As promised, here’s my second installment of economically building the Mets’ bullpen. You can read my first part here if you need to brush up or simply missed it. Last week, I showed how opportunity cost could help identify the best relief candidates for a particular inning. I concluded by saying that Scott Atchison should pitch in the 8th inning. He cannot be used as the next best alternative...
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According to John Heyman of CBS Sports, Johan Santana will be named the Opening Day starter for the Mets and will not compete for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic. Sources told Heyman that Santana did not think participating in the WBC would be a good idea since he finished 2012 on the disabled list (ankle sprain, lower back inflammation). The highlight of the day in Mets’ camp this...
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Terry Collins will talk to his team prior to this morning’s full squad workout, but says he won’t go the underdog route, as COO Jeff Wilpon did last spring. The underdog angle is usually a good angle, but the Mets haven’t had a winning season since 2008, so it is safe to say they are familiar with the losing perspective. Collins pulling a Knute Rockne tomorrow won’t do anything for the...
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XtreemIcon just emailed me a link to Jim Bowden’s latest post on ESPN Insider (subscription required). Bowden goes out on a limb and predicts five moves that will happen this Spring. Among them he says the Mets will breakdown and make a trade for at least one everyday starting outfielder: The Mets will open spring training with a starting outfield of Lucas Duda, Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Mike...
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The Mets should save themselves the aggravation and DL Frank Francisco when the season starts and have the roster spot filled by somebody else. That would enable Bobby Parnell to have the closer job unencumbered. Having him train for the role in Spring Training only to have it pulled from him at the last minute would be bad for clubhouse karma. And, if Parnell doesn’t cut it, then there’s time...
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By Elliot Chester I. Collin McHugh’s third pitch as a major league baseball player was not a bad one, a four-seam 91-mile-per-hour fastball that tailed away from Charlie Blackmon, a slap-hitting nobody who had just two hits all season entering the late August game. But Blackmon, recently installed as the Colorado Rockies’ starting right fielder due to a rash of injuries, stayed with the pitch...
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