Mets Merized Online

Seeing highlights of Nationals’ pitcher Stephen Strasburg from yesterday’s game against Detroit bummed me out just a little.  I love watching great pitchers do their thing, and it’s especially exciting to see young pitchers like Strasburg break into the bigs and blow hitters away.  But I’m just a bit bummed out, because he’s in the Mets’ division and will most likely be facing our team a lot over the next few years.  I’m bummed out because when I start to think about it, there are going to be three aces in the division that will be considered as good as or better than our ace, Johan Santana.

You’ve got Strasburg, who is projected to reach the big leagues as early as July of this coming season.  Then you have Florida’s Josh Johnson, the Met Killer.  And Philly, despite trading away Cliff Lee, replaced him with the perennial all-world Roy Halladay.  The Braves are the only NL East team without a so-called “ace” (or in Washington’s case, potential ace) at the top of their rotation.

Sure, the Nationals and their fans have earned the right to have the type of dominant pitcher that comes along a few times every decade.  Strasburg is being compared to a young Pedro Martinez, and that’s really saying something.  But Johan had another elbow surgery, he’s a year older, and the Mets’ rotation behind him has more question marks than ever.  So every time we see a guy like Strasburg or Johnson or Halladay join a rival team or get called up, it’s effectively and by association making the Mets a little worse.

I’m curious what you all think, so feel free to leave your thoughts and opinions on this matter below.

I’ve always been a Mets fan.  Well, since around 1970 or so…that’s as far back as I can remember.  So even though many of you have read my work on there the last six-eight months about how frustrated and annoyed I am with the way the team has played and the direction they have gone in with personnel, a new season is upon us and optimism reigns supreme.

Let’s face it, every baseball fan loves opening day, not just because it’s a prelude to summer, but because every team is on a level playing field in the standings and anything can happen.  Well, anything can happen within reason. As Mets fans, we’ve seen bad baseball over the years.  Remember when the team was so bad that they needed to fabricate a slogan, “The Magic is Back?”  It was laughable, but at one point that team (I think it was in 1980?) reeled off like 10 or 12 wins in a row, and the players started to believe that slogan even though they were woefully over-matched on the field.

The 2010 team is very much like the 2009 team, but hopefully without all the injuries.  Still, there are a few holes—most of the starting rotation, parts of the bullpen, second base, catcher and first base are question marks.  But really, if someone offered you Jason Bay, Jose Reyes, David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Johan Santana and K-Rod to start a team, you’d do that in a heartbeat, right?  We have to hope everyone stays healthy and plays to their potential–big ifs, but there could be big payoffs too.

Stranger things have surely happened, and I’m just glad spring is here and we’re talking real baseball again.  Now let’s do our best to strike some fear in the Phillies and the rest of the division.

I was ready to accept the fact that Omar Minaya made a really horrible decision when he re-signed Oliver Perez last year to a 3-year deal worth $36 million.  I was a Perez fan back in the 2006 playoffs, especially when he did a commendable job starting Game 7 of the NLCS.  Of course, since then Ollie has battled injuries and inconsistency, mostly the latter.  And he was really pretty bad last season, ultimately finishing 3-4 with a 6.82 ERA.

But inside Ollie there has always been a caged lion waiting to bust out of that cage.  The dude usually hovers around the 1 strikeout per inning mark, and even last season had 62 K’s in 66 innings.  His problem, along with those noted above, is the fact that he walks a small army.  Perez led the NL in 2008 with 105 walks, which is almost 5 per game.  You can’t do that and hope to have any consistency in the big leagues, period.

Well now that Ollie is past his knee injury and ready to face a new season with a clean slate, I ask you all: does Ollie have the potential to reach his potential this year?  Or is he going to be a consistent under-achiever?  Hey, remember Nolan Ryan was so wild that the Mets wound up trading him and then got burned and reminded of that for more than 20 years.  Ollie, of course, is more like a cross between Sid Fernandez and Steve Trachsel, but you have to believe Minaya is hoping and praying that Ollie will earn some of that scratch this year.

As for me, I am not holding out a ton of hope, but I feel like Ollie just might surprise us in 2010.  I’m not sure why, but maybe because I’ve seen him at his best, and I know he’s got it in him if he can control his own wild demons.  And if he’s actually decent, it will go a long way toward the Mets being a respectable club, or at least having a respectable rotation.

I knew I wanted to write something about the Mets’ starting rotation after reading an article in The Sporting News about the Mets being one of this off-season’s “losers,” citing the fact that they did not address the “gaping holes” in the starting pitching rotation.  Well, yeah, but we are likely going to go into the 2010 season with a starting staff of Johan Santana, John Maine, Mike Pelfrey, Ollie Perez and Fernando Nieve.  And unless one of us gets a call to replace Omar Minaya, there isn’t much we can do about it.

Which brings me to this next piece I just found in the New York Daily News from last week, as John Harper asked Mets’ ace Santana what he thought of the guys who will follow him in said rotation.  Talk about glass half full.  For kicks, let’s compare what Santana said in the article to what I would say.

OLIVER PEREZ

Johan S: I saw a different Ollie (at minicamp three weeks ago). He’s hungry. He still needs to be Ollie Perez, the guy who has fun, but seeing him very positive, very challenging now, I’m expecting a lot from him. His knee is healthy, too. People don’t know there were times last year he wasn’t even able to walk on it.

Mikey J: If Omar Minaya backed up a Brinks truck to the East River and shoveled out $36 million into the water, we would say he was crazy, right?  Giving that amount to Ollie P over three years was stupid, so apparently Minaya would rather be stupid than crazy.

MIKE PELFREY

Johan S: He’s got the stuff to be great. Man, if I had his stuff, oh, my God. That sinker that he throws at 95, it’s unbelievable. It’s a matter of consistency and being more mature, and I really believe he’s a more mature pitcher after feeling like he had to step in for me (late) last season.

Mikey J: Um, Big Pelf had a very average season, and he didn’t step into anything.  And dude just couldn’t stop licking himself.  No guy who wants to aspire to even be the temporary #1 pitcher gets the “yips” and balks three times in an inning.  Oh wait, there’s Rick Ankiel.  Anyway, if Johan really did have Pelfrey’s stuff, he would be saying “oh my God!” for real.

JOHN MAINE

Johan S: Being pain-free makes all the difference. That thing in his shoulder, he couldn’t pitch with it. He’s got the stuff and he’s got the mentality, and now he’s healthy again.

Mikey J: Hearing John Maine is “healthy again” is like hearing that Brett Favre is “ready to retire” from the NFL.  But Maine will give us a quality 75 to 150 innings before spending August and September on the DL again.

Thanks, Johan.  We are glad you are optimistic and look forward to you being one of the team’s few bright spots.  And we thank you for not wanting to go back to Minnesota just yet.

Any day now, pitchers and catchers will begin reporting to spring training all across Florida and Arizona.  In a few weeks, all teams, including our Mets, will begin their spring training games, and then less than two months from now, Johan Santana will likely be throwing the first live pitch for the Mets since last October.

Usually around this time of year, once the Super Bowl has been played and sports docket is less than fulfilling for most of us, I start to get that itch for baseball.  I can almost smell spring when having visions of baseball, either at the ballpark or on TV.  And it’s usually accented with the hope that my team, the Mets, are going to head into the season as contenders again, hoping for their first world championship since 1986.

But alas, I feel more than a twinge of apathy right now.  Omar Minaya has once again given us false hope, as he signed modest slugger Jason Bay but then made no other significant moves.  Well, unless you consider Kelvim Escobar, Henry Blanco and Gary Matthews, Jr. significant.  I’m sorry Omar, but with each marginal move, you are increasing my own margin of apathy.

That doesn’t mean I won’t root for the Mets.  After all, when fandom is in your blood, you can’t ever remove it.  But beyond the fact that this Mets team has as much chance to contend as the ’62 Mets, is the fact that I almost would rather not watch it all unfold.  Clearly there are better things I can find to do with my time, and the fact that I’m saying that and writing that really bums me out.

Would I feel differently had the Mets added the likes of Cliff Lee or Roy Halladay or Matt Holliday?  Probably yes, but even if they somehow added all three of those guys without magically depleting the farm system, there would still be holes, and that’s not good.  It’s not good for the Mets, their fans, or my apathy.

The Mets sent a press release out yesterday about the Dave Matthews Band shows just announced for Citi Field, on July 16 and 17.  Sure, this is significant for you DMB fans (tickets go on sale February 26), but the problem is, it also might be the most significant event at Citi Field this season.  Because by mid-July, it’s quite possible the Mets could be out of the playoff race.

It’s easy to be skeptical after the debacle of 2009, and I know many of you probably want to throw rocks at me for being so negative, but I just don’t see any real improvement beyond adding Jason Bay to the roster.  Gary Matthews, Jr.?  Henry Blanco?  Kelvim Escobar?  Um, okay.  And a guy the Mets have coveted, Ben Sheets, just signed with Oakland.

To make matters worse, I saw the complete MLB schedule that was printed in yesterday’s USA Today.  Aside from three games against Washington in early April, the rest of the first month of the season features games against potential contenders–including games against every 2009 playoff team: Los Angeles, St. Louis, Colorado and Philly.  Of course, interleague play does the Mets no favors when they have to face the World Champion Yankees twice, but they also drew Detroit and Minnesota this time around, the two teams who battled it out for the AL Central title last season.  And one more thing….the second half of September has the Mets facing Atlanta, Florida, Philly and Milwaukee.

Can we take a rain check on this season?  The Wilpons, Minayas and baseball gods sure are not making it easy on us, are they?  Well, at least we can go check out the Dave Matthews Band right after the all-star break.

I know there are rumors flying around like crazy about pending free agent signings, and that the Mets are interested in the likes of Ben Sheets, Joel Pineiro and John Smoltz.  And while any of those guys are capable of stepping in and being, at the very least, our #4 starter, we should be prepared for the worst.  And that “worst” is the depth chart in our starting rotation as it stands today—Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, John Maine, Oliver Perez, and either Jon Niese or Fernando Nieve.

All six of those guys have battled injury recently, and Maine is on the DL once or twice every season.  Santana is coming back from elbow surgery, Pelfrey had a very inconsistent season as his role on the team became more prominent, and Perez absolutely flamed out once he signed that huge 3-year deal.  He came back stronger later in the season, but the guy has clearly lost something, either physically or mentally.  Niese and Nieve showed promise but that’s about it.

So here we are less than a month away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Florida, and we have basically the same starting staff as in 2009, the one that was a big reason for one of the worst seasons in quite some time—and one that can be considered a disaster based on the fact that this team went into 2009 as a playoff contender.  And based on this team’s injury history of late, adding a re-tread or two wouldn’t give me that much more hope.

Sure, we may be pleasantly surprised, but we certainly need to be prepared for the alternative.

Mark McGwire’s admission that he used steroids is both a black eye and a small weight off Major League Baseball’s collective shoulder at the same time.  I mean, this wasn’t something we all didn’t know, but at the same time, it’s important for guys like Mac to come clean.  After thrilling us with the Great Home Run Chase of 1998, we were owed the truth.  I’m looking in your direction, Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds, because McGwire’s admission puts both of you next in line at the hot dog stand.

Naturally I don’t condone what those guys did, but in a small way I definitely appreciate McGwire admitting it and wanting to move on.  All of which reminded me of the 1987 season, and specifically when a young Mets pitcher named Dwight Gooden failed a drug test and shed light on what many of us suspected–that something had affected his performance in 1986.  He began that season 5-0 with a 1.04 ERA before the wheels began to fall off and he finished the campaign a more pedestrian 17-6 with a 2.84 ERA.  Gooden was even more pedestrian in the postseason, including Game 5 of the World Series when he was visibly sweating in frigid Boston, while giving up four runs on nine hits in four innings. I had gone to almost every home game Gooden pitched from 1984 to 1986, so I knew something with him was not right.

Then he failed that whiz quiz in April of 1987, and while it was shocking and disappointing, we as fans were a bit relieved that Gooden’s recent shortcomings were now easier to explain.  He probably wouldn’t have admitted guilt on his own, but before being admitted to the Smithers Clinic he at least showed remorse, and seemed relieved to be able to rehab from cocaine addiction and get on with his life and career, and I respected that.

Gooden didn’t pitch again until June 5, 1987, a Friday night game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Shea.  Dick Young of the New York Daily News, who was never afraid to stir up controversy, offered this advice to fans: “Stand Up and Boo!” Well I was there, and that’s not what happened….we all gave Doc a standing ovation for like five minutes, and had chills when he struck out Bonds to start the game.  He then went on to beat the Pirates in what was, despite four walks, vintage Gooden.

Gooden’s career would have plenty more ups and downs, and he’s still battling the demons that caused him to use drugs in the first place.  But I remember June 5, 1987, and I remember it because, after accepting Gooden’s shortcomings, I and many others forgave him and welcomed him back with open arms.

I have to be honest, I didn’t think GM Omar Minaya had it in him to land Jason Bay.  I was ready to chalk up the 2010 season to rebuilding and maybe finishing in fourth place, but Minaya’s pursuit and subsequent landing of Bay to play left field for the Mets and possibly bat cleanup has changed my outlook of this team.  Not entirely, of course, but this is a solid move that injects a huge dose of offense and defense, as well as confidence to a sagging franchise, almost immediately.

The questions remain, though, about the starting staff behind ace Johan Santana, and also whether Santana and other injured players who missed significant time in 2009 will be back, and/or back to form.  That list is led by Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, John Maine and David Wright.  It also includes Carlos Delgado, who is a free agent but still may be re-signed by the Mets.

That said, you have to like this lineup with Bay in it, because he’s still young (31), he’s a very adequate defensive outfielder, and he’s something that we’ve been lacking on this team for a while—a tough out.  Last season with Boston, Bay had a .676 slugging percentage with runners in scoring position, second in the majors only to NL MVP Albert Pujols.  So this is a guy we had to have, and while many of us doubted Minaya, he really came through this time.

Of course, we’re still bitter about 2009, so we’re all hoping for a few more tweaks and some better luck in 2010.  But we sure do welcome Jason Bay with open arms.