Caught this on MetsBlog, it’s a chart of the Mets PECOTA projections for the 2012 season. Brace yourself because it’s not too pretty…

This was originally posted on Baseball Prospectus and my buddy, who is big on this stuff, tells me he anxiously awaits these PECOTA projections every year at this time. I tried to see if they had any other Mets players, but for some reason I kept getting an error on their spreadhseet link.

The first thing that jumps out at me more than anything else is the frightening number of strike-outs. I don’t know the science behind these projections and maybe one of our readers can tell us more about that, but if that projection holds true for Andres Torres, I don’t think he will be long for the leadoff spot. It’s a shame they didn’t capture Daniel Murphy, because ultimately he might be the best choice for leadoff man on this team right now.

I was also surprised to see that they don’t expect any hitters to have more than 20 home runs – even with the shortened dimensions at Cit Field. I found that a little odd because last season before he got hurt, Ike Davis was on pace for 33 home runs.  Maybe PECOTA is like the Homer Nazi – No Home Run For You!

Like I said, I don’t know how they weigh these things and what formulas they use tio calculate this stuff. The only thing I know about Pecota is that a Bill Pecota played for the Mets one season and batted .227.

As for the pitching, they spell doom for Mike Pelfrey and Jon Niese, but at least they have Johan Santana coming back to pitch decently.

Anyway, have at it…

If you haven’t checked out this article by Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, I urge you to take a few minutes to read it – it’s a nice piece on Mets centerfield prospect, Kirk Nieuwenhuis.

The talented outfielder with the cool moniker of Captain Kirk, is a package of baseball tools who, just nine months ago, was on the cusp of the Major Leagues, writes DiComo.

A lefty-swinging center fielder whose greatest strength may actually be his lack of weaknesses, Nieuwenhuis was outperforming projections of his talent and well-positioned to force his way to Citi Field by late summer.

It’s a shame he got hurt and missed his chance to show the Mets what he was capable of last season. I remember how how much buzz he was generating from scouts and minor league experts.

I’m not sure how the team will handle him now that they’ve traded for veteran Andres Torres, who Terry Collins has called everyday centerfielder and leadoff man. Nieuwenhuis might have to go back to Buffalo and push the envelope by getting off to a sizzling start and maybe even hitting for some additional power which would certainly get him noticed.

DiComo concludes his article with a hopeful flourish:

Outperforming his projections is hardly impossible. Before his injury last May, Nieuwenhuis was enjoying a breakout season, batting .298 with six home runs, five steals and a .403 on-base percentage, thanks in large part to 32 walks in 53 games. His defense may not be as refined as that of Den Dekker and his raw hitting skills may not be as sharp as those of Nimmo. But because Torres is clearly not the long-term solution in center field, and because Nieuwenhuis is the outfield prospect closest to the big leagues, he should — at some point over the next six to 12 months — have the first opportunity to stake his claim to center.

What he does with that status, beginning this spring, will ultimately define his future.

“I’m itching to play again,” said Nieuwenhuis, who will report to Port St. Lucie, Fla., more than a week early. “It feels like forever since I’ve played a game. I’m just super excited to get back into it and get back in the swing of things. I’m more excited for this Spring Training than I’ve ever been.”

Update:

Sandy Alderson continued to make light of the Mets’ money problems on his new Twitter account Friday.

“Bought 4 like-new tires at chop shop across from Citi,” the Mets GM wrote. “He threw in free wiper fluid. Better than [Zach] Wheeler deal!”

Original Post

As alot of you know by now, GM Sandy Alderson has officially joined Twitter.

I was reading Matt Cerrone’s response to Alderson joining the Twittersphere this morning, and I wanted to write this in response to his comments about Alderson.

In Cerrone’s response, he stated the following.

I think this is great. I don’t know him well, but I’ve talked to him enough to know he has a great sense of who he is and the realities facing the Mets, he is mostly understanding of media, and he has a very funny, dry sense of humor. From what I can gather, I wouldn’t expect him to have a lot of one-on-one interaction with Mets fans at first, nor do I expect a lot of Tweeting. Instead, I expect him to pepper comments here and there, at moments when he feels it is warranted. And why not? I mean, if reporters and fans can use social media to frame him and the team negatively (sometimes fairly, sometimes not), then he and the team should use those same channels to respond.

Matt is right on with his statement regarding the amount of tweeting Alderson will probably be doing. I don’t expect him to tweet much because of the negativity that the Mets fans have with this front office right now. I don’t expect him to do 1-on-1 conversations with fans either – like you see with Justin Turner and R.A Dickey. If that were to happen, we know how that would end up.

In response to the general question of whether or not it was a smart idea for Sandy Alderson to start tweeting; I don’t know if I would say it was a good idea for Alderson to join Twitter, I think it was smart, but at the same time I do think that because he’s not going to tweet a lot, the question of whether it was a smart idea or not won’t matter much at all.

After giving his thoughts about the idea of Alderson tweeting, Cerrone gives advice to the Front Office on getting on Twitter.

My advice: Let different members of the Front Office jump on from time to time to write and answer fan questions. For instance, have Paul DePodesta jump on and talk about the farm system, etc… In this day and age, especially considering how disconnected and frustrated Mets fans are feeling, I think it would be nice for us to have this level of occasional communication with the people trying to make the situation better.

I don’t know if Matt is talking about Paul DePodeesta and other members of the Mets front office getting their own Twitter accounts, or by just tweeting from the official Mets account, but in either case I don’t necessarily think its a bad thing.  I personally think they would be better off without their own accounts for the sake of the negativity and trolling, but then again it would be interesting to see how they would respond to fan questions about the day-to-day operations of the front office, and how they go about things.

What do you think?

I got in touch with NY Mets 2011 3rd round draft choice Logan Verrett the other day. Verrett a 6’3″ right-hander, is in his final off-season preparations before heading out to spring training at Port St. Lucie in less than two weeks. Logan was nice enough to fill us in on his feelings on being drafted by the Mets, his record-setting college career, his pitching arsenal, and his expectations for his first professional season, which is now right around the corner. Take a look inside to see what else Logan had to say:

Petey:  First of all Logan, congratulations on a big year in 2011. Being the 3rd round pick in the 2011 draft by the Mets, and then signing your first professional contract in the 11th hour before the deadline, must have been quite a thrill! Thank you so much for sharing a little of your time. The readers at MetsMerizedOnline.com will really enjoy reading about you, and getting to know a little bit about one of our newest Met pitching prospects! When the Mets drafted you out of Baylor University last June, how did you first hear about it, and what was that feeling like? Did you have any idea that the Mets were interested in drafting you, or which round(s) of the draft you might be taken in?

Logan:  On the second day of the draft me, my parents, and my girlfriend were all gathered around the computer watching the draft online. It seemed like forever that we were sitting there when we finally heard my name called. It was an overwhelming feeling of relief and excitement at the same time. I knew the Mets were interested because I had met with the area scout a couple of times and they had called the night before they drafted me.

Petey:  Is there one person, a coach, a friend or family member, or even another player, who you learned the most from, or who inspired you to chase your dream of becoming a major league baseball player?

Logan:  There are so many people that I owe for pushing me to reach my dream that I don’t even know where to begin. My parents are a major reason that I am a professional baseball player today, they are the ones that dragged me around every weekend from tournament to tournament. My brother, Jared, also taught me a lot about the game. He is 3 years older than me so he pretty much paved the path and he helped me learn from his experiences.

Petey:  While pitching at Baylor, you set Big 12 Conference records for a single season in K/BB ratio (4.14), and BB/9 (2.3). In addition, you set the career conference record for K/BB ratio (3.83). What were some of the most important things you learned from your experience at college and pitching college ball?

Logan:  One of the most important things that I learned in college which attributed to the records I set was simply that it’s not all about velocity. You have to be able to pitch not just throw. Anybody can square up 96 mph if you leave it down the middle of the plate, but if you can turn that into 92 mph on the corners and at the hitters knees then you are going to be very successful.

Petey:  What was your biggest moment on the field in college?

Logan:  I think that one of the biggest moments I had in college was my sophomore year when I pitched a complete game against Texas A&M, it was a big game not only because we beat one of our biggest rivals but because I set the record for most strikeouts at Baylor Ballpark that game.

Petey:  We have heard that you possess simple, repeatable mechanics and good command of three quality pitches. But for those of us that have never seen you pitch, could you tell us a little more about your arsenal? What pitches you throw, at what speeds, and how you set up hitters? Are you working on any new pitches moving forward?

Logan:  As a pitcher I like to keep things as simple as possible, I don’t want to “trick” a hitter. I think when you start thinking that you have to “trick” a hitter then that is when you can get in trouble. I set guys up with my fastball and keep them off balance with either my curveball, slider, or changeup. My fastball and slider are pitches that I have tremendous confidence in and I think they are very hard to hit. To complete my arsenal I have a pretty good curveball and an average changeup. I have been really working hard this offseason on developing my changeup to become a much better pitch for me.

Petey:  That will certainly serve you well when you pitch in the Florida State League, and the Eastern League. What kind of things did you do to stay in shape over the winter? Can you describe your workout regimen? Did the Mets give you anything specific to work on?

Logan:  This offseason I have been working hard to get stronger and improve as a pitcher. I have a strength coach in Houston that I meet with once a week to go through a workout and to get my workouts for the week. We have put a focus on leg strength as well as flexibility and hip mobility.

Petey:  You have been referred to as “durable” on the mound. Do you have a preference to starting or relieving, or is it something where you don’t care as long as the opportunity to pitch is there?

Logan:  I prefer starting, that is what my role has been ever since high school and it’s a role that I really have embraced, and love looking forward to going at least six or seven innings for my team.

Petey:  Tell us what is the biggest obstacle for you in getting to the major leagues? Is there one thing in particular, that you need to work on and improve to be able able to succeed at the highest level?

Logan:  I think in order for me to reach my ultimate goal of pitching in the major leagues I have to be consistent week in and week out. I’m confident that I have the tools and the right people surrounding me to get me there, it is just going to take consistent outings every time I take the mound.

Petey:  What are your goals for next season? Is there a particular club you hope to make out of spring training? Have the Mets made any indication of what they are planning for you next season, or are those things to be decided in spring training?

Logan:  My expectations for this upcoming season are to lead whatever club I am with to a championship. I am truly blessed to have this opportunity and I am going to bring a winning attitude to the park every day with me no matter what club I am with.

Petey:  What was your favorite baseball team growing up? Your favorite player? Is there a major leaguer, either past or present, who you would say is similar in pitching style to you?

Logan:  Growing up so close to Houston naturally I was a bit of an Astros fan, nothing over the top though. It is so hard to be an Astros fan anyways. I always enjoyed watching Roy Oswalt pitch, and also watching Craig Biggio when he was playing second base for Oswalt.

Petey:  Biggio was an awesome player. I think every Mets fan who saw him play wished that he was on our team. I mean he was as hard-nosed and competitive a player as there ever was. And a NL All-Star at catcher, centerfield, and second base? Who does that? That’s just crazy. The guy has to make the HOF. Anyway, to finish up Logan, just a little personal info, not pertaining to baseball. What is your favorite movie? Favorite musician or band? Favorite food?

Logan:  My favorite types of movies are comedies first, and then I enjoy movies that make you think like Inception and Shutter Island, stuff like that. I love listening to Texas Country, which I know most people probably aren’t familiar with unless they are from Texas. But most Texas Country has a little Southern Rock feel to it, and some of my favorite artists are Randy Rogers Band, Robert Earl Keen, and Ryan Bingham. My favorite food is a little weird, but BBQ crabs are definitely my favorite food, it’s a lot of work to eat them but it is well worth it.

Petey:  Thanks again Logan, it was a lot of fun doing this interview with you. Have a great spring training, and 2012 season! All of us at MMO and Mets fans everywhere are looking forward to seeing you on the “bump” real soon.

Although the big league starting pitching will remain relatively untouched, and will have to do it’s improving from within this year, the true influx of talent into the organization will be seen in the starting rotations at Savannah and St. Lucie. Some recently drafted pitchers that will make their organizational debuts as starters this season are, in addition to Verrett, Cory Mazzoni, Tyler Pill, Jack Leathersich, Alex Panteliodis and Michael Fulmer. It should be an exciting year to follow these young pitching prospects, as there is plenty of talent here. Another strong pitching draft for the team in 2012, combined with a little luck and development from these guys, and this organizations farm system may start to move up the rankings soon, based on the strength of it’s pitching.

For more of my player interviews, and some other cool stuff, click here.

LGM!

This however, does not mean the Mets would have a minor league baseball in Canada. With their contract expiring with Binghamton after 2012, the squad would likely join the Toronto Blue Jays organization; putting the Amazin’s in the market for a new AA affiliate.

Binghamton NYSEG Stadium though, will still have baseball in 2013, though chances are it won’t be a Mets team playing there. It will likely be in the lower-level New York-Penn League, with a team coming in from Batavia; and the Mets already have the Cyclones in that league.

Adam Rubin of ESPN chimed in on the issues via twitter, saying that the Mets could also lose the Buffalo Bisons –their Triple-A ballclub– following ’12 as well. Rubin also speculated a few different scenarios for Binghamton’s replacement for the Double-A team, citing New Hampshire and New Britain as possibilities.

My Idea: I’d like to see the Cyclones become a Double-A team. It’s a very popular minor league club, imagine how much more popular it would be with top prospects on both sides of the diamond and while playing on a more competitive level. However the Mets have plenty of available options for replacing their AA and possibly AAA affiliates.

We were unanimous in our opinions that Jason Bay would have 14 or more home runs this season, that David Wright would hit at least nine home runs at Citi Field, and that Johan Santana would make 15 or more starts. Oh and that the Mets will finish in last place. Boo! – I know, aren’t we terrible?

There’s plenty of more categories we can do so feel free to weigh in on ours or contribute a few of your own so the other readers can chime in.

Now here’s something totally off topic, but how cool is this cap?

Pretty wicked, huh?

The 64-year old has nearly 10,000 followers overnight after only posting two tweets. He now joins the likes of Justin Turner, Johan Santana and R.A. Dickey as Mets who are on twitter.

I personally think this is great. Now fans can directly contact Alderson and voice their opinion. Chances are he won’t respond to the majority of them, but being able to communicate with executives of your favorite team in general is a big plus. I wouldn’t expect him to tweet 15 times a day or something to that effect, but a comment here or there can be relied upon. It should be interesting to hear what he has to say throughout Spring Training and the 2012 season.

If you would like to follow any of our writers –myself included– you can check out this article Joe D. posted over the summer with most of the staff’s twitter names listed. You can follow me at @Clayton_Collier.

David Lennon reports in Newsday, that Josh Thole has worked intensely with Mets catching coordinator Bob Natal this offseason in an effort to prevent a recurrence of the defensive issues that plagued him in 2011.

“I’m getting to a point where we’re not in a trial-and-error period anymore,” Thole said. “It is what it is. If I don’t catch well over the course of this year, it will be a matter of who’s next, they’ll keep the line moving, and I can’t have that.”

“If things aren’t going well, they’re not just going to keep waiting on you. You have to take the bull by the horns and do it yourself. There’s going to be no ‘he’s young — give him time.’ Those days are over. It’s time to get it done now. I’ve got to keep going forward.”

It sounds like Thole understands it’s do or die time and that if he wants to keep his hold on the starting catcher’s job he needs to amp up his performance this season in a big way.

Thole’s 16 passed balls last season were the most in the National League and while the majority came while catching knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, he still made many other miscues that did not appear in the boxscores according to Lennon.

Thole has been working “intensively with Mets catching coordinator Bob Natal” this offseason, and is now in St. Lucie, two weeks early where he will work with new bench coach Bob Geren, a former major-league catcher.

He told Lennon that he is more confident than ever about his ability behind the plate.

“I thought I was really prepared last year coming into spring training, and compared to the way I feel right now, it’s almost like I wasn’t even close,” Thole said. “It’s a complete 180.”

I hope he makes it, I really like his makeup and attitude.It

Both were penalized Monday for second violations involving a drug of abuse.

Doyle, 25, hit .296 with two homers and 11 RBIs last year for the Class A St. Lucie Mets. He was a fifth-round draft pick from Coastal Carolina in 2008 and a New York-Penn League All-Star the following year.

Moviel, a 6-foot-11 right-hander, was 5-10 with a 5-10 ERA in 23 starts and three relief appearances last year at St. Lucie. The 23-year-old, now on the roster of Double-A Binghamton, was a second-round selection in 2007 from St. Edward High in Cleveland.

Thirteen players have been suspended this year under the minor league program, including five for drugs of abuse.

In the space of an hour today, I saw a series of posts from various ESPN journalists on Twitter that really had me scratching my head this morning. Check these out…

Those are just Marchand and Olney, there were more. Law decides to rank the Mets farm system 22nd (a total cheap shot), Rubin took an unfair knock at MetsBlog referring to it as an SNY owned venture rather than by it’s name.

It’s like ESPN’s CEO and President handed all their minions marching orders to trash on the Mets…

I don’t really get all this hate toward the Mets, seriously I don’t…

I mean when when exactly did ESPN lose its journalistic integrity? Does objectivity matter anymore? What about facts, do facts matter anymore?

On that note I thought I’d respond like this:

Next topic of discussion…

A couple of days ago a real online melee ensued after renowned Mets fan and well known journalist Howard Megdal had his credential revoked by the Mets because they did not like his reporting. Whether you agree or disagree with that is a matter of semantics, but I would argue this:

If Adam Rubin had authored “Wilpon’s Folly”, would he have been as staunchly defended as Megdal was throughout the Mets blogosphere without one post even giving the Mets an iota of the benefit of the doubt?

This isn’t about whether or not you agree with what the Mets did, it comes down to being fair and objective. I got a word of thanks from the Mets yesterday, although they didn’t need to thank me because on Metsmerized we always present both sides to a story regardless of what the story is. That’s how we roll. As a fan site all opinions are fairly represented here whether I agree with them or not. Sure it leads to some heated debates that sometimes go over the top, but I would rather have this than the alternative which is a site that takes on the monotone personality and philosophy of the one running it.

After this fiasco, I’d say the Mets would be well within their rights to revoke access to all Mets bloggers. Now I can certainly see why MLB Advanced Media and all of the 30 MLB teams were so reluctant to give independent bloggers and freelance writers a press credential for so many, many years. Too many loose cannons, too little accountability, and hardly any benefit for the teams.

I’m not a writer and I don’t pretend to be one. I’m exactly what I’ve always said I was – a die-hard Met fan with a never ending thirst to talk about the Mets. As I’ve told so many and as it states in my bio – I started this site to feed my addiction to the Mets. That doesn’t mean I’m not critical of the moves they make or don’t make, or some of the things they do. Those who read MMO know fully well how critical I am – almost to a fault. But that’s why I’m glad I have about two dozen or so other writers on board to counter my occasional outbursts. And unlike me, they are writers, journalists, former beat writers and even a member of the BBWAA.

Anyway, regarding this whole Wilpon/Madoff/Picard mess. Let me urge you not to rush to judgement on either side – as difficult as that might be. There is an agenda-driven army of media types who seek to lead you away from free thinking and onto their agenda-driven path. Don’t be a sucker. Don’t take the bait.

More importantly, don’t let your dissatisfaction for how this team has performed, turn you into something that you’re not. Don’t let it blur the difference between a pastime and real life for you. Don’t let it effect the way you view this legal matter.

Don’t wish ill will on a family who has done so much good for the team and this city and for veterans just because Omar Minaya signed Jason Bay or Steve Phillips traded for Mo Vaughn. Let’s use some common sense and know that there is a difference between this legal matter and the operational choices the current Mets owners have made. It’s a vast difference, and one should have nothing to do with the other.

I have my opinion on all of this. I posted repeatedly not to believe all this bankruptcy stuff everyone is circulating, and that the demise of the Wilpons has been greatly exaggerated. I’ve said again and again that it was all just wishful thinking. I couldn’t care less that it put me in the minority and on the firing block, I blog for my benefit not yours. So let me close this out in the form that some of you will find somewhat familiar – a Haiku:

Justice will vindicate.
It was all folly.
You’ll see the rising son.

******

We broke a traffic record here yesterday, thanks to those of you who joined in especially the spiders. Coincidentally, we also got our Google Page Rank 5 back today. So the rumors of our own demise were greatly exaggerated as well.

He started with the catcher position where he ranked them as follows:

#1 Brian McCann

#2 Wilson Ramos

#3 Carlos Ruiz

#4 Josh Thole:  Bet you thought he would be last huh?  Well almost only counts in horseshoes.  There is no doubt that currently Josh is a below average catcher.  Our high hopes for him were dashed last year when his .723 OPS took a dive to .690 in his first full year.   The bright spots are that he still does not strike out much and managed to hit .264 with a .345 OBP, unfortunately that OBP was higher than his SLG %.  So currently he is a slow version of Luis Castillo.  He has also got a lot of work to do defensively.  He had early issues with his game calling as well as a pitiful CS % of 22%.  In other words the only thing that saves him from being dead last in the division is just how bad this next guy is.

# Dead Last John Buck

I’m not sure I agree with Buck finishing last to Thole, but you can check out why he thinks so and form your own opinion.

Let’s take a look at some of the notable dates to circle on your calendar in anticipation of the 2012 Mets season.

April 5- Mets Opening Day

The team will begin the season at home against the Atlanta Braves. Most likely, Johan Santana will not be pitching this game, and the nod may go to R.A. Dickey. Tim Hudson is also likely to be on the shelf for the Braves, so expect to see either Jair Jurrjens (if he’s not traded) or Tommy Hanson.

April 9-11- Mets host the Washington Nationals

We may not see Stephen Strasburg toe the rubber at Citi Field, but we will be able to see firsthand the improved Nationals, as well as the great Davey Johnson.

April 15- Jackie Robinson Day

The Mets always put together a tremendous ceremony for Jackie Robinson Day, but this year they will be on the road in Philadelphia. Hopefully, the Phillies do a good job.

April 24- Jose Reyes returns to Flushing for the first time

The Mets open a three-game series with the Miami Marlins, and Jose Reyes (without dreadlocks) will be back in town. He will likely get a positive ovation, since it was the team’s financial situation more than Reyes’ preference that led him to sign elsewhere. In other words, if the Mets had the money, Reyes would still be here.

May 7- Critical early season road trip

The Mets will play a tough road trip against the Phillies and Marlins. Returning home .500 would be a nice accomplishment.

May 18- Start of Interleague Play

The Mets head north of the border to take on Joey Bats and the Toronto Blue Jays. After this one series, there will be a break in interleague play.

May 27- Banner Day!

In honor of their 50th anniversary, the Mets will bring back a fan-favorite tradition, Banner Day. Get those bed sheets ready fans! It should be a ton of fun. (To staff writers here, we should make an MMO banner.)

June 1- Cardinals come to town

The Mets will host the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals and a familiar face in Carlos Beltran.

June 4- First-Year Player Draft

Hopefully, the Mets can snag a few good prospects in this year’s draft.

June 8- Subway Series No. 1

The Mets will head to the Bronx to play the Yankees.

June 22- Subway Series No. 2

The Mets will host the Yanks. Is it fair that the Mets have to play the Yankees six times while all the other NL East only face them three times just because of a supposed rivalry based on proximity?

July 10- All-Star Game

Kansas City will be the destination of this year’s All-Star Game. With Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols now in the AL, Ike Davis has a legitimate spot to make the roster.

July 13- Divisional road trip

Right after the All-Star break, the Mets another important road trip against the Braves and Nationals.

July 26- The Patented West Coast Road Trip

The Mets have other struggled when heading out west. The team begins an 11 game trip against the Diamondbacks, Giants and Padres that could make or break the season at a critical point.

July 31- Trade Deadline

If things aren’t going so well, David Wright and R.A. Dickey may have their bags pre-packed if the trade call comes (Wright probably more so than Dickey).

September 1- Rosters expand

If the team is out of contention, hopefully we’ll get to see some of the top organizational prospects, maybe even Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler.

October 3- Final day of regular season

Barring a Mets miracle, the optimists (like myself) will already be looking forward to the 2013 season.

This edition of Fair or Foul features Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog who looks at the NL East and doesn’t buy into the “every other team got better except the Mets” argument. See what you think?

The Braves and Phillies did very little to improve their teams, as well. They either traded guys away, signed fill-in role players or re-signed their own guys. The Mets scored more runs than other team in the NL East last year, in a year when many guys struggled, so it can be argued that no major upgrades were needed to the lineup (though, obviously, to replace Jose Reyes, guys like Jason Bay and David Wright will need to get their acts together, and Ike Davis and Daniel Murphy will need to keep hitting and stay healthy). I still think the Mets needed to do more to improve the rotation.

Yes, the Nationals added Edwin Jackson, Brad Lidge and Rick Ankiel, among others, but it’s not like they succeeded in snagging Prince Fielder or CJ Wilson. (Update: As ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin pointed out on Twitter, the Nationals also added Gio Gonzalez, which is a significant acquisition). Still, much of Washington’s potential is in their young players coming up and staying healthy and from guys already on the roster.

And so, I just can’t buy the misleading talking point that every other team got better and the Mets did nothing. I like the additions the Mets made to the bullpen, which are on par with additions made by the Nationals, both of which are more than what the Phillies and Braves did to their rosters. The Marlins clearly went above and beyond every one else, spending close to $50 million more dollars on this year’s roster adding Heath Bell, Mark Buehrle and Jose Reyes, among others. They should be better, no doubt about it.

Look, I get what he’s trying to say and do here, but the Mets lost one of the top 20 players in the game in Jose Reyes this offseason. None of the other teams lost what the Mets did, and compounding that is that they did nothing to replace that loss. Nothing. They just absorbed it – the money and the production value.

They kept the rotation the same as last season – not even adding any quality depth. What happens if we lose Dickey, God forbid, to the DL? Or Niese? Who you gonna call?

They swapped some names in the bullpen, but didn’t sign a bona fide closer – only two relievers who failed as closers in the past. Their strategy in the bullpen all hinges on hope and Isringhausen won’t be around to save them this time.

The only other additions were bench players like Cedeno and Quintanilla. Hairston, Turner and Nickeas will be back. Strike up the band?

You can sugarcoat this all you want, but make no mistake the Mets are considerably worse than last year at this time, and while other teams made net gains, the Mets are certainly at a net loss.

I remember Matt used to frequently say that hope is not a strategy, and I’ve embraced that as well… But did he just change his tune?

Anthony McCarron from the Daily News, has an update on Mike Pelfrey who is hard at work trying to rediscover that killer sinker that made him the Mets first round draft pick in 2005.

Mike Pelfrey estimates that he has already thrown 1,000 sinkers over the winter during workouts at Wichita State, his alma mater. The Mets’ righthander is desperately trying to recover the pitch he feels he lost somewhere in the disappointment of 2011, a season he says was “nowhere close to what I envisioned or what I wanted to happen.”

His sinker could be the key to what Pelfrey believes is a crucial year in his career. “Huge,” he calls it. “I had a good year in 2010 (when he was 15-9 with a 3.66 ERA) and I wanted to take that next step in 2011 and obviously I wasn’t able to do that, by any means.

“I’m a firm believer that you get out of it what you put into it and I’ve worked my tail off, cleared my head and analyzed. I feel like I’m throwing the ball great right now. It’s definitely an important year for me.”

Pelfrey told McCarron that he feels like his sinker has made progress. Last season, too many times his sinker was up in the strike zone which led to a career-worst 21 homers to go with his 7-13 record and a 4.74 ERA. In 2010 he only gave up 12 home runs.

“I gave up way too many homers and that was a product of the ball being up a lot higher than I’d like. Last year, it got to the point where it just wasn’t moving [his sinker] and I can’t necessarily explain why. It disappeared, but I’ve been throwing and there’s more action on the ball now.”

Another thing Pelfrey must work on is quickening his delivery. Base-stealers were successful on 29 of 31 attempts against him, mostly due to how slow he is to the plate.

Now 28, Pelfrey’s potential is rarely talked about anymore and many just see him as wildly inconsistent with occasional flashes of the dominating pitcher he was expected to be. His evolution toward ace pitcher never materialized and in fact seems more suited to a mid to bottom of the rotation starter whose value is mostly in the 200 innings or so that he can be relied upon.

MLB.com released their 2012 Fantasy Baseball Preview and among their top 100 players, they ranked the Mets’ David Wright No. 19. overall. Wright also was ranked the 4th best third baseman behind Jose Bautista, Hanley Ramirez and Evan Longoria.

If Wright can put up a season like they project, he’s going to command at least a five year, $100 million dollar contract. Should the Mets decline his $16 million option and give him an extension like that? I’d say yes, but that’s assuming he’s still a Met after next season.

In case you were wondering, Jose Reyes was ranked two spots ahead of Wright at No. 17. Here are their top ten fantasy players for 2012…

Anthony Destefano of Newsday reported that the owners of the New York Mets are taking their battle with the trustee in the Bernard Madoff case to the U.S. Supreme Court – at least they are trying to.

In a little noticed filing last Friday, Sterling Equities Associates, the umbrella organization of the Wilpon family and other team owners, asked the nation’s high court to review a major ruling by a federal appeals court over which Madoff investors can recover some of their losses from a special fund.

It will likely take about four or five months for the Supreme Court to decide if it will decide to take the case, a process known as granting certiorari, legal experts said. If the court takes the case, it likely wouldn’t be argued until early 2013. In the meantime, trustee Irving Picard’s lawsuit against the Wilpons and Sterling for well over $300 million — including about $84 million in Madoff profits — is scheduled to go to trial on March 19 in federal court in Manhattan.

Destefano says Sterling is trying to challenge last year’s ruling by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals that backed the method Picard has used in calculating the “net equity” in Madoff accounts. Picard decided to allow Madoff investors who didn’t withdraw more from their accounts than they had invested — so called “net losers” — to get as much as $500,000 from a recovery fund administered by the nonprofit Securities Investor Protection Corp.

A spokeswoman for Picard declined to comment Wednesday on the Supreme Court filing.

Some background for you in terms of media credentials. A Major League Team cannot revoke privileges from members of the Baseball Writers Association of America, of which Megdal is not a member. Megdal in terms of his “rights” to have credentials is no different than say Joe D getting a credential.

When a blogger, unaffiliated with the Baseball Writers Association of America gets access to the team, it’s a privilege and NOT a right. It’s a courtesy that is extended rarely by many teams to independent bloggers such as the aforementioned.

There are many reasons for the Mets to extend such courtesy, for example here at MetsMerizedOnline, the Mets acknowledge that a significant part of their fan base comes here to read, and discuss the team. However, make no mistake about it, the Mets do not NEED MetsMerizedOnline to gain media access, therefore if one day one of our writers wrote something they particularly didn’t care for, they’d have every right to revoke that access.

If you have no problem with independent bloggers gaining access, then you shouldn’t have a problem with the Mets taking access away when they do not see the benefit of allowing such access.

Yesterday, a PR nightmare occurred when it was revealed that the Mets decided they didn’t like Megdal’s reporting, so they revoked his access. This, after Megdal’s access was used not only to cover the team, but to publish a book detailing the financial mess.

Maybe I’m in the minority here, but to me, when a reporter publishes a story that is for sale only, it dilutes the story and adds an agenda tone to every word I read. Remember when Selena Roberts published her book in which she outed Alex Rodriguez? It’s the same thing.

A reporter reports a story they think everybody should know. They don’t publish books in an attempt to break news. To me, that is self-promotion, and not in the best interest of the reader, but solely in the best interest of the writer.

Imagine if every credentialed reporter published a book about the Mets, filled with things they see in the clubhouse that you or I do not see on a day to day basis. Imagine a Boston beat writer publishing a book detailing the collapse of last year, rather than just reporting on it. How do you think that reporter would be viewed from that day forward by the team?

For those who have access to my Twitter feed, you will have seen the following statements made to me from Megdal when I made similar statements to what I have mentioned above:

• “Ah, I see you haven’t read my book. Wrote accurately about legal/financial issues facing ownership.”
• “If you think the significant legal/financial issues facing the team should be off limits, we’ll agree to disagree.”
• “And if writing an accurate book that tells that story isn’t respectable in your opinion, we see role of reporter differently.”
• “If you can speak to specifics in my book that are either inaccurate or not germane to the operation of the Mets, do so.”
• “Until you do that, quit wasting my time with nonsense like claiming telling the truth about ownership is somehow not respectable.”
• “Have you read my book?”
• “Like I said, get back to me when you have specific criticisms about the reporting, and actually know what you’re talking about.”

Funny enough, many of these were sent to me after I had ended the conversation, so I must have hit a nerve with Megdal.

Megdal believes that by not having media credentials the Mets are in turn controlling what is written about them. Which is funny because at no point does it appear he used his Mets credentials to write his book since he doesn’t use any team sources.

If you haven’t read his “book”, I suggest you simply read Adam Rubin’s account on ESPNNewYork.com because it will save you money, and Megdal didn’t challenge you to read it.

My issues with his “book”, is that first and foremost, he comes to conclusions about the Madoff-Wilpon case even before a court of law has done so.

There are aspects of the book that suggest Wilpon’s money to buy the Mets in 2002, came “thanks to” his fictitious money with Madoff. Yet, no evidence of that being true is given? No mention of the fact that maybe Wilpon earned money in other places, like being a 50% owner of the Mets for over 15 years. This statement is made to read as though Fred Wilpon had no other way to make money without Madoff, and that is unfair.

My biggest problem with the book is that it comes off as Wilpon being guilty before his day in court. It also draws conclusions to this saga as though they are inevitable, without giving any examples or quotes to support his theory.

For example,

“In all likelihood—whether because of Irving Picard’s lawsuit, the massive debts Wilpon had incurred to keep his financial empire standing, or most accurately, a combination of the two—Fred Wilpon isn’t going to be the owner of the New York Mets anymore. That’s going to happen soon, and it means the business he was certain he would pass on to his children and grandchildren will belong to somebody else. It’s not clear that Fred Wilpon has acknowledged this fact, even to himself.”

And this one:

“Simply put: Fred Wilpon turns over 100 percent of the New York Mets to the trustee, who would then run the team as an investment to generate profit for the Madoff victims in the medium term—say, ten years.”

This is not reporting, this is editorializing and writing rumors and assumptions and passing them off as facts.

Megdal mentions Arthur Friedman suggesting that he had reasons to be suspicious of Madoff but then the SEC would always be there to put them into “relax mode.” This is significant to Megdal because it suggests the Wilpon’s knew more about Madoff’s dealings since these investigations were not public.

Again, this comes off as Megdal writing the book for Picard against Wilpon and not reporting on events that happened. What if the Wilpon’s knew somebody within the SEC? What if the other investors had heard through the grape vine that everything was okay with Madoff and they relayed that message?

Instead, we jump to the conclusion that the Wilpon’s are liars before they have their day in court.

What I always found so odd about the Picard suit, and Megdal details this in the book is:

If your argument is that the Wilpon’s knew about Madoff, so much so that they created their own separate account called Sterling Stamos, why would they not move all of their funds away from Madoff? As Megdal points out, they moved “approximately half” of it.

So if we’re assuming the Wilpon’s knew that Madoff was up to this scheme and the potential for them to lose everything they had was inevitable, why only move approximately half?

If we’re talking today about how much financial trouble they are in NOT ONLY because of the Picard suit, then are we suggesting the Wilpon’s were so careless with their money that they were willing to lose over half of their money with Madoff? How does that make sense?

I won’t deny that Howard Megdal did a nice job with his book. It was very detailed, but it was also very, very one-sided. Even in the case of Selig striking the provision that could eventually lead to Einhorn owning the Mets, there’s no source mentioned, no apparent attempt to contact the Commissioner’s office for a comment on this accusation. So in turn, what appears to be an informative piece, turns into rumors.

And it appears that Megdal did not have any team source, nor did he reach out to the Mets for comment prior to publishing this piece.

Despite Mr. Megdal’s attempts to act as though the Mets hid behind closed doors when his book was published. Megdal said, “The book’s reporting, incidentally, has not been challenged.”

He must have missed it when a Mets spokesperson said,

“The author’s desperate self-promotional campaign for relevance has led to perpetuating baseless speculation and complete inaccuracies.”

It’s no wonder the Mets “do not care for his reporting.”

Megdal does nothing in his book but assume the worst in the Wilpon’s by presenting one side (his side) and showing little to no interest in finding out the other side of the story, something a reporter does, but something somebody looking to sell books does not.

So I ask, if Megdal is going to write whatever he wants without reaching out for the other side of the story and is looking to make money off of the financial problems of the Mets ownership, what is in it for them to continue to grant him access to their team?

What has he done to prove he deserves access to the Mets?

I don’t know the whole truth to the Wilpon/Madoff saga, but I do know it’s fashionable to be down on the owners right now, and I refuse to take part in an attempt to tell only one side of the story (any story) in an effort to promote one person’s “reporting.”

If the day comes when the Wilpon’s are cleared of Picard’s case against them, it may be a good thing that Megdal sold so many e-books because he may need a lawyer.

No doubt there are a myriad of questions and curiosities about the 2012 Mets, but two I am wondering about most are Lucas Duda and Mike Pelfrey.

Duda and Pelfrey are different to me because their performances can dictate a lot about the future.

Duda combines loads of power potential with limited defensive capabilities. He’ll be in right field, a position where power is a necessity. We can’t project Duda for 30 homers because he’s never done it. For that matter, he hasn’t hit more than 10, and that was last season in a short window.

That short window production is what has us salivating. There’s no doubting his strength, and the shorter fences should help, but there are other factors. How will he adjust to National League pitchers and how will they adjust to him? Will he produce over the long haul and with the pressures of starting?

Duda is still a babe in the woods, but that potential has me thinking that if he can handle right field, this could be a player with a bright future.

We’ve been saying “bright future” about Pelfrey for years. He seemingly had a breakthrough 2010, but regressed greatly last season. Well, which is it? Pelfrey is still young enough where he can have a good career. He’s also not commanding the big dollars.

However, he’s an enigma and what he does this season could determine whether the Mets cut ties with him or make a commitment. Pelfrey’s performance could also dictate the future of pitching coach Dan Warthen.

If Pelfrey pitches as he did in 2010 and several of the other Mets’ questions are answered in the positive, the Mets could be competitive and entertaining this summer. If not, the projected long summer will be upon us.

ESPN Insider - Keith Law ranks the Mets’ farm system at 22nd in the majors, albeit ahead of division rivals Philadelphia (No. 25) and Miami (No. 28)

“It’s actually getting better here, but rebuilding a system takes years, and the Mets have really just begun to inject higher-upside talent into the system.”

I’m not sure I agree with this.

In my very unprofessional opinion, I would say middle of the pack around 15-17. Maybe Pete or Joe can add their two cents here.

Update:

I did a quick search and found that John Sickels of Minor League Ball, ranked the Mets 15th in his Minor League Rankings.

15) New York Mets: Solid depth in pitching, especially at the top with Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, and Jeurys Familia.

Despite the Mets lack of big offseason signings, the departure of Jose Reyes and the news that the payroll is being regulated strongly for the first time in years brings most Mets fans into a dark, dreadful place. Talks about boycotting Citi Field, putting an inferior product on the field and expecting the fans to pay and even the latest media-slam against writer of “Wilpon’s Folly” Howard Megdal have given Mets lovers less to love.

You know what though? Maybe how the team is being constructed and trotted out onto the field isn’t so horrible after all. A few points I plan to make all revolve around things that have not been common in recent Mets’ campaigns, and could show a large ideological change for both the players, management and fans.

1. No Big Signings, Room For Player Development

As with most big-market teams, when positions open up in the bullpen or in the starting lineup, the first way it is attempted to be filled is by the free agent market. The only time that doesn’t seem to occur is if a team is sitting on a can’t-miss prospect – which at the moment the Mets do not possess. However players like Ruben Tejada, Lucas Duda, Josh Thole, Dillon Gee and Daniel Murphy will be given every chance they can to prove they are valuable MLB players. To a lesser extent, prospects like Zach Lutz, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Robert Carson and Matt Harvey may have a shot at playing for the 2012 Mets at some point. The Mets have logjammed some prospects in their system due to contractual obligations in the past, but this season offers a chance for fans to see the potential future of the Mets

2. No Player Drama

Regardless of the “David Wright Saga” people are trying to create since it is this year and then an option year left on his contract, it isn’t a concern. David has said he wants to play in New York, and regardless of his streaky play has been nothing but positive and the face of the Mets. Last year began with Castillo/Perez still being on the team and being grossly overpaid, hogging up roster spots. Beltran, Reyes and K.Rod were on the hot-seat, due to expiring contracts, bad blood between the team and the players and albatross contracts. This year seems to offer none of the chaos that the 2011 season gave to Mets fans.

3. Another Year of Terry Collins

After being given a team in flux, being built by a previous GM and geared towards Jerry Manuel, Terry Collins came in with an entirely different attitude. Terry Collins was passionate, dealt with the fact he was going to have to part with K.Rod and Beltran before the deadline, and dealt with major injuries to his three star players, and then Daniel Murphy. The players seem to love and rally behind Collins, and how he manages the bench shows he has a better feel for managing then his predecessor. He defends his players the same way he defends his own logic for plays, and never leaves someone else holding the bucket  for his decisions.

4. It’s Baseball

I am not what you would call a fair-weather fan of any of the teams I support. I will be a Mets fan if they go 0-162. I am a fan of any kind of baseball, whether it be good baseball, bad baseball, winning baseball or losing baseball. Its still a game, and the slowest 5 months are in between the World Series and Opening Day personally. While everyone predicts teams to win X amount of games for Y factors, it always goes back to the saying that the game isn’t played on paper, its played on the field. The NL has lost major offensive players to the AL and everything is up for grabs. The Phillies are a few injuries away from not being the juggernaut in the NL East. Nobody will know how good the Mets are, until they get on the field and show what they can bring on a day-by-day basis.

So look on the bright side, the Mets will be playing baseball again and trying to give new hope and really make us believe. So what if the believing just starts as the fans believing that the Mets are going in the right direction as a franchise. Its a start, isn’t it?