Oliver Pérez took the mound for the Mets that night, and tossed seven innings of two-hit ball, allowing just two hits while striking out eight and walking three. He was relieved by Aaron Heilman, who finished the game with two innings pitched, no hits or walks allowed, and three strikeouts. Pérez and Heilman both conjure up unpleasant memories for Mets fans, but on this night, they were solid as the Mets were marching toward a run at the postseason.

On offense, David Wright got the Mets going in the bottom of the first inning, clubbing a home run to left-center field, scoring Daniel Murphy, who had reached on an infield single. That was all the combination of Pérez and Heilman would need, though the Mets added a run in the bottom of the fourth inning when Carlos Delgado went yard off Marlins’ starter Ricky Nolasco.

Murphy, who made his major league debut on August 2, 2008, had two hits on the night and played left field. He was replaced for defense by Fernando Tatis. The only other Met with multiple hits was catcher Brian Schneider.

August 8 was just about when the Mets went on a tear under manager Jerry Manuel. On August 13, the New Yorkers moved into a tie with the Phillies for first place, and the Mets held first place until September 16. The Mets briefly saw first place again on September 19 but then fell back into second place, where they would remain for the rest of the season.

Johan Santana pitched an epic game on the season’s second-to-last day to keep the Mets alive in the wildcard race, but the guys from Queens would lose on the season’s final day, in the last game ever played at Shea Stadium. The Milwaukee Brewers took the wild card spot in 2008, and the Mets’ season would end in disappointment for the second year in a row.

The 2024 Mets are similarly chasing a wild card spot (though there are three in each league now). Mets fans hope that the outcome of this chase will be different than that of the 2008 team.

The post OTD 2008: Óliver Pérez Shines in Mets’ Victory appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Now, 10 years later, Team USA will have Canada and Mexico in its pool again along with Colombia (Team USA faced in pool play in 2017) and a newcomer to the international stage in Great Britain. Here is the schedule for Pool C:

March 11

Colombia vs. Mexico (2:30 p.m ET, FOX)

Great Britain vs. USA (9 p.m, FOX)

March 12

Great Britain vs. Canada (3 p.m, FS1)

Mexico vs. USA (10 p.m, FS1)

March 13

Colombia vs. Great Britain (3 p.m, FS2)

Canada vs. USA (10 p.m, FS1)

March 14

Canada vs. Colombia (3 p.m, FS2)

Great Britain vs. Meixco (10 p.m, FS1)

March 15

Mexico vs. Canada (3 p.m, FS2)

USA vs. Colombia (10 p.m, FS1)

Trayce Thompson. Photo credits: Jayne Kamin-Oncea, USA Today

5. Great Britain

Great Britain is in the World Baseball Classic for the first time after winning Pool A of the Qualification Round back in September. While the expectations are low for this group to get past pool play, there is some intriguing storylines to watch with individual players.

Behind the plate, Great Britain will have Mariners’ top prospect Harry Ford. Seattle’s first-round pick (12th overall) back in 2021 shows good power from behind the plate (23 doubles, 11 home runs in Single-A in 2022) along with a good speed tool (23-for-28 on stolen base attempts). He will get the chance in this tournament to face some strong major league competition and show what he can do.

Meanwhile, in the outfield, the most recognizable name for fans is Trayce Thompson, who is currently with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He has been in the big leagues for six years and has a career slash line of .221/.303/.434 with 39 home runs and 109 RBIs. He will provide good versatility for Spencer’s squad with his ability to play all three outfield positions.

There are some current and former Mets’ on this Great Britain squad. Left-hander Cam Opp will be in the bullpen. The 27-year-old made it to Double-A Binghamton at the end of last year. He spent the bulk of the year at High-A Brooklyn and went 1-3 with a 5.23 ERA and had 26 strikeouts to 19 walks in 31 innings of work.

Vance Worley is also with the Great Britain squad and could see a start during pool play. Worley never got to the big league club while with the Mets, but he did pitch at Triple-A Syracuse in 2021 (4-6, 5.23 ERA, 39 strikeouts to 32 walks in 86 innings over 16 games).

Great Britain doesn’t have the same amount of high-end talent as the other four countries in this group and they do have to play four games in four days. However,, they do have players that can keep a game close into the later innings. If that happens, then you can’t necessarily rule out a surprise upset in a tournament like this that could shape who comes out of the group.

Freddie Freeman. Photo via USA Today

4. Canada

In the four previous World Baseball Classics, Canada has a record of 3-8 and has never advanced past pool play. Ernie Whitt has been the manager in every installment of the tournament.

On the mound, Canada’s rotation took a hit with Nick Pivetta dropping out of the tournament due to an illness. That will put a lot of pressure on Cal Quantrill to get the tournament off to a good start. The Guardians right-handed starter is coming off a strong 2022 where he went 15-5 with a 3.38 ERA and had a career-high total in strikeouts (128) and innings pitched (186 1/3). While he lost both of his starts against the Yankees in the ALDS, he only allowed three earned runs in each of those two outings.

Going to the bullpen, Canada does have some veteran options in John Axford and Adam Loewen. However, the names to watch are Mariners relievers Matt Brash (69 strikeouts in 50 2/3 innings in 2022).

Freddie Freeman is the mainstay for this Canada offense, which failed to hit a single home run in 2017 and only had one long ball in 2013. With Freeman’s power along with Bo Naylor behind the plate, and outfielders Owen Caissie (Cubs) and Tyler O’ Neill (Cardinals), Canada should be able to surpass that total this year.

Caissie is probably the most intriguing prospect to watch on this team. The 20-year-old left-handed hitter had 11 home runs and 21 doubles at High-A South Bend a year ago. He has a career .OPS of .808 in his two years in the minor leagues.

If Canada can get to that Mexico finale game with a 2-1 record, then that could be a fun win-and-in game to end pool play. Further, after the two sides had a brawl in 2013 on this same field, you know tensions can be high when these two countries face each other.

Jose Quintana. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

3. Colombia

If there is a sleeper that can come out of Pool C other than the two favorites, it would be Colombia. The country won the 2022 Carribean Series and made it to the finals this past February before losing to the Dominican Republic.

While they did not make it to the Championship Round in 2017, Colombia ended up pushing the United States to the last out before losing 3-2. Also, they defeated Canada and lost to the Dominican Republic in extra innings. It’s a country that isn’t afraid to face some of the top teams.

On offense, Colombia only hit one home run in the 2017 WBC and that was by one of their catchers on this year’s team, Jorge Alfaro. They do have some intriguing players on offense such as Oscar Mercado and Harold Ramírez in the outfield and Gio Urshela at third base, but that isn’t the strength of this roster.

That strength is going to be on the mound with José Quintana. Quintana is going to take the ball in the opener against Julio Urías. The Mets left-handed pitcher did well against Team USA in 2017 (5.2 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 4 SO). Quintana is joined by Julio Teheran, who also only allowed one run in his only WBC start.

Colombia doesn’t have a set closer that will be recognizable to most fans (Elkin Alcalá), but they can bring some velocity out of the bullpen with pitchers such as Tayron Guerrero, Ezequiel Zabaleta, and Jhon Romero.

As for Mets’ ties on this roster, there are plenty. Former Met Dilson Herrera will see some time at the middle infield spots and right-handed pitcher Nabil Crismatt will see some key innings out of the bullpen.

Randy Arozarena. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

2. Mexico

Mexico has not made it to the second round in the last two editions of the WBC, but they have a chance to buck that trend this year because of the starting rotation. With Urías, Patrick Sandoval, José Urquidy, and Taijuan Walker, Mexico has arguably the best rotation in the tournament.

Their offense took a little bit of a hit when catcher Alejandro Kirk pulled himself out of the WBC. Six years ago, Mexico’s offense scored 22 runs and hit .312 as a team, but only had three players record a home run.

If you look at the power options that Mexico has, it starts with Rowdy Tellez, who can be used as either the designated hitter or at first base. Tellez was one of ten players in all of baseball last year to hit 35-plus home runs and he was tied for the fourth-most home runs in the second half of last year (17) trailing only Anthony Santander, Albert Pujols, and Aaron Judge. You would think that Tellez will be plugged into the middle of the order for most, if not all games in pool play.

Mexico also has a good outfield for this tournament led by Randy Arozarena. Arozarena has a good history of performing on the big stage. The 2020 ALCS MVP has a slash line of .333/.417/.705 with 11 home runs and 17 RBIs in 31 career postseason games. He would be able to provide good speed as well with his 52 combined stolen bases in the last two years.

Moving to the rest of the outfield, Alex Verdugo performed well in 2017 (5-for-14, three runs scored) and he led the Red Sox in hits in the second half of last season (78). In center field, options are either Diamondbacks second-year player Alek Thomas or Red Sox center fielder Jarren Duran.

In the infield, Isaac Paredes (Rays) is the most intriguing player to watch on the team. Paredes can play three different positions in the infield and the 24-year-old right-handed hitter has good power (20 home runs, 17 doubles in 2022). He might have to play shortstop when you consider Luis Urías (Brewers) is probably better defensively at third than he is at shortstop.

Some former Mets to watch on Team Mexico are left-hander Oliver Pérez and right-hander Luis Cessa (former Mets prospect).

Pete Alonso. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

1.  United States

Team USA will look to defend its 2017 WBC title with a new manager and former Team USA player in Mark DeRosa. In DeRosa’s first managerial role, he has one of the best offenses in the tournament as any lineup card he puts out there is probably going to be a great one.

The outfield is probably Team USA’s biggest strength as you can expect Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, and any combination of Cedric Mullins, Jeff McNeil, Kyle Tucker, or Kyle Schwarber. If Schwarber ends up being the designated hitter, then there’s good defense in the outfield in addition to the offense.

When you look at the infield, you have a corner spot duo of Cardinals in Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt with Pete Alonso likely getting some playing time at first. Then, you add a great amount of speed with Trea Turner, Tim Anderson, and Bobby Witt Jr.

If you had to pick a weakness on this squad, it’s probably the starting rotation. Even though they have solid arms with Adam Wainwright, Merrill Kelly, Lance Lynn, and Brady Singer among others, there is no true ace like the Dominican Republic has with Sandy Alcántara. That being said, with the pitch count rules early in the tournament, they can combine a couple of good arms to piece together a game.

Down in the bullpen, there are a couple Mets in Brooks Raley and Adam Ottavino. In addition to those two pitchers, Team USA has a few closer options such as Daniel Bard, Kendall Graveman, Ryan Pressly, and Devin Williams. If Team USA can hold a lead, they have good depth to hold that lead.

 Most Intriguing Game: Colombia vs. Mexico

One game fans should certainly keep an eye on is the first game between Colombia and Mexico. Yes, Mexico versus USA would be a good choice as well due to the rivalry and history between the two sides, but it’s safe to say Team USA should be able to easily advance out of this group. As for these two countries, it won’t be as easy.

The winner of Colombia versus Mexico might only need two more wins in their next three games to advance. The loser would have to maybe run the table to advance depending on tiebreakers. That puts Mexico at a disadvantage because they play Team USA the next night while Colombia doesn’t play the United States until the final game of pool play.

When you consider the pitching matchup in this one is Quintana vs. Urías, you are going to have a tough time finding a better matchup in pool play than this one. These teams have never faced each other in the WBC up until this game.

Prediction

Team USA might run into some close games in this tournament, but expect them to win this group and play the runner-up in Pool D in the next round. While we ranked Mexico’s roster ahead of Colombia due to the rotation, we are going to go with a surprise pick and select Colombia to advance as the runner-up. They will benefit from getting to face Team USA last.

The post Previewing The 2023 World Baseball Classic: Pool C appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Oliver Perez.

This off-season, we’re looking at the Mets’ history with free agency. The regrettable list includes names like James McCann, Jed Lowrie, and most recently Kaz Matsui. Next is a left-handed pitcher who made a notable stop in New York on his long (and to this day still active) baseball journey. 

For Mets’ fans who needed a reminder of one of the team’s worst decisions this century, all you had to do was scan the league’s relief pitchers up until a couple of years ago. Through perseverance and the good fortune of having a left arm, Óliver Pérez’s baseball playing days are still going. Incredible considering how long ago he played for New York and how badly it went.

Arriving to the Mets in a 2006 trade-deadline deal, Pérez emerged as a key figure in a critical situation. As he was sent  into the starting rotation during the postseason and it served himself well. 

Pérez was at times erratic while at times showing signs of promise. Before the Mets brought him back on a three-year, $36-million deal in February 2009, he had a 3.91 ERA and 109 ERA+. In the two years after signing that contract, he had a 6.81 ERA and a 59 ERA+.

He certainly outperformed his initial role. In a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates that brought reliever Roberto Hernandez and sent away utility outfielder Xavier Nady, Pérez had potential yet was placed in the minors. Injuries to starting pitchers made him a central figure during the playoffs. 

He made two starts in the NLCS against the Cardinals. New York’s offense broke out in Game 4 and made life easier for the young lefty. He also got the ball in Game 7. His final line showed an impressive one earned run over six innings, but he’ll always have Endy Chavez to thank for that.

Beginning in 2007, Pérez saw more starting assignments. While sometimes good and occasionally very good, consistency was not part of his profile. He countered scoreless innings with one-inning implosions. He countered solid starts with control issues. Pérez walked 79 batters in 2007 and topped the majors with 105 in 2008.

Pérez, at age 27, hit free agency after the 2008 season. He stayed on the market for much of the winter until choosing to take the Mets’ offer of $12-million per year. Maybe the inconsistencies would be ironed out. Maybe the control issues would be resolved as he matured. Though, the initial impression was that this was an overpay. Before long, it became an egregious overpay.

Pérez made just 21 starts over the remainder of his time with the Mets, thanks mostly to being hurt and struggling immensely. His setback was one of many disasters that comprised a brutal 2009 season in Queens.

In 14 outings, he walked 58, allowed 12 homers, and had a 6.82 ERA. It only got worse. Pérez began 2010 without a win in seven starts, walking 28 in 33 1/3 innings. The Mets demoted him to the bullpen. Once that didn’t solve his issues, they were prepared to send him down. Pérez initially refused the minor-league assignment, but eventually relented. His return to the majors went much like the rest of the year and his final ERA was nearly identical to what it was in 2009.

The Mets determined they were better off paying him to not be on the roster, and in March 2011 he was released with the final year remaining on his contract.

To his credit, Pérez transformed himself into a reliable reliever for five different big-league clubs. In 2021 and 2022, he pitched for the Toros de Tijuana in his native Mexico — out of the majors, but still pitching. Considering his MLB ERA for the final 11 seasons was lower than it was in New York, the reinvention of Óliver Pérez certainly came at the expense of the Mets.

The post Mets Worst Free-Agent Signing No. 3: Óliver Pérez appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

He’s been bruised and he’s been battered, but has risen like a Phoenix from the ashes to become the last remaining active member of the 2006 New York Mets team.

His name is Oliver Perez. Yup, that Oliver Perez. He’s still kicking around the majors 14 years later — just like we all drew it up.

With David Wright and Jose Reyes failing to appear in an MLB game beyond the 2018 season, Perez now stands alone.

The 39-year-old starter-turned-reliever just finished up his 18th major league season, and his third with the Cleveland Indians. Let’s take a look at how and why we are still talking about Perez in 2020.

Perez initially moved to a bullpen role in 2010, one year after he signed a disastrous three-year extension with the Mets, and after pitching out of their rotation since 2006.

When Perez refused a minor league demotion to work on his mechanics, New York cut ties with the southpaw, ending his tumultuous career with the squad.

Resurfacing in the majors in 2012 with the Seattle Mariners after a minor league stint with the Washington Nationals the year prior, a new and improved Ollie became a staple out of MLB bullpens, starting off with compiling 94 appearances in his first two seasons out West.

The Culiacan, Mexico native has since bounced around over the last several years, later appearing with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Houston Astros, Nationals for a second stint, a brief minor league cameo with the New York Yankees, and finally with Cleveland.

Overall, Perez has played in 691 MLB games, with only 195 as a starter – a stark difference from when we saw him in Queens a decade ago.

Since 2012, Perez has been a reliable and serviceable arm for teams, if nothing else. He has 4.9 fWAR, which certainly isn’t going to make any newspaper headlines. When he retires from baseball, there will likely be no ticker tape parade in his name. The Canyon of Heroes will not erupt with cheers in his honor and he will not be enshrined in Cooperstown.

But, what Ollie can always hang his hat on is the rare distinction of being the last ’06 Met. He fooled us all, and you know what? He crafted out a pretty neat career for himself.

Who knows? Maybe we even still have a few years of Ollie ball left. The rubber-armed reliever is a free agent this winter and will likely catch on with a new squad for his 19th year (perhaps the Mets?).

Nearly two decades in baseball. Who would have thought?

I know many Mets fans reading this will cringe just at the name and throw theoretical tomatoes at me in the comment section, but that’s okay. These are the facts, baby. And there ain’t no denying facts.

While you’re here, check out this excellent read from Andy McCullough of The Athletic, who delves into Perez’s career trajectory.

The post The Ballad of the Last Standing ’06 Met, Oliver Perez appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Photo from New York Times

It’s a shame that the 2006 Mets’ pitching depth was as barren as it was. Injuries to Pedro Martinez, Brian Bannister, and Victor Zambrano lasted through July and August, ultimately forcing the organization to make trades for Orlando Hernandez and Oliver Perez. The veteran Hernandez would be the team’s most reliable arm behind Tom Glavine, only costing them a Triple-A starter (Evan MacLane).

Perez, meanwhile, not only ushered in a two-contract, four-year era of — well, Oliver Perez, but he also cost the Mets one of their more promising bats in Xavier Nady. Nady’s numbers after leaving Queens don’t necessarily paint a picture of a star that got away, but in one of Met history’s most feared lineups, his role has flown under the radar for too long.

Prior to his stint with the Mets, Nady was a former first-rounder, with only two full seasons and a 1.6 bWAR to his name as a San Diego Padre. However, the Mets acquired him in November of 2005 in exchange for outfielder Mike Cameron, who posted nearly double Nady’s win share in his year and a half with New York.

For the first transaction of the offseason, it drew a lot of questions. There were concerns about Nady’s defensive limitations as a corner outfielder, along with not not having enough power to fill in at first base. Despite this, general manager Omar Minaya remained enthused with Nady’s minor-league numbers (which included a 1.019 OPS in 74 games with the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate in 2004), and he was right.

Reeling in Carlos Delgado from the Marlins a week later annexed Nady to right field, where he would eventually get the Opening Day nod over Victor Diaz. Nady went 4-for-4 with two doubles against Livan Hernandez and the Nationals, ending the conversation of who should be the everyday right fielder.

Through the first month of the season, Nady would hit .311/.337/.578 with a .310 BABIP and a wRC+ of 127. On a team that would send five of its everyday players to the All-Star-Game, Nady’s six home runs and 36.4% hard-hit rate were second on the team behind Delgado’s nine and 51.5%. The right fielder also slugged .576 which ranked 15th among qualified big-league outfielders.

His production would dip back toward the surface in May before an appendectomy kept him on the injured list for three weeks. Nady got right back to business upon his return, hitting .258/.292/.484 into the second half, which became a pleasant surprise at the bottom third of the order. Through his first 75 games with the Mets, Nady’s 12 long balls nearly matched his career high (13) set the year prior.

Much like Jose Valentin at second base and John Maine every fifth day, Nady’s value was in large part determined by the alternative options. Carlos Beltran had been posting MVP-type numbers in CF, but over in left, Cliff Floyd was starting to wear down. While Endy Chavez bailed the 34-year old Floyd out on the defensive side, Nady ultimately emerged as a formidable power bat with three years of team control and a knack for hitting against lefties (.914 OPS and .217 ISO).

Then, just a few weeks after his clutch go-ahead hit against Pittsburgh on the Fourth of July, Nady was traded to the Pirates. After setup man Duaner Sanchez was lost for the season in a taxi-cab accident, the Mets reluctantly sent Nady packing for trusted reliever 41-year-old Roberto Hernandez. Pittsburgh also threw in struggling starter Oliver Perez (6.0 BB/9 and a 6.63 ERA in his first 15 starts of the season).

Nady’s contributions to the Pirates did little to change the fact that the team would lose 95 games, and then 94 in his first full turn with them the following year. All that losing, however, did little to change the fact that he could rake.

Nady would more or less repeat his 2006 campaign, albeit raising his OPS from .790 to .805 and cracking 20 homers. His value as a player would peak in 2008, when a first-half rampage which he hit .330/.383/.535 put him in the center of a blockbuster trade with the Yankees.

Once the shorter end of a puzzling acquisition and later a sacrificial lamb for the Mets’ bullpen needs, Nady was now the centerpiece of a deal that brought back a triad of young talent in Jose Tabata, Ross Ohlendorf, Jeff Karstens, along with righty Daniel McCutchen to Pittsburgh.

Nady would undergo Tommy John surgery in April of 2009, and besides a role off the bench in 119 games with the Chicago Cubs the next season, he never again hold down a job at the big-league level. Nady would then bounce between six clubs in five years: the Diamondbacks in 2011, then the Nationals and Giants in 2012, a split minor-league affair with the Royals and Rockies in 2013, and finally a 42 at-bat homecoming with the Padres in 2014.

A Justin Turner or Nolan Ryan he is not, but was an exciting Met who certainly warranted more time on the roster – Nady often gets lost in the shuffle of mid-2000s Met outfielders.

The post Mets One Year Wonders: Xavier Nady appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Photo by Ed Delany/MMO

Good morning Mets fans! Peter Alonso who? The player formerly known as Peter has stated that he wants to be known as Pete. This is just in time for the Mets’ first spring training game which will be played against the Atlanta Braves tomorrow at 1:10 p.m. EST at First Data Field. 

Latest Mets News

Brodie Van Wagenen told Wayne Randazzo on WCBS Newsradio 880 that Jed Lowrie‘s MRI revealed no significant damage.

Both Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo will be be used out of the bullpen exclusively as Mickey Callaway told the media.

The Mets signed Jose Hernandez as an international free agent per Jacob Resnick of MMN. The 16-year-old catcher marks the Mets’ 32nd IFA of the current period.

Resnick also noted that Mets minor league pitchers and catchers report to camp on Feb. 26, while position players report on Mar. 6. Many players are already at camp right now, however.

Latest MLB News

Nick Cafardo passed away at the Boston Red Sox’s spring training facility on Thursday. The Red Sox released a statement about the 62-year-old Boston Globe writer.

The San Diego Padres made things official with Manny Machado. The 26-year-old will also be starting at third base for the Friars which keeps a spot open for top prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. when ready, according to Jon Heyman of FanCred Sports.

Kevin Burkhardt will cover about 15-20 games on TV for the Tampa Bay Rays in addition to his duties for FOX Sports, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.

Latest NL East News

Gabriel Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution noted that it may be a while before the Braves’ top position player prospect Austin Riley plays in the outfield. As of now, manager Brian Snitker wants to play him at his natural position of third base despite Josh Donaldson being ahead of him on the depth chart currently.

The Philadelphia Phillies are still players for Bryce Harper, but also have eyes on Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel if no deal is reached with Harper, per Heyman.

Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald wrote about Marlins reliever Nick Anderson who has put his troubled past behind him. Anderson spent time in both independent ball and jail, but now has a chance to make the Marlins Opening Day roster.

Latest on MMO/MMN

Rich Coutinho interviewed Michael Conforto for an MMO exclusive.

Coutinho also wrote a piece on Van Wagenen’s culture change being very prevalent in camp.

Matt Musico wrote that the Mets’ remade middle-of-the-order will be under a microscope after the production from the 3-4-5 hitters last season.

Roberto Correa continued the Mets Minors’ Top-50 Prospects list with No. 3: Ronny Mauricio.

This Day in Mets History

2008: After avoiding arbitration with all eligible players for 16-straight years, the Mets lost an arbitration case with Oliver Perez. He ended up receiving $6.5 million instead of the $4.725 million that the Mets offered.

Birthday(s): Tim Peterson turns 28, Kelly Johnson turns 37 and J.J. Putz turns 42.

The post Morning Briefing: Mets’ First Spring Training Game Tomorrow appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The above shown card was a favorite of mine growing up.

The picture was obviously taken in the Mets locker room at Shea Stadium. Notice the home uniform. Notice the player behind Pete. One can see that player with his uniform shirt off, and thanks to the mirror in that player’s locker, we can see his face, slightly above and to the left of Falcone’s cap. I don’t recognize the player on the 1981 team, (Alex Trevino perhaps?) but if you do, please include in the comments section below. I’m sure that Murray Chass, if he had the card, would note that the other player’s back is free of acne.

Besides the inside look at the locker room, the other thing of special note is the card that Pete Falcone is holding in his hand, probably form having just pulled it from the pack shown on the stool just in front of himself. Who is on that card? You guessed it, it’s Pete Falcone, as shown on his 1981 Fleer baseball card, shown here:

Pete Falcone was born October 1, 1953, in Brooklyn, New York. The left-hander graduated from Lafayette High School in Brooklyn, which was a major source of baseball players, including another lefty pitcher by the name of Sandy Koufax. Other prominent baseball names from the school include Bob & Ken Aspromonte, Kevin Baez, Al Ferrara, Luis Lopez & current Mets owner Fred Wilpon. Long time Mets closer John Franco is also a graduate of the school, although when this card was printed, he had yet to make his major league debut.

Falcone was very much wanted by major league clubs, as shown by the fact that he was drafted by the Twins in the 1972 draft, and after failing to sign was also drafted in the January 1973 Secondary draft by the Braves in the second round, and still failed to sign. The Giants made Falcone a first round, fourth overall selection in the June 1973 Secondary Draft, just ahead of Warren Cromartie who was selected by the Expos.

Falcone was a fast riser in the minors. In 1973, he went was 8-1 in the Pioneer Rookie league posting a 1.50 ERA. In 1974, he jumped through all three levels of the minor leagues going 12-8, and averaging 11 strikeouts per nine innings, an extraordinary high number in the 1970s.

As a rookie in 1975, the 21 year old lefty went 12-11 finishing up third on the third place Giants team in staff in wins. He lost out to his young, Giants teammate John Montefusco in the Rookie Pitcher of the Year voting.  Falcone struck out 131 batters in 190 innings, while posting a 4.17 ERA. Warning signs were there however, as he walked 111, averaging an unacceptable 5.9 walks per nine innings. Taking the warning, and needing a third baseman, after the season, the Giants traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals for infielder Ken Reitz.

In 1976, for the fifth place Cardinals, Falcone was a young ace, going 12-16 with a much improved 3.23 ERA, which was 10% better than league average, and striking out 138 batters while leading the team in innings with 212. Falcone was toughest with runners on base, holding opposing batters to a sub .200 when pitching out of the stretch.

However, after throwing over 400 innings before the age of 23, Falcone developed a sore arm, lost a yard on his fastball and dropped to 4-8 in 1977 with a 5.44 ERA and an even worse 2-7 record with a 5.76 ERA in 1978.  That was the Pete Falcone the Mets traded for after 1978 in exchange for Tom Grieve & minor leaguer Kim Seamen.

In 1979, Falcone led the (68-94) team in losses with 14, going 6-14 posting a 4.16 ERA. He gave up 24 long balls (6th most in the league) and still had control problems, leading the team in walks (76) & wild pitches (10) fourth most in the league. Falcone would finish in the top ten wild pitches three times in the next four seasons.  With a little more life in his fastball, Falcone struck out 113 batters in 184 innings pitched, good enough to average 5.5 K’s per nine innings, which was 10th best in the league.

The author recalls from several scorecards from Shea Stadium, Sandy Koufax was always referenced in articles about Falcone as the Mets were hoping the young wild lefty would find his control aka “lefties develop later” as Koufax had done.

Also frequently mentioned in those same articles was is also second cousin to long time Mets coach Joe Pignatano who was Falcone’s coach but also his cousin.

In 1980, Falcone went 7-10 with a 4.52 ERA, leading the team in strikeouts with 109, but also walks with 58 and runs allowed, with 89. In 1981, Falcone had the best season of his career, going 5-3 with three complete games, a shutout and a save, while posting a career low 2.55 ERA, 38% better than league average.

In 1982, Falcone had a good start to the year with a 3-0 record and two holds with a 3.39 ERA on June 1st.  A summer swoon set in however, and Falcone finished the season with a 8-10 with two saves and a 3.63 ERA.  

To the positive, in 1979 he held hitters to a .210 average with runners in scoring position. In 1980 and 1981 the league hit just .220 and .211 respectively against him with runners in scoring position.

Rather than Sandy Koufax, Pete Falcone reminds the author of Oliver Perez, another wild Mets starting pitcher who pitched better from the stretch than a wind up. One can only wonder what would his career be had he pitched in the current environment. Would he be used exclusively in relief, brought in to extinguish the flames when an opposing team had runners on base? Would he stay in the rotation, but ditch the wind up and pitch only out of the stretch?

After the 1982 season the Braves, who had drafted Falcone years before, signed him as a free agent. Working as a swing man, for the 1983 Braves, Falcone went 9-4 with a 3.64 ERA striking out 59 batters pitching in 106 innings while holding batters to a .235 average with runners in scoring position. Falcone had the same role in 1984, and would finish 5-7 with a 4.12 ERA.

That September he told an Atlanta paper he planned to retire after the season at age 30; “I’m just tired of baseball, I’m tired of the life style, and I can’t see any reason to go on doing it.”

Falcone left the game after a ten year career, going 70-90 with 865 strikeouts, 671 walks, and a 4.07 ERA in 1,435 innings pitched in 325 appearances. His career totaled 8.9 bWAR, and as shown here, a very memorable baseball card.

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In Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS, it would have been hard to believe that Oliver Perez would one day become a Mets pariah. That notion seemed all the more far-fetched after Perez delivered a strong 2007 season, and then doing all he could to help prevent the Mets from having a second straight collapse in the final game played at Shea Stadium.

But that wasn’t the whole of Perez’s tenure with the Mets. He then signed a big free agent deal with the Mets which totally blew up as most expected it would. The Mets would eventually shut him down in 2010 after he publicly refused a minor league assignment and alienating many of his teammates. The final indignity was throwing Perez into the 14th inning of the final game of the season. After hitting a batter he then walked the next three, giving the Nationals a 2-1 lead and invoking a chorus of boos and jeers from the Mets faithful.

Perez was eventually released, spent the 2011 season in the minors, and he would re-emerge as a left-handed reliever. Surprisingly, he’d become a pretty good one.

Over the past seven seasons, Perez has made 397 appearances out of the bullpen, pitching to a 3.47 ERA, 1.276 WHIP, 116 ERA+, and a 11.0 K/9. During that span, he is in the top 10 among relievers in both K/9 and strikeout rate.

While he struggled to start the season with the Nationals in 2018, he rediscovered himself with the Indians and in 51 games with Cleveland, he posted a sterling 1.39 ERA to go with a 0.742 WHIP and 12.0 K/9.

If his name was Oscar Palmer instead of Oliver Perez, most fans would probably be very interested in him. Instead of seeing Ollie, they would see a cheap left-handed reliever who could contribute in their bullpen.

But as we saw with Bobby Bonilla returning to the Mets in 1999, many Mets fans cannot and will not forget. The shame of it is Perez could actually be a solid option in the Mets bullpen next year. Hopefully, whoever the Mets get instead of Perez is going to be just as cost effective and equally or more reliable. And at least he wont garner the same visceral reaction as Oliver Perez would from some Mets fans.

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New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said on Thursday that the team could still add a veteran left-handed reliever to complement Jerry Blevins.

The Mets only have two left-handed pitchers on the 40-man roster currently, the previously mentioned Blevins and starter Steven Matz. On Wednesday they traded left-handed reliever Josh Smoker to the Pittsburgh Pirates for left-handed relief prospect Daniel Zamora and cash.

Tony Watson, 32, is the best of what’s left on the market for a LOOGY. He posted a 3.38 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 7.2 K/9 last season in 66.2 combined innings between the Pirates and Dodgers.

Watson he was much better down the stretch with a 2.70 ERA and 1.05 WHIP for the Dodgers in 20 innings after a July trade brought him to LA.

The rest of the relief market includes Fernando Abad, Craig Breslow, Jorge De La Rosa, Ian Krol, Francisco Liriano, Robbie Ross, Kevin Siegrist and former Met Oliver Perez.

Sandy does have a history of waiting out the reliever market scooping up Blevins on Feb. 9 last year.

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MMO will be looking at multiple bargain options that are still available for the Mets this offseason. With Sandy Alderson figuring to have about $10 million left to spend, the Mets best chance to fill holes will be shopping at the dollar store.

Earlier this offseason, Mets general manager John Ricco let on that the team would be “big players” this offseason, as they looked to fill holes around the diamond.

Fast forward a month and a half later and things have taken a complete 180, in typical Mets fashion. What was once reported that general manager Sandy Alderson would have somewhere between $30-40 million to spend is no longer. Instead, Alderson will have a fraction of that to work with, with the only signing he’s made this offseason being reliever Anthony Swarzak on a two-year, $14 million deal.

Alderson is going to have to get crafty with his limited funds. Last Tuesday, my colleague Josh Finkelstein highlighted veteran Brandon Phillips as a bargain option for second base.

On Wednesday, I wrote about Tim Lincecum as a dollar store starting pitcher option and on Thursday Michael Mayer touched on former Met Oliver Perez being a potential second LOOGY option, as well as Daniel Nava as a potential first base and corner outfielder. To end 2017, John Sheridan talked about Jose Bautista as another bargain option.

Today, I will be talking about John Lackey as rotation depth. MMO’s John Jackson talked a little bit about Lackey in an article several weeks ago as a bargain rotation piece.

Now 39-years-old, Lackey has been around the block, just finishing up his 15th big league season. He has spent the last two seasons with the Chicago Cubs and last year registered a 12-12 record with a 4.59 ERA, 5.30 FIP, 1.277 WHIP and 7.9 K/9 over 31 games (30 started).

What is most appealing to me about Lackey is that he has been a beacon of health throughout his big league career. He has started under 27 games just twice in his big league career and that includes his rookie year with the Anaheim Angels in 2002.

While he is now at the end of his career, bringing Lackey into the fold would help lengthen the rotation as well as providing a veteran presence in the locker room. He will also likely receive a one-year deal, or even potentially a minor league deal on the open market, though the former seems more likely.

The Mets won’t break the bank this offseason, that much is apparent and Lackey won’t break the bank. At the very least, bringing him into Spring would be a good move. Though New York might believe otherwise, I still think it’s important the team brings in external arms.

We saw just how precious pitching is in 2017, so the more arms around the better.

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