With the current New York Mets just playing out the string in a second straight disappointing season I thought it would be fun to get peoples thoughts on their favorite obscure/part-time Mets players on Twitter.

Given the strong response and awesome names brought up by numerous people I decided to put together an obscure Mets team.

For criteria I decided to go with players that played less than 162 MLB games with the Mets. Should also note that I was born in 1987 so the team will have some recency bias. Also tried to limit myself to players no longer active and leave guys off that had strong major league careers like Gary Sheffield.

Here are my position players:

• C: Omir Santos – Obviously quite a few names I could’ve went with here but his game-winning homer off Jonathan Papelbon in 2009 endeared him to me. He would hit .260/.296/.391 that season with seven homers and 40 RBI then spend the next season in the minors for the Mets before leaving in free agency.
• 1B: Mike Jacobs – Few players have ever had the type of start to their Mets career than Jacobs did  in 2005. He blasted four homers in his first four MLB games and had a 1.085 OPS in his first pro season (30 games). He was traded in the package for Carlos Delgado in that offseason though he return to the Mets for seven games in 2010.
• 2B: Anderson Hernandez – I decided to go defense with this choice and that his superman catch will always be engraved in my brain. The slick fielding second baseman had 5 DRS in the majors at the position. The Mets traded Hernandez in August of 2008 to only get him back from the Nationals less than a year later in a trade. Both Damion Easley and Jose Valentin had too many games played to fit by bill, but obviously two names that come to mind.
• SS: Mike Bordick – This one has a personal connection for me given he played baseball in my home state of Maine (very rare for anyone with Maine connections to make majors). He did homer in his first at-bat as Met though that was one of very few highlights with the 2000 team. Melvin Mora (who could also be in this spot) was traded for Bordick and had a fine career.
• 3B: Mike Hessman – You might have completely forgotten his time with the Mets given it was only 32 games in 2010. The minor league home run king hit 433 in the minors, 14 in majors and 7 in Japan.
• OF: Tommy Davis – The Brooklyn native slashed .302/.342/.440 with 32 doubles and 16 homers in his one season with the Mets in 1967. At the time, he set a team single season record with 577 at-bats, 174 hits and 32 doubles. That offseason he was traded in a package for Tommie Agee and Al Weis.
• OF: Jason Tyner – Pretty obscure player despite being a first round of the Mets back in 1998. The speedster would play in only 13 games with the Mets before being traded to the Rays in in 2000 as part of the package for Rick White and Bubba Trammell.
• OF: Marlon Byrd – I remember the lazy, “Going to the World Series” reactions when the Mets gave him a minor league deal in 2013. All he did was hit .285/.330/.518 with 21 homers and 71 RBI before trading him with John Buck to the Pirates for Vic Black and Dilson Herrera.

This bench group was so tough to put together with the Mets using tons and tons of random guys off the bench from failed prospects to old veterans way past their prime.

• INF: Ruben Gotay – Dude hit .295/.351/.421 over 211 plate appearances in 2007 for the Mets, what’s not to like? The Mets got him in trade from the Royals for another guy that I had on my original tweeted list, Jeff Keppinger.
• OF: Chris Jelic – The former second pick of the Royals has the distinction of being the only Met player in franchise history with their only hit being a home run. He went 1-for-11 with the Mets in 1990 and was released that offseason. The home run is his only major league hit and it came in his final at-bat.
• C: Joe Hietpas – His Mets major league career consisted of catching one inning on October 3, 2004. That one inning ended up being the last of the Montreal Expos.
• OF: Eric Valent – Bet most fans wouldn’t remember Valent posting a .782 OPS during his 350 plate appearance Mets career. I’m sure most would remember when he hit for the cycle in 2004 against the Expos.
• INF: Desi Relaford – The switch hitter only played in one season for the Mets but it was the best year of his 11-season career with a 2.1 WAR and .836 OPS. He also pitched a perfect inning with one strikeout.

Plenty of other players that could’ve been on this list like George Theodore, Robinson Cancel, Harry Chiti, Doug Mientkiewicz, Omar Quintanilla, Xavier Nady and Collin Cowgill to name a few. Should note that Endy Chavez and Mike Baxter both played over 162 games as Mets though both of them were popular responses from fans on Twitter.

The second half of my Obscure Mets Team will feature pitchers next week!

The post My Obscure Mets Team: Position Players (Part 1) appeared first on Metsmerized.

So what trades have the Mets made with the Enemy over the last 15 years?  It’s only happened 19 times and remarkably, it hasn’t happened in four years…

February 6, 1998 – Robert Stratton, A.J. Burnett, and Jesus Sanchez were traded to the Marlins for Al Leiter and Ralph Millard.

March 20, 1998 – Brandon Villafuerte and a Player to be named later (Cesar Crespo) were traded to the Marlins for Robert Stratton.

May 22, 1998 – Geoff Goetz, Preston Wilson, and Ed Yarnall were traded to the Marlins for Mike Piazza.

November 20, 1998 – Jorge Fabregas was traded to the Marlins for Oscar Henriquez.

July 23, 2001 – Todd Pratt was traded to the Phillies for Gary Bennett.

July 27, 2001 – Dennis Cook and Turk Wendell were traded to the Phillies for Adam Walker and Bruce Chen.

December 7, 2001 – Robin Ventura was traded to the Yankees for David Justice.

March 24, 2002 – Lou Collier was traded to the Expos for Jason Bay and Jimmy Serrano

April 5, 2002 – Bruce Chen, Luis Figueroa, Dickey Gonzalez, and a PTBNL (Saul Rivera) were traded to the Expos for Phil Seibel, Scott Strickland, and Matt Watson.

July 16, 2003 – Armando Benitez was traded to the Yankees for Ryan Biconda, Jason Anderson, and Anderson Garcia.

December 3, 2004 – Mike Stanton was traded to the Yankees for Felix Heredia.

November 24, 2005 – Grant Psomas, Mike Jacobs, and Yusmeiro Petit were traded to the Marlins for Carlos Delgado and cash.

December 5, 2005 – Dante Brinkley and Gaby Hernandez were traded to the Marlins for Paul Lo Duca.

November 20, 2006 – Matt Lindstrom and Henry Owens were traded to the Marlins for Adam Bostick and Jason Vargas.

August 6, 2007 – Player to be named later to the Marlins for Chad Hermansen. (Baseball Reference does not reflect if the PTBNL was later sent).

November 30, 2007 – Lastings Milledge was traded to the Nationals for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider.

August 17, 2008 – PTBNL (Anderson Hernandez) was traded to the Nationals for Luis Ayala.

July 10, 2009 – Ryan Church was traded to the Braves for Jeff Francoeur.

August 6, 2009  – Greg Veloz was traded to the Nationals for Anderson Hernandez.

The post Trading with the Enemy appeared first on Metsmerized.

First let me thank the guys over at Real Dirty Mets. For the past 5 years I was a contributing writer for that site and it was a very fun and rewarding run. I have been a fan of the Orange and Blue for since birth (41 years) and I can safely say I have stuck with this team through both the good as well as the bad.

My forte if you will is my “This Day In Mets Infamy” series which usually involves my critique of how the team may be doing on a given day, as well as reporting what historic Mets tidbits may have happened on that day – whether it Is through birthdays, the passing of a player or whatever transaction may have occurred on that day in any given year. I always try to end my “column” with a Mo Vaughn joke of the day because … WELL BECAUSE I CAN !!!

You will soon find out that my humor spans from a dry sarcastic wit to lame puns, and even a top 10 list. I enjoy feedback so I can’t wait to read all your thoughts  whether you love, hate or are ambivalent towards my writing.

Anyway with that said….. HERE COMES THE INFAMY !!!!!!!

Mets alumni celebrating a birthday today includes:

One of the most overlooked closers in Mets history, Skip Lockwood is 67  (1946). In his 5 seasons (’75-’79) with the Mets, Lockwood compiled a record of 24-36 with a beyond respectable ERA of 2.80 (remember those Mid to late ’70’s Mets teams barely scored runs) and 65 saves. He would bolt the Mets after the ’79 season and sign with the Boston Red Sox.

Middle reliever from the ’11 season, Mike O’Connor is 33 (1980) O’Connor appeared in 9 games for the Mets during the ’11 season. He ended up going 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA.

The New York Mets traded back up catcher Tom Wilson  to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor league catcher Tony Soccaras on August 17, 2004.

The New York Mets traded reserve infielder, Anderson Hernandez to the Washington Nationals for reliever, Luis Ayala on August 17, 2008. Ayala was brought in after Billy Wagner went down with a shoulder injury. Needless to say Ayala wasn’t able to stabilize the pen as the Mets collapsed down the stretch for the second straight season.

Mo Vaughn really is lobbying John Buck to name his newborn baby son Mo Bangferyer Buck…… John Buck has respectfully declined.

The post This Day In Mets Infamy With Rusty: The “Getting To Know You” Edition appeared first on Metsmerized.

With Twitter, Facebook and blogs – both mainstream and otherwise – available throughout the 24/7/365 news cycle, it’s impossible to not transfer that meme to those that cover and watch sports.  On Saturday, Jordany Valdespin took one to the forearm a day after he embarrassingly celebrated a home run during a Pirates blowout win.  What resulted was talk about the validity of Pittsburgh’s Bryan Morris‘ actions, and how the Valdespin’s teammates reacted. Instead of continuing this news “filler,” let me set everyone straight as to what the deal is with Valdespin.

First, Jordany Valdespin is nothing more than a backup player. He isn’t the future, nor is he a clone of Jose Reyes, the answer in the outfield or infield, or some sort of energizer for a slumping offense. He possesses poor plate discipline and is an average defender, at best, at any position. His career MILB on-base percentage was .330. In the big leagues he’s shown even less of a penchant to get on-base with his .287 clip. Even worse, he doesn’t come across as a hard worker or someone that possesses a big league baseball IQ. There is nothing with Valdespin’s process that screams big league starter, much less star. I have my doubts he will stick around since he seems unable to endear himself to any clubhouse throughout his career.

This is not about race. The players dislike Valdespin because of who he is. Think it’s just his current teammates? After a game-winning grand-slam against the Dodgers, former B-Mets reliever Erik Turgeon took to Twitter and shared these nuggets:

“Valdespin with a walk off home run. If you need me I will be in the bathroom throwing up! I have Zero respect for that piece of s***”

“If your shocked that, then you don’t kno bout all that! Happy for the mets wish someone deserving got the hit like Lagares!”

“Tough for me to get Valdespin out when I’m on the same team as him don’t ya think?”

“Evidence ask your favorite guy in the organization who there least favorite guy is”

Who cares what a retired minor league reliever says, right? What about his current teammates, none who seemed upset or enraged that he was plunked on Saturday. There was furor about how John Buck conducted the pie celebration after that very same grand slam. When I asked Buck about it last week his response with a coy smile was telling: “A big walk-off home run deserves a big pie to the face.”

Read from that what you will, but contrite, at least in my opinion, is not the word to use when describing Buck’s comments. Remember, this is the same guy that was suspended in the minors for an undisclosed incident (some speculation is that it was for a Ruben Rivera-type action, read into that what you will), and again this past offseason during winter ball. There is too much smoke around Valdespin’s fire.

On a good team Valdespin provides speed and power off the bench. Those are characteristics that do make him valuable. His clownish behavior is probably overshadowing that right now, making the story more about him than the team. This will be tolerated when someone like R.A. Dickey is winning Cy Young Awards, but rarely so with a borderline big league player. Valdespin embarrassed the Mets this weekend. Take those blue and orange sunglasses off and see what the opponents do to another bad team celebrating a meaningless home run. It reminds me of how the Nationals used to be when they had Anderson Hernandez, Lastings Milledge and Elijah Dukes: Bad attitude, clownish behavior and, worst of all, a lot of losses.

The shame of it all is Valdespin does have some raw talent. If he took the time to learn from those around him, and put the effort into improving, perhaps there would be hope for better days ahead. Right now, you can’t even get him to take extra batting practice. He consistently never shows up to such events, which is almost sacrilegious on a team that is hitting so poorly; even more damning for a wet behind the ears rookie.

If I were the Mets I would move on from Valdespin ASAP. You probably don’t want to release him as he is too good to be put on the waiver wire. Perhaps there is a minor deal that Alderson can spring for an outfielder. Not a starter or star, but someone that is a bench player, but is a starter on this team due to circumstances. Maybe another team looks at Valdespin’s talent and thinks they can “steal” a future contributor. You never know what you can get if you ask.

Sandy Alderson needs to set the tone and show the club that professionalism and behavior matters to this organization. Ridding the clubhouse of Valdespin won’t turnaround this lost season, but it will be addition by subtraction. You are not losing anything on the field as those late-game home runs are bound to run dry as he makes his way around the league.

I am sure this opinion will stir up debate, however I doubt it’s worth the time.

Those that contribute the least spray the most champagne; they also take up the most space when it comes to the news.

The post Those Who Contribute the Least Shouldn’t Be Made the Story appeared first on Metsmerized.

As the Mets get ready for their 48th Spring Training camp in franchise history, Mets beat writer Adam Rubin gives us the complete list of everyone who will be making the trip. In addition to all the players on the 40 Man Roster, here are the non-roster invitees:

Pitchers (10)
Blackley, Travis (L)
Dickey, R.A.
Dessens, Elmer
Egbert, Jack
Takahashi, Hisanori, (L)
Fogg, Josh
Livingston, Robert (L)
Mejia, Jenrry
Muniz, Carlos
Niesen, Eric (L)

Catchers (2)
Riggans, Shawn
Pena, Francisco

Infielders (8)
Adams, Russ
Cervenak, Mike
Davis, Ike
Hernandez, Luis
Hessman, Mike
Jacobs, Mike
Green, Andy
Tejada, Ruben

Outfielders (4)
Cabrera, Jolbert
Catalanotto, Frank
Feliciano, Jesus
Nieuwenhuis, Kirk

The Mets will have plenty of jobs up for grabs and the competition should make for a very interesting spring training.

In the coming days, we’ll take a good long look at all the battles and provide you with regular updates throughout the spring as the Mets try to figure out which 25 players will be making the final cut. By my count, there are about seven roster spots that have yet to be decided.

One thing that might make an impact and weigh heavy in the decision making process are those players who have no remaining minor league options. The Mets have four such players and they are:

Fernando Nieve, Nelson Figueroa, Pat Misch and Anderson Hernandez.

If any of those players are demoted, they must pass through waivers first and they could be claimed by another team.

When you consider the success Fernando Nieve and Nelson Figueroa have had in Winter Ball, you get the feeling that they may have an inside track on a couple of those roster spots. Then again, the Mets have risked losing Figueroa last season, and still managed to retain him due to lack of interest from other teams.

Some of the key battles this spring include:

Starting Catcher – Omir Santos, Henry Blanco, Shawn Riggans, Chris Coste, Josh Thole

First Base – Daniel Murphy, Mike Jacobs, Ike Davis

Number 5 Starter – Fernando Nieve, Nelson Figueroa, Josh Fogg, Hisanori Takahashi, Jon Niese, Jenrry Mejia

Plenty of bullpen spots have yet to be decided as well. Keep your dial tuned to MMO and we’ll keep you up to date and in the know. Lets Go Mets!

The post Mets Camp Promises To Have Plenty Of Exciting Battles appeared first on Metsmerized.

2009

08/25/09 Traded Billy Wagner to the Red Sox for for Chris Carter and Eddie Lora

08/08/09 Traded cash or PTBN to the Cubs for Jason Dubois

08/06/09 Traded Greg Veloz to the Nationals for Anderson Hernandez

07/10/09 Traded Ryan Church to the Braves for Jeff Francoeur

05/30/09 Traded Ramon Castro to the White Sox for Lance Broadway

2008

12/10/08 Traded Aaron Heilman , Endy Chavez , Jason Vargas, Mike Carp , Ezequiel Carrera and Maikel Cleto to the Mariners for J.J. Putz , Sean Green , and Jeremy Reed .

12/12/08 Traded Scoot Schoeneweis and cash to the Diamondbacks for Conner Robertson

08/17/08 Traded Anderson Hernandez to the Nationals for Luis Ayala

06/13/08 Traded cash to the Diamondbacks for Trot Nixon

02/02/08 Traded Carlos Gomez , Deolis Guerra , Philip Humber and Kevin Mulvey to the Twins for Johan Santana

01/05/08 Traded Corey Coles and Ryan Meyers to the Cubs for Angel Pagan

2007

11/30/07 Traded Lastings Milledge to the Nationals for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider

11/28/07 Traded cash to the Rays for Brian Stokes

11/20/07 Traded Guillermo Mota to the Brewers for Johnny Estrada

08/20/07 Traded Jose Castro and Sean Henry to the Reds for Jeff Conine

08/17/07 Traded cash or PTBN to the Pirates for Luis Matos

08/06/07 Traded cash or PTBN to the Marlins for Chad Hermanson

07/30/07 Traded Dustin Martin and Drew Butera to the Twins for Luis Castillo

2006

12/06/06 Traded Brian Bannister to the Royals for Ambiorix Burgos

11/20/06 Traded Henry Owners and Matt Lindstrom to the Marlins for Adam Bostick and Jason Vargas

11/15/06 Traded Health Bell and Royce Ring to the Padres for Jon Adkins and Ben Johnson

08/30/06 Traded Victor Diaz to the Rangers for Mike Nickeas

08/22/06 Traded Evan Maclane to the Diamondbacks for Shawn Green and cash

08/20/06 Traded cash or PTBN to the Indians for Guillermo Mota

07/31/06 Traded Xavier Nady to the Pirates for Roberto Hernandez and Oliver Perez

07/19/06 Traded Jeff Keppinger to the Royals for Ruben Gotay

06/09/06 Traded Kaz Matsui and cash to the Rockies for Eli Marrero

05/26/06 Traded Geremi Gonzalez to the Brewers for Mike Adams

05/25/06 Traded Robert Manuel to the Reds for David Williams and cash

05/24/06 Traded Jorge Julio to the Diamondbacks for Orlando Hernandez

01/25/06 Traded Angel Pagan to the Cubs for Cash

01/22/06 Traded Kris Benson to the Orioles for Jorge Julio and John Maine

01/04/06 Traded Jae Wong Seo and Tim Hamulack to the Dodgers for Duaner Sanchez and Steve Schmoll

2005

12/05/05 Traded Gaby Hernandez and Dante Brinkley to the Marlins for Paul Lo Duca

11/28/05 Traded Cash to the Pirates for Tike Redman

11/24/05 Traded Mike Jacobs , Yusmeiro Petit and Grant Posmas to the Marlins for Carlos Delgado and Cash

11/18/05 Traded Mike Cameron to the Padres for Xavier Nady

05/20/05 Traded Jed Hansen to the Giants for Cash

04/02/05 Traded Matt Ginter to the Tigers for Steve Colyer

04/01/05 Traded Andy Dominique to the Blue Jays for Cash

03/31/05 Traded Pat Mahomes to the Dodgers for Cash pr PTBN

03/28/05 Traded Cash to the Mariners for Benji Gil

03/24/05 Traded Cash to the Indians for Fernando Lunar

03/20/05 Traded Jason Phillips to the Dodgers for Kazuhisa Ishii

01/27/05 Traded Ian Bladergroen to the Red Sox for Doug Mientkiewicz and Cash

01/05/05 Traded Vance Wilson to the Tigers for Anderson Hernandez

12/03/04 Traded Mike Stanton to the Yankees for Feliz Heredia

Hat tip to Tartans for the list. For more of my stuff checkout Danny Baseball

The post Omar Minaya’s Trade History appeared first on Metsmerized.

As if all this information isn’t bleak enough, the Mets have suffered through a season long string of futility from those who have stepped in during Reyes’ absence.

Alex Cora, Fernando Tatis, Anderson Hernandez, Ramon Martinez, Wilson Valdez and Argenis Reyes have all taken a stab at playing shortstop this season, but none of them did anything to really distinguish themselves. 

Let’s all agree that Argenis Reyes, Ramon Martinez and Anderson Hernandez shouldn’t even be considered options for next season. I believe it’s also safe to assume that Fernando Tatis will not be back unless he takes a significant pay cut.

That leaves us with Cora and Valdez who both fall short as everyday players in my opinion. Of the two, the only one I would even bring back is Alex Cora as a backup, mostly because of his intangibles and the positive presence he brings to the dugout.

Some of my esteemed fellow Mets bloggers are advocating bringing back Wilson Valdez instead of Cora here and here, but I strongly disagree. The case for Valdez is based on too small a sample size and the fact is that he’s 31 years old and has amassed barely 340 at-bats in his major league career, hitting an anemic .225 with a .275 on-base percentage. Those are the facts, and anything else is purely speculative.

That said, it’s plain to see how slim the pickings are for the Mets at shortstop. If the Mets were to require 200 at-bats from either Cora or Valdez before the All Star break it could spell doom for the 2010 season.

The Mets cannot afford to make the same mistakes they made this season in 2010. They cannot bankroll their season on the uncertain returns of key players. The Mets blew it by not sending Jose Reyes for surgery in June. They blew it again in July, and again in August, and again in September. Their handling of Jose Reyes has been an unprecedented disaster on so many levels.

With his 2010 season now as cloudy as the Mets decision making process, I urge Omar Minaya to error on the side of caution and go out and sign a capable replacement for Reyes and not subject the fanbase to another comedy of errors at shortstop. 

Some of the shortstops that are heading toward free agency this winter include: Orlando Cabrera, Bobby Crosby, Miguel Tejada, Jack Wilson, and finally one other who I think will fill the bill and fit perfectly on the Mets…

Consider former Mets farmhand, Marco Scutaro, currently of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Scutaro has had a solid season for the Blue Jays scoring his 100th run last night, and he has done so for the rock bottom price of $1.1 million dollars. Compare that to Fernando Tatis at $1.7 MM or Cora at $2.25 MM.

I love the power spike Scutaro has enjoyed this season and he has some good speed too as evidenced by his 12 stolen bases this season. Another offensive achievement worth noting is his 35 doubles which would seemingly play well at Citi Field.

The right handed Scutaro has also played second base, third base and left field in his career. This is important to note because upon the return of Jose Reyes, whenever that will be, he can easily slide into leftfield or slide over to second base. He would give the Mets an enormous amount of versatility.

Obviously, the Mets have many areas they need to focus on this off season, but I believe Scutaro would go a long way toward easing the concerns of the shortstop position, while potentially giving the Mets the option of moving Castillo if they so choose once Reyes proves he is healthy, and he also provides the team with an insurance plan at third base, as well as another option for leftfield.

The most appealing part is that Scutaro may even be one of the lower cost options out there for the Mets this off season. Considering we shelled out $4 million dollars for Tatis and Cora, wouldn’t Scutaro be a tremendous addition if the Mets were to approach him with a 2-year offer at $5-6 million dollars?

The post If Reyes Isn’t Ready In 2010; Here’s My Backup Plan appeared first on Metsmerized.

Just as the Marlins took two out of three to keep the Mets out of the playoffs each of the last two years, the Mets got some payback today.  By taking the series against Florida, the Marlins were eliminated in the National League East race and are all but eliminated in the wild card race as well.

Pat Misch pitched the first complete game shutout by a Mets pitcher this season, retiring the last 13 batters he faced and Jeff Francoeur hit one out of the park (two-run homer) and kept one in the park (robbing Chris Coghlan of a potential shutout ending homer).  That combination helped the Mets to a 4-0 victory over the Marlins.

Things didn’t start off so well for Misch, but he kept getting out of jams that he created.  After wiggling his way out of a second and third, no-outs situation in the first inning, he continued to put men on base.  He gave up eight hits and three walks in the first five innings, but none of the baseunners scored.  It was a far cry from his previous outing Monday night against the Braves when he gave up eight runs in 1 1/3 innings.

Although Misch got the only run he needed when Josh Thole hit a sacrifice fly in the second inning, it wasn’t until Jeff Francoeur hit a two-run homer in the third inning that Misch got a little breathing room.  The home run was Francoeur’s 14th of the season and ninth as a Met.

After Francoeur reached home plate, Anderson Hernandez promised he’d hit one as well, eliciting a giggle from Jeff Francoeur (see photo above).  Channeling the spirits of Joe Namath and Mark Messier, Hernandez made good on his guarantee and homered in the fifth inning.  That blast gave the Mets a 4-0 lead.

Francoeur still had one last moment to upstage Hernandez and he did so in the bottom of the seventh inning when he robbed Chris Coghlan of a home run in front of the 385-foot sign in right field.  The Marlins players and their many dozens of fans couldn’t bear to watch as Jeff helped preserve the shutout for Misch.

However, the day truly belonged to Pat Misch.  He did not cave in when the Marlins kept putting men on base against him in the early innings and got stronger as the game progressed.  In doing so, he picked up his second victory of the season and helped the Mets put a huge dent in the Marlins’ fleeting playoff chances.

The Mets will now enter the last week of the season by opening their final road series against the Washington Nationals on Monday.  Nelson Figueroa will take the mound against Ross Detwiler in the 7:05 PM start.

The Mets might not be going to the big dance in October.  It looks like the team that prevented them from doing so in 2007 and 2008 will also not have a date to the baseball prom in 2009.  It may not erase the sting still felt by many Mets fans, but the Mets did exhibit a modicum of revenge this weekend against the Marlins.  It’s nice to have a feel-good moment every now and then.

The post Revenge Is So Sweet! Mets, Misch Squish Fish 4-0 appeared first on Metsmerized.

Maine came into the game with a 5-0 career record against the Phillies and only gave up one run and two hits in his three innings of work.  However, since the demolition team of Stoner and Broadway gave up four runs on eight hits in their five innings, the late rally by the Mets was not enough, even with Armando Benitez-in-training Brad Lidge pitching the ninth inning.

Perhaps if Lance Broadway hadn’t given up an insurance run to the Phillies in the eighth inning, we’d be talking about another great Mets comeback, but alas, that run ended up being the difference of the game.

Maine did pitch well.  Although he still has to work on keeping his pitch count low (he averaged 19 pitches per inning today), he threw strikes (only one walk) and did not appear to feel any discomfort.  It’s unfortunate that he had to pick up the loss in today’s game, considering he pitched the best of the three pitchers the Mets trotted out to the mound.  Alas, the rules of major league baseball say that he has to get the loss and so he shall.

Other highlights for the Mets included the shocking two-run HR to center field by light-hitting second baseman Anderson Hernandez in the eighth inning, although that ball probably would have been a pop-up in the vicinity of second base at Citi Field.  You know how crazy Citizen’s Bank Park plays!  Even the Cryin’ Hawaiian himself, Shane Victorino, could not believe Hernandez could hit a ball that far to that part of the ballpark.  As the photo to the right suggests, Victorino remained frozen at the top of the fence, perhaps in disbelief, that the ball carried out.  Fortunately for him, Mr. Shades was standing behind the wall and helped pry Victorino off the fence.

If Jeff Francoeur continues to hit like this, he might always want to play with an injured thumb.  He picked up three more hits for his third three-hit game in the last four days.  He now has 10 hits in his last 17 at-bats, raising his batting average to a season-high .275.  Since his trade to the Mets, he is hitting .311 (68 for 219).

Last but not least, how can we forget Josh Thole?  By going 4 for 4, he continued his hot start in the majors, raising his average to .444.  If Brian Schneider was already saying that he’s preparing to be playing elsewhere in 2010, today’s performance by Thole did nothing to make him want to retract his statement.  Thole just missed his first major league home run in the ninth inning when he hit a long single off the top of the right field wall.

It won’t take long for the Mets to try to take the finale from the Phillies, as Game 2 of the day-nighter will begin at 8:05 PM.  Pedro Martinez will face Tim Redding in the nightcap.  As a reminder to you, the game will be televised on ESPN so please do your best to increase WFAN’s ratings.  After all, Jerry Manuel already said in the SNY post-game show that Carlos Beltran will be starting the second game.  We don’t need to hear Jon Miller call him Bel-TRON throughout the game, do we?  The mute button.  Best.  Invention.  Ever.

Useless stat of the day (but I’m telling you anyway):  With today’s win in Game 1, the Phillies have now defeated the Mets 11 times this season.  All of the wins have been credited to different pitchers (Jack Taschner, Chan Ho Park, Scott Eyre, Rodrigo Lopez, Rip Van Winkle (Jamie Moyer), Joe Blanton, J.A. Happ, Pedro Martinez, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Kyle Kendrick).  We don’t need to see a 12th name tonight…

Useless stat of the day (because one useless stat just isn’t enough): If the Mets lose tonight’s second game, they will be mathematically eliminated from the playoff race, as they would have lost 81 games while the division-leading Phillies would have 82 wins.  That is the same amount of wins the wild card-leading Rockies have entering today’s games.  On a positive note, the Mets magic number to eliminate the Washington Nationals from fourth-place contention is now down to 7.

The post Maine’s Return Not Enough As Mets Drop Game 1 appeared first on Metsmerized.

My choice for MetsMerized Player Of The Week is… Fernando Tatis!

Fernando Tatis. This is a guy who had one great season and has since then bounced around, amassing time with 5 MLB teams. Coming to New York last year, Fernando became the King of Clutch, as his clutch hits helped the Mets win a few games. However, through most of this season, Fernando had been playing as the King Of Double Plays, much to the dismay of Met fans. But Fernando has turned it around lately.

Batting .405 (11-27) on the week, Fernando slugged a home run and drove in 5 runs, while scoring 3 times. Of those 11 hits (which led the team), he managed two 2B, and put together 16 total bases on the week, which also led the team.

Tatis also put together a nice week on defense filling in for David Wright, as he only had one error but fielded the position fairly well. The 2008 NL Comeback Player of the Year has toughed it out this year and played hard, so Kudos to Fernando Tatis!

Honorable Mentions:

Jeff Francouer: .320 (8-25; 4 2B) 5 RBI, 3 R, 12 TB

Anderson Hernandez: .435 (10-23; 2 2B, 1 3B) 3 RBI, 3 R, 14 TB, .609 SLG

Nelson Figueroa: 2 GS, 1-1. 12 IP, 1.50 ERA, 10 H, 2 ER, 12 K.

Past Award Winners:

One Hit Wonders: Ryan Church, Daniel Murphy, Johan Santana, Jeff Francoeur, David Wright, Fernando Tatis

Been There, Done That Twice: Luis Castillo, Angel Pagan.

Of Note 8/23-8/30

I’m not sure what genius wants Wright to fly with the team to Colorado, but I guess it’ll happen regardless. Beltran seems to be on the path to returning; No news on Reyes. But can we put Francouer on the DL or something? He’s playing injured for no reason.

Whopping 2 HRs for the Mets this week (Pagan, Tatis) but 16 2Bs.

Lance Broadway’s up! Is he gonna start? He deserves a shot. Parnell can hit the pen for a while.

Conformation that Thole’ll be up when the MILB season ends. Keep his ABs limited and against RH-pitching seems to be the plan and I agree.

Billy Wagner most likely pitched his last inning as a Met this week. I wish him the best in Boston, because he was a great player.

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