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Posted by Andrew V. -- TheRopolitans.com at 04:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Make sure you tune into SNY today at 1 p.m. as Johan Santana will make his Grapefruit League debut against the St. Louis Cardinals.

“It will be fun for everybody,” Santana said Thursday at the Mets’ spring training facility. “I’m just going to concentrate on what I’m doing on the mound. That’s what I’m supposed to do.”

Also scheduled to pitch in the game is Aaron Heilman and closer Billy Wagner.  Adam Wainwright is to start for the Cardinals.

Today's game is the first of 16 televised preseason games on SNY. 

Below is the Mets spring training schedule with game times and tv network.

Posted by Tommy V at 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Mets got rocked today by the St. Louis Cardinals to the tune of 7-0 in Jupiter, FL.

John Maine did not last a full two innings, was roughed up for 4 hits and 3 runs in 1 2/3 of an inning. Maine set down the side 1-2-3 in the first inning, but struggled in the second allowing a run to score on a wild pitch and two run scoring singles with two outs.

Maine did this a lot last year, and it's something to keep your eye on. He breezes through the first two outs of the inning and then struggles to close out the inning and pick up that elusive third out.

Scott Schoeneweis came in to relieve Maine, and did not allow a hit in his 1 1/3 inning of work.
Juan Padilla also added a scoreless inning of work in the 4th.

Nice to see Padilla put in a good inning, let's see how he pitches throughout spring training as he's on the comeback trail.

Ruddy Lugo came on for the 5th inning, allowing two run scoring singles while striking out one.
Joe Smith struggled though the 6th inning, letting 2 runs cross the plate on 2 hits and a wild pitch. Both Lugo and Smith stranded two runners on base when they closed out the inning.

These two are battling for the bullpen spot, but I don't think they're going to make the team out of ST. AAA or even AA will be in their near future, I believe.

Steven Register and Nate Field closed out the game, with both pitchers allowing a hit a piece, but not allowing any other damage.

I'm really pulling for Register to make the team right out of spring training, otherwise he heads back to Colorado and the Mets owe $50 grand.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Mets struggled mightily.

Jose Reyes picked up one of only 4 hits, leading off the game with a single.
Ryan Church added another single in the second on a swinging bunt to third base.
Fernando Martinez led off the 4th inning with a single before being forced out at second to end the inning.
Marlon Anderson picked up the only other hit for the Mets, a single of course, which came in the 6th inning.

Yes, it's early, but picking up only 4 hits against a myriad of pitchers who may or may not ever see the Major League level is pretty sad. Nice to see F-Mart pick up a hit, I guess.

Recap via TheRopolitans.com 

Posted by Andrew V. -- TheRopolitans.com at 04:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Good morning Mets fans! I hope everyone is having a great Thursday. I can’t speak for everyone, but the sights and sounds of spring have given me my second wind, and I can’t wait for the season to start.

Here are a few thoughts I have been having…

Recently, our former “untouchable” prospect Lastings Milledge had some very unkind words to say about his former club. Here is a sample: "I can't go through anything worse than I went through in New York. It only gets better from here," Milledge told SI.com. "A lot of veterans (on the Mets) didn't like the way I play the game. They thought I didn't respect it."

I really liked Lastings, and had high hopes for him in NY, but he made his own bed. I don’t think he would have received as much scrutiny if he were an established vet, rather than a rookie coming in and acting crazy. I thought high fiving the fans was actually cool. ”Oh wow! A player interacting with fans! No way!”

He could have toned it down a bit, if only out of respect for “the pecking order” that I am certain every player in the major leagues is aware exists. Anyway, I wish him luck in D.C.; it’s hard to high five a crowd that isn’t there so he will be ok. (Ouch)

Meanwhile, in the halls of justice, things keep getting worse for our good friend Roidger Clemens. Congress has just sent a referral to the Justice Department to examine whether or not he committed perjury. If anyone can find the truth, they will, and it has become blatantly clear that no one is going to jail to protect Roidger like Greg Anderson did for Bonds. The evidence will continue to mount, he will continue to assert his innocence and in the end throwing his agents, friends and wife under the bus will have all been for naught. His only brightside is a possible presidential pardon from another fellow Texan on his way out.

I believe it was one of my colleagues here on MetsMerized that suggested the Mets signing the troubled Scott Spezio. I don’t know, his weird little beard thing creeps me out in red…imagine it blue or orange. Yuck!

One more day till Johan makes his debut this spring! Let’s go Mets!

Posted by Adam Baker at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Former Mets outfielder, and now Washington Nationals outfielder Lastings Milledge had some harsh words for the Mets this week.  The talented, yet controversial Milledge seems to know how to create controversy wherever he may be.

"I can't go through anything worse than I went through in New York.  It only gets better from here," Milledge told SI.com. "A lot of veterans (on the Mets) didn't like the way I play the game. They thought I didn't respect it."

The fact of the matter is, trading Milledge became a priority to the Mets this offseason, simply because of the type of person that he is.  Whether it was the showboating after a meaningless homer, the rap album, or arriving late to games last season, Milledge is a problem that the 2008 Mets have no need for. 

It was never about what the Mets could get for Milledge, it was about getting him and his immaturity off the team, which they did.  So, I say, goodbye and good riddance Milledge!

Source - NY Daily News

Posted by Tommy V at 10:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

The Mets fell to the Tigers today with a score of 4-2. Mike Pelfrey pitched two scoreless innings followed by Matt Wise, Brian Stokes, Pedro Feliciano and Jorge Sosa who kept the scoreless streak going. However, Willie Collazo gave up all 4 runs.

Ramon Castro brought Angel Pagan home on a sacrifice fly and Michael Abreu scored on a triple by Anderson Machado.

Tomorrow the Mets travel to Jupiter to play the Cardinals. John Maine is scheduled to start and Duaner Sanchez will make an appearance.

Mets.com

Posted by Kelly Horn at 05:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

The Mets walked away from an exhibition game against the University of Michigan today with a 4-4 tie. A homerun by Michel Abreu, that was initially ruled a double, saved the Mets from an embarassing loss, to say the least.

You can read an interesting article with quick hits from the game here:

New York Post - Mets open with a tie

Posted by Kelly Horn at 04:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

I can't believe it.  The first televised Spring Training game is only 4 days away.  SNY will be televising from Tradition Field in Port St. Lucie at 1pm this coming Friday as the Mets take on the Cardinals..  And what a coincidence that Johann Santana will be making that start.  I am anxious to see him, and the rest of our team in a live game for the first time since the fall of '07. 

So what's cookin' down south?  Duaner Sanchez made his first throws to live batters today in an intrasquad game.  The Mets vs. the Mets.  He went one innning, giving up 2 hits, no earned runs, 1K, 1 BB, and threw 26 pitches.  The best part is that he threw all of his pitches and rumor has it that his change up was outstanding. 

El Duque may not be ready for the first month of the season.  But even if he isn't, with all the off days early on, the Mets may choose to go with a four-man rotation to start the season.  Or if they prefer, they can use Pelfrey as the fifth starter until El Duque is ready.

The confidence level of this team is, well, motivating. Everyone knows what they have to do and how to do it.  This team knows that the fans still believe in them, but even still, they know they cannot let us or themselves down again.  We expect nothing less than going all the way.

An SNY poll during Mets Hot Stove Live tonight asked the fans how many games they expect the Mets to win this year.  Fifty-four percent of the viewers said 96+ games.  Forty percent said between 91 and 95 games.  Want my opinion?  Well, I'm gonna give it to you anyway.  If everyone stays healthy and performs at their best abilities, Carlos Beltran (NOT Jimmy Rollins) will be absolutely right with his pick for the team to beat.

Posted by MetsWrighter at 09:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Johan Santana confuses Carlos Beltran with Phillies SS Jimmy Rollins and accidentally beans him during a BP pitch on Sunday.

"Beltran said he would be fine, but the bruise was pretty nasty, and you could see the stitch-marks from the baseball in black-and-blue."

The funny thing is that Beltran, like many of the veterans, always request to face a more established pitcher with good control for these sessions. Or at least manager Willie Randolph thought it was funny as he relayed the story.

"I walked up to him afterward and told him, be careful what you wish for," Randolph said. "The guy with probably the best control nicked him."

I don't think you need to take anything away from this but I just thought it was interesting enough to put up. If this happens again in early April then we might have something to worry about.

Newsday

Posted by Dave Ponte at 08:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

20-game winners seem to be something of the past in baseball; sort of a dying breed, like 300 career victories, sub 3.00 ERA’s or complete games. The game has changed from what it used to be, that’s for sure. But has it changed so much that good pitching no longer stops good hitting? 

A team can’t usually rely on pitching alone to win, nor can it rely on offense or defense alone. It needs all parts to work together. However, given what I’ve seen in the free agent market the last few years, good pitching is in high demand. Most general managers realize that to build a winning team, you build it around your ace.

Why then, with pitching at such a high premium, are there less and less 20 game winners? You’d think that with all the effort and money put into finding an ace nowadays, there would be more.

For one, the steroids era has obliterated miniscule ERA’s, making it harder for a pitcher to pick up the win (remember Dwight Gooden and his 1.53 ERA in 1985? I don’t know if we’ll ever see that again!) Also, the new ballparks are built for hitters, increasing home runs and decreasing wins. And with the ever increasing use of the bullpen, the pitchers fate is no longer in their own hands late in the game.

The Mets haven’t had a 20 game winner since 1990, when Frank Viola went 20-12 with a 2.67 ERA. But could that change this year? We’ve definitely got about as good a shot as any team out there to have a 20 game winner on our roster. The offense would have to have a strong year to back up the pitchers, and the bullpen would have to improve to it’s 2006 form, but it is possible.

If Oliver Perez could work on control and consistency, he could easily add 5 games to his 2007 total and be a 20 game winner. (There had to be at least 5 games Mota blew for him last year!) If John Maine could go 200+ innings and cut down on the walks, he could also see an increase in wins. Johan Santana goes without saying. And there’s always the hope of a Pedro Martinez comeback!  

All in all, I’d say that the Mets have a strong rotation going into the year, with a real chance to have a 20 game winner if the offense and bullpen can pull together. It’s become such a rare feat these days, but I have faith in these guys to make it happen!

Posted by MetsGal at 05:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

According to Mets.com, lefty Oliver Perez won his salary arbitration case against the New York Mets on Friday, and will be paid $6.5 million for the 2008 season. 

Perez, who made $2,425,000 last season, turned down the Mets offer of $4,725,000 thus sending him to arbitration and becoming the first Mets player in arbitration since David Cone in 1992.

Below is a list of all the Mets arbitration cases over the years:

Posted by Tommy V at 02:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

As of today barring injury or trade there are 23 spots set in stone for opening day. These 23 include the following…

Pitchers (11)

Johan Santana

Pedro Martinez

Oliver Perez

John Maine

Orlando Hernandez

Billy Wagner

Aaron Heilman

Matt Wise

Jorge Sosa

Pedro Feliciano

Scott Schoenewies

Position players (12)

Brian Schneider

Carlos Delgado

Luis Castillo

Jose Reyes

David Wright

Moises Alou

Carlos Beltran

Ryan Church

Ramon Castro

Damion Easley

Marlon Anderson

Endy Chavez

Who would you like to see fill the final 2 spots?

Do you go with 12 pitchers and 13 positions players leaving room for another pitcher and another bench player or do you go with 11 pitchers and 14 position players?

Posted by Christian (MetsMan) at 01:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (26)

Salutations fellow Mets fans! I trust you are all having a happy and healthy Thursday. For some reason, I feel like leaving my sensible self aside for a moment and just being a cocky Mets fan…one moment…

“Yeah baby! We got Johan Santana! That’s 20 wins and 250 strikeouts EASY! Put it all together with the best left side of the infield in the game, Beltran, rejuvenated Delgado and a healthy Pedro and the NL East is ours! Wooooooooo!!!

Ok, now I feel a little better. Fallout from Carlos Beltran’s comments has officially begun. Here is what the “MVP” had to say…

"Two things come to mind," he said. "One, there are four other teams in our division who are going to make sure that doesn't happen, and two, has anyone ever heard of plagiarism? That was pretty good, especially coming from him. He's a quiet guy, so it was probably shocking when he said it. Not shocking in a bad way, like 'Wow, I can't believe he said that.' More like, 'Wow, he finally said something because he's a leader on that team and you definitely need to be a vocal leader.'"

Just a quick observation, How exactly is that plagiarism to say that we are the team to beat? Did Jimmy copyright that? I know, he must have been original when he made that statement last season. Goodness knows no one else has said it before. In my opinion, Jimmy knows the Phillies backs are to the wall now. They had nothing to lose last year because everyone had the pressure on the Mets to win. I wonder how many Brad Lidge gopher balls are going to put Charlie Manuel on the hot seat? We all know it will happen sooner or later. Will Brett Myers have to move back to the pen because Lidge gets committed? Stay tuned…

Also, by saying there are four other teams that are going to make sure it doesn’t happen, was he referring to the Nats and Florida too? I hope he isn’t serious.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying there is no pressure on the Mets because there certainly is. I’m saying that while there is pressure, the Mets have that proverbial chip on their shoulder and are hungry to prove something. The Phillies had a great run last year, but I hope they enjoyed it. Soon things will be made right…

Posted by Adam Baker at 01:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

The New York Mets full squad will report to spring training camp on Wednesday, and thus will mark the beginning of what should be a year of excitement as well as redemption for the Mets.

With all the anticipation of Santana, Reyes, Wright, and Beltran, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at some of the guys who may not be as fortunate to call themselves Mets when the big league season opens in Florida on March 31.

One of the things I loved most about growing up in the 1980’s besides the Mets was the variety of different cartoons. Sandwiched in between school days and my nights watching Darryl and company were “GI Joe”,” M.A.S.K”, “Thundercats” and “He-Man”. As much as I loved each episode, I HATED the public service announcement(psa) at the end. I remember such gems as,”Don’t talk to strangers!”, “Buckle up!”, and “Stay away from strange animals!”

Surfing through YouTube led me to a few of them and I will include one for informational purposes here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tq6mYL19OqQ&feature=related

I got to thinking, what would I want to tell today's Mets to help them have a strong, healthy and competitive season? Here are a couple I had…

For Duaner Sanchez: “Remember to buckle up during late night cab rides or you might hurt your shoulder and compromise the stability of the bullpen yet again.”

For Moises Alou: “Sit still…sit VERY still. Dang it! You got hurt anyway!”

Any ideas for more? I’d love to hear em’!

Did anyone else watch the Andy Pettitte train wreck...I mean press conference yesterday? I’m not a Skankee fan, but I don’t understand why everyone is so intent on him actually saying that he cheated. He admitted he did it, he can rationalize all he wants by saying it was to heal faster. Sorry buddy, if you are getting an edge others aren’t then it IS cheating, whether you say it or not. His first clue should have been when he took something that was meant to help his sick dad. Or maybe when Brian McNamee injected him instead of a physician? I have been around doctors my whole life and have never met one who would inject you with whatever you brought into his office. The shadiness of it all should have clued him in.

At any rate, I wonder if all of this attention being focused on the Bronx helps the Mets. I’m glad the steroid and HGH circus isn’t coming to Queens…at least I hope not. I can’t wait for some games to start already! Once the boys report to camp I become insatiable! I need to see that #57 whiff some clueless rookies! Hope everyone is having a great Tuesday!

Posted by Adam Baker at 03:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

I normally don’t put too much stock into baseball predictions. They’re fun to make as a fan, but most of the time completely inaccurate. That’s the beauty of the game of baseball; there are unlimited things that can happen during the course of a day, a week, a month or a year that could change the outcome of a season.

There are a number of ways to mathematically “predict” how a team or a player will do in a season. Sabermetricians have most commonly used the Pythagorean formula or the PECOTA Algorithm to do so. Though nothing can replace the actual playing of the game, these mathematical calculations are pretty close to accurate, more often than not. They’re definitely more precise than my own predictions.

When The Mets were predicted to finish the 2007 season with a record of 87-75, I thought the sabermetricians had made an error. At the time, I couldn’t see the Mets finishing the season with less than 92 wins. Well, if it wasn’t for that September slide, I would have been right, but it turns out that the experts knew what they were doing. The Mets finished at 88-74. Pretty close.

This year, the Mets have been predicted to finish the 2008 season with a record of 96-66, by the web site www.baseballprospectus.com. And even better; the Braves are predicted to finish 2nd…10 games behind us (with the Phillies a distant 3rd at 12 back!)

There are many writers, sabermetricians, baseball analysts and fans who believe that the Mets are the best team in baseball (on paper, at least.) With the addition of Santana, the unlimited potential of young players like Wright, Reyes, Maine and Perez, and the haunting memory of last September to motivate them, the New York Mets might just have found something special again this year; something similar to the magic they had in 2006 (if everything comes together and clicks like I’m hoping it will.)

Carlos Beltran certainly thinks the Mets are the best team in the National League East. Now hopefully he’ll follow up his “team to beat” speech with an MVP season (just like Jimmy Rollins did last year,) and make the Mets into the best team in the game!

Posted by MetsGal at 11:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Carlos Beltran told reporters that he may sit out the first few exhibition games next month. He is still recovering from knee surgeries in the offseason. Make no mistake, he is in Florida taking batting practice and according to witnesses he is looking really great. He is just unable to turn bases and run at full strength but has every intention of being ready on Opening Day. And he better be ready after his announcement to Jimmy Rollins and the Phillies.

Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez decided to take it easy on Saturday while returning to the mound to practice. "I'm feeling OK," he said. "It was my first time on the mound and I didn't throw at 100 percent today." Reports say he left the mound after throwing only 35 pitches.

And last but not least, Billy Wagner spoke his mind once again, announcing that he may need less time on the mound this year. "There's no doubt, the older you get, the more you have to take care of yourself..." Wagner said. "...You have to be used in your element, in your role, and not abused."

I don't know guys. I think that Beltran and El Duque can get away with playing less until they fully recover, but Wagner is just bellyaching again. There's something about a healthy relief pitcher under the age of 40 complaining about being over-worked. And maybe he was last year, sure that's arguable, however its a new year lets get a new mindset.

Posted by Kelly Horn at 02:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Willie Randolph needs to win, plain and simple. If the Mets fail to make the playoffs this year, I have no doubt in my mind Willie will get the boot. At this point, just a playoff berth may not be enough to secure his job with the team beyond this year.

Yes, two years ago we went to Game 7 of the NLCS, but last year we had the collapse and failed to make the playoffs. This year we added Johan Santana, the best pitcher in the game right now, and picked up a defensive minded catcher in Brian Schneider and a solid starting left fielder with Ryan Church. We solidified the bullpen, and hopefully with Duaner Sanchez returning from injury, the bullpen won't let runs in like a sieve.

On paper, the Mets are a much better team this year. Having Luis Castillo around for the whole year, and most likely being a lot happier with his good friend Santana on the team as well, will be a huge help for the Mets on both sides of the ball. If Randolph cannot parlay all this talent of to a playoffs and beyond season, he is obviously not the man I thought he was. Don't get me wrong here, I'm one of Randolph's biggest fans (besides the absolute butchering of when and how to use the bullpen) and believe the calm demeanor and "everything is alright" outer shell are what a team needs at times. I hope that behind the scenes, he can let loose and scream when need be, because otherwise I doubt many players will listen.

The team needs to go far this season, and I, and many others, have high hopes. If the Mets falter once again, and disappoint the Shea faithful, someone should find the phone number for Bobby Valentine.

---

Bob Klapsich, on NorthJersey.com, provides us with a great article on the exact subject.

From Klapsich:

"But if the Mets wilt again in late September, Randolph can forget about the final year of his contract; he'll be history. Actually, he'll be in trouble if the Mets start slowly in April or May. Remember, there was a 24-hour window last October during which Omar Minaya was poised to fire Randolph. The general manager finally softened and recommended to ownership that Randolph be retained, but in doing so, Minaya put his own neck on the line, too."

For more Mets news, opinion and other minutae, check out: TheRopolitans.com

Posted by Andrew V. -- TheRopolitans.com at 12:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)

I know I don’t normally blog on Saturdays, but felt compelled to today. I’m sure many of you have read Carlos Beltrans’ comments upon arrival at Mets camp today. For those of you that haven’t, here’s a refresher…

"To Jimmy Rollins: We are the team to beat."

When I first read those words I was stunned. Was I on the right team website? Did Carlos get possessed by a body snatcher? He continued…

"Let me tell you this," Beltran said. "Without Santana, we felt, as a team, that we had a chance to win in our division. With him now, I have no doubt that we're going to win in our division.. I have no doubt in that. We've got what it takes."

Could it be that the $119 million dollar man is stepping into the role of vocal clubhouse leader? I know one thing, now he has no choice but to back those bold words up with results. In my opinion, I think this might be the spark that ignites the gas from the acquisition of Johan Santana. The Mets as an organization are on a bit of a roll…and it sounds like everyone is ready to go. That could spell trouble for very good, but little improved Phillie and Braves teams, along with the rest of the N.L.

Even Billy Wagner sounded like he wasn’t wearing a Phillies shirt underneath for once…

“It takes a special person to be able to do that," closer Billy Wagner said. "Now you have to lead. You have to stand there and take the punches in the bad games, and you have to be there to answer the questions and deal with it.."

In response to the threat of hazing from Phillies fans, Beltran had this to say…

"I don't care," Beltran said. "They boo me in Houston. One more city won't make a difference."

One thing is for sure, he can add New York to the list if he doesn’t back it up. However, I have a feeling we can expect good things from our star centerfielder…and dare I say it? Leader?

Posted by Adam Baker at 07:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (25)

Total # of offseason acquisitions per team

Washington Nationals – 33

Houston Astros – 25

Pittsburgh Pirates – 24

Oakland Athletics – 22

Florida Marlins – 21

Baltimore Orioles – 20

New York Mets – 19

Minnesota Twins – 19

Los Angeles Dodgers – 19

San Diego Padres – 18

Philadelphia Phillies – 17

Cincinnati Reds – 16

St. Louis Cardinals – 15

Texas Rangers – 15

Atlanta Braves – 13

New York Yankees – 13

Tampa Bay Rays – 13

Chicago White Sox – 13

Colorado Rockies – 12

Chicago Cubs – 12

Toronto Blue Jays – 12

Milwaukee Brewers – 12

Kansas City Royals – 12

Seattle Mariners – 11

Detroit Tigers – 10

Boston Red Sox – 10

Arizona Diamondbacks – 9

Cleveland Indians – 8

San Francisco Giants – 7

Los Angeles Angels – 4

Spring Training Roster Information

22 teams have full 40 man rosters (Twins are currently over at 41)

5 teams are at 39

Tigers – 38

Mets – 37 (Mets have 62 players in camp)

Astros – 36

Most # of non roster invites – Washington Nationals (33)

Least # of non roster invites – Milwaukee Brewers (9)

Most players in camp – Washington Nationals (73)

Least # of players in camp – Milwaukee Brewers (49)

Posted by Christian (MetsMan) at 01:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

There have been many questions about where the Mets payroll currently stands. I've heard some reports its around 127 million, another saying its around 108 million, another claiming its 134 million and one having it as high as 154 Million.

Actually all of the above are correct. There are three ways that payroll is calculated.

1.      Each players listed salary in their contract regardless of whether portions are deferred or parts paid by other teams. Based on contractual salaries the Mets payroll is as follows.

2.      Payroll based on actual payments paid by the organization factoring in deferred payments and salaries paid by other teams. Here is the how the Mets stand.