening Day in 2006, which was only day one of a season that took the Mets just a big swing away from the National League Championship trophy, and a visit to the World Series. With the exception of a few R.A. Dickey masterpieces, and a special no-hitter, there hasn’t been much cheering in Flushing since that magical run in 2006.

The Metropolitans are a team that has always been known for its pitching, with ace Cy Young winners like Tom Seaver and Dwight Gooden leading the pack, career years from David Cone, and the aforementioned Dickey, are just compliments to the team’s rich pitching history. All of those Mets aces brought with them to the stadium every fifth day, great stuff, a great baseball mind, and of course big crowds.

With an ace, comes a crowd. With Matt Harvey, come the masses. He is in a word, phenomenal, and perhaps even more important to Flushing than the wins he brings, is the spirit he brings to the ballpark.

Matt began his pro career as a first round draft pick for the Mets in 2010, but hasn’t always been looked at as the ace type he has recently shown to be. Just last season before he arrived in Queens to play with the big boys, scouts as well as others around the organization, and around the league, had doubted Matt’s ability to be a front end pitcher.

Unlike his early success this season, Matt, although he performed well, did not dazzle as he has thus far in 2013. He finished the 2012 season at 3-5, with a 2.73 ERA; impressive, yet not startling.

Any bit of doubt that had yet to evaporate going into this baseball season, was gone after Harvey’s very first start of the year. If the season were to end today, the Cy Young Award would most definitely be spending a second consecutive year in the Big Apple, and it would say Harvey all over it.

The good doctor, Mr. Dwight Gooden has already given the Mets 24 year old ace his blessing. Gooden tweeted to his 35,000+ followers on twitter Saturday, that the Mets now have “The Real Deal” in town, and Gooden likes what he sees.

Citi Field has a very different aroma on “The Real Deal” days, instead of Amazin’ fans chowing down on some delectable delights during innings, Mets fans are paying close attention to each and every time Harvey serves up one of his out pitch – that devastating high fastball.

The fans rise on each two strike count, and they get behind their, so far, 4-0 ace every time he needs that extra bit of adrenaline from the Citi Field faithful. He is certainly a special player to say the least, and there is absolutely no doubt from anyone in baseball that there is much more from Matt “The Real Deal” Harvey, yet to come.

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This Fan Shot was contributed by MMO reader, Michael Feldman. Follow him on Twitter at @michael4ny. Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 16,000 Mets fans who read this site daily. Send your Fan Shot to GetMetsmerized@aol.com. Or ask us about becoming a regular contributor.

At the start of the season, the Mets were desperate for starting pitching. R.A. Dickey was traded, which turned out good for the Mets since he is getting rocked in the American League. Johan Santana is out for the season with another injury. What else is new? So what would the Mets do now? Would the ace of their staff really be Jon Niese, who has won 37 big league games in his career or would somebody else step up?

Cue Matt Harvey.

At first, all the hype was unbearable. Tuning into WFAN 660 AM, the Mets fans were in their glory after his first start. “He’s the next Tom Seaver!” and “ By the end of the year, he will be the best pitcher in New York!” and “Cy Young contender!”

Really? After one start, come on. The media, along with the fans were building this kid up, so I had to check him out for myself.

I tuned into the game when he started against the Phillies. I figured against a good lineup, and pitching in a hitters ballpark like Citizens Bank Park, we will see what this kid is really made of. It didn’t take long for me to realize that this kid is legitimate.

With an impressive four pitch repertoire of a fastball, curveball, slider and changeup, he mowed down the Phillies hitters one by one. Recording an impressive nine strikeouts in seven innings while only surrendering three hits and one run, Harvey dominated the Phillies.

One particular pitch that opened my eyes to Harvey’s outstanding ability was a pitch he struck out Ryan Howard on. High heat. Even though Ryan Howard is a proven power hitter, Harvey was not afraid to challenge him with his fastball. In a full count, Harvey blew a 98 mph fastball straight by Howard towards the end of the game.

As Harvey was coming off the mound, it looked like he was saying something in his head, something like, “Yeah, get used to that because I’m here to stay.”

At 24 years of age, Matt Harvey, in his first three starts, has put together Cy Young numbers:

22.0 Innings, six hits, two earned runs, six walks, 25 strikeouts, 0.82 ERA, 0.55 WHIP

I don’t care if you’re a 10 year veteran or a rookie, those numbers are impressive.

But can he sustain this success throughout the season? From watching him pitch, I see no reason why he cannot continue to pitch at this level for this season and seasons to come. Barring his health of course; sorry for jinxing it Mets fans.

His mechanics are impeccable, he is not afraid to challenge hitters, his command is flawless and he certainly has the pitches to compliment all of his other intangibles. The mid 80s to low 90s tight slider, the 12-6 curve that drops off the table in an instant, the low 80s changeup that moves away from hitters and a ridiculous high 90s fastball that cuts in on and away from hitters puts this Harvey ahead of his class.

For now, there is a light at the end of the tunnel for the Mets’ future. Harvey, with his Cy Young type stuff, could easily be an ace for this organization for a very long time. Let’s just hope he does not fall into the Mets jinx like Jason Bay, Carlos Beltran, Johan Santana and many other Mets before him.

Go visit the GrandstandGazette.com for more great sports content.

This Fan Shot was contributed by MMO reader, Christian Fazzini. Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 12 thousand Mets fans who read this site daily. Send your Fan Shot to GetMetsmerized@aol.com. Or ask us about becoming a regular contributor.

Portland 1, Binghamton 0

I attended the game and charted Jacob DeGrom’s pitching stats on the hunch that tonight could be special. The kid was stellar; polished, poised, a smooth and effortless delivery, and he simply pounded the strike zone. I don’t think I’ve seen a B-Met pitcher pitch a game like this since Scott Kazmir many years back.

Here’s DeGrom’s pitching line:

8.0 IP – 1 ER – 3 H – 1  XBH – 1 BB – 8 K

The statistics are even more impressive when you break them down. Take a look at this.

• Total Pitches: 102, Strikes: 71 – 69% Balls 31
• Full Windup: Pitches: 90, Strikes: 62 – 70% Balls: 28
• Fastballs: Pitches: 66 Strikes: 46 – 70% Balls 20
• Off-Speed Pitches: 24 Strikes: 16 – 67% Balls 8
• Stretch: Pitches: 12 Strikes: 9 – 75% Balls 3
• Fastballs: Pitches: 7 Strikes: 4 -57% Balls 4
• Off-Speed Pitches 5 Strikes 5 – 100%

DeGrom’s fastball range stretched from 86 to 96. He threw only six of 66 fastballs in the 80′s. It was hard to classify his off-speed pitch that ranged from 78-83, but generally fell between 81-83. I asked a B-Met pitcher sitting behind home plate and charting what his pitch was and he said it was a changeup. It did appear to tail away from left-handed hitters and I thought I saw a small downward drop occasionally against righthanded batters, so I wasn’t sure. What I was sure about was it’s effectiveness.

DeGrom retired the first seven batters of the game. The seventh hitter sent a scorching grounder up the middle that hit DeGrom’s foot and was turned into a 1-4-3 putout. It seemed to rattle him just a bit. His next three pitches were out of the strike zone, before he threw three straight strikes (the last a foul ball) and then surrendered his first AA hit.

A high first pitch in the fourth inning,a pitch off the plate but Xander Bogaerta reached and got just enough of it to place a soft popup that hit the rightfield line not too far beyond the infield. It resulted in a leadoff double. Bogaerta moved to third on a weak infield groundout to short and scored on a sacrifice fly to centerfield.

DeGrom retired his final 12 batters in a row with only three balls hit out of the infield. His 101st pitch registered at 91 mph. The kid was brilliant.

Portland’s Brandon Workman proved Met fans aren’t the only fans excited about pitching prospects. He threw seven innings, allowing four hits, striking out nine and walking none. Workman and DeGrom gave the sparse crowd an old-fashioned pitching duel.

The B-Mets had a pair of two-hit innings but couldn’t scratch out a run for DeGrom. Some efficient outfield play and the cannon arm of Sea Wolf left fielder Tony Thomas helped keep the B-Mets off the board. Thomas gunned down Wilfredo Thomas going first to third to kill a rally in the second inning.

When Allan Dykstra sent a screamer down the leftfield line to lead off the B-Met eighth it looked like a double. But, Thomas played the ball perfectly and unleashed a rocket to second that had Dykstra scrambling to get back to first. Corey Vaughn failed to advance Josh Rodriguez who pinch ran for Dykstra. That proved costly when Blake Forsythe singled to right sending Rodriguez to third. But Daniel Muno looked at a third strike and Wifredo Tovar swung and missed a third strike and that was that.

Darrell Ceciliani had two hits for the B-Mets, but the real story in Binghamton was quality starting pitching, for Met fans – the stellar AA debut of Jacob DeGrom.

Key Stats

Darrell Ceciliani: 2-for-4, 1 CS

Allan Dykstra: 1-for-3

Wilfredo Tovar: 1-for-3

Blake Forsythe: 1-for-3

Jacob DeGrom: 8.0 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 8 K

John Church: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 K

Report contributed by MMO reader John Bernhardt (B-Met)

If you are like me, you look forward to a time when the major rebuilding is done and the Mets can (hopefully) embark on an extended period of high level competitiveness and play meaningful games (to borrow a phrase) each fall. Assuming that time is near (2014? 2015?), what will the team’s roster look like? I offer a speculative peek from one fan’s perspective that will focus on internal options:

FIRST BASE: This should be easy. Assuming no blockbuster deal or career derailment, Ike Davis looks to be a lock to hold this position for years to come. In a year Ike will be entering his prime seasons (ages 27-32) and should provide steady defense and left-handed thump on a regular basis. Expect a move by management to sign him to a long-term deal fairly soon.

SECOND BASE: This is not an easy call. We have a convergence of players that can fit here including Daniel Murphy, Jordany Valdespin, Wilmer Flores, and Reese Havens. Most of this crew are somewhat challenged defensively, and Havens’ ability to stay healthy is a major concern. Murph has the hustle we all love and flashes the potential of a high-average hitter. Consistency is the key here. Valdespin (if he doesn’t ultimately wind up in the outfield) has the most speed of the group to go with surprising pop. The leather may remain an issue as well as what can charitably be described as a somewhat mercurial personality. Flores is a bat in search of a position. Third would likely have been his best bet, but we know what the deal is with that. I like his potential but my instincts tell me “trade bait.” Havens inability to stay on the field makes him an enigma, and at age 26 he’s getting a bit long in the tooth for prospect status. Still, he could certainly surprise. The verdict: Murphy, whose drive will improve his defense to “acceptable” and whose bat should produce enough line drives to offset his relatively low walk totals.

SHORTSTOP: Well, if the organization keeps drafting guys at this position, I guess they’ll find somebody they like. Really, the guy we ought to have is up in Toronto now but that’s a story for another day. Ruben Tejada has been steady, if not spectacular, and at 23 is young enough to take a few steps forward in his game. Speed is not part of the package, but he has a good eye at the plate and could develop a bit more power in time. Still, he’s likely to remain more of a “pesky” hitter than anything else. If he can bring his OBP up another 10% or so, he’d be more of an offensive component. The glove is fine. So, should we look for Gavin Cecchini, T.J. Rivera, German Rosario, Phillip Evans, or Wilfredo Tovar to supplant Tejada in the next two years? Doubtful, but ya never know. From what I read, Cecchini, Rosario, and Evans have potential, but they are years away (read 3-4), Tovar projects as a utility guy and Rivera, despite an eye-catching batting line at two levels of A ball last year, is a bit older for his level of competition and generally not rated as a top prospect by those rating the organization’s farm system. The verdict: Tejada, who will hopefully raise his offensive game a notch or two.

THIRD BASE: David Wright. ‘Nuff said.

CATCHER: If I put anyone here but Travis D’Arnaud, I’d be called anything you could imagine including late for dinner. Still, Kevin Plawecki has some intriguing skills (good eye, low strikeout rate, some evidence of mid-line power), so perhaps he’ll be in the picture as a backup. Francisco Pena has good bloodlines but hasn’t hit. So Travis it is.

OUTFIELD: I was reading today that the Mets haven’t sent a left fielder to the All-Star Game since Cleon Jones went 43 years ago. I also remember reading about the Red Sox having only three left fielders over a 50 year time frame (Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Rice). All of which makes me wonder when we will find the slugging stalwart we’ve been waiting for. I find Lucas Duda to be a likable type, and would love to see him blossom into…I don’t know, the next Greg Luzinski?

Barring a trade or (gasp) a Free Agent Signing, the outfield remains either a semi-barren rock garden or a fertile field, waiting for planting depending on your viewpoint. There isn’t a whole lot to work with here as far as players close to the majors, made worse with the injury to Matt den Dekker. The consensus is that his glove is great but his bat requires a season of adjustment per level to catch up to the advanced pitchers he has faced. Like Havens, age is an issue as he’ll be 26 in August. Essentially, he projects as Kirk Nieuwenhuis with more spectacular fielding chops and I don’t know if either of them will hit enough to break out of role player/4th outfielder status.

As for the best of the rest, Brandon Nimmo may be the real deal but is unlikely to figure in the picture before 2016 at the earliest, Juan Lagares and Cesar Puello (he of the looming PED suspension) show tools but doesn’t appear to be close to major league ready, and the intriguing names from the low minors such as Alonzo Harris, Travis Taijeron, Cory Vaughn, and the near-legendary Vicente Lupo are simply not in the picture at this time.

So…we gotta hope that Duda develops and that we catch lightning in a bottle with someone in the current group.The wild card is Valdespin who can force his way in through sheer production. I’m looking for the Wilpons to step up and maybe import Jacoby Ellsbury, Adam Jones, or Shin-Soo Choo to hold down a position in 2014. And maybe management parlays some spare parts with value (e.g. Flores, Murph, etc.) into a legitimate outfield bat.

ROTATION: At last, something to regard as a strength. There are arms up and down the system and everyone already has visions of a potential starting five that will include Zack Wheeler, Matt Harvey, Jonathon Niese, Noah Syndergaard and Dillon Gee, with a plethora of promising choices to fill in if needed. Me too.

In the next few years, I expect that Jenrry Mejia, Luis Mateo, Rafael Montero, Michael Fulmer, Domingo Tapia, Hansel Robles, Jacob deGrom, Cory Mazzoni, et al. will feed the 25 man roster either as fresh arms or as trade fodder to maybe help shore up that pesky outfield. I have my doubts about Mejia from a durability standpoint, but the little I’ve seen of Mazzoni and Montero this spring looks quite promising. I think we can actually count on primarily in-house options here.

BULLPEN: Will Bobby Parnell emerge as the closer we’ve been waiting for? If he does it will represent a change in trend for a team that has imported players for this position consistently for decades. I think he can do the job now that he’s demonstrated an approach that relies more heavily on changing speeds and locations and less on sheer velocity. If Jeurys Familia can harness his control (where have I heard that before) then another home-grown option may loom. From the port side, Robert Carson and Josh Edgin look to have potential, and farther down the line Jack Leathersich seems to be one to watch along with Adam Kolarek. The bullpen is one area that the team seems to re-make almost entirely each off-season without a ton of success, so maybe the current crop of up-and-comers can lend some stability in the near future.

So there you have it. Do the Mets project as a possible dynasty team in the next few years? I think it is possible, but whether it will be a team that resembles the ’69-’73 Seaver/Koosman/McGraw and “enough” offense Mets, the mid-80’s Doc/Darling/Keith/Straw powerhouse, the late ‘90’s Bobby V/Piazza/Leiter/Ventura outfit, or the Pedro/Beltran/Delgado/Reyes/Wright group of a few years back is dependent on a host of factors.

When I look at this organization as currently comprised, I remind myself that the SF Giants have won consistently with gaping holes in their offense and a dominant rotation. I could see a similar evolution here, but I sure wouldn’t mind a bit more offense. Here’s hoping.

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This Fan Shot was contributed by MMO reader, Gerry Silverman.

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Isn’t it amazing what kind of a player David Wright can be when he’s actually surrounded by some legitimate major league talent?

Currently, Wright is enjoying some of the most spectacular baseball he’s ever played in his career, and why not? We’ve all seen what the Mets All Star third baseman could do before when he had great protection in the lineup.

It was no coincidence that Wright had his best two seasons as a Met when both Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran were lethal weapons for the Mets, before each of them got hurt and became less effective.

Back then, we saw what “Captain America” was capable of, and things haven’t been the same since Dos Carlos were last seen together in a Mets lineup with David Wright.

It’s been a grind for Wright since the 2009 season. Sure, he’s had his moments and even a couple of tremendous halves on two occasions. But not nearly the kind of consistent seasons we saw from Wright during the three year stretch spanning 2006-2008.

I believe that on Omar Minaya’s part, he understood that Wright needed that protection and while Jason Bay ended up being a complete and colossal bust, nobody could have predicted the AL’s leading home run and RBI man would collapse the way that he did once he joined the New York Mets. Then the money ran out.

Wright now enters the 2013 season with way too many question marks in the lineup. Lucas Duda is 27 and is still a project just as he was two years ago. Ike Davis has yet to put together two good halves and form one solid season. And it looks like Collin Cowgill and Marlon Byrd may log a lot of playing time this season if we are to believe the daily reports from the Mets’ beat writers and some of the things Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins have said.

That’s a far cry from the likes of Eric Hosmer, Ryan Braun, Joe Mauer and Giancarlo Stanton, who are some of the players that are sandwiching Wright on Team USA’s power-packed, star-studded lineup.

So while some of us look upon what Wright is doing with astonishment and excitement, lets understand what we are really seeing here. These amazing moments are most likely not a portent of things to come during the Mets 2013 regular season. I urge and caution all of my fellow Met fans to reign in any gaudy expectations your mind may have already conjured up and dial it back a few notches.

Go ahead and savor what David Wright is currently doing in the World Baseball Classic and relish every moment. Be proud of what Wright accomplishes with every mighty swing of his bat. But don’t forget that it’s only March 14, and that the real baseball season begins on April 1. That is when reality will sink in for most of us, but mostly for David Wright as well. He returns to a lineup devoid of the type of talent he surrounds himself with now.

So enjoy the spectacle we have before us while it lasts, and Go Team USA!

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This Fan Shot was contributed by MMO reader, KMaxx.

Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 15 thousand Mets fans who read this site daily. Send your Fan Shot to GetMetsmerized@aol.com. Or ask us about becoming a regular contributor.

In the wee hours of Saturday morning, righthander Chien-Ming Wang tossed six shutout innings to lead Chinese Taipei to a 4-1 victory over Australia. The 2013 World Baseball Classic is officially underway.

As the tournament kicks off, the sentiment from most fans I run into is that they view the WBC as a “big pain in the ass”. Some fans resent the fact that their team’s top players have bolted their Spring Training camps in Arizona and Florida just so that they can begin training and competing in the WBC. “What a damned nuisance.”

I beg to differ.

I believe the WBC should be embraced by MLB fans and players alike. It’s in the game’s best interest to promote our national pastime throughout the world and open it up to new markets for a variety of reasons. The least of which is uncovering new and brighter stars from an ever-increasing talent pool. We’ve seen this happen before.

In the history of baseball, breaking the color barrier in the late 1940′s and expanding the game to Latin America in the 1960′s did more to popularize the game and produce more stars than anything else MLB has ever done. The WBC can be another watershed moment for baseball.

In an interesting article about the this subject by Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, he mentioned that the WBC Championship Game in 2009, was the sixth most watched sporting event that year, drawing more than 82 million viewers world-wide. And yet fewer MLB stars will participate in 2013 than in 2009. Many of the stars who were invited to participate decided to opt out. Too bad.

Many Mets fans moaned yesterday when it was reported that David Wright had left Port St. Lucie to represent Team USA. Not me. I applauded him.

“Of course, I’ll miss being here and I’m sure I’ll have to catch up a little bit once I get back,” Wright said. “But for me, the chance to represent Team USA, to go play for your country, was something that I just couldn’t pass up. I had so much fun the last time. I wanted to do it again.”

By the way, before Wright left, he took care of business and lined a two-out single to plate Justin Turner with the go-ahead run in the Mets 6-2 win over the Tigers.

One more thing. Rosenthal makes a great point in his article when he said the U.S. loses on every level when its stars decline to participate.

“The reluctance of aces such as Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw and David Price is understandable, given the fragile nature of pitching. But position players such as Buster Posey and Prince Fielder? And youngsters such as Mike Trout and Bryce Harper? C’mon.”

The WBC isn’t a nuisance. It’s an opportunity.

I’d like to express my thanks to Joe D. for posting this article for me on such short notice. It’s an honor to contribute to such a prestigious site for Mets baseball.

This Fan Shot was contributed by Robert J. Loewen.

Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 15 thousand Mets fans who read this site daily. Send your Fan Shot to GetMetsmerized@aol.com. Or ask us about becoming a regular contributor.

LI natives stay loyal to roots preparing for Spring Training

Baseball players have always been considered the “Boys of Summer.” But what happens when the final out of the World Series is recorded and the offseason begins?

For two Mets prospects and Long Island natives, Camden Maron and Steven Matz, the offseason means coming back to Long Island and making the most out of their offseason training program with some of the best trainers in the North East.

“I do my offseason strength and conditioning training at Professional Athletic Performance Center (PAPC) in Garden City under the instruction of head strength coach Dean Maddalone,” Maron said. “All of my baseball specific training is done at Performance Factory in Farmingdale under the instruction of head hitting instructor Joe Francisco.”

Maron, who is coming off a 2012 season that saw him win the Mets’ Sterling Award as the top performer with Kingsport, is looking to improve on a solid campaign.

Maron is looking to break camp with High-A St. Lucie this year, after spending last season with Class-A Savannah. He was promoted for the playoffs to St. Lucie and has his sights on returning to the Florida State League.

“I also trained at PAPC,” Matz added. “I’d workout three times a week, also throwing indoors one day during the weekend. I felt it was a great offseason and feel a lot stronger and ready to go for this up coming season.”

Matz is coming off a 2012 season that saw him shut down due to shoulder soreness. He spent time unofficially with the Instructional League and was rehabbing in St. Lucie back in September.

Injuries have derailed this Ward Melville HS grad, but he’s looking to light up the radar gun once again. During his time in the Appalachian League, he consistently hid mid-90s with his fastball, reaching as high as 98. He finished with a 1.55 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 29 innings.

Offseason training in NY is no easy task

One of the challenges with training in the North East during the offseason is the lack of warm weather, which makes it very hard for baseball players to train outdoors. Other regions of the country allow players to train outdoors throughout out the offseason, possibly giving them an edge heading into Spring Training.

“Spending part of the year in the northeast, especially the offseason, requires a lot self-motivation and a good work ethic,” Maron said. “There are a lot of obstacles that are present in the North East that are not present in other parts of the country. Do not let anyone tell you that you can’t make it because of where you come from. Just find the right situation and work your tail off and everything else will take care of itself.”

Maron and Matz were part of a group of players who trained at PAPC in the offseason.

“We have a pretty good group of guys over at PAPC and we really push each other. It’s really a great workout environment to be in,” Maron said. “I would never want to train anywhere else. Our group included Major Leaguers Jose Reyes (Toronto Blue Jays), Ruben Tejada, Pedro Beato (Boston Red Sox), and Adam Ottavino (Colorado Rockies). Minor Leaguers in our group included Steve Matz (Mets), Zach Dotson (Mets), Keith Couch (Red Sox), and Willie Carmona (Philadelphia Phillies). The baseball specific training at Performance Factory is all one-on-one with Joe Francisco, which really allows me to focus on certain smaller points of my swing.”

Words of wisdom from Maron and Matz

Both players emphasized getting involved with a camp that pushes the players to work hard.

“The best advice I can give to any player looking to make it to the next level is always work hard,” Maron said. “If you work hard and put yourself in the right environment, with the right trainers and specialists, and the right teammates, you can make it anywhere. Spending part of the year in the North East, especially the offseason, requires a lot self-motivation and a good work ethic. There are a lot of obstacles that are present in the northeast that are not present in other parts of the country. Do not let anyone tell you that you can’t make it because of where you come from. Just find the right situation and work your tail off and everything else will take care of itself.”

Matz added: “To all my fellow North East baseball players trying to make it to the next level, find a good place to workout during the offseason where you can lift, run and throw so you don’t miss a beat by the time you’re ready to get outside and play.”

This Fan Shot was contributed by Mike Stainkamp. Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 15 thousand Mets fans who read this site daily. Send your Fan Shot to GetMetsmerized@aol.com. Or ask us about becoming a regular contributor.

By Elliot Chester

McHugh was floored. Beasley had known it was coming.

“I knew Collin had a shot when he left,” says Beasley, “and I said, ‘If any of our kids go [to the bigs], it’d be Collin.’ And the reason why is Collin’s self-worth, how he’s doing, how he feels about himself—is not how good he does on the field and how good he doesn’t do.

“He’s a winner with anybody—understand that,” demands Beasley with a surprising urgency. “His faith”—a pause, as though for greater effect—“centers him. A lot of kids go out and they struggle, and it just beats them down, and it beats them down, and they can’t put it behind them. Collin can because of the faith that he has.

“It’s amazing; I think it’s a great thing. It’s one of the reasons why I actually think he has a great chance to make it.”

IV. 

As an 18th-round draft pick, McHugh knew that his would be a long and arduous path to the majors. But his faith and innate competitiveness told him that he should jump at the chance. “I wouldn’t have a career, I wouldn’t be playing baseball if that isn’t exactly what G-d wanted for me,” says McHugh. “If I’m still playing, then there’s a reason I’m still playing.”

He played in an assortment of minor league cities that seemed lifted straight from a Johnny Cash song, from Kingsport to Savannah to Port St. Lucie to Binghamton to Buffalo—and those were just the home sites, every possible location within the Mets’ system. Life became an endless road trip of Hot Tamales, Diet Cokes and uncertainty. In the offseason, he made ends meet by working full-time at Boosterthon Fun Run, an organization that holds miniature track-style events at local elementary schools as fundraisers.

To pass the time during the season, McHugh began writing a blog entitled, “A Day Older, A Day Wiser,” a day-by-day tale of life in the minors that alternately reads like a travelogue and a cathartic exercise in creative writing much like the kind that McHugh used to do in Mike Mejia’s English 101 class back at Berry. In his blog, McHugh sounds off on arrogant ballplayers, faith, the art of pitching and pranks like “The Wet Towel,” and “The Hat Bubble,” along with everything in between.

He also married Ashley (better known as “Buzzy”) a former high school classmate whom he took on a date while home from college in 2006. After grabbing dinner at California Dreaming in Duluth and laughing along to Little Miss Sunshine, the pair struck up a long conversation in Buzzy’s driveway. “We realized at that point, ‘We are very compatible, we get along really well,’” says McHugh. “We’d grown up very differently, we have very different personality types, but for whatever reason, we connected.”

By 2010, Buzzy would frequently join McHugh on the road while also operating Buzzy Craftery, a web service dedicated to providing home-spun goods of all kinds, and providing a healthy and loving dose of perspective. When he speaks of his goals as a pitcher, McHugh uses the first-person plural.

In late May of 2011, McHugh was struggling to the tune of a 6.31 ERA at Class A St. Lucis, when, manager Pedro Lopez called McHugh into his office after another tough outing and announced, contrary to the laws of reasonable expectations, that McHugh was headed to AA Binghamton for a spot start and maybe a stint in the bullpen. It just so happened that Binghamton had a doubleheader on the day McHugh was scheduled to make his next start, and his prior experience working as a starter and the bullpen made him a valuable commodity, enormous ERA notwithstanding.

One start turned into two, then three, then an indefinite number that eventually settled at 16 by the season’s end, the stint in the bullpen reduced to two spot long-relief efforts about seven weeks apart. In August, McHugh tossed six scoreless innings in the Red Sox Futures at Fenway game and felt, for the first time in his professional career, “like I belonged.” When all was said and done, McHugh had racked up eight wins at Binghamton and earned a spot in the Arizona Fall League, slow start at St. Lucie be damned.

After another posting a stellar 2.41 ERA in his first twelve appearances (all starts) with Binghamton in 2012, McHugh earned a promotion to AAA Buffalo and got another start at Fenway on August 18, where he shone once more, scattering five hits over seven scoreless innings in earning his second win for the Bisons. “It doesn’t really matter where you go,” says McHugh, playing down the significance of his encore at Fenway. “The talent is the most important factor, not the stadium you play in.”

V.

A few hours later and about 400 miles down I-95, the Mets eked out a 2-0 victory over the league-leading Washington Nationals for just their 11th win since the All-Star break. The victory represented a small bright spot for the reeling squad, which had raced out to a surprisingly strong first half thanks to heroic pitching from R.A. Dickey and Johan Santana and a scrappy approach at the plate that made them the third-best scoring offense in the National League by the break. However, the team quickly unraveled in mid-July, doomed by a rash of injuries, poor plate discipline and a nightmarish bullpen, to the point that even with their victory that Saturday evening, they remained nine games out of a playoff spot.

Following the win over the Nationals, things went from bad to worse, as the Mets returned home the following week and promptly lost three straight games to the Colorado Rockies, who had begun the series with a dismal 46-73 record and fielded a lineup that consisted of Carlos Gonzalez, Wilin Rosario and a host of players best described as “marginal.”

Greg Prince, a longtime fan who writes about the Mets for the popular blog “Faith and Fear in Flushing,” was among those who knew that even by the Mets’ standards for awfulness and heartbreak, this was bad.
“That was a really miserable week for the 2012 Mets,” remembers Prince, who attended the first two games of the series. “They played about as disinterested a brand of baseball as I’ve ever seen them play, and I’ve been watching them for more than 40 years.”

After watching Wednesday’s loss on his television, Prince was back at the ballpark on Thursday afternoon for his 111th game at Citi Field since the park opened in 2009, displaying the streak of pseudo-sadomasochism that often defines Mets fans. As Prince arrived with a friend at his seats in the back of Section 131, near the foul pole in left field, he did feel some small cause for optimism.

“I expected a little excitement, I guess. Because it’s fun to watch a guy make his major league debut,” says Prince.

VI.

That guy was Collin McHugh, who had arrived in New York the previous day via the MLB’s “super-convoluted” (as McHugh calls them) taxi squad rules, based on the probability that he would have to take an injured Santana’s place in the rotation. As had happened the previous year, his call-up was based at least as much on serendipity as performance: August 23, the date of Santana’s next scheduled start, was McHugh’s day to pitch.

McHugh spent Wednesday evening of the 22nd in a limbo of shifting hotels and confused communication with Buzzy, who was among those trying to decide whether she should risk it and fly up. Eventually, he got the word that he would definitely be starting and went to sleep knowing that he would toe the Citi Field rubber the next afternoon.

He rose early that Thursday morning and lingered over breakfast with Buzzy before heading to the ballpark around 10:00 a.m. There, McHugh quickly discovered one of the many perks of his newfound status as a big leaguer, one that still amazes him today.

“You have grown men and grown women cooking food for you every day and it’s just incredible,” says McHugh. “I don’t know how anybody could ever complain, even if the food is not top-notch; you have people who, their job is to cook for you. I don’t know that I’ll ever get over that.”

As McHugh went into his pregame routine an hour before the scheduled 1:10 p.m. start, 15 of his closest friends and family—Scott and Teresa, two of his three siblings, Buzzy, Cantrell (who needed an unexpected refund on his homeowner’s insurance to afford the pre-dawn flight to New York), his boss from Boosterthon, his agent, and a few others—filed into the park to watch the unathletic kid who barely scraped his way onto the JV team in 8th grade make his major-league debut. Back in Georgia, the entire Berry Vikings roster, few of whom had actually played with McHugh, piled into Beasley’s home to watch the action unfold on television. And out in left field, Greg Prince made conversation and occasionally fretted about his poor view of the man on the mound.

But by the time McHugh fanned LeMahieu for his seventh strikeout to end the fifth, Prince realized that he was watching a special performance, “maybe unprecedented in some fashion.”

Unlike so many of those watching, McHugh refused to consider the implications of his performance as the game went on and the strikeouts piled up. “When you’re in the middle of it, you just want to ride it: you’re like, ‘I don’t want to question it, I don’t want to know why it’s happening, but I’m just gonna ride it out,’” explains McHugh, who primarily utilized a live fastball that topped out at 93 mph and a biting curve that frequently clocked in the 60s and produced three swinging strikeouts.

Meanwhile, the Mets, in the midst of an historic hitting slump, appeared to be doing everything within their power not to score. In the second inning, Ruben Tejada looped an apparent single to center with one man out and Mike Baxter on first—except Baxter misread the play and was cut down at second for an embarrassingly rare 8-6 force play. The following inning, hotshot rookie Jordany Valdespin led off with a single and was promptly thrown out trying to steal second. And in the seventh, Valdespin failed to bunt Ronny Cedeño into scoring position after Cedeño grounded a base knock just past short while pinch-hitting for McHugh.

“It just added to the frustration,” says Prince. “They were getting this fantastic first-time pitching performance, and we may not win. He may not get a win.”

With McHugh out of the game, manager Terry Collins called on Bobby Parnell to keep the game scoreless. On Parnell’s second pitch, Tyler Colvin drilled a playable line drive at Valdespin in center field. Valdespin, a middle infielder in the minors, took three bounding steps towards second base before realizing the ball was over his head; by the time it reached the infield once more, Colvin was coming out of his slide at third. Five pitches later, Chris Nelson grounded a hanging 0-2 curveball past an in-on-the-grass Tejada for what would prove to be the game’s only run, leaving McHugh with a no-decision and a most bittersweet experience.

“After the game, you’re in the locker room trying to balance those emotions,” says McHugh. “You’re like: ‘I’m glad I threw the ball well, but these guys have been battling their asses off all year and just can’t seem to quite put it together,’—it’s tough for them, because they’ve been here the whole time, and they’ve got a more full context and full perspective of what a game like this actually means.”

VII.

If the previous 24 hours had ranked among McHugh’s finest (and most unrewarded) as a pitcher, the next 24 certainly came nowhere near the new standard. In the aftermath of McHugh’s brilliant start, local radio host Mike Francesa began his afternoon talk show following the game with a furious, guttural scream-filled ten-minute explosion in which he condemned anything and everything Mets, including McHugh (who has not heard the broadcast).

“When was the last time the Mets talked about McHugh before yesterday?,” asked Francesa, overdone righteous anger winning out over the languid intonations that normally dominate his speech pattern. “Now today [they say] he did something that hasn’t been done since Juan Marichal…he’s facing a triple-A lineup! You forget one thing: they just got swept by a team that came in at 46-73.”

It was guilt by association, a logical fallacy nonetheless by and large accepted by listeners driven mad by the team’s listless play.

The following morning, McHugh was doing his routine post-start jog around a big-league stadium for the first time in his career when, as he passed by the dugout, Collins called him into his office. Confused, McHugh followed his manager and discovered an assemblage that included pitching coach Dan Warthen and several other members of the Mets brass. “Whenever a coach and the manager and front office people get together, you kind of assume the worst,” remembers McHugh.

He can recall the general thrust of the conversation: We love what you showed us yesterday. We need to make room for Jeremy Hefner to come off of paternity leave. You’ll be back in 10 days. This is what’s best for you. For the first time in his career, after the best game of his life, Collin McHugh was being demoted.

VIII.

McHugh’s Rotoworld page tells the story of his September:

• Mon, Sep 3: Collin McHugh takes loss to Cardinals
• Mon, Sep 10: McHugh blasted in loss to Nationals
• Tue, Sep 25: Collin McHugh hammered in loss to Pirates
• Wed, Sep 26: Collins believes McHugh is ‘out of gas’

McHugh did indeed return to the bigs as promised and made his next start, the first of seven more appearances, on Labor Day against the playoff-bound Cardinals. The St. Louis game would be the last time he would pitch on his usual schedule, the Mets’ recent concern for his routine apparently lost among the Merry-Go-Round of prospects that needed to gobble up those precious, useless September innings.

McHugh insists that his struggles were due to a combination of factors. “Ultimately what it comes down to is: I didn’t execute very well in a lot of those outings,” says McHugh. “You can chalk it up to, I was 35 innings more than I had been the year before, I was throwing out of the ‘pen for a while, which I hadn’t done in a couple years and don’t have very much experience doing. Or you could chalk it up to: I was just a little bit out of gas, you know, my mechanics were getting a little bit funky, [I was] battling a little bit of arm fatigue and all that combined—it just turned into kind of a string of rough outings in a row.

“I talked to Terry and I talked to Dan on a daily basis,” continues McHugh, “just kind of like, ‘Hey, what do you see, what do I need to work on?’ We watched video, we worked mechanically, and I think it kind of was their observation that not a whole lot’s changing, it looks like he’s just kind of running out of gas towards the end.”

IX.

The end, at least for now, came on October 2, 2012 in Game 161 of a lost season, when McHugh was called upon to preserve a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the 11th against the equally moribund Miami Marlins. On his first pitch he gave up a triple to ex-Met Jose Reyes, forcing him to intentionally walk the bases full. With one out, Donovan Solano poked a slow ground ball past second base to drive in Reyes. It would prove to be the final desultory loss of the season for the Mets, and the fourth of McHugh’s still-winless major league career.

It was a game filled with heartwarming storylines: The return of Adam Greenberg, hit on the head by the first pitch of his big-league debut, to the majors after seven years away. The redemption of Solano, who struck out in his first four at-bats. The quest for win number 21 by the oft-discarded knuckler Dickey.

And then there was Collin McHugh, who stoically walked off the field with an expression indistinguishable from the one he wore when walking off the mound on that briefly glorious (or maybe gloriously brief) afternoon in Flushing.

It may be the last pitch he ever throws for the Mets, especially given the team’s recent acquisitions of the reliable Shaun Marcum to fill the temporary gap in their starting rotation and of Scott Atchison and LaTroy Hawkins to provide late-inning right-handed relief. So while McHugh has, for the first time in his life, an invite to big-league camp, it’s tough to say what that will bring beyond a shot at eating up innings out of the bullpen in the most lopsided games.

In the meantime, he works out. He throws. He visits Beasley and the rest of the Vikings at Berry, checks in at Boosterthon. He tweets. He spends time with Buzzy and his family.

He waits.

X.

McHugh spent a month this offseason reading Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment and enjoyed it even as he found it “very bleak” and “kind of depressing” at times. He went to see the film Les Misérables and thought it was fabulous. Both offer tales of redemption, of second chances.

“For me,” confides McHugh, “when I see something like that, it just reminds me of my faith, of what Jesus did for me, and I’m thinking, ‘Gosh, I’m so thankful. I’m so thankful that I don’t have to live this,”—he pauses for a moment, as if searching for the right word—“subsistence life where you’re trying to get through and [do] whatever you can to make it to the next day, and make it to the next day—there is a hope, a second chance.’”

“I’m kind of a sucker for happy endings and for a nice little clean wrap-up to stories,” finishes McHugh.
There is no guarantee that McHugh’s story will have such an ending. About all that is certain is that, in less than a week’s time, he’ll be on a pitching mound in St. Lucie once more, throwing 91-mile-per-hour four-seamers that tail away from lefties.

He might yield a double, as he did to Charlie Blackmon. He might earn a swing and a miss, as he did against pretty much every other Rockie for the next seven innings.

Either way, he will get the ball back, toe the rubber once more and peer in for the sign like nothing happened. He will do this until—well, who can really say?

“Every step along the way, there has been every reason that I should not be playing anymore,” says McHugh.

Yet here he is…

XI.

This Fan Shot was contributed by Elliot Chester. Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 15 thousand Mets fans who read this site daily. Send your Fan Shot to GetMetsmerized@aol.com. Or ask us about becoming a regular contributor.

By Elliot Chester

I.

Collin McHugh’s third pitch as a major league baseball player was not a bad one, a four-seam 91-mile-per-hour fastball that tailed away from Charlie Blackmon, a slap-hitting nobody who had just two hits all season entering the late August game. But Blackmon, recently installed as the Colorado Rockies’ starting right fielder due to a rash of injuries, stayed with the pitch and sliced the ball past the jutting field-level seats of Citi Field, home of the New York Mets, and into the left field corner for an easy double.

In a seat halfway down the first baseline and about 30 rows up from the diamond, Adam Cantrell experienced an odd sensation: release. “That relieved a little bit of tension,” remembers Cantrell, McHugh’s first cousin and former coach at Providence Christian Academy, where McHugh first began to show flashes of the potential whose limits are still not clear. “It was like, ‘OK, don’t have to worry about the no-hitter anymore.’”
McHugh, oblivious to his cousin’s butterflies, glanced briefly, expressionlessly, at the scoreboard. Then he went back to work.

His task was daunting, perhaps more so than he or anybody else realized at that moment. Outfitted in a titanium necklace, a uniform that looked just a shade baggy and an all-but-nonexistent pedigree, 25-year-old Collin McHugh was to become responsible for keeping the spiraling Mets from reaching the nadir of a miserable season that sunny summer day. First, though, he had to get out of the inning.

After Blackmon went to third on a bunt, McHugh got two quick strikes on Jordan Pacheco, ran the count full and struck him out looking on a low fastball. Four pitches later, the menacing Carlos Gonzalez swung through another heater to end the top of the first. “A nice escape by Collin McHugh in his first big league inning,” said Mets play-by-play man Gary Cohen. He sounded slightly surprised.

One inning later, Cantrell realized what the rest of the sparse crowd (announced at 22,544, though the video suggests that the actual number was about half of that) most likely had yet to: that his cousin was pitching the game of his life.

“Second inning was when I knew, ‘OK, he’s really dealing today, and he could do something special,’” recalled Cantrell. “I’m just sitting there going, ‘Holy cow, I can’t believe I’m sitting in this park, watching my cousin play, and he’s absolutely just going nuts.’”

By the time McHugh had finished going nuts, he had allowed no runs on just two hits, Blackmon’s double and an irrelevant single by D.J. LeMahieu in the third, while racking up nine strikeouts in seven innings of work. As the 6-2, 195-pound righty strolled off the mound after getting Wilin Rosario to whiff at a tight 12-to-6 payoff curveball to end the seventh on his 100th pitch of the afternoon, the camera flashed to a shot of his parents, Scott and Teresa, hugging joyfully in the stands.

As he crossed the first base line for the final time that afternoon, McHugh working on a wad of chewing gum and flexing his left arm, betrayed no sign of elation or even recognition that he had just become only the third pitcher in Mets history to throw at least seven shutout innings in his first-ever start.

“McHugh’s retired ten in a row!” exclaimed Cohen, an entirely different kind of surprise now flooding his voice. “Seventh inning stretch, no score. What a debut!”

If Collin Alexander McHugh’s life were a movie, it would have ended right then, on August 23, 2012 at approximately 3:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, climaxing with a near-perfect moment to cap off a near-perfect performance.

But of course, the movie did not end. The moment did not last. The present slipped into the past and was replaced by a harsher reality. But now that, too, is past.

The future, meanwhile, is murky. But that’s nothing new to Collin McHugh.

II.

Mozart began writing music when he was just five years old. Collin McHugh, however, did not throw a single pitch until he was ten, when his Little League coach gathered his team together and held an open tryout for the position that had heretofore been the realm of soft-tossing coaches.

“I was a big Braves fan,” says McHugh, who grew up about a half-hour’s drive from Atlanta’s Turner Field. “At that point in time in the ‘90s it was the Braves’ show with Maddux, Smoltz and Glavine. I loved them and I wanted to be them. I thought, ‘Well, how about pitching?’ I did and, well, I enjoyed it.”

On the field, McHugh’s talent for control quickly became apparent as he became a yearly fixture on the all-star teams that took the small field in Alpharetta. Still, there was a problem. “I was short and fat and I didn’t throw very hard,” remembers McHugh, who almost didn’t make Providence Christian’s junior varsity squad as a 5’4”, 170-lb. 8th-grader.

The next year, McHugh, who eventually grew eight inches to an even six feet by the time he graduated from Providence Christian, worked his way onto the varsity team but could not get into a game. One day, the Stars made the five-minute trek across town to take on rival Greater Atlantic Christian, a powerhouse squad that would take runner-up in the state championship the following season. The Spartans beat the living tar out of Providence Christian that day, and as the innings wore on and the runs piled up, Cantrell decided to give a new pitcher a try.

Moments later, Collin McHugh’s first pitch as a varsity high school baseball player was blasted for a home run.

What makes the moment stand out in Cantrell’s mind all these years later was McHugh’s reaction. “He just took the ball from the umpire, stood back up there on the mound and was ready to go again,” remembers Cantrell. “For that to be your first experience, and to act like, ‘OK, well, let’s just go after the next guy,’ was pretty spectacular.”

McHugh finished the inning without incident, then tossed a few more decent innings in similar mop-up fashion over the course of the season.

Next season, he was starting and as junior, he was the staff ace. By the time his senior year rolled around, he was the star pitcher and power-hitting first baseman of a Providence Christian team that made the state playoffs for the first time during his tenure.

In the summer before his senior fall, McHugh began to pursue his dream of pitching for a big-time program like the University of Georgia. His hopes were dashed, however, when he attended his first college showcase and found 15 radar guns trained on him; none of them registered a fastball at more than 90 miles-per-hour. “I was a righty, I went to a small school. I wasn’t a very impressive physical specimen either. I was pretty normal across the board,” says McHugh.

Georgia Tech offered him a slot as a preferred walk-on. Davidson offered him a higher SAT-score threshold than he could achieve. Georgia offered him nothing.

Among the 15 radar guns at that showcase tryout, however, was Josh Hopper, then the pitching coach for tiny Berry College, an NAIA (now DIII) school about 90 minutes along the road from McHugh’s hometown. Where the radar guns recorded only insufficient velocity, Hopper thought he caught a glimpse of something else. “When Hop saw me there, he said [to himself], ‘I think I see something in this kid,’ recalls McHugh. “He had me come up on an official visit, I saw the campus. Within a couple of months I had made my decision: that’s where I wanted to go. I always appreciate that he was able to see someone that maybe somebody else wasn’t and really give me a shot.”

III.

Whatever Josh Hopper saw, David Beasley saw it too. A former All-American third baseman and head coach of the Berry Vikings, Beasley knew he had a talented pitcher on his hands.

“Ball just came out of his hand so well,” remembers Beasley, more than a hint of nostalgia creeping into his voice. “You could project him pretty good, you know what I’m saying? He wasn’t done growing, you knew he wasn’t very strong at first physically, and you just knew that if he got into a good program and worked, you knew he had a ton of upside.”

According to McHugh, Beasley, “doesn’t love doing interviews with people.” When it comes to Collin McHugh, however, Beasley could talk all day.

“One of the things we always try to do is recruit great kids and he’s as good a kid as we’ve ever had,” says Beasley. “To be honest with you, he’s just a magnificent kid. We knew he would fit in well as a young man, we knew he’d fit in well with what we wanted to do here at Berry, and we knew that that’s the kind of young man we wanted to bring in.”

McHugh became a mainstay in Berry’s rotation right away and went 5-2 in his first season. He also occasionally caught a glimpse of Marlin McPhail, a regional scout for the Mets and a good friend of Beasley, who also used to work in the Mets’ organization. But McHugh recalls no real extended conversations or contacts of any kind with ex-backstop who caught Dwight Gooden’s first professional start and has spent the last 20 years scouring the southeastern U.S. for premier pitching talent. “Keep getting better at what you do,” is all McHugh remembers hearing from the man.

Meanwhile, McHugh’s career arc at Berry followed a curious trajectory: though he led the team in innings as a sophomore and a junior, his ERA rose steadily each season, from 3.98 to 4.19 to 4.67 in what McHugh described as a “mediocre” 2008 campaign. Discouraged, he absentmindedly followed that year’s amateur draft in June more out of habit than expectation.

Then the phone rang. It was the Mets.

To be continued….

* * * * * * * *

Read the second part of this fantastic tale about McHugh’s journey by clicking here.

This Fan Shot was contributed by Elliot Chester. Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 15 thousand Mets fans who read this site daily. Send your Fan Shot to GetMetsmerized@aol.com. Or ask us about becoming a regular contributor.

Basically the storyline of the book encompasses how the main character Billy Beane, General Manager of the Oakland Athletics, implemented a measurement and feedback system based on a player’s ability to get on base. This system was based on the sabermetric principles and theories first introduced by Bill James in his comprehensive Historical Baseball Abstract, a rigorous statistical analysis used to track the traits most connected to a player’s value to a team. [2]

What is Sabermetrics?

The Moneyball book implies that when sabermetrics is used to identify players with superior abilities (who aren’t noticed by competitor scouts), it allows new players to be added to a team; thus, increasing the winning percentage for the team without paying premium salaries to those players. This results in a competitive advantage for the team’s league standing. For further understanding of sabermetrics and its theory in relation to baseball, please check the paper written by Jim Albert.

DiamondView and PlayersPlan

Several detailed programs have been implemented by teams like the Cleveland Indians MLB team. The Indians have implemented two programs: DiamondView and PlayersPlan with the hopes of increasing appraisal of a player’s performance and value. These types of plans are often used by MLB team managers to facilitate selection and recruitment possibilities and help determine the optimum team salary distributions. [3]

Systems like DiamondView and PlayersPlan keep track of each player in a database that is used for recruiting and selection, training and development, appraising player’s skills, and helping evaluate compensation for the players. For example, information on a baseball pitcher would include such pitching statistics as the number of times the pitcher allows a walk, how many members of the opposite team were pitched to at the plate, the number of times the pitcher entered the game with intent to save the game but failed, number of hits allowed in a game, home runs allowed, earned run average and many more. Statistics, along with some physics theory, has also suggested that left-handed pitchers get better results against left-handed hitters. Knowing which pitchers have the best odds against hitters based on this theory, managers can stratgically use relief hitters to counter pinch hitters substituted into a game at the last minute.

Others Question Usefulness of Sabermetrics

Many consider sabermetrics a valuable and objective means to gain an effective measure of a player’s value to the team. Others question the usefulness of such statistics in the prediction of future behavior of players.

DIPS

Another measurement tool known as Defense-Independent Pitching Statistics (DIPS), introduced by Voros McCracken as early as 1999, measures a pitcher’s stats. These stats do not include plays that involve infielders or outfielders, but are based on stats that result strictly from the control of the pitcher alone, like walks and strikeouts. [4]

DICE and FIP

Others, like Tom Tippett [5], felt this DIPS evaluation tool was not entirely viable; while others have introduced new math formulae and statistics that keep track of innings pitched(IP), which measures how many outs were made while a pitcher was pitching. For instance, formulae such as Defense-Independent Component ERA (DICE) and FIP do consider factors that make them highly dependent on the defensive play of the fielders.

It appears that the focus on talent and statistics, along with the recent implementation of information technology, will continue to be implemented and will infuse team selection — including MLB pitchers — and salaries for awhile.

Patricia Deming, is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, with a BA in Mathematics. She enjoys writing articles and contributing to sports and education blogs, such as DegreeJungle.com. She has been a baseball fan for many years and regularly attends Seattle Seahawks games.

[1] Lewis, M. (2004). Moneyball: The art of winning an unfair game. New York: Norton.

[2] James, B. (2001). The new Bill James historical baseball abstract. New York: Free Press.

[3] http://www.cleveland.com/gameplan/index.ssf?/gameplan/more/part2.html

[4] Voros McCracken, “Pitching and Defense: How Much Control Do Hurlers Have? January 23, 2001.

[5] http://www.sloansportsconference.com/?tag=tom-tippet

This Fan Shot was contributed by Patricia. Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 15 thousand Mets fans who read this site daily. Send your Fan Shot to GetMetsmerized@aol.com. Or ask us about becoming a regular contributor.

There appear to be two major obstacles standing in the way of the Mets.  They will most certainly need to make changes to a disastrous outfield, but with budgets low, the options appear limited.  Lucas Duda went into last season off the back of a great end to 2011.  However, he failed to convert such momentum into results in 2012.  Meanwhile, Kirk Nieuwenhuis had his moments last season, but has hardly done enough to snap up a starting slot.  Mike Baxter looks like a great fourth outfielder, but once again he has not shown the quality needed to be a regular.  In short, the outfield line-up is anyone’s guess. Wear breathable baseball gloves when playing baseball for a comfortable game.

And then there is the Mets’ bullpen.  This is the area of the roster that can make or break a season and like the outfield, it is far from clear who will start in April.  Frank Francisco is likely to rotate with Bobby Parnell, but hopes of finding a true top-class pitcher may rest on one of the Mets’ younger prospects such as Jeurys Familia to step up to the plate.  Betting on football or baseball is never straightforward, but it appears a bet on Mets success in 2013 is a real long shot.

At the time of the trade, the Amazins were a team on the rise under Bobby Valentine. However, despite an 88-win season in 1997, the Mets lacked the sizzle (or star-power) that the crosstown rival Yankees had, and the attendance reflected it.

Piazza’s first game in New York represented a few of the changes that would be evident during his time in New York. Before Mike’s arrival, the Mets were only averaging 18,177 per game. 32,900 flocked to Shea to see Piazza’s debut as a Met against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 23, and that number would continue to climb as the season continued.

On a Saturday afternoon before Memorial Day, it was Piazza behind the plate and hitting third in the lineup for the Mets. His first two at-bats were uneventful, as he grounded out and then struck out. But in the bottom of the fifth, the Mets’ slugger drilled an RBI double to right-center off of the Brewers’ Jeff Juden to give the Mets a 2-0 lead.

The crowd roared in approval, sounding much louder than the actual capacity at Shea that afternoon. As Daily News writer Mike Lupica said, “hope always seems to pad the house.”

The Mets beat the Brewers 3-0 behind a complete game shutout from Al Leiter. But the story of the day was Piazza. The fans got a tiny glimpse of the greatness that was still  to come

Safe to say, for the first time in a decade, they Mets a face for their franchise.

* * * * * * * *

This Fan Shot was contributed by Michael Rappaport. Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 17,000 Mets fans who read this site daily. Send your Fan Shot to GetMetsmerized@aol.com. Or ask us about becoming a regular contributor.

Ha, Ha, Gotcha! Yesterday, our own John Delcos sparked a solid debate with his post highlighting some of the good things that has happened under Sandman’s watch. This morning, XtreemIcon emailed me a comments from that post from out reader DrDooby. It was a well thought out comment that wasn’t lacking in objectivity si I decided to promote it to a Fan Shot.

# 1 Beltran for Wheeler

Even if Wheeler tears his labrum tomorrow or decides to retire and go on a mission for two years, that was a tremendous haul for two months of Carlos Beltran who was not going to be re-signed due to the financial restrictions in terms of receiving market value in return.

# 2 Signing Niese and Dickey to very team friendly extensions

Niese will be under contract longterm at a very affordable rate, especially looking at his 2012 breakout. Dickey signed a very team friendly extension which included the bargain $5 million option which may have helped significantly in terms of upping his trade value.

# 3 Dickey, Thole and Nickeas for D´Arnaud, Syndergaard, Buck and Becerra

Yes, parting with the reigning CY winner is tough. However, nobody expected a major haul like this. D’Arnaud is a consensus top 15 overall prospect in Baseball. Sure, he´s a catcher. And like Buster Posey or Joe Mauer for example (among elite catchers), he has missed some time with freak injuries, breaking a wrist here or injuring his knee there. However, he is the top catching prospect in Baseball right now which certainly has a ton of value. A Dickey for D´Arnaud straight up deal would already have been applauded by most experts. Getting Syndergaard, and thus another consensus Top 50 overall prospect in this package was a major coup. Now, obviously, Syndergaard is further away and is a lot tougher to project than D´Arnaud. He probably won´t help the Mets before 2015 even if all goes well for him. However, again, looking at the return, this was a trade that EVERY major league GM would have loved to make. Alderson got blasted by a lot of people for asking for the moon for Dickey, supposedly. Well, he ended up with the moon and more for RA. Becerra is a nice lottery ticket add-on. And the Buck for Thole swap even addresses the short-term lineup balance, even if both probably are below average C at this point in different ways.

# 4 Offering arbitration to Pedro Feliciano

…And then drafting Michael Fulmer with the compensation pick for him. Fulmer doesn’t have the ceiling of Syndergaard or Wheeler but looks like a really good young pitcher too. Basically the upside is a Chad Billingsley type # 2/3 starter if all goes well. And that in return for an overused “LOOGY”.

# 5 Keeping the Mets competitive while rebuilding

Unfortunately, the major league roster Alderson inherited was extremely shallow in terms of depth – but at the same time featured a totally bloated payroll. With ownership struggling to avoid a bankruptcy, the off-season budgets in 2011 and 2012 were minuscule. Instead of rushing the few good upper level prospects into action (like the previous administration did towards the end of their tenure), Alderson kept the big picture in mind and instead signed several very useful players such as Chris Capuano, Scott Hairston (twice), Chris Young (twice), Ronny Cedeno, Jason Isringhausen, Tim Byrdak (twice) or Jon Rauch for less money overall than one season of Francisco Rodriguez to fill out the roster short-term.

# 6 Getting out of the K-Rod contract

While this move mainly helped the Wilpons´ keep a grip on their franchise and thus may not have been positive in a bigger picture from a fan perspective, but this was a tremendous move. He found the loophole in the contract and struck, before Scott Boras found it. He got two fringe prospects in return who may never have an impact. But the move saved 17.5 million $ in 2012 – and may well have saved his owners the franchise. As unfortunate as it may be. But from a financial restructuring aspect, it was a sound move.

# 7 Slowing down the pace of development

Besides procuring quality young talent via trades and in the draft, the current FO has implemented a player development program that pretty much gets everyone on the same page. Prospects aren’t moved as aggressively as they used to be (look at how that worked for Mike Pelfrey, Lastings Milledge, Carlos Gomez, Fernando Martinez, Jenrry Mejia, etc. in the past). Instead, they move up more gradually and get to build confidence while playing at a level appropriate for their stage of development. It makes them readier to succeed at higher levels than being rushed due to supposed needs at the major league level or to “challenge them” and “prepare them” for the pressure in New York as Bernazard & Co. liked to do. Matt Harvey probably would have been in NY by late 2011 under the old administration. By spending an extra two thirds of a season at AAA, he was a lot better prepared than, say, Mike Pelfrey 5 years before him.

# 8 Implementing an organizational approach in player development

Besides, slowing down the pace, the Mets now have an organization wide philosophy regarding prospects. Whether it´s the way pitchers are handled, i.e. how many changeups a SP has to throw per game, how the strikezone is attacked, how many days of rest between appearances, how many pitches per game or max per IP. Question: How many serious injuries did Mets minor league SP endure in 2012 ? Pretty much zero, so something must be done right here. It´s also part of the reason why the depth in young pitching is so improved. If you keep your arms healthier and more successful, the attrition rate will be a lot lower. Similar things are done offensively, where even very raw talents have gradually improved their batting eye and stopped swinging at everything.

# 9 Extending David Wright

Look at the upcoming free agent markets. There aren’t any impact hitters available, especially not right-handed ones any time soon. Wright not only is the best bet for an .850+ OPS on the 2013 Mets – but also on the 2015 or 2016 Mets in all likelihood. Usually, third basemen age a lot better than up the middle players. Take a look at Adrian Beltre and Aramis Ramirez who were right with Wright atop the 2012 leaderboards at ages 33 and 34 respectively. Michael Young and Scott Rolen started fading at age 35/36. Chipper Jones even remained productive until he was 40. Rarely do you see a third baseman fall off a cliff in his early 30s. So, if you want to give a “2nd generation longterm contract”, it´s safer for a third baseman (or first baseman for that matter where the same thing applies). That Wright is a fan favorite (at least among the casual fans who don´t blame him for a lack of world peace or a lack of carrying the team on his shoulders for entire seasons), certainly doesn’t hurt. Wright will be the first homegrown star in franchise history who will begin and end his career with the Mets. Unlike Tom Seaver, Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry or Jose Reyes.

# 10 Knowing when it´s your time

Which it certainly wasn’t in 2011 or 2012. Instead of craving to public pressure to try to add to an ill-fated run like in 2004 (with the Kris Benson & Victor Zambrano trades), Alderson realized that his team played over its head in the first halves of 2011 and 2012 and didn’t waste young talent on short-term upgrades in trades in July. In 2011, Jose Reyes had an MVP 1st half while Carlos Beltran and Daniel Murphy also played surprisingly well. However, the 2011 Mets – like the 2010 and 2009 Mets before them – had very little depth due to a minor league talent pipeline having run dry. So, once injuries struck (most of all to Reyes, Wright, Ike Davis and later on Murphy), it was clear that this team wasn’t going to win 90 games and reach the playoffs. Even while keeping Beltran and K-Rod and trading Matt Harvey and Jeurys Familia for a top pitcher. Instead he dumped K-Rod and traded Beltran – for the longterm well-being of the franchise. Likewise in 2012, RA Dickey, David Wright and Johan Santana essentially carried the Mets on their backs for almost three months. When Santana began to fade, Gee getting hurt around the same time, with Pelfrey already out and Miguel Batista and Jeremy Hefner suddenly joining Chris Young in the rotation, it became obvious that this wasn’t going to last either. Again, instead of throwing away prospects, Alderson stood pat. Rightfully so.

And to be complete, here are the 5 worst moves:

# 1 Letting Jose Reyes go for little

Now, maybe there are things we don´t know – like when did the 2012 budget change, what effects did the Picard case have, etc. in the 2nd half of 2011. Still, letting Jose Reyes leave as a free agent wasn’t only bad from a PR standpoint but also not using resources in a good way. Sure, Kevin Plawecki and Matt Reynolds may end up as solid players. Still, looking at the Beltran haul, trading Reyes would have been the right move, assuming Alderson knew he wasn’t going to make him a market value offer.

# 2 The Pagan for Torres & Ramirez trade

It made sense when it happened – considering Pagan was even discussed as a non-tender and was coming off a lackluster season, getting two players for the price of one. However, Torres looked like a 34-year-old and Ramirez´ mediocre peripherals finally caught up to him. Pagan would have left anyway after the 2012 season as a free agent, so the longterm impact is minuscule. Still, this is a bad trade looking back.

# 3 Wasting money on mediocre relievers

D.J. Carrasco, Frank Francisco and to a lesser degree Jon Rauch were signed to at least meaningful contracts, considering the Mets shoestring budgets. Now, Carrasco´s & FF´s collapses weren’t foreseeable, but that money could have been spent better elsewhere. Now, of course, the best bullpens are usually built from within – and the Mets didn’t have many choices there in 2011 and 2012. This will fortunately change soon with a plethora of young pitching climbing up the ladder and several of these arms likely to be bullpen bound. Still, these signings didn’t get anyone excited when they happened – and rightfully so.

# 4 Insulting Mets fans´ intelligence

It´s pretty obvious that the Mets have been ”rebuilding” for the last couple of years, maybe even since 2010, Minaya´s final season. While I´m happy with trying to compete while rebuilding and don´t believe in total tear-downs, just stating the obvious instead of talking around it and claiming that “our focus is totally on 2012″ in late August of 2012 with the Mets totally out of contention is bogus and an insult to the intelligence of Mets fans. Maybe a lot more fans would be on board with this rebuilding if the plan was stated a bit more openly.

# 5 A lack of creativity on the waiver wire

Sure, Hefner and Baxter have been helpful and I also like Greg Burke´s profile as a submariner who dominated in the upper-minors in 2012. However, the front office has been rather passive in terms of working the waver wire and making small trades. The Marte for Cowgill trade is a nice step into that direction, trading from superfluous depth ( a fringe 1B/3B prospect blocked by Wright and Ike at the major league level and not as promising as his age peers Flores and Rodriguez in the minors) to get a scrappy right-handed platoon outfielder who should get 200+ PA in 2013. However, I would have expected a bit more action & creativity instead of just assessing your own talent. Heck, in over 24 months on the job, the Mets have made a total of merely 7 trades if I am not mistaken – two of them over the last week. And that´s even including Chin-Lung Hu for Mike Antonini.

Nice job here, DrDooby… If it’s one things I’ve always prided myself on about MMO, it’s some of the amazing comments left by those in the MMO Community. Now, with anywhere around 500 or more comments daily on any given day, our threads make for some great reading in addition to our unique and original posts. I want to thank everyone from the writers to the readers for giving MMO a dynamic so rich in diversity and one that fairly represents the Mets fanbase as a whole. It’s pretty difficult to match that anywhere else. Happy Holidays to all! – Joe D.

As all Mets fan recall, it didn’t go so well and after 9/11 the Mets could not finish the comeback. I was at the Piazza home run game against Atlanta and I recall being so happy that I was sure they would go on to win the World Series. It never happened. As the Piazza era came to a close with no ring, I felt as though my favorite team was never going to win anything to have a parade over.

That feeling began to change as the 2005 offseason took shape. First Paul Lo Duca then Carlos Delgado. The Mets were well on their way with a mix of youth and veterans. That offseason I purchased a Jose Reyes authentic jersey. He was my favorite player and I spent my work bonus to buy the $200 jersey.

Every year since 1997 my family and I would go to opening day and get together – we were a group of 20 or more! We watched as the Mets spent 2006 beating up everyone and giving Mets fans the kind of run we had been waiting for since 2000. I laid motionless for more than 20 minutes as I watched the Cardinals celebrate on our field that October. (Side Bar: We should have bunted instead of sending Floyd to the plate).

The pain subsided and the Mets came out the gate on fire in 2007. It was such an amazing run until late September. We couldn’t close the deal again, and I can still remember Tom Glavine saying, “I’m not devastated.” Or whatever his exact quote was. I swore on that day, “I will never spend another dollar on an athlete.” I was so angry and he seemed to just get on with his life.

Despite the disappointment, my family and I returned to say goodbye to Shea on opening day in 2008. 2008 was our chance to wipe the slate clean and fix everything. We traded for Johan and we still had a great core. We had rooted so hard for them to take it to the National League. It was setup for another magical run until once again, we were mistaken as the Mets collapsed again. How could this happen again? How could our guys not have it in them to win one more game? To make matters worse, the Phillies won the title. Our group has not returned since.

We all know what it’s been like around here since 2008. No one needs a reminder so I will spare everyone. The point is, I want to come back. I want to be a Mets fan again. I want them to be relevant again. I have given the Mets everything since I was 5 years old and I want to keep going.

My wife asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I asked for a 4 pack of Mets tickets and a David Wright Authentic jersey to replace my Reyes jersey. I want the purchase to symbolize my renewed dedication to the the future of the Mets. It does not need to be this year. Or next. But I need it to become respectable. This is my commitment to Fred, Jeff and Sandy. I am also renewing our family tradition this year to exercise the demons of the last 5 years. Please dont fool me again. Please lead this team to prosperity again.

If not, I won’t be able to stay a Mets fan. It saddens me to say this. But the reality is, I am giving the Mets one more chance over these next few years to return my loyalty. You gave my Reyes jersey one good year and plenty of years filled with disappointment. All that I am asking is to give my Wright jersey more than just one good season. I am dedicated to you, show me the same this offseason and next.

Sincerely,

A Lifelong Mets Fan

This Fan Shot was contributed by MMO reader, Peter. Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 12 thousand Mets fans who read this site daily. Send your Fan Shot to GetMetsmerized@aol.com. Or ask us about becoming a regular contributor.

For the first six years of his baseball career, Jason Bay was one of the game’s up-and-coming stars. He toiled in relative obscurity, first with the San Diego Padres and then with the Pittsburgh Pirates, where his tenacious, hard-slugging style of play caught the attention of baseball fans everywhere.

After a two-season stretch with the Boston Red Sox, Bay reached the pinnacle of his career. He was able to test the free-agent market for the first time. Suitors lined up around the block. Bay knew his career would take him someplace special. It did, as Bay signed a lucrative four-year contract worth $66 million with the New York Mets before the 2010 season started.

How the Mets wish they could have that time back. From the minute Bay set foot in the Big Apple, he felt pressure to produce with that fat contract hanging from his neck like an albatross. It made for some uncomfortable times as frustrated Mets fans quickly realized they had been sold a bill of goods. This month, Bay and the Mets came to the same conclusion. He had underproduced, and the Mets wanted him out of town.

Bay will be paid the full $21 million he is owed on the contract, and the $15 million that is deferred money will come to him before the end of 2015. He certainly doesn’t leave New York a pauper. One of the nice things (for the players, anyway) about guaranteed contracts in Major League Baseball is that teams often have to pay every cent themselves, unless other teams agree to pick up salary in a trade. With the termination agreement, Bay becomes an immediate free agent and can test the market again, presumably with a smaller, incentive-loaded deal coming to mind.

So where did it go horribly wrong for Bay? His loss means fans can go to a Mets game and figure out Where to Park in NYC without worrying about watching an overpriced slugger throw away $21 million. Heck, Mets fans say, the Yankees do that with Alex Rodriguez in one year!

In Bay’s defense the bat that produced back-to-back 30-homer seasons with Pittsburgh in 2005 and 2006, plus another pair of 30-homer seasons in 2008 with Pittsburgh and the Boston Red Sox in 2009, may have been compromised by his hard, gritty style of play.

A concussion in 2010 limited Bay to 95 games, and rib injuries each of the past two seasons hampered Bay’s ability to swing the ball. He hit 26 home runs over his three seasons in New York, with his best campaign in 2011 when he hit 12 home runs and drove in 57. Citi Field is not a strong home-run hitting park either, and Citi’s dimensions were changed following the 2011 season to reflect that.

His past history will get Bay some free-agent looks. The consensus is this market is not really good and teams always can use help when it comes to power bats. Boston has been mentioned as a destination for Bay once again, especially with the mass housecleaning the Red Sox had this summer and fall. Because his price is likely to fall big time, smaller-spending teams like the Cleveland Indians are on his list. Supposedly, Bay loved playing under former Red Sox manager Terry Francona, who is now in Cleveland.

Jason Bay may not get another $66 million deal anytime soon, but a solid season could parlay into a better deal down the road. For now, the book closes on the Mets and an uncertain future lies ahead.

This Fan Shot was contributed by Rebecca. Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 12 thousand Mets fans who read this site daily. Send your Fan Shot to GetMetsmerized@aol.com. Or ask us about becoming a regular contributor.

I don’t remember much about the summer of 2004. I vaguely remember turning 21 that June, taking an ill-advised trip to Atlantic City, and realizing that all casinos are not created equal. (Apparently you have to win twice at the Taj Majal, once at the table, and once again in the parking garage, successfully making it to your car without getting stabbed).

AC trips aside, I spent the majority of my summer life-guarding at a small apartment complex in Jersey. If that sounds boring to you, it’s because it was. Wake up at noon, open pool at one. Rescue children whose parents were too irresponsible to watch them. Unsuccessfully hit on mediocre chicks. Listen to Mike and the Mad Dog.

If my summer was a reality show, it would have been cancelled after the first episode.

Absolutely nothing of note happened over those three months. Nothing I can remember anyway. Except for one day. July 30. The day we traded Scott Kazmir.

A little after 4:00 P.M. a somber Eddie Coleman came on WFAN to announce that the Mets had acquired Kris Benson AND Victor Zambrano. Mad Dog, working alone that day, then asked, “So what’d the Mets give up Eddie?” “Well, they gave up a lot Chris.”Before going to work that morning I read a blurb in the Star Ledger about how the Mets were interested in Victor Zambrano. But that the deal was unlikely because Zambrano was complaining of elbow soreness and the Devil Rays were asking for Scott Kazmir. This made me laugh. The Devil Rays were known for making ridiculous trade offers. No way. Not happening.

For the first ten minutes I talked myself into the deal. I knew a little bit about Zambrano, that he had a good K/9, but control issues. I also knew Benson was a former number one pick, and at one time a top pitching prospect. So I tried to get excited about the trade(s). Then Chris took his first caller.

“Honestly Chris, what’s the point of being a Mets fan?”

That’s when it sunk in. Despair. Then anger.

Wait, did we really just trade the Mets’ top pitching prospect  for Victor Zambrano?

Here’s eight thoughts on the deal.

VALUE

Even if Scott Kazmir had blown out his arm, never pitched a day in the majors, and Zambrano won multiple CY Young awards, the trade still would have been a failure from a value standpoint. After the trade, Texas came out and said they would have considered trading Mark Teixeira in a Kazmir package. The Phillies mentioned that they would have parted with their slugging minor league first basemen, Ryan Howard, who was blocked behind Jim Thome at the time. Even if the reports were just heresay, there’s no denying the fact that on the day of the trade, July 30, 2004, Scott Kazmir was the top pitching prospect in baseball. A highly regarded, 20 year old lefty, with a high 90’s fastball and plus slider. He certainly could have brought back a lot more than a pitcher who was best known for leading the AL in walks, wild pitches, and hit batsmen. If Kazmir was worth a dollar, the Mets sold him for a nickel.

IMPULSE

When Texas came out and said they would have entertained trading Teixeira for Kazmir, there were two messages being sent. The previously mentioned point that Kazmir was worth a lot more than what the Mets got. And the second, and one that’s equally important, is that no one knew Kazmir was available. Which probably means that Kazmir wasn’t available, at least not until the Devil Rays asked for him. This is fine of course. The problem that occurs is, once the Mets internally decide that they are willing to trade him, they never stop and think, “Hey maybe we can get someone better than Victor Zambrano for Kazmir?” A month earlier, the front office viewed Kazmir as the teams future ace, and virtually untouchable. Then, after a better than expected record in July, they send him packing without even letting other teams know he was available? The trade reeks of an impulse buy. Like the time a 19 year old me spent two thousand dollars on a set of 18’ Lexani Rims, after putting a total of 15 minutes thought into the purchase.

Mom: “I thought you were saving that money to study abroad?”

Me: “Um……well…….Um……..Look how shiny they are!”

WHO’S IN CHARGE HERE?

Following the trade, rumors leaked that Jeff Wilpon, and not GM Jim Duquette, was in charge of roster decisions. Reports surfaced that Al Lieter hadn’t liked Kazmir, dating back to a spring training incident involving clubhouse music, and that Lieter and Tom Glavine were known to play golf with Jeff Wilpon. Were they an influence in trading Kazmir? And why was Rick Peterson, the teams pitching coach, allowed so much input regarding the trade? Did Peterson’s opinion trump Duquette’s? The question as to who was actually in charge became a big debate for the rest of the season. Only later would it be confirmed that the Mets had far too many voices making decisions about the roster. Or as Jim Duquette puts it in this 2006 New York Times article, “We had too many cooks in the kitchen, In that situation, if someone disagrees, he might not speak up. The loudest voices are the ones that get heard. It does become sort of like a mob mentality.”

INCOMPETENCE AND DISTRUST

Ever since the Kazmir trade there has been a distrust between fans and ownership. And rightfully so. Especially when you read articles like this. In the aftermath of the trade, a slew of rumors came out about the Mets and how they run their front office. Rumors the Mets denied. But as a fan, even the most optimistic, you couldn’t help but think that the people in charge of your favorite team were vastly incompetent. And to top it off, they were now lying about it. The whole thing came across like a bad corporate cover up. Even 8 years later, I still find myself doubting almost everything ownership says.

15 MINUTE RICK

Rick Peterson’s Met obituary is a short one. Six words to be exact. I’ll fix him in 15 minutes. When he retires from baseball, Peterson will be remembered for helping develop the big three of Mulder, Hudson, and Zito. Maybe people will also praise his many innovations in the study of pitching mechanics. But Met fans will most likely remember him for the influence he had in trading Kazmir for Zambrano. It’s not totally fair. The Mets could have said something like “Hey Rick, we’re gonna try to get Zambrano for you, but there’s no effing way we’re trading Kazmir for him.” Peterson never should have had the power to be so influential in the decision. But he was. And his arrogance, and subsequent failure to “fix” Zambrano, is what a lot of Mets fans will remember.

POOR VICTOR ZAMBRANO

I always felt kind of bad for Victor. It’s not like he was a free agent we gave big money to and didn’t perform (I’m looking at you, Jason Bay). I think he always knew who he was as a player. A fringe major league starter with control issues. It’s not like he told the Mets to make the deal. I can only imagine how the conversation went after the trade went through.

Rays Manager: Hey Vic, we just traded you to the Mets.

Zambrano: Oh… Did you get anything good back for me?

Rays Manager: Ha! Yeah we did… Scott Kazmir, only the best lefthanded pitching prospect in baseball! Don’t worry, no pressure Vic…

2007 COLLAPSE

Kazmir s big league career may have never lived up to the expectations we all had back in 2004. For one season however, it did. In 2007 he led the league in strikeouts and made the All-Star team. His final numbers: 206 IP, 3.48 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 239 K’s. Do the Mets collapse in 2007 if Kazmir is pitching every 5th day? It’s a fair question to ask.

PEDRO, CARLOS, AND OMAR

After the 2003 season, Omar Minaya was offered the GM job to share with Jim Duquette. They would be co-general managers and have equal power. Minaya declined the offer. After the embarrassment of the Kazmir trade and another losing season, Wilpon offered Minaya the full time gig in the fall of 2004. Telling Omar, “ We’ve become totally irrelevant” (Don’t worry Fred, we still are). The rest is Mets history. Omar convinces ownership that they must spend money to compete in the New York market. Taking almost the opposite approach of Jim Duquette and his “we won’t sign anyone to more than a 3 year contract” method that ended up costing us Vladimir Guerrero the previous offseason. The Mets went out and spent big on Pedro Martinez, Carlos Beltran, and traded for highly priced first basemen Carlos Delgado. If Kazmir comes up to Shea in 2004, does he create enough buzz that Fred sticks with Duquette another season? Do we not then sign Pedro and Beltran?

It’s been a little over eight years since the Kazmir trade, and in that time the sting has mostly worn off. Scott Kazmir never won a Cy Young or a World Series. He never became Nolan Ryan or Dwight Gooden. Time, will undoubtedly diminish the significance of the trade. The incompetence of it eventually fading away behind the Mets’ more recent incompetence. In 20 years when a young fan reads about it, he will see only the career stats of both pitchers. Never truly knowing what a colossal blunder the trade was at the time. Even now, I still wonder how Tampa was able to pry Kazmir from the Mets? How could they have ripped us off so badly? It’s as if Jeff Wilpon stumbled into the wrong casino, and there in the parking deck were the Devil Rays, holding a knife, asking for his blue chip.

This Fan Shot was submitted by MMO reader, Noah Rainwater. Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 12 thousand Mets fans who read this site daily. Send your Fan Shot to GetMetsmerized@aol.com. Or ask about being a regular contributor, and share your opinions with an engaging community that loves to debate

I got to work about a half hour early this morning like I always do so I can have some coffee and catch up on my Mets. Like I usually do, I went to my favorites bar on Chrome and clicked on MMO. I was treated to a few touching posts about September 11th. None of the articles had anything to do with wearing hats. They were about the memories of that tragic day, the feelings they still stir up eleven years later, the servicemen and servicewomen who still put their lives on the line, and they were about the American ideal. I was very moved.

I then began hitting my other favorite haunts where I was greeted with all this false outrage about the Mets not wearing the first responder hats during the game. (They are wearing them in the pre-game ceremonies and during batting practice.)

You know the argument, it’s been going on for years.

The complaints are always the same and so are the ignorant comments that the Mets players don’t care, the Mets front office don’t care, Major League Baseball don’t care, etc. I’m so sick of hearing this every year.

The Mets players do care. The Mets executives do care. Major League Baseball does care. How dare you call them out simply because they don’t succumb to your warped view that wearing the hats is the only way baseball players can show they care and honor all the victims.

Let me ask all these pompous Mets bloggers and Mets beat writers what they’ve done today to honor the first responders who died, as well as the families of all those who perished?

What did you do for them today?

Did you close down your sites in memoriam?

Did you make a large donation to the WTC Memorial?

Did you visit your local fire house and greet them with a large gift basket of fruits and delicacies?

What did you do for the first responders other than call out your own team who spent most of this past week visiting fire houses  police precincts, schools and charity events?

I started this day by coming to Metmerized and reading a few touching posts that made me feel proud to be a Mets fan. But by the time lunch hour rolled around, I was disgusted and disappointed by the outpouring of false outrage from some of the other sites I’ve gone to regarding these first responder hats.

This is very sad, to say the least.

On Sunday me and my family visited the WTC 9/11 Memorial for the first time. It was breathtaking. It was beautiful. It was sad.

Today is the Anniversary of the worst day in our county’s history.

Don’t use that tragedy as your impetus for getting on your soapbox and calling our players, coaches and baseball in general unpatriotic.

If this is was your way of honoring this day, your effort was less than zero.

This Fan Shot was submitted by MMO reader, Devin. Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 12 thousand Mets fans who read this site daily. Send your Fan Shot to GetMetsmerized@aol.com. Or ask about being a regular contributor, and share your opinions with an engaging community that loves to debate

We have all heard the phrase good things come to those that wait, but the phrase really only works if you seem to have a plan for the future that you intend to wait for.

Patience works if you have a plan. But I see no plan at work with this organization.

Many have tried to tell me the plan was to rebuild the “AWFUL” minor league system. But that plan was usurped the second we failed to sign half the guys we selected in the draft. If half a draft class was not good enough to try and push the guys we had then the only thing you could take from that is that the guys we had are pretty damn good because half a draft class wasn’t worth replacing the ones that existed.

In two years the only addition of any significance has been pitching prospect Zack Wheeler, and that cost us a player who is among the top five in the National League in a dozen different categories and having an MVP-caliber season. He would have cost us only $13 million to bring back which leads to the next excuse people run to…

Others have said that the plan was to “get the budget in order”. Well, we did cut $55 million from the budget and yet “we are still too poor” is the mantra.

Lets assume we could make Bay’s contract disappear. Will we be able to afford the team then? Just Barely? Can we buy anything with that $16MM? Well if the folks who think we are broke are actually right, then the answer is NO. We just don’t spend that money and we move on with no more than a $75 million dollar payroll for next season. Is that something worth waiting for and looking forward to?

Patience is a gift that is freely given to someone provided that they have showed us they have a plan, and that the plan is sound, and that there is a some sort of reward at the end of the rainbow to reward our patience.

But I see no plan. I see no rainbow. Hell I don’t even see a light at the end of the tunnel. We’re in a dark cave and we are walking deeper and deeper into it with no exit in sight.

If the plan was to rebuild then there would be some evidence of it by signing most of our draft selections and including paying slot price for our second rounder who was unsigned over a difference on $60 thousand dollars.
To the folks who said the farm is still in shambles, apparently in the last two years we could have replaced the bottom 34 players with 34 new players that we drafted, but opted not to sign them. The only assumption was that none of them were seen as upgrades to what we had already. By the way, the unsigned players by the Mets in this year’s draft was the most among all 30 MLB teams.

Also if we were really building for the future, the few Free Agent signings we HAVE SIGNED, would not be one year or two year deals for players from the scrap heap and still hanging around in January due to a lack of interest from other teams. Rebuilding teams would have targeted players and signed contracts that would solve a position of need for a much longer time period to provide a stability until the kids are ready. Then you could trade them for even more kids to keep the minor league train a rollin’.

If the plan was to get the budget in order, well then why did they announce the end of the season two July’s in a row?

The best way to solve budgetary problems is to MAKE more money not save more money. We saved money this year and yet we are still reportedly $23 million in the red this season instead of $70 million. The difference? The $55 million in payroll that Alderson has shed since he took over the reins. Looks like he still has some slashing to do.

There is no plan and it’s easy to see… Look no further than the moves that have been made just this year alone. We did well in the draft the optimists say, just not good enough to keep half the players we selected.

We are Buyers was the message from April through July, and of course the Mets collapsed right on cue in the days leading up to the 31st. Of course they did, after all they lost their ace, their closer, and their number four starter with none of those casualties being addressed. Well that’s not totally accurate, they did initially replace Santana and Gee with Miguel Batista and Chris Schwinden until they were each designated for assignment two weeks later.

I’m sorry, but what we’ve witnessed this season is not a plan and there is no underlying logic here to make our patience pay off. All they are doing is reacting to events as they occur… Sometimes. There’s nothing proactive going on here right now.

There is no plan, unless you consider waiting for a miracle to rain down upon us as a plan. Waiting is neither a plan nor a strategy.

This Fan Shot was submitted by MMO reader, Metsie. Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 12 thousand Mets fans who read this site daily. Send your Fan Shot to GetMetsmerized@aol.com. Or ask about being a regular contributor, and share your opinions with an engaging community that loves to debate