Harvey, 24, had his second consecutive scintillating start in a row on Monday evening, holding the Phillies to just one run and three hits over seven innings of work. The righthander struck out nine and now has 19 strikeouts in 14 innings.

The seventh overall pick in the 2010 draft is tearing down long-standing records for pitchers who are breaking into the majors and after 12 starts he even had the great Doctor K himself saying, “I am sitting here watching Matt Harvey… this kid is better than advertised … looking forward to watching him every 5th day.”

One thing I found impressive came from former major leaguer turned ESPN analyst Doug Glanville say, “He has four plus pitches – make that plus, plus pitches. And even if he only has three of them working he’s going to pitch a great game. Even if he has just two of the working, he’s going pitch a good game.”

Manager Terry Collins kind of backed that up after the game, “Obviously he wasn’t real sharp, but he was still very good,” Collins said. “The fact that the change-up has helped him. He threw some very good breaking balls today. He just wasn’t as sharp with the command of his fastball…It just tells you what the quality stuff can do and when you make a pitch you have to make, you get people out.”

Can Matt Harvey become the best pitcher the Mets have developed since – well since – Dwight Gooden?

I’m starting to believe that it’s certainly a possibility. He may be the best pitcher a Mets GM has drafted since Frank Cashen took selected Gooden fifth overall in 1981. That was six general managers and 32 years ago.

Is it too early to make such a claim? Maybe. But I’ll stick to my guns and wait ten years to see if I was right.

Santana’s left shoulder is not getting better and it isn’t unfair to wonder if the prideful or stubborn lefthander – take your pick – may have committed career suicide on March 3, a quiet Sunday that turned into one of the Mets’ loudest days of spring training.

Yep, that was one of the loudest days of the spring alright…

Original Post 3/26

HOW MUCH IS SANTANA CAUSE OF HIS OWN PROBLEMS?

When Johan Santana said he doesn’t know when he will pitch again, it isn’t inconceivable it could be never.

Santana’s left shoulder is not getting better and it isn’t unfair to wonder if the prideful or stubborn lefthander – take your pick – may have committed career suicide on March 3, a quiet Sunday that turned into one of the Mets’ loudest days of spring training.

The day after GM Sandy Alderson said he thought the Mets’ $31-million commitment was at least ten days from getting on the mound and not in good shape, Santana took it upon himself to prove him and the questioning media wrong.

Now, there’s no longer doubt of him staying in Florida or being on the Opening Day roster.

“I’ve just got to stay here and work out and get ready,’’ Santana told reporters over the weekend. “… I’m making progress. It’s just I don’t know when I’m going to be pitching again. That’s the thing: We cannot think ahead. The way we’re approaching everything is every day make sure we have a good day.’’

Too bad he wasn’t thinking that way when he expressed displeasure in not playing in the World Baseball Classic, and later anger at Alderson. Who knows what went through Santana’s mind when he took the mound with an “I’ll show you’’ chip on his shoulder.

How can there be progress when he can’t think ahead? How can there be progress when his shoulder isn’t close?

Since that day, Santana threw a light session, but was scratched from a start and has been reduced to 90-foot long tossing. Do you realize how far away that distance is from a regular season game?

He must gradually build up to 180 feet, and after cleared at that distance will he be allowed on the mound. Then, it’s throwing batting practice and building his pitch count up to 100. Manager Terry Collins said Santana needs to go through a spring training, which is six weeks. But, that clock doesn’t start until he gets on the mound, and nobody can say when that will be.

That’s progress?

And, that’s assuming there are no setbacks, of which there have been several during this struggle since shoulder surgery in September of 2010 to repair a torn anterior capsule.

Of course, it is hard to pinpoint an exact time when a pitcher’s million-dollar arm turns to ten cents. There was the injury in 2010, but Santana had issues with his shoulder in Minnesota before the trade to the Mets.

The wear and tear on a major league pitcher’s arm begins with the first pitch. Santana made 34 starts in 2008, his first year with the Mets, but had surgery in the off-season and hasn’t come close to pitching a full season since.

After two winters of rehab, Santana made it back last year with initial success, including a controversial no-hitter, the only one in franchise history.

Did Collins make a mistake leaving Santana in for 134 pitches, thinking he was giving the pitcher a shot at a career moment and Mets’ fans their lone bright spot in what would be a dark summer?

Of course, Santana didn’t want to come out, and no pitcher admits to being tired, but this was different. Had the no-hitter not been on the table Santana never would have continued pitching. His summer quickly unraveled and included a career-worst six-game losing streak.

After two winters of rehab, Santana, with the Mets’ knowledge, did not have a normal offseason. Then again, nothing has been routine about his winters since 2007 as there has been an injury issue each year.

“I’ve been in this game for a while,’’ Santana said. “I went through that [surgery] a couple of years ago and I’m still here. So I’m going to battle and try to come back and help as much as I can. When that is going to happen, I don’t really know.’’

Several questions are raised through Santana’s uncertainty. How much did the no-hitter hurt him? How carefully was Santana monitored in the offseason? Did going slower backfire? It is easy to suggest the no-hitter hurt, but how much did Santana contribute to his own demise this spring?

“I’m just building up my strength and throwing more volume,’’ Santana said. “… With injuries you never know. I got to spring training feeling good. And then, once I started getting to pitch and stuff and I got on the mound, I didn’t feel I was making progress.’’

If he didn’t believe he was making progress, then why consider the WBC?  More to the point, if he wasn’t making progress why did he get on the mound March 3, when his manager wasn’t expecting him to throw for nearly two weeks?

What forced him, pride or anger? Perhaps, he simply ran out of patience waiting to find out if he’ll ever make it back.

Santana might finally have his answer.

Okay, well nobody actually said that, but I thought it made for a great title…

However, in case you were wondering about it, perish the thought…

Terry Collins just said that Zack Wheeler will not be considered as a replacement for Shaun Marcum in the rotation and will not pitch for the Mets at all in April.

“His ultimate promotion will have nothing to do with other injuries and they don’t think he’s quite ready.”

Two weeks ago, Collins said if Wheeler is going to be promoted to the team, he’s going to have to dominate in Las Vegas and earn it the old-fashioned way.

“Let him for to Triple-A and prove he’s ready. Go lead the Minor Leagues in pitching and then we’ll talk.”

Are you getting it out there in TV Land?

Meanwhile, it’s looking worse and worse for Shaun Marcum…

Original Post 10:30 AM

According to Jorge Castillo of The Star Ledger, Jenrry Mejia, who has not pitched since March 11 due to what the Mets first labeled forearm tendinitis, has been shutdown for at least six weeks due to inflammation in his elbow.

Jenrry Mejia” src=”http://metsmerizedonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Jenrry-Mejia-400×316.jpg” width=”280″ height=”221″ />

“I feel a little pain, not much,” Mejia said in Spanish. “But sometimes a little pain turns into a lot so you don’t want to force anything. It’s better to not force anything to get ready and finish the season healthy.”

Mejia said he will not throw for another two weeks, after which he will start a four-week throwing program with the end goal of making his season debut.

“I feel good knowing what I have because I was wondering,” Mejia said.

In two starts this spring, Mejia allowed five runs, four earned, in just two innings pitched. Mejia tore the mediate collateral ligament in his right elbow in May 2011 and underwent Tommy John surgery. he’s less than a year removed from his return to the mound so obviously this is a huge concern.

The news comes at amid reports that Shaun Marcum, the team’s projected No. 2 starter, will not be able to make his first start after a bullpen session was cut short yesterday due to a neck issue.

Marcum was plagued with arm woes last season and throughout his career. The Mets have already shut him down twice this spring because of arm weakness and had to give him a cortisone shot a week ago. He was to be the replacement for R.A. Dickey in the rotation.

I thought it was a risky move replacing a 200+ innings pitcher like Dickey with a pitcher who had a history like Marcum. I thought the odds of getting more than 100 innings out of Marcum were a longshot at best. And then of course you have the caliber and quality contrast on top of the durability issue.

Bid Here Now

Rusty signed the bobblehead during his Google Hangout Podcast  last week in which he sat down with a panel of Mets bloggers including our own Stephen Hanks representing Mets Merized Online.

In case you missed it, you can watch the entire hangout with Rusty here:

The Benefit Fund’s mission is to provide assistance to the families of New York City Police Officers, Fire Fighters, Port Authority Police and EMS Personnel who have been killed in the line of duty. The Benefit Fund gives financial assistance to grieving families immediately after they lose their loved one. Our goal is to raise enough funds to provide meaningful annual distributions to our beneficiaries for the remainder of their lives.

Since the Benefit Fund’s inception in 1985 by Daniel J. “Rusty” Staub, the Benefit Fund has distributed over $123 million to the families of New York City police and fire personnel who have been killed in the line of duty. Though the Benefit Fund was initially created to assist families of New York City Fire Fighters and Police Officers, we now include the families of Emergency Medical Services and Port Authority Officers as well. In 1987 we provided 320 families with annual financial assistance and by 2010, we made the same commitment to nearly 700 families. Our need has certainly grown, but our mission remains pure: help children and spouses who lost a loved one in the line of duty, charged with the task of keeping our families safe.

So help support the cause and bid now!

Buster Olney of ESPN.com reported that the Tampa Bay Rays will “probably” trade B.J. Upton over the offseason. The Rays came close to dealing their center fielder to the Washington Nationals prior to the trade deadline, but weren’t able to agree on the pieces before time ran out.

Upton made $4.825 million in 2011 and is due for a raise in what will be his final year of arbitration. The Rays currently have Desmond Jennings waiting in the wings and they believe he is ready to take over in center field.

At 27 years old, Upton still has loads of potential and he did hit 23 home runs and drove in 81 runs, but also batted .243 and struck out 161 times in the process.

Another option that has emerged is Cleveland Indians’ center fielder Grady Sizemore. Yesterday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reported that the Indians are expected to decline Sizemore’s $8.5 million dollar option for 2012.

Sizemore, 28, had micro-fracture surgery on his left knee in 2010 which required him to miss half of the 2010 and 2011 season, and recently underwent more surgery on the same knee, but is expected to be ready for Spring Training. In 268 at-bats this season he batted .224 with ten home runs and 30 RBIs.

Both players certainly have their own unique issues, but might still prove to be an upgrade over Angel Pagan who could get almost $5 million dollars in arbitration this Winter.

Sizemore will cost the Mets only money, while of course Upton will cost both player and money. Would either of them be worth the risk?

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.

1. Where do you rank the Mets Minor League System on a scale of 1-10 in the following areas:

A) Starting Pitching: 3. And that could possibly be generous. Frankly the only pitchers that I truly see as big league starting pitchers in the organization are Dillon Gee, Jenrry Mejia, and Matt Harvey. And there are even questions as to whether Mejia or Harvey will end up starters or back end relievers.

B) Power Hitters: 7. They have some guys that can really put the ball out of the park. Fernando Martinez when healthy along with Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Lucas Duda should provide plenty of power in AAA. In AA Reese Havens and Sean Ratliff have very good power, Ratliff is a sleeper for me. In A+ they have Wilmer Flores, Cory Vaughn and maybe Cesar Puello’s BP power translates to games. Then you have the best power bat in the system in Aderlin Rodriguez down in Savannah.

C) Potential Star Caliber Players: 6. I think they have a few potential stars in Mejia, Flores, Harvey, Puello and Aderlin Rodriguez. Problem is they do not have any Jason Heyward’s, or Mike Stanton’s etc. All their potential star caliber players could be flops or just solid major leaguers. They don’t have that one stand out prospect that you are certain will be a superstar.

D) Overall: 5. I’ll say 5 because despite what some may feel, I think they are a middle of the pack or so farm system. They have some good prospects that look like big leaguers, even if not stars. If they keep up spending in international free agency and really focus on draft spending and scouting this farm could jump quick. I trust Sandy Alderson and co. to be able to handle this.

2. At what position do the Mets have the most quality depth and why?

No doubt it’s in the outfield. I guess why is a hard question, they just struck luck with those group of guys. But they have guys like Duda, Nieuwenhuis, Martinez, Ratliff, Puello, Vaughn, Darrell Ceciliani, Javier Rodriguez. That is a good amount of solid outfielders that I could see them all ending up in the major leagues one day, some sooner than later. The outfielders really excite me.

3. Which Mets prospect took the biggest step forward in 2010?

Many I am sure will disagree, but for me it’s Sean Ratliff. Ratliff prior to 2010 to me was just a guy who could hit a few balls out of the park but would strike out way too much to put forth any form of a solid season. But man did he surprise me. The call to AA really sparked him. He OPS’ed .933 up in Binghamton, and I really am starting to think Ratliff could end up a big league regular in the outfield. He plays a solid center, but likely will have to be a corner as a pro.

4. Which Mets prospect took the biggest step backward?

I’ll go with Brad Holt on this one. He simply I don’t think could have been any worse. He was a top 5 prospect in the system for some people coming into 2010, and now there are many people who completely write him off as a big leaguer. I personally think he still has a shot as a middle reliever if he can get some control and stop throwing balls at the backstop. But the big bonus baby, and Brooklyn strike-out record holder took an enormous step back in the eyes of the public. He will really have to rebound this year in Binghamton to regain the trust of the organization and the fans. I personally would put him in the pen now and give up on the starting experiment that simply won’t work.

5. Lets have some fun. What will the 2013 Mets Opening Day Lineup look like?

C: Josh Thole 1B: Ike Davis 2B: Brad Emaus 3B: David Wright SS: Jose Reyes LF: Jason Bay CF: Kirk Nieuwenhuis RF: Wilmer Flores. Let’s order it Reyes-Nieuwenhuis-Wright-Davis-Bay-Flores-Emaus- Thole. I could imagine this being horribly wrong.

6. Boom or Bust?

A) Wilmer Flores: Boom. I have him in RF above, but I think he best translates in left at the big league level. His bat is exceptional, and as long as he stays healthy he’s going to have a long career as an above average offensive player.

B) Lucas Duda: Boom as a DH. I don’t think Duda really has a position, and I think he’s going to be much better suited in the AL. If he has a real good first half don’t be surprised if he’s dangled at the deadline to an AL team for pitching.

C) Fernando Martinez: Bust. Pains me to say it, I love Martinez. But I have all but given up hope that the kid will ever be healthy. Shame because his offensive upside is special, but he’ll never get to realize it.

D) Brad Holt: Bust. He may end up carving out a career in middle relief, but that’s not a $1M investment like the Mets made in him on draft day.

E) Reese Havens: Bust. I am going to put him in the Fernando territory where he simply will never be healthy. It’s a shame because him and Martinez both if they were healthy they have very good upside.

F) Kirk Nieuwenhuis: Boom. I was not too high on Kirk in 2010, even when he was performing well. But he’s grown on me. I think he’ll be able to play an acceptable center field, and has 20/20 type potential at the plate. He does need to work on plate discipline though, but he abuses the baseball on the line to gaps on a regular basis. He very well could be taking over after Beltran leaves.

7. Who is the best Mets prospect most Mets fans never heard of?

He has recently gotten a little love as a sleeper, but I would have to say Akeel Morris. The Mets drafted Morris in the 2010 draft, and he’s armed with a mid 90s fastball and an above average breaking ball. We’ll see about developing a quality third pitch, but I had one scout compare Morris to Frankie Rodriguez. With the herky jerky motion and all.

8. The Mets will have the #13 pick in the 2011 June Draft. I know it’s early, but are there any solid players that will be there for the Mets? Who do you like?

It depends on signability and whatnot of course. But I am all over the college pitching right now at 13. They could get guys like UCONN’s Matt Barnes, Virginia’s Danny Hultzen, UCLA’s Trevor Bauer (fav of mine), Texas’s Taylor Jungmann and Georgia Tech’s Jed Bradley. College pitching is definitely the strength of the draft. As far as high schoolers, I am big on RHP Archie Bradley, LHP Daniel Norris and RHP Dylan Bundy. Regardless I can’t see any logic and going anything other than pitching at 13.

9. On Sunday, their was a Daily News piece on how the Mets have revamped their approach to scouting. Did you get a chance to read it and what were your thoughts?

I like it a lot. This organization now has a plan. It’s fun to know intelligent people are running the team, and are prepared to send them in the right direction. They will have scouts monitoring specific organizations so the team could have very in depth scouting reports on everyone so when it comes time to trade they will know exactly who they like and why. In the past regime, you almost feel like they were picking at straws. Could this plan falter because you can’t possibly see enough of everyone? Sure, but I’ll take a legitimate plan that fails over guessing and hoping.

10. Which pitching prospect will have the better major league career, Jenrry Mejia or Matt Harvey?

I am actually going to vote Harvey. Harvey has the natural pitcher’s build, a little mechanical flaw, but certainly fixable. He has a fastball that cranks up to 98, as well as 3 average or better secondaries in his curve, slider and change. Mejia right now to me is a 1 pitch pitcher that needs a lot of work on his curve and change. Mejia to me has a better shot to end up in the bullpen than Harvey does, and I always give the edge to a starter over a reliever.

11. More of a Mets question, but how would you grade the Mets offseason, and how many games do you think they will win in 2011?

Considering the financial restraints put on Sandy Alderson, I think he did a strong job. I would give him a B simply based on what he had, not in relation to general moves or in comparison to what other teams did. He filled every hole that the Mets had with at least an able body. Unlike Omar Minaya, Alderson didn’t leave holes to be stronger in another area. He made sure he filled everything, and gave the team depth nearly everywhere too. The job he did this offseason I think is being severely underrated. I am going to give the team 85 wins if healthy.

12. Tell us about your very unique Mets blog, St. Lucie to Flushing and how you became interested in covering the Mets minor leagues as well as the MLB Draft?

Well I have contributed many places, including Mike Silva’s NY Baseball Digest, which I still read on a daily basis. I love to write about the Mets, and I love to cover the minors specifically. There aren’t too many Mets blogs out there that have a hard focus on the minors, and not just recapping games, but really focusing on the small details. We try to do that over at PSL2F, it launched rather quick last year, but in 2011 I expect real big things from the blog. I want to have video of prospects playing live this summer. I intend to attend games for all levels other than GCL, Kingsport and St Lucie. I will have plenty of exclusive interviews with prospects as well. I just simply enjoy this, this is all fun for me. There is nothing like having multiple tabs open following the Gameday’s of every minor league affiliate while watching the big club on my TV. I am excited for the future of St Lucie to Flushing, and I hope everyone goes and checks it out this summer, as the content will be unique and informational for all fans. We want fans to know more than just the top prospects. Our goal is to have everyone to know everyone from the top to the bottom. That’s the goal.

Thanks for your time Joe. Check out St. Lucie To Flushing and add them to your favorites. If you go there now you will find their latest post with features player projections for Wally Backman’s Binghamton Mets. You can also follow Joe on Twitter at PSLToFlushing.

The Mets this season have fielded about 15 players who have actually contributed – a far cry from the normal 25 man roster. Let’s reminisce and go back to early Spring – Port St. Lucie – when hope was abundant – when we all thought Oliver Perez was rip roaring and ready to hit the ground at CitiField running, repaired “injured” knee and all.

The Mets were unable – or unwilling – to land a starting pitcher this past off season. The Mets were forced to enter the 2010 season with Johan Santana leading a staff of Mike Pelfrey, John Maine, Oliver Perez and Jon Niese or as I always liked to call it – One man and a little hazy.

How pathetic in retrospect is that rotation? Santana aside, Pelfrey and Niese were the only two usable arms in that cadre and as the year progressed we had the opportunity to see Hisanori Takahashi start as well as the emergence of knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. Even with the surprisingly productive year of Dickey, the Mets at times this year, were just getting by with 3 reliable arms – sometimes even less.

The lineup envisioned by the powers that be included the bats of Rod Barajas, Luis Castillo, Jason Bay, Jeff Francouer and returning from injuries Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran.

At times this season, Jerry Manuel’s lineup card might as well been partially left blank since more times than not there were at least four slots in the Mets lineup virtually unproductive. No team can compete for a championship with a handicap like that.

Take Rod Barajas who started the season on a torrid pace blasting 11 homeruns in his first month in Queens alone. After that glorious month, a picture of Rod Barajas’ Louisville slugger found it’s way on the side of milk cartons in local area bodegas. He hit an appalling .225 with 12 home runs, 34 RBI and a .677 OPS until being claimed off waivers by Los Angeles.

Luis Castillo. What can we say about Louie that hasn’t been already? He’s regressed worse than Chevy Chase’s career with a decaying range at second base that at this rate I bet Betty White can out-field our second baseman – but he found the stones to demand a trade for lack of playing time. Good idea Louie Louie and we gotta go, hey hey hey hey.

The outfield for the Mets this year has been a mishmash of players getting and returning from injury. Francoeur, a former “Natural” standout player with a great personality that has unfortunately seen his best days pass him – was sent packing from Atlanta last year and recently was traded to Texas. Francoeur’s numbers as a Met – .225 BA, 10 HR, 41 RBI, and a .836 OPS. A good guy who gave 110% – too bad it was 110% of Jeff Francouer baseball. There was a reason Bobby Cox let him go. Still doubt his baseball acumen?

Jason Bay was brought in with the intention of powering the offense. A poor man’s Matt Holliday – if you want to call a $66 million dollar contract poor – Bay has never seemed quite comfortable in the confines of CitiField. An assessment of Bay’s production last year showed that the majority of his round trippers were dead pull shots at Fenway. Considering left field at Citi fares no worse than Fenway- in fact slightly better considering the lack of the Green Monster – it was safe to assume Bay would do quite well at CitiField.

Of course Jason decided to become more of a gap hitter at Citifield thus ending that assumption. Bay’s numbers this year, .259 BA, 6 HR, 47 RBI and a .749 OPS. To add injury to insult, Bay ingloriously ended (perhaps?) his 2010 season when he slammed his head into the outfield fence in L.A., catching a fly ball, earning a concussion. Somewhere Ryan Church is popping an Excederin in solidarity.

Here is a list of players whom the Mets could have simply gotten by without –

1. Luis Castillo

2. Rod Barajas

3. Fernando Tatis

4. Alex Cora

5. Mike Jacobs

6. Gary Matthews Jr.

7. Jeff Francoeur

8. Jason Bay

9. John Maine

And last but certainly not least in all our hearts….

10. Oliver Perez

So Mets fans, stand up and give your team some credit here.  With the group of players ownership has given them to work with this year it’s absolutely a shock that the Mets have the respectable (albeit losing) record they have – so far.  Here’s to finding the silver lining and to hoping that the Mets keep bucking the trend through the remainder of the season.  Hopefully they can salvage what little baseball is left for them.

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.