A couple of things have been on my mind recently as we get set to open the second half of the season. No preamble. Here they are: Free Agent Target? As expected, the crop of free agents after the 2014 season is miserable, but there is one guy who intrigues me. Should platoon options over the second half not work out for the long haul in left field, I’d kick the tires on Colby Rasmus. He’s is in...
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The All-Star Break is over and the hunt for the playoffs is just starting to get exciting. The Mets sit at 45-50, but their last ten games (8-2) going into the break has injected confidence into an often pessimistic fan base. In these ten games, Mets pitching has recorded a 2.74 ERA, while in the Mets eight wins, the ERA has been 2.43. In addition to the terrific pitching efforts, the offense...
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When Travis d’Arnaud was demoted to the minors, the coaching staff down there had a two-hour talk with him, and he emerged a new man. Well, a new hitter, at least. Since returning to the Mets on June 24th, d’Arnaud is hitting .295 (18 for 61) with five doubles, three home runs and 10 RBI. D’Arnaud said he needed to clear his head and Frank Viola said the coaches just got him to stop...
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Last August the Mets sent catcher John Buck and outfielder Marlon Byrd to the Pittsburgh Pirates for reliever Vic Black and second baseman Dilson Herrera, a trade that benefited both sides with the Pirates getting the best of Byrd in their playoff run and the Mets working Black into their bullpen plans and Herrera into their future infield plans. Even though Black has made his impact known...
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When there is no real baseball for four days, stories like Adam Wainwright grooving a pitch to Derek Jeter in the All-Star game has legs. The game is an exhibition, except it is not, since now home field advantage in the World Series is decided by the winner. Really, it’s just silly, and baseball’s attempt to market the game has overtaken what makes sense. All of this grooved...
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