Something struck me as odd earlier this spring as I watched SNY’s first broadcast of the season from Tradition Field. Our splendid announcers were interviewing Collin Cowgill and at one point I believe it was Ron Darling asked whether Collin was getting a lot of ribbing about something or other in his background (I think it was about an underperforming college team he was affiliated with – I can’t remember exactly).

The thing I found odd was the awkward pause after the question when Collin looked at the camera like Dirty Harry staring down some “punk,” as if to say “I’m not the sort of guy that gets teased a lot.” What he did say after finally breaking the tension with a smile was “um, no not really, but yeah they’re having an off-year.” Did anyone else catch that?

Then there’s Valdespin, whose had all sorts of fanciful terms describing him, from to “loose wire” to  “screw loose” to “plays with a certain flair,” to “brash and inaudible.” After getting plunked in the privates Monday by a Justin Verlander fastball maybe we should call him “Lefty.”

The dude showed up to play second base for a Major League baseball club without a cup … now if that isn’t tough I don’t know what is. When Valdespin was asked where the pitch hit him, Valdespin replied, “in the d–k,” adding that everything is “fine” and he doesn’t expect to miss action

“Everything is good, working good, normally, everything is great,” Valdespin said. What’s really amazing is where he found the time between getting plunked, the visit to the clinic, and being interviewed by the Post, to come to the conclusion that everything is in fact “working fine.”

Now see, that’s the kind of crazy I want on my ball club. What is nevertheless obvious in all of this is the effect he has on opposing pitchers, he is exquisitely annoying with his mannerisms, and that’s not a bad thing if you ask me. Also, you get the sense that he’d be more than willing to scrap if you piss him off enough — unless of  course Justin Verlander is on the mound and you’re gunning for a roster spot in spring training and you just got your eggs scrambled by a 94 mile an hour fastball — lets be reasonable — nobody wants to get Robin Ventura’d.

Now there’s this new barrel-chested shifty eyed kid named Travis D’Arnaud. He’s not particularly brash or cocky, but his reputation as a tough guy preceded him to such an extent that Collins felt he had to specifically warn him against outrageous notions such as blocking the plate. Also, you look at Travis, and he looks like a tough guy … didn’t really get that with Josh Thole, Josh talks to deaf puppies … I’d rather have a guy back there who looks like he eats puppies. People talk about how D’Arnaud’s stats are skewed because he played in a hitter’s league but you know what? You can tell a lot about a hitter from the way major league pitchers pitch to him, and all spring left-handers in particular seem to want to part of him.

Who is the toughest guy on the Mets? Well it isn’t David Wright, nothing against the Captain, but David’s just too damned nice. He’s the guy who you can always count on to do the right thing, the sensible thing (his dad was a cop for crying out loud) …  David is more likely to try and break up a fight. It sure isn’t Duda, who I could imagine getting punched in the face and responding with “hey? What was that all about?” Now granted Duda is one guy you really wouldn’t want to get angry as he could probably hold his own in single combat against an enraged Yeti, but he also seems like just a really peaceful fellow. No, it’s Ike, and I’ll tell you why. After that high slide into Tejada by Chased Mutley a couple of years back, Ike took a really weird rout to the dugout and he was jawing at Utley the entire time, boy was he fuming. I didn’t know Ike had it in him. Up until then I thought he was just another nice kid.

So when all the crap about Ike keeping late hours came out I was pretty upset, not with the perception that Ike isn’t the goody two-shoes wholesome kid we all thought he was (he isn’t, that much is obvious), but with the realization that someone in ownership or management didn’t like it. But who? And more importantly, why?

I’ve gotten into more arguments with other Mets fans over this issue than any other I can think of. The curse of Mike Piazza, which actually started before Mike was even on the team. See, in 1986 the Mets accumulated a lot of negative Karma because of all the people they punched out. They also won the World Series so the “bad guy” Karma was not exacted through some fitting heartbreaking loss in game 6 of the World Series, nope, the bad guys got away with it. The 2000 World Series rolls around with all this negative Karma still looking for a chance to stab Met fans in the eyeball, and Mike Piazza, gets into this weird confrontation where Clemens throws the barrel of a bat in Mike’s direction.

That was Piazza’s chance to exorcise the bad juju by putting a bully in his place while vanquishing a great and bloated evil, but he didn’t. He should have at least started walking to the mound with the understanding that if no one stopped him he’d proceed to punch Clemens in the face. Nope, Mike more or less trots to first base with this “dude, what is wrong with you?”  look on his face. That was the worst thing that could have happened at that moment in time. The best thing would have been if Mike had the presence to realize that getting tossed (even if it meant a one game suspension which I doubt would have happened) would be worth giving your team the galvanizing jolt of courage and resolve that that the moment demanded. I knew then that the Mets were going to lose the series.

So here we are in 2013, and I’m starting to see a bit of an edge on the peripheries of this roster again. Maybe a gag order has been placed on someone in ownership. Maybe the “bad guy” Karma was finally satiated in 2006 when the nice guys lost … but the curse of Mike Piazza won’t officially be put to rest without a least one bench clearing brawl. It says so in the Karma rule book (I looked it up). Even more imperative, however, is that upper management find the doofus wiener who made those comments about Ike and lock him in a basement somewhere under the bowels of City Field for the remainder of the season. Maybe give him use of a flat screen and provide him with lots of snacks and a direct line to the Shake Shack, but under no circumstances should he to be allowed to leave his room or to speak.

Ever since the late 80’s the Wilpons have vigorously implemented this “character” requirement to being a N.Y. Met. I think the reasoning was largely intended as a corrective measure after the late 80′s debacle. It was also grounded in the fact that over in the Bronx, by employing a blueprint similar to Cashen’s, the Yankees secured the dynasty we should have had because they insisted on “+ character “ players. So, Jeff … er, ownership goes above and beyond ownership’s purview, insisting on “character” guys (to a fault) at the expense of that “by any means” edge and grit that almost all successful teams have. Sure maybe I’m overstating toughness, after all this isn’t football and I’m not Howie Long. Maybe in the end it still comes down to talent on the field, but with the exception of some of the more recent Yankee teams, I can’t come up with too many world series winners who didn’t have that “edge.”

One thing that a lot of us might agree on when it comes to this Alderson fellow, is he’s not the nicest guy in the world when it comes to the manner in which he executes his duties … In fact he can be kind of a cold-hearted, wise cracking, box of chocolates sending, disappointed in Santana jerk, but maybe that’s not such a bad thing. If he’s remaking this team in his image my guess is there will be at least a few guys like Cowgill and D’Arnaud and Valdespin who look like they might just have enough crazy in them to stir things up. Guys who might give you that split second after they get dusted where you’re not quite sure what they’re going to do … Who will more or less guarantee some payback if you go into second spikes high. I sure hope so, because if we don’t incorporate that element we’re just going to keep getting run over by the Chase Utley’s of this world. It’s no coincidence that Utley did that to maybe the nicest kid on the team. Nice doesn’t win championships.

We wont win this season. We wont compete this season. We wont be any good this season. Okay, now that that’s settled, lets go ‘Play Ball’ this season and see what happens. Opening Day is a little over one month away and when that first pitch is thrown, the Mets technically have just as good a chance as anyone to win.

We Mets fans are an interesting bunch Always have been. In 1962 that other team in New York were defending World Champions (again) They had guys named Yogi and Mickey and Whitey and Moose. And they had Roger Maris fresh off breaking what had been deemed the unbreakable record. However, just a few miles away, playing in a dilapidated stadium that was close to being demolished, there was a new team in a town. The Mets countered with guys named Choo Choo, Elio, Marvelous Marv and ‘Hot’ Rod.

And yet, even though the 62 Yankees won 96 games and their eighth World Championship in 13 years, it was the new kids in town who drew more fans.

The difference between the fan bases of our two clubs is simple: Yankees fans feel that anything less than a Championship is simply unacceptable. Mets fans, on the other hand, are ecstatic over finishing .500.

We always hope for the best…but prepare for the worst.

When you think back to 1986, what are the words that come to mind? Swagger. Confidence. Arrogance. Buckner. One word that never really gets brought up is ‘Miracle.’ Sure, Mookie’s slow roller was a gift from the ghosts of Joan Payson and Gil Hodges. But ‘miracle’ is more fitting of 1969 than 1986.

Think back to Game Six. No, not that one. The one against Houston. The Mets were leading the Astros three games to two but we came into the ninth trailing by three and Mike Scott, who’d already shut us down twice in a week and on his way to winning the Cy Young Award, was poised for game seven. Remember that feeling?

Remember that feeling in another Game Six? After Keith flied out, Gary stepped to the plate. The Mets trailed 5-3 in the bottom of the tenth, bases empty and two outs. No hope. Shea was deathly quiet. Failure was written on Davey’s face. The players sat on the bench staring in utter shock and despair at what was playing out before them. Losing was bad enough. Being the team whom the Red Sox would break their curse against was downright embarrassing. But the most heart-wrenching feeling of all was disbelief. Why?

1986 was OUR year. We were supposed to win. We deserved to win. We were entitled. We were the best team. My heavens—We had turned into the Yankees.

And two days later when ‘the dream came true,’ sure, we were elated. But the agony of possible defeat far outweighed the thrill of victory.

In the mid and late 80’s expectations were always high. This was something new for our Metsies. We’re never favored or picked to go far. But with this new burden comes a heavy task. When excellence is expected, almost demanded, anything less is deemed failure. However, when nothing at all is expected and something great happens, it’s that much sweeter.

Over the last quarter century, the two most heartbreaking moments for us came off the bat of catchers: Mike Scioscia and Yadier %$#&^% Molina.

In 1988, the Mets were expected to repeat their ’86 performance. We won 100 games, 10 of those coming in 11 matchups against the Dodgers that season. When Scioscia hit a two-run homer in the top of the ninth in game four against Doc, we were shell-shocked. The Mets never recovered. We were supposed to win. But in the blink of an eye (or the swing of a bat) our expectations and sense of entitlement was crushed.

Same could be said of 2006. That years’ Mets were similar in many ways to the 1986 club. Confident, some arrogance. We dethroned the much hated Braves. Yes, 2006 would definitely be our year. That is until Yadier Molina dug in.

As if 2006 was not heartbreaking enough, the subsequent collapses the next two seasons were downright unfathomable. Choking is hard enough to swallow. But choking when you’re expected to win? That just seems unfair, cruel.

In 1973, the Mets were not good. To say our hitting was anemic would be an understatement. Only one player had over 16 HRs. Only one player hit over 280, Rusty Staub was our RBI leader, plating a whopping 76. No one even had double digits in SB’s. Even our traditionally strong pitching was a letdown. Two of our big three pitchers, Jerry Koosman and Jon Matlack both finished with more losses than wins. And on August 31, our closer Tug McGraw, had an ERA north of 5.00.

But somehow, with no expectations, 1973 remains one of the best years in Mets history. We managed to finagle the NL East title, upset a Big Red Machine team that was filled top to bottom with would-be Hall of Famers. And then, pushed the A’s in the midst of their dynasty, to seven games, even getting the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning of Game Seven.

There are certain players that are held in reverence by their team’s fans. The Red Sox have Ted Williams, the Cubs Ernie Banks, the Royals George Brett. And for us it’s No. 41.

But Tom Seaver was not always Tom Seaver. In the spring of 1969, Seaver was not yet Tom Terrific. He was a promising 24-year old kid with a mediocre 32 wins and 25 losses. (No one expected Seaver to win almost as many games that season as he’d won in the previous two). In Spring Training that March Seaver was joined by Cleon Jones who was a career .272 hitter. (No one dreamed that Cleon would hit .340 in 1969) Former Rookie of the Year Tommie Agee was coming off hitting .217 the previous year. At 26, Agee was considered a has-been.

And if this wasn’t bad enough, our manager was none other than Gil Hodges. Sure, Hodges was loved by New York fans but as a skipper, he achieved little success. With 6 managerial seasons under his belt, the former Brooklyn first baseman had a lackluster .407 winning percentage.

Now, as we inch our way closer to another season, we have little hope. Will Jon Niese turn into another Tom Seaver? No. Will Lucas Duda, like Cleon, hit 340? Of course not. Will Terry Collins join Davey and Gil as championship managers? No way.

But just for the hell of it, lets play out the season and see what happens. In 1962, Casey Stengel told his team, “All I ask is that you bust your hiney on that field.”

Do the Mets have any chance to win it all this season? I think we have about as good a chance as we did in the spring of 1969.

However, Beltran meant so much to the Mets organization over the past seven years for his work on and off the field.

He was honored at MLB’s annual B.A.T. dinner as the recipient of the Bart Giamatti Award for outstanding community service.

Carlos Beltran

Beltran’s organization, the Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy, has been serving young Puerto Rican baseball players as they attempt to play in the United States. Beltran came over as an 18-year-old and barely spoke English, so his goal is to ensure, through a combination of education and sports, that the kids are prepared for what they’ll face.

Each year, Beltran donates 10 percent of his salary towards his foundation. He said he’s been able to help a lot of kids in both Puerto Rico and New York.

“I believe in giving back,” Beltran said. “I believe in giving back to the community. I believe in giving back to the kids.”

Beltran acknowledged that the number of Puerto Rican baseball players had actually been on the decline. He hopes he can play a role in increasing that amount once more.

As for his Mets baseball past, Beltran said his time in New York was “honestly great.” He believed that he did his best to help the team during the years he was healthy.

He did say that there were some ups and downs along the way but that he had no regrets.

“I’ve had my best years of baseball with the Mets,” said Beltran. “Of course, the years that you are healthy, you can perform at the level that you expect yourself to perform.”

Beltran further commented that it takes a special athlete to perform in New York. He said he learned how to deal with certain situations and thus became a better player.

“When you come to New York, you have to understand that everything is going to be magnified,” he said. “The media coverage is going to be bigger than any place else. Coming from Kansas City and then coming from Houston, New York was a big difference for me.”

Beltran’s favorite Mets memory was the team’s run in 2006, though it didn’t end according to plan. He cherished the opportunity to play with Carlos Delgado, David Wright, Jose Reyes, Paul LoDuca and Billy Wagner.

As he enters his 15th season in the big leagues, Beltran is excited to play for the St. Louis Cardinals. He was looking for the chance to get back to the playoffs in these final years of his career, and the Cardinals recent World Series win factored into his decision.

Overlooking some of the off-the-field issues, it was honor watching Beltran play for the Mets. As true Mets fans, we should be saluting Beltran and wishing him well as he continues his career with the Cardinals.

Of course (like I told him), hopefully he doesn’t hit against us!

I’m sure regular readers here are familiar with the debate between XtreemIcon and me regarding the relevance of On-Base Percentage (OBP) and Slugging Percentage (SLG) compared to Runs Batted In (RBI) as it correlates to Runs Scored (RS).

Now that the season is done I thought it was worth looking at the actual data to see what really correlates better to scoring runs: OBP, SLG, OPS(OBP+SLG) or RBI.

2011

(Click to enlarge)

The above chart shows the average differential in correlation between OBP, SLG OPS (OBP+SLG) and RBI.

RBI on average will correlate to RS ranking within plus or minus 0.800 of actual RS rank. It was never off by more than 4 for any team.

OBP will, on average, correlate to RS rank within plus or minus 2.600 of actual RS rank and was off by 12 in its worst prediction.

SLG was a bit better only missing by 2.467 on average with its worst prediction off by 6.

OPS (Which is a combo of OBP and SLG) fared not much better still missing by 1.600 on average but did not miss more than 5 to SLGs 6! Still worse than RBI did on prediction.

Neither OBP, SLG or OPS could predict who would be in the top 10 of RS but RBI was PERFECT as it predicted all of the top 10 teams.

What is significant though is the margin of error for any given team.

The Toronto Blue Jays and the Cincinnati Reds have no business being 6th and 7th in RS if OBP and SLG are the key. They should be much lower. Out of the top 10 for sure. But they are not and why is that? Their 7th and 9th ranked RBI of course.

XtreemIcon would like to limit the proof to the top 5 teams, I wonder why? Could it be that #6 team the Toronto Blue Jays, Whose RBI predicted would be there but his OBP and SLG said they had no business being in the top 10 at all?

He tries to argue against this by demanding a bottom 5 team in OBP has to be in the Top 5 to prove OBP wrong. If a bottom 5 team was top 5 in RBI then it would! Unfortunately most bottom 5 teams suck at everything including OBP and RBI.

In the end OPS predicted 9 out of 10 of the top 10 teams while RBI predicted them all.

2010

RBI on average will correlate to RS ranking within plus or minus 0.800 of actual RS rank. It was never off by more than 4 for any team.

OBP will on average correlate to RS rank within plus or minus 3.600 of actual RS rank and was off by 17 in its worst prediction.

SLG was a bit better than OBP but worse compared to 2011 missing by 2.933 on average with its worst prediction off by 11.

OPS fared better still missing by 2.600 on average but whose worse prediction was off by 11.

Neither OBP, SLG nor OPS could accurately predict who would show up in the top 10 of RS yet RBI was PERFECT.

If what XtreemIcon says is true then Tampa Toronto and the Phillies should not be in the top 10 under any circumstances. The Tigers and Brewers should be instead. They fall just short but where their RBI says they should pretty much be.

The Toronto Blue jays again throw a wicked wrench into the OBP/SLG theory of correlation. It also pretty much dowses the defended notion that OBP and SLG produce High RBI and not the fact that High RBi is merely recorded as an OB and in many cases is a hit that contains a heavier SLG as well but the SLG and the OB itself is not required for a high RBI result to occur.

Toronto was high in SLG low in OBP which tends to suggest they hit a lot of Solo HRs which is the one stat they lead the league in. And as I have proposed many times what gets you that HR happens LONG before any base is touched, No base is in play when he whacked the ball over the fence and the fact of the TIMING that the RBI was BUREAUCRATICALLY recorded after the OB is inconsequential. The act that CAUSED the RBI was done in the batter’s box not after he touched a base.

The Phillies shouldn’t have been in the top 10 at all if OBP and SLG is significant but the RBI being key relates their ranking quite well.

And Tampa should be no better than 10th in RS as their OPS is 14th and pretty much would predict them OUT of the top ten… Again it is the RBI that is the key and it really doesn’t seem to matter what your OBP, SLG or OPS is in regards to getting those RBIs.

2009

Hmm… 2009 doesn’t seem to disprove any of the above points I made. In fact it shows RBI is even better this year with a 0.400 differential its worst prediction was off by 2.

OBP correlated to RS rank within plus or minus 3.933 of actual RS rank (Its worst year) and was off by 14 in its worst prediction.

SLG was a bit worse this year missing by 2.533 on average with its worst prediction off by 11.

OPS came closer to average still missing by 1.533 on average with a miss of 6 as its worst prediction.

OPS and SLG could tell you who were going to be in the top 10 this year, but not what order, RBI was near perfect and only missed because it swapped the Rockies with the Blue Jays in the rankings.

OBP failed miserably in predicting the list of top 10 teams on its own.

Site Note: Charts were also created for 2008, 2007 and 2006, but not included so that the page will load for our dial-up friends. Email the site if you would like them. 

2008

Again RBI predicts plus or minus 0 .667 on average the correct ranking of RS compared to 3.900, 3.100, and 2.167 of OBP, SLG and OPS.

OBP worst prediction off by 11, SLG off by 16, OPS off by 13, RBI only 3.

Twins should not be in the top 5 if you read the OBP/SLG/OPS but RBI predicts precise placement.

Mets shouldn’t be there either if RS needs OBP and SLG to be produced.

St Louis did everything you claimed was important to scoring runs and increasing RS yet wasn’t even in the top 10 of Runs Scored. WHAT HAPPENED?

2007

Again RBI predicts plus or minus 1.133 on average the correct ranking of RS compared to 3.833, 3.300, and 2.300 of OBP, SLG and OPS.

OBP worst prediction off by 15, SLG off by 11, OPS off by 9, RBI only off by 3.

Only case where OBP/SLG/OPS come up with the correct answer when RBI does not is Atlanta.

But it also says Angels Rangers and Indians should not be there yet they are. RBI predicts them accurately as top 10 teams in RS

One more year just for good measure.

2006

RBI predicts plus or minus 1 .033 on average the correct ranking of RS compared to 4.800, 3.600, and 2.333 of OBP, SLG and OPS.

OBP worst prediction off by 16, SLG off by 11, OPS off by 10, and yet again RBI only off by 3 at most.

Damn those pesky Toronto Blue Jays who have in most years screwed up your assertion regarding OBP/SLG/OPS as in this year they should have been right at the top of RS yet only wound up 12th.

Now with all that data displayed and seeing how much of a crap shoot OBP/SLG/OPS is at predicting who is going to score the most runs does it really make using those crap-shoots as a good judge of who will help you score those runs?

Or is as the data clearly shows, that if you target players who consistently drive in runs, it will translate FAR BETTER in increasing Runs Scored than using OBP/SLG or OPS?

I think this should finally put to rest this supposed 30 years of research no one has ever seen that says OBP+SLG is the great prerequisite to Runs Scored when clearly it doesn’t correlate at all.

Good teams who score a lot of runs will in MANY cases have good numbers in OBP and SLG as well. And saying that higher OBP+SLG will result in higher Runs Scored is Simply Not True.

In the charts shown there are a ton of teams with higher OBP and SLG than so many other teams and yet they still did not score more runs.

I was challenged to name one team with a low ranked OBP that finished the season ranked high in runs scored. The Detroit Tigers had the sixth worse OBP in 2006 and they were eighth in runs scored. So much for the OBP.

This Fan Shot was submitted by Mike (Metsie). Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over eleven-thousand Mets fans who read this site daily. Send your Fan Shot to GetMetsmerized@aol.com.

This contribution was borne out of several discussion this offseason in our MMO chat room in which many have heaped praise on Paul DePodesta and J.P. Ricciardi for their player evaluation skills and success in the draft, while knocking the Mets farm system and the player evaluation skills of Omar Minaya.

I wanted to compare the three as fairly as I possibly could, and I thought the best way to do that would be to start at 2000 and look at the the top ten draft picks for all three GM’s or Assistant GM’s up until 2008. I chose to stop at 2008 because it’s still too early to evaluate the last two Amateur Drafts of 2009 and 2010.

I’m not happy with how some are choosing to portray Minaya in a poor light when it comes to player evaluation. You want to say he was a bad GM, that’s your prerogative, but in my opinion he was on his way to being a great GM until 2006 happened. That one post season took him off course and he steered the Mets right off the map of his original well conceived master plan for the franchise. He should have stayed true to himself and his five year plan.

Minaya has always been and still is a great evaluator of talent. Too many have forgotten that one of the reasons Minaya was hired in the first place was because of his eye for talent — he scouted and signed several star players including Sammy Sosa, Juan Gonzalez and Jose Reyes. He was also the Assistant GM when the Mets drafted David Wright, a fact too many forget.

I gave Ricciardi and DePodesta credit for their time as Assistant GM’s with Oakland just so we could look at a good long body of work

I also decided to leave out the glory years for Minaya where he was responsible for the success stories I already mentioned. Basically, I wanted to keep it fair, but also as current as possible.

So let’s see how all three of these executives fared in nine years worth of draft data. Keep in mind that I will also point out instances where a player who was selected may have been flipped or traded for another player because that’s all part of the game too. Click the following image for the full version of their draft records from 2000-2008 or click here.

 Year By Year Draft Summary

2000

DePodesta and Ricciardi can’t boast much success with this draft. Only two players even made it to the Major Leagues; Freddie Bynum .234 BA, and Marcus Gwyn 11.81 ERA. Omar Minaya on the other hand, netted six major leaguers in the first ten rounds, none however were star caliber players, but in this analysis there is strength in numbers.

Edge: Omar Minaya

2001

The Dynamic Duo fared much better in 2001 with seven players reaching the majors, three of them stuck around for more than a couple of years. Bobby Crosby won the Rookie of the Year with a .239 AVG and 141 K’s, but never reached such lofty numbers again because he was rendered a part time player the rest of his career. Jeremy Bonderman was also drafted in the first round, but was traded after as the player to be named later in a deal to acquire pitcher Ted Lilly. Lilly would only play one full season for the A’s before hitting free agency. Other guys who made it to the majors included Neal Cotts and Dan Johnson. Nobody from this 2001 haul is currently an active major leaguer.

Omar Minaya hit the jackpot in 2001 when the Mets selected perennial all star third baseman David Wright, and relief pitcher Aaron Heilman. Both are still gainfully employed. Third rounder Lenny DiNardo also made it to the majors and actually ended up pitching three seasons for, you guessed it, the Oakland A’s.

Edge: Omar Minaya by a landslide.

2002

Ricciardi is now running the show for the Blue Jays and four of his ten picks made it to The Show, the best of them being pitcher Dave Bush. However Bush was traded to the Brewers for Lyle Overbay before he got his feet wet as a Blue Jay. Ironically, the only other player he selected who had a few years in the Bigs was Russ Adams. Yes the same Russ Adams who officially retired as a Mets minor leaguer yesterday.

Depo had seven first round picks! Of those seven, notables included Nick Swisher, Joe Blanton and Mark Teahen. Swisher and Blanton are solid and have had some good seasons, Teahen not so much, but he was a part of the deal that sent Carlos Beltran to the Astros. The other eight rounds weren’t as fruitful.

Omar is now in Montreal working for MLB and being a caretaker for the cash-strapped Expos. Not being able to go over slot really hurt, and only Mike O’Connor is still around and was recently called up by the Mets.

Edge: Paul DePodesta

2003

Two years ago I would have told you I loved Aaron Hill, but he’s looking more and more like a one-year wonder for Ricciardi who selected him in the first round. However, Shawn Marcum was a nice find for J.P. in the third, but is now having a stellar start to the season for the Brewers. This was Depo’s last hurrah with Oakland and the one and only  player from this draft class to crack the major leagues for good was Andre Ethier, who would be traded 18 months later for Milton Bradley before he ever got at-bat with the A’s. Meanwhile, 2005 All Star and saves leader Chad Cordero racked up 20 wins, 128 saves, a 2.18 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP for Omar and his Expos before disaster struck and Cordero was felled by arm injuries.

Edge: Tied between Paul DePodesta and Omar Minaya 

2004

J.P. Ricciardi found himself a decent power hitting first baseman in the third round in Adam Lind, but that’s about all that came out of it for the Jays. The Dodgers were able to get utility infielder Blake Dewitt in this draft, but again nothing else to get excited about. Depo’s best pick was in the 19th round when he selected a 17 year old left-hander from Tennessee, but the kid decided he wanted to go to college. He resurfaced 4 years later when the Rays selected him with the number one overall pick. His name? David Price. Sorry Paul, you only get credit for those you sign. Omar probably couldn’t wait to get out of dodge in Montreal and his draft produced a few major leaguers in Ian Desmond, Collin Balester and Billy Bray, or in other words a whole lot of nothing.

Edge: J.P. Ricciardi

2005

I love Rickey Romero, who Ricciardi took in the first round. He’s a solid left-hander who had a good season last year and seems to be building on it this season. He’s racked up 67 starts for the Jays with a 3.90 ERA and 1.38 WHIP. So far, none of the other top ten rounds have yielded any major leaguers. DePodesta drafted Luke Hochevar with his first pick, but alas he snubbed the Dodgers for the second time and didn’t sign. But have hope Dodger fans, his second pick that year was Ivan DeJesus who is getting his cup of coffee as we speak and is batting a non robust .179 with a .320 OPS. Third baseman Josh Bell also got a cup of coffee in 2010, but the Dodgers decided they saw enough and he wasn’t invited back for the 2011 season after an ugly .214 AVG and .525 OPS. The Mets didn’t strike gold in 2006, but they did fare better than the Dodgers and Blue Jays garnering two-fifths of their starting rotation with Mike Pelfrey and Jon Niese, a hard throwing reliever in Bobby Parnell, their starting catcher Josh Thole, and even Pedro Beato was selected, but didn’t sign.

Edge: Omar Minaya

2006

The Blue Jays selected Travis Snyder with their top pick in 2006, the only player from their draft to make it to the majors. Snyder is still getting regular time as the Blue Jays left-fielder, but if he don’t improve on his .184 BA and .540 OPS, he may soon find himself back in the thin air of Las Vegas where numbers tend to be bloated as we saw with Brad Emaus. DePodesta didn’t draft in 2006, having been curbed by the Dodgers before the start of the season. As for Omar and the Mets, it’s a little complicated… You see, the Mets didn’t have a first round pick this year, but they did select Kevin Mulvey in the second round. So what right? Wrong, Mulvey was the jewel to the package that landed the Mets Johan Santana. The Mets also reaped an Irish lad by the name of Murphy who now lays claim to the second base job. Joe Smith who was the Mets second pick is carving out a nice career as a reliever for the Cleveland Indians.

Edge: Omar Minaya

2007

The Blue Jays did very well in selecting Brett Cecil who has become one of the key starters in their rotation and won 15 games in 2009, had a solid season in 2010, and is on his way to a good season this year. They also got a starting catcher out of the deal as well. Not much to brag about for Minaya or DePodesta in this draft, neither have anyone worth mentioning.

Edge: J.P. Ricciardi

2008

Depo is still waiting for someone to get to the majors from this draft class. His first pick was Allan Dykstra who was still struggling in Single-A when the Padres finally gave up on him and traded him to the Mets last month for Eddie Kunz. Dykstra has a 30% strikeout rate and a .234 professional batting average. The Mets front office, where Depo now resides, decided that Dykstra was worthy of a promotion so he now flails in Binghamton, where they could use a stiff breeze this time of the year. Ricciardi hasn’t had any major leaguers come out of this draft class either. In 2008, the Blue Jays had the #17 pick in the draft and they selected David Cooper. You know him right? He’s the player that was selected right before the Mets took… Ike Davis. Oh yeah, Omar Minaya hit pay-dirt in 2008 and the Mets have been reaping the benefits of this draft for well over a year now and may have even found themselves a core player who may supplant the chosen one, David Wright. In addition to Ike Davis, the Mets have a few other highly regarded prospects on the way in Reese Havens, Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Brad Holt.

Edge: Omar Minaya

The Tale Of The Tape

Omar Minaya: 5 W – 3 L – 1 T

J.P. Ricciardi: 2 W – 6 L – 0 T

Paul DePodesta: 1 W – 7 L – 1 T

Final Thoughts

According to my scorecard, Omar Minaya blew away the field. In the final analysis, Omar Minaya drafted more Major League players than J.P. Ricciardi and Paul DePodesta combined since 2000. Omar Minaya has netted twice as many All Star players as Depo and J.P. combined. The mythology that prevails in the MMO Chat Room is just that, mythology. The new guys are not better talent evaluators than Omar Minaya and never have been. Maybe some day they may match the accomplishments of Omar Minaya, but we won’t know that until they first have at least 4-5 successful drafts. The Draft Record is there for you to see for yourself.

This Fan Post was written by and contributed by Met Maniac.

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.

This is it guys. The final report card. And today, we’re gonna grade the Coaching Staff and the Management. It’s been a fun ride; these past two weeks have been a blast. Thank you Met fans for believeing and hearing what we have to say. We truly appreciate it.

Coaching Staff & Management
(Willie Randolph, Omar Minaya, Howard Johnson, Rick Peterson, Rickey Henderson, Sandy Alomar Sr.,  various others)

Ryan P. – This season was a questionable one for the Mets Staff. It started off well, like the team did, then turned mysterious from mid-season to the end of the season. A bunch of questionable calls by Willie, a few blunders by the base-coaches, and a bit of signing mistakes by Omar. Let’s start with the positives first. Willie has grown from last season, making a few veteran moves along the way. Omar signed some major players like Alou and Anderson while bringing up some rookies players like Joe Smith, Lastings Milledge, and Carlos Gomez. Rick Peterson has been a godsend for the Mets. He made Oliver Perez close to his dominant state in the early 00′s, and have made a lot of adjustments to the other pitchers like John Maine and Aaron Heilman. Rickey Henderson and the rest of the coaching staff made some plesant moves this season that contributed to the Mets success.

Now the negatives. Willie made a lot of shotty management this year. In some cases, he’ll leave a pitcher in longer than expected, he’ll go to his Mota man-crush every other game, and he’ll never suicide squeeze, or attempt a risky move. Instead, his decisions caused the Mets more than 5 games this season. Omar didn’t do a good job surrounding the team with good veterans. Scott Shoenwefjisdfweis struggled all season, along with Mota, and Ben Johnson. Remember him? Rickey Henderson wasn’t the impact the Mets needed this season. Many blamed him for the collapse of Jose Reyes. Overall, a mediocre season for the Mets management and coaching. Hopefully a big change will happen next year.

Grade: Management – B / Coaching – B- 

Andrew V. – Willie has improved.  Omar didn’t have the best season.  The Jacket is a genius.  HoJo is pretty good.  And Rickey got greedy.
Willie Randolph has definetly become a better manager over the past year.  The way he handles his pitchers is the biggest change I have seen.  He is quicker to pull a struggling starter and try and stop the bleeding with someone out of the ‘pen.  Unfortunately, most of the guys out of the pen were terrible this year, so it kept making Willie look foolish.  Willie did lean on a few certain someones way too much, as they would consistently stink up the place, but would continue to get trotted out to the mound day after day. 

Omars’ bench moves were great, but his pitching moves backfired big time.  Signing Mota with the steroid allegation did not work out at all, Schoeneweis was pretty darn terrible, and Sele only pitched when there were at least 15 runs scored in a game.  But moves like picking up Marlon Anderson mid season help counteract the poor pitching moves.  Next year will be better…I hope. 

Rick Peterson is doing as much as he can do with his young and old staff.  He is trying to corral the young guys, trying to help them focus and learn, at the same time as he is trying to keep the old guys healthy and effective.  I think he’s done a great job with Oliver Perez, who still gets into his own head and likes to try out new things, making him the kind of pitcher he is today, just the same with John Maine.  To me, it seems as though working with the bullpen arms proves a much tougher task, as you really only have a limited amount of time to see them work on the mound in a game.  He’s done a great job teaching the young guys and keeping the old guys pitching well.

HoJo was a nice addition to the squad, as we definitely saw the hitting improve when he joined the club.  He has players stepping out of the box more, which throws off a pitchers rhythm.  I think this might be one of the most effective things a batter can do to gain an advantage over a pitcher while in the box.  Rickey Henderson tried to make his players steal too much.  Thats my only qualm with him.  He probably has great insight on the game and on stealing bases, something Reyes and Wright and many other speedy players could learn from.  Who knows if he will be back next year.

All around, I think our staff was a little better than last year, with Willie learning the game a lot more, but with Omar’s questionable decisions and trades bringing the grade down a bit.  I’d just like to thank Ryan for coming up with this idea and allowing me to write on this panel of great bloggers! 

Grade: B (combined)

Brian M. - In 2007, Nothing changed about the way Willie and Omar managed from 2006. Willie was steady and Omar was smart. Until things took a turn for the worse, then Willie was slow and Omar was stupid. It’s funny how that works in New York. I would have given Willie and Omar an A+ in 2006. I give both of them an incredible, an amazing, amount of respect for not crumbling under the pressure, especially in the most pressure packed town there is. Omar didn’t trade the farm for fowl and Willie didn’t throw foul language. It says a lot about the two of them, maybe cause they were born and raised here or maybe that was simply how they were raised. That was fine for me.

The results were not there, but what else could Omar do? Luis Castillo was the most underrated trade of the year, killing two birds with one stone. Marlon Anderson was the pinch hitting sensation the Mets lacked. And who did you want Willie to pitch? Who did you want Willie to pitch in the 1st inning or in the 9th? Who did you want Willie to pitch in the 6th, 7th, 8th, 5th innings? They all stunk at the same time. Stop pitching Mota? Stop pitching Sosa? Wagner, Feliciano, and Heilman can only last so long. Questionable non-decisions could include not Joba’ing Humber to the pen, yes. But for every one of those there was a Damion Easley HR or a Jorge Sosa dominating start (how quick we forget). 

So keep it the way it was in 2007 Willie, and work your magic Omar. I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. 

It seemed like the majority of the Mets in 2007 had streaky seasons, played up and down, a better first half or a better second half. For whatever reason the coaching staff couldn’t get the team consistent. For every Rick Down firing there was HoJo to help a resurrection. For every HoJo, there was  Ricky Henderson. And for every Joe Smith, there was another Joe Smith, for every John Maine and Oliver Perez there was a different side as well. Consistency of the team  was my biggest concern and the coaching staff is there to help line p the tracks. That didn’t happen in 2007.

Grade: Management – A / Coaching – C 

Jon C. – Sorry fans, I don’t like Willie’s ho-hum say nothing quiet confidence schtick anymore. Instead of getting his team to snap out of the September doldrums – he sat there expressionless. Instead of getting his team revved up for the home Phillies series, he sat there – expressionless. Quiet confidence works when your team is performing. Just once, I would’ve liked to see Willie get thro
wn out of a game – just to show he has a pulse. I won’t even get into his constant misuse of the bullpen and starting Green over Milledge- for the most part, Willie goes with his gut – and this season his gut was deadwrong.

For the most part – the coaches weren’t the problem in 2007. I will say, however, that Sandy Alomar’s constant waving in of runners to the plate was a constant crucial error in judgment. How many times can you think of was a rally cut short because Sandy Sr. sent Delgado or another slower runner home? HoJo did a great job all-around whether it was as first base coach or hitting coach. Rickey Henderson, as mentioned, must go. His "who cares" personality is a cancer in the clubhouse. Manuel does a decent job and Peterson for the most part did an admirable job getting the most from shaky starters. 

Grade: Management – C / Coaches – B 

Joe D. – Expectations were high for the Mets in 2007 after coming within one out of the World Series in 2006. The Mets had become so sure of themselves that even their slogan implied a World Series title.  It was up to Omar Minaya and Willie Randolph to see this job through and achieve the ultimate goal. They both failed miserably. Both Omar and Willie took huge steps backwards in 2007 after consecutive years of forward progress. You can blame Omar for what he didn’t do, and Willie for what he did do.

Omar knew fully well what the Mets shortcomings were heading into 2007, but decided to go with what he had for his starting rotation, a rotation that seemed flat and ill-equipped by most experts before the season even started. Omar also failed to keep the National League’s best bullpen intact and traded away all of the team’s depth in the minors in a series of bad trades. He then replaced key relievers Chad Bradford and Darren Oliver with Guillermo Mota and Scott Schoeneweis, who were both signed to lucrative deals even after one of them (Mota) tested positive for steroids. Now Schoeneweis may face a suspension for steroids as well. Omar’s job security suffered a major blow and he must salvage his credibility with a big off season this winter and a division title in 2008.

Willie, Willie, Willie… there’s so much I want to say, and so little space to do it in. The honeymoon is definitely over between the Mets and Willie Randolph. His laid-back style has led to may questions about whether he is too soft to lead the team. Some of the younger players seemed to test his authority as they made numerous lackadaisical plays and baserunning decisions. There were also some grumblings from the veteran players who had hoped for a stronger show of support from Randolph on the field. His bullpen and starting pitching management has some serious flaws, and some wonder if he can even improve in those areas. His in-game strategy is among the least aggressive in the National League and he is frequently outmanaged by the opposition. He is a 6-game losing streak away from being replaced. If the Mets don’t hit the ground running in April, Willie may hit the road in May.

I don’t put much credence between a team’s performance and their coaching staff. But, I do have some issues with some of the coaches on this squad. Rick Peterson has somehow managed to avoid any blame for the collapse despite presiding over the team’s two biggest failures; starting pitching and the bullpen. Oliver Perez and Peterson butted heads all season long, while Mike Pelfrey looked worse after implementing many of Peterson’s so-called fixes. Guillermo Mota and Scott Schoeneweis should not be blamed on Peterson, but Joe Smith’s lack of improvement showed Peterson’s obvious disconnect with all of the young pitchers.

Adding Rickey Henderson to the staff was the absolute worst move for a team that was already suffering from an inability to execute and play at full throttle. His presence simply accentuated the hidden flaws on the team and made them more pronounced. On a team who is desperately looking for leadership, Henderson was the last thing this team needed.

Firing Rick Down, showed how immature Omar Minaya could be at times. He said he thought the team needed a spark and some motivation and he wasn’t happy with their approach at the plate. The truth is he needed a scapegoat and Down was it. If he wanted to add a spark, he should have traded for a pitcher at the deadline rather than firing Rick Down. The rest of the staff is very capable and I would expect to see most of them return in 2008. 

Grade: Management – C / Coaches – B- 

Again, from the staff of Mets Merized, we’d like to thank you for sharing your opinions this year and especially hearing ours for the entire season. We’d like you to stay tuned for the off-season for any breaking news and any blogs that may interest you.

I’ll be writing a follow-up blog with all the grades later this week. Stay tuned!