Terry Collins

It won’t be fair, but we know few things in baseball aren’t fair.Collins doesn’t have a contract beyond this season, and his lame duck status rises to the surface when the Mets go into a tailspin, as they did last week when they lost a season-high six straight games, and he later blasted the fans over the Jordany Valdespin episode.

I ripped him over Valdespin with no regrets, but Collins does deserve some points for his clarification the next day. He didn’t retract, which is fine, didn’t say he was misquoted, which is commendable, but said there was room for interpretation.

Sometimes, I don’t get where Collins is coming from when he waffles – for example, I don’t think he gaveCollin Cowgill a long enough opportunity in center/leadoff at the start of the season – but for the most part realize he’s dealing with a lack of depth and talent.

Assuming there’s no turnaround, this will be Collins’ third straight losing season, enough to get most managers sacked, but there is a unique scenario in Flushing.

Collins was not hired to take the Mets to the playoffs. He was hired as a caretaker and to change the culture. He is being asked to win a poker hand with five cards worth of mismatched talent. When it comes to discarding cards, Collins might keep David Wright and Matt Harvey, but that’s about it.

Sandy Alderson – also hired as a caretaker – and ownership, which is trying to stabilize its financial ship, have not given Collins a genuine opportunity to win.

Collins has not changed the culture, but he’s not had total support from Alderson in that regard. How else can you explain Valdespin’s presence on the roster? Also, Alderson’s comments yesterday about it not being imminent Ike Davis will be optioned shows a lack of changing the culture.

And, not for a second do I buy there’s no other alternative. The issue isn’t who will play first base for a month in a lost season, but why won’t they make the decision to do something to help Davis?

That falls on Alderson, not Collins.

A way you determine whether a manager is reaching his players is if they’ll still hustle for him and if he loses his clubhouse, and there’s not enough evidence of either. The captain, Wright, plays hard and is the proper example.

However, keeping Valdespin’s toxic attitude and Davis’ dysfunctional bat could gradually eat away at this team’s psyche. Collins’ lame duck status can also do the same.

If the Mets are to be financially whole after this season and show a willingness to spend to add talent, then Collins should get the opportunity to manage that team. He should get the chance to manage with some degree of talent in his dugout.

In looking at the Mets’ 25-man roster, I only see a handful of players I can say with certainty will be back next year: Wright, Harvey, Jon Niese and Bobby Parnell. I can see Daniel Murphy back, but also dealt in July. I can see somebody else playing shortstop next year. Everybody else I can see gone.

That indicates no core or organizational depth, and that’s not Collins’ fault. Give Collins time with a full deck and then make a decision. It’s not fair to do so otherwise.

In my game recap last night I mentioned the remarkable catch by Mets outfielder Juan Lagares as the highlight of the game.

Here is the video of that catch;

Opposing pitcher Jeanmar Gomez looked like he hit a sure-fire single against Mets starter Matt Harvey. But wow, what a grab.

Lagares hasn’t gotten it together yet at the plate, but he will. back in February I spoke highly of him and said he’d be a Met before the All Star break and that his defense was stellar. Even Terry Collins now admits he’s better than Matt den Dekker a fact we always maintained here.

In my Q&A with Paul DePodesta last Winter, I posted this:

• Mets are very high on Juan Lagares. When pressed why they haven’t produced a quality outfielder since Darryl Strawberry, they came back with Lagares and then added that they are impressed with his instincts at CF and are excited with his performance in Winter Ball, citing his bat and his 8% walk rate. They said Lagares could provide depth for Mets outfield this season.

When we ranked Juan Lagares No. 21 in our MMO Top Prospects in January, it came under some scrutiny and prompted this exchange:

TruthsaboutMurphy: He’s just not a good outfield prospect. He’s not fast enough for center and doesn’t have enough power for a corner outfield spot. Considering the options, he should not be on the top 25.

I told him he was wrong and that I base my opinions on intimate knowledge from my writers who have seen him up close and were all very impressed. We also base our opinions from speaking to various scouts, coaches and even the Mets VP of Player Development.

Lagares is legit with his glove, his speed and his bat. Hopefully, he will begin to show off the rest of his overall game and become an integral part of the Mets solution in the outfield.

Sandy Alderson and Jay Horwitz chat before start of today’s game. (Photo: Matt Balasis, MMO)

Updated by Joe D. on April 15 at 12:00 PM

The reaction to Matt’s interview with Mets GM Sandy Alderson has been stunning. Over 25,000 different visitors have read the post and as I was telling Shannon of Mets Media Relations, it’s been talked about on WFAN and posted or linked to on over two dozen mainstream sites including MLB Trade Rumors, ESPN, Fox Sports, Yahoo, USA Today, MetsBlog and the Daily News to name a few.

In all fairness, regarding the Giancarlo Stanton rumor which originated with Andy Martino of the Daily News, and was covered on MMO in a post that eclipsed 300 comments, Martino offered a reply to Alderson’s denial that there were any recent conversations and wanted to add his comments here:

Just updating our item from last Thursday on the Mets’ interest in Miami outfielder Giancarlo Stanton. Two pieces of news trickled out over the weekend that both confirmed the Mets’ end of the story and moved forward the Marlins’ end beyond what we wrote.

In the original column, I reported that Sandy Alderson and Marlins GM Larry Beinfest spoke at a minor league game in Jupiter, Fla. This was probably early March. One good Mets source told me that two discussed Stanton, and that “there was heat there.” He was not talking about the temperature in Florida, but his team’s strong interest in the young slugger.

But another Mets person, also reliable, said he wasn’t sure if Stanton came up in the conversation that day. Alderson did not return a phone call seeking clarification, so I wrote what I knew to be accurate: One source said they talked Stanton, one said they talked about something or other. Regardless, we know the Mets are eyeing Stanton in their search for a marquee outfielder.

This weekend in Minnesota, Matt Balasis of Mets Merized Online spoke to Alderson. The GM, in a backhanded way, acknowledged that the teams had talked during spring training (he also said there was nothing happening now. To be clear, I never reported, suggested or implied that the teams were talking now).

To be clear, Alderson said they haven’t talked since “early spring training”. So we are talking about well over a month ago. Also, as Matt tells it, the exchange as it took place told more than just the words alone:

I wish I had video footage of the interview. When I mentioned Stanton for Wheeler and D’Arnaud he scoffed and just said “No,” then there was an awkward pause.

I followed up and said, “So there’s nothing to the rumors?”

And that’s when he said they hadn’t spoken since early spring. He was very, very clear that there was nothing to the recent rumors.

Anyway, both Andy and Matt added more context to the story regarding the Stanton rumor. Though while it was incredibly fun to consider, it was never nothing more than a longshot at best and one that ran out of steam over a month ago.

Original Post by Matt Balasis on April 13 at 8:00 PM

I had a chance to chat with Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson today during batting practice before the game at Target Field. I thought he gave me some very interesting answers on a number of different Mets topics. My thoughts follow the interview. Enjoy…

MMO: On the Stanton rumors, they’ve been all over the news, are there any truth to them?

Sandy: No, no we haven’t had any conversations with them since early spring.

MMO: Will adding players and payroll at the break be based on how well the team is doing or whether revenue is up?

Sandy: You mean adding players? If we feel the team is doing well we will add players.

MMO: Adding payroll, will you base that decision more on revenue or performance or both?

Sandy: Performance, but if we are winning, revenue will be up.

MMO: How do you feel about organizational depth as a whole? This is an organization that’s had poor organizational depth for a long time.

Sandy: It’s getting better. We are starting to see some effects of improved depth and we should be seeing more in the near future.

Sandy Alderson watching his team take batting practice before today’s game. (Photo: Matt Balsis, MMO)

MMO: If Buck keeps hitting the way he has been, how will you handle it when D’Arnaud comes up? Will you keep playing Buck or will he take on more of a mentor’s role?

Sandy: We’ll find a way to play both of them.

MMO: Any chance you will trade Buck?

Sandy: No. We are not trading Buck.

MMO: How do you feel about the bullpen, this team has struggled with bullpen depth for the greater part of the past decade?

Sandy: The Bullpen seems to be doing well, we still have Fransicso rehabbing and Familia down there so we feel we have some good depth there.

MMO: How do you feel about the team’s performance as a whole?

Sandy: Well it’s only been 10 games.

Thoughts from Matt

I got the sense that there is nothing to the Stanton rumors at all. A lot of the press around me seem to agree as well. Totally unfounded …

Overall I get the impression from watching Sandy interact around his players that while he does appear to be a consummate professional and an exemplary administrator, this is not the uncaring hatchet man he’s been accused of being.

The players joked around a lot (especially Justin Turner) with Horwitz and Collins, but with the exception of a short exchange between Wright and Sandy, there was little fraternization between Alderson and the players.

Nevertheless, he was intent and focused on the players and I would venture to say passionate even, which came out more during the interview when it was obvious the guy cares about this team.

As fans it’s probably difficult for us to distinguish between the job’s specifics and the person. A good General Manager can’t get too attached to his players, a good GM will deal a player when it improves the team.

As much as many of us have lamented the loss of some of our favorite players, this young season has been a case in point for why big long contracts and players whose game is dependent on their legs are risky propositions.

We want to thank Sandy for being gracious enough to answer a few questions for us. It was a pleasure to hear him respond to so many of the questions on many Mets fans minds. We appreciated the time he took to answer them.

I’ll be back at Target Field again on Sunday, and hope to have more video, pictures and maybe a surprise interview or two.

At the start of the show…

Yes. That title is for real. We have been so busy ridiculing the man for his cost-cutting style of management, that we are not taking the time to take a step back and see the big picture.

You could sit and watch the thirty minute episodes of Bob Ross’ show, which featured him painting, and witness him scratching and poking away at that canvass, switching from brush to brush and color to color, and wonder what the heck he was doing. It looked about as far from anything considered art at that point as you can imagine. I would often wonder if he actually had his paintings planned out, or if he would just get up there in front of his canvass and get his paint on.

The viewing audience finds themselves sitting there, trying to figure out what in the world Ross is painting, because all you see are some lines, some blotches of paint here or there, and are simultaneously being hypnotized by the soothing sound of Ross’ voice. Then, all of a sudden, everything starts coming together.

A couple of those lines become a barn in a field. Those blotches, they become clouds in the sky and a snow capped mountain. Then there is the “happy tree” that always seems to tie the Ross paintings together. He blots the brush on the canvass to create the effect of leaves on the tree, and if you tried it, would look like someone just blotted the brush on the canvass aimlessly. If you’re lucky, you will see him throw in a pond which reflects the image of the snow capped mountain. And finally after thirty minutes, we have a work of art.

The problem is if you turned off the show ten minutes in, you would have no clue as to what Ross was painting.

Similar to a viewer who tunes in to the first ten minutes of The Joy of Painting and thinks Ross is a terrible painter, Mets fans, only seeing some blotches and lines scribbled on the canvass, have wrongly judged Alderson’s plan after the first ten or twenty minutes of his episode. But now we are getting closer to the end of the episode, and things are starting to take shape with Alderson’s plan.

We are seeing some top flight prospects materialize before our very eyes. It doesn’t matter how they got here—they’re here. And they arrived on Alderson’s watch. The outfield doesn’t look spectacular right now, but it won’t be as bad as people are making it out to be. I went out on a limb a couple of weeks ago and said the Mets could win over 85 games, and I’m sticking by that prediction.

David Wright, Ike Davis, Daniel Murphy, Bobby Parnell, Jonathon Niese, Matt Harvey, Josh Edgin…

The Mets have a young core of guys that want to win and have something to prove. That can be an incredible driving force and motivating factor that can make a difference in the win column. The Mets minor league system has improved, and I am now convinced it will continue to improve as long as Alderson is the general manager.

This quote from Alderson in the New York Times sums it up nicely:

We’ve got the basic building blocks. We’ve got some talented players. We’ve got a lot of pitching depth in our system. And I think we’re going to have some financial flexibility; we’re not saddled with even two-year contracts. But, ultimately, you’ve got to put it all together, too.

It may have taken me awhile, but I’m coming around. It’s time to believe in the plan and the man behind the plan. I’m a Mets fan…always have been and always will be. Nothing will ever change that. This team needs the fans’ support if they are going to be contenders, no matter what the circumstances are. Either that, or we can continue complaining about the crappy painting, and change the channel ten minutes into the episode before it starts to take shape.

It’s time to be grateful for what Alderson has done so far and have faith that this team is in the right hands.

Young, 33, has spent the last two seasons with the Mets and in 2012 he went 4-9 with a 4.15 ERA in 20 starts but ended the season strongly posting a 2.73 ERA in five September starts Over his career, Young is 53-43 with a 3.79 ERA in 159 career starts.

He won’t find any room in a packed Nationals rotation, but will provide them with some quality depth behind Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, Ross Detwiler and Dan Haren.

Ever since losing the NLCS to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006 when they were destined to win, it seems the Mets have been a snake-bitten franchise.

The collapses of 2007-08, the injury plagued years from 2009-11 and of course the Madoff ponzi scheme have marred the past few years for this franchise.

The combination of injuries and the lack of spending power have meant that the organization simply has had to move forward with what it has.

First off, injuries happen to every team every year, but the Mets have had an uncanny amount the last few years. The problem is that the team has lacked depth for other guys to fill in at the Major League level.

Now, these are all Major League players we’re talking about. Many of us fans can only dream about making our big league debuts, but for these players, it has become a reality.

But based on the lack of depth, some guys who either aren’t ready for big league action or simply are not as talented have been thrust into extended action.

The whole point of having a minor league system is to have someone ready if a player on the big league roster gets hurt. Of course, it’s also to develop young prospects, but that’s why there are many levels in each organization.

Just look at the situation this year. The team hasn’t had the funds to bring in any high-priced talent, and it decided not to bring in any role-type players to compete for spots. All the players the team brought in basically assumed a spot on the roster.

That’s all fine, if they all stay healthy. But already Andres Torres is dealing with injury, and here’s where the lack of depth comes in.

If Torres misses time (which it’s too early to tell just yet, but I’m just using him as an example), who plays center field? Jason Bay said he would shift over, but he needs to worry more about his offensive production rather than trying to cover the expansive Citi Field gaps—even with the fence reduction.

Prospects like Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Matt den Dekker are said to still need some time to develop in the minors. Even the name of middle infield prospect Jordany Valdespin has been thrown out there.

Here lies the problem: There’s no middle ground. If the guy on the big league level goes down, there are really only unseasoned prospects to fill in. Scott Hairston would be an option, but he’s hurt too. What is going on with this team!

I have always been an advocate of letting the young guys play if the situation is right. If a guy can be called up and fly under the radar for a few weeks as he gets his legs under him, that’s great. But if he’s looked upon as a major run producer immediately, that pressure is never good.

Depth is a major concern for the Mets moving forward. Hopefully, if the money issues are somewhat behind them, that can be something Alderson and company address over the next few years.

The roster may only be made up of 25 players at a time, but it’s imperative that the higher levels of the organization have players that can step right into action.

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.