The New York Mets made several shrewd moves in the early-to-mid eighties that aided the club in winning their second World Series championship in franchise history.

From their trade with the St. Louis Cardinals for Keith Hernandez and adding southpaw Sid Fernandez from the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1983 to trading for Ray Knight from the Houston Astros and acquiring Gary Carter from the Montreal Expos in 1984, the team supplemented its young, talented roster with star players and veteran leadership.

But another deal was made in November 1985 that involved eight players between the Mets and Boston Red Sox that would pay huge dividends in the club winning a franchise-best 108 regular season games and being the last team standing at the end of the 1986 season.

Left-handed pitcher Bob Ojeda was the main piece in this mega trade and played a vital role in both the regular season and postseason in his first year in Queens.

Ojeda, 64, signed with the Red Sox as an undrafted free agent in 1978 and pitched as both a starter and reliever for the major league club from 1980 through 1985.

The Mets were looking to add another left-handed pitcher to their staff for the ’86 season, and the front office zeroed in on Ojeda, whose experience both as a starter and out of the pen made for an attractive option.

What the Mets received from Ojeda in their championship season was more than they could have ever dreamed.

Among Mets pitchers, Ojeda led the staff in wins (18) and WHIP (1.090), while second in ERA (2.57) and fWAR (4.2). He finished fourth in the National League Cy Young voting and tossed a career-high 217.1 innings and an additional 27 in the postseason.

Ojeda came up big when it counted the most, making four postseason starts and posting a combined 2.33 ERA.

After Mike Scott’s brilliant 14-strikeout performance in the Houston Astros’ 1-0 win in Game 1 of the NLCS, Ojeda toed the rubber for Game 2 and tossed a complete game in the Mets’ 5-1 win on the road.

He became the third Mets pitcher in franchise history to toss a complete game in the postseason while allowing no more than one run, joining Tom Seaver (1969) and Jon Matlack (1973).

The lefty was also the starting pitcher in the Mets’ miraculous comeback victory in Game 6 of the World Series against his former club. He tossed six innings of two-run ball and didn’t allow the Red Sox to score after the second inning.

What’s incredible to remember is that Ojeda was this effective while dealing with a severely injured elbow. Ever the gamer, Ojeda had to navigate pitching through pain and whether that would ultimately lead to ineffectiveness and potential long-term injury.

In total, Ojeda spent five seasons in Queens, posting a 51-40 record with a 3.12 ERA in 140 games (109 starts). Among 42 pitchers with a minimum 500 innings pitched with the Mets, Ojeda ranks 9th in ERA and WHIP (1.182).

Following his playing career, Ojeda rejoined the Mets as a minor league pitching coach for several seasons and later joined SNY as a studio analyst and spent six seasons in that role.

I had the privilege of speaking with Ojeda where he discussed going undrafted, how he dealt with injuries and the championship season of 1986.

MMO: Who were some of your favorite players growing up?

Ojeda: I was born in L.A. and grew up there, and Sandy Koufax was my guy.

As a kid, I didn’t watch a lot of sports; I was too active and hyper. I could watch a couple of innings of a baseball game or a few minutes of a football game, and then I was out the door to go play.

MMO: At what point during your development did you start focusing primarily on pitching?

Ojeda: I didn’t really grow up honing in on pitching, and that’s an honest and straightforward question.

What happened to me was I didn’t get drafted. I only went to junior college and was good, but I did not get drafted. I signed after the draft for $500, which wasn’t a lot of money then either. [Laughs.]

I went all in. I was like, I got an opportunity, and I’m going to try my best. I showed up at Elmira, and my first manager was Dick Berardino, and this is a message to all these kids out here who hone in on pitching when they’re four years old, and that is, do not do that. Mom and dad, don’t do that to your children.

I showed up at the field and introduced myself to Dick. He said, “What do you do?” I said, ‘Skip, what’s the quickest way to the big leagues?’ He said, “Pitching.” I said, ‘Well, I’m a pitcher.’

Up until then I hit and pitched, and most guys that sign are very athletic and very talented, not only in different sports but different positions. And I was the same. But I did not zero in on pitching until after I signed.

MMO: You mentioned signing as an undrafted free agent with the Red Sox. How did that come about?

Ojeda: A good friend of my father’s, a fellow from the little town I was from, was this classic old dude. He always had a cigar in his mouth. He became a bird dog scout, and that’s a scout who is not really affiliated, but he knew people with the Red Sox.

Once I didn’t get drafted, he came up to me and my dad at my dad’s shop and said, “Look, I can get you $500, and you can sign with the Red Sox. That’s the best I can do.”

Even then, I was a little nervy, and I said, ‘How about $750?’ He said, “Nope, $500, that’s it. Take it or leave it.”

I took it, and that’s how my time with the Red Sox began. He was just a bird dog in town, real nice old man and he’s since passed away. But he’s the one that got me started in professional baseball.

MMO: In a New York Times article you wrote back in 2012, you described how you essentially always pitched in pain, even as a kid. Even through all the pain, you put together a quality career. How were you able to navigate and circumvent the pain throughout the course of your career?

Ojeda: A lot of these guys that we watch on television and are fans of, you don’t know what they go through to get on and stay on the field. A lot of people do that, and that’s the type of thing that I didn’t admit to myself when I was going through it, as with guys today. There are guys who play with pain, I am not the lone ranger by any stretch.

The crux of it is when pain transfers over to glaring injury. That’s the fine line, and how far do you want to push yourself in your particular circumstance to push through.

A lot of guys pitch in pain, but when you’ve already been diagnosed with an injury, and yet, continue to go through it, that’s the part I think is very individualistic. And there’s no right or wrong. It’s just what you can live with.

Now I sit around and am older, and I still do things in the game, but I look back and I would not have missed the ’86 playoffs or World Series for anything in the world. Sitting here today, had I chosen to sit out, would’ve been very difficult to live with.

You get one chance if you’re fortunate, and if you’re really fortunate, you get several chances to go all the way in any particular sport. To sit on the sidelines with something where it’s like, can I actually do this? Potentially hurt myself long-term but I don’t want to miss it, and I’m still effective; that’s an individual choice. That’s something that each guy has to navigate.

MMO: It’s interesting how you mentioned how so many players are dealing with nagging pains and sorenesses, and how fans don’t know what goes on behind the scenes. When I interviewed Trevor May while he was on the IL, he talked about toeing the line between playing through soreness and taking a needed rest when it was something more than that.

Ojeda: In my particular case, I had already been diagnosed with a severely injured elbow. The diagnosis was in and there was no more question about if it’s this or that. I was diagnosed with a frayed ulnar nerve and chips underneath the ulnar nerve and in the groove that was causing my arm to literally lock in place while I’d be warming up for a game.

That just becomes, I’m a rock head, but I don’t want to miss this. I have no regrets.

MMO: When were you diagnosed with a frayed ulnar nerve?

Ojeda: In ’86. The second half of the season, I was struggling pretty much most of the season, but it was like, okay, we all pitch in pain. Nobody plays 100%.

But it kept deteriorating, and I reached a point where I was taking anti-inflammatories and getting shots to get through it. I had the x-rays that confirmed there was an injury; it was a drastic elbow injury. I chose to continue because I was still effective.

My doctor, he’s passed away, Dr. Parkes, allowed me to do that. I told him, ‘Doc, if you say this happened, this conversation, I’m going to tell everybody that it never happened. And that you’re not telling the truth.’ [Laughs.] And for some reason, he believed me.

My trainer, Steve Garland, knew the truth, and yet, allowed me to continue. Why? Because it was my choice and my responsibility to accept the consequences of going forward with an injury, not pain, an injury.

I thank them every time I think about it that they let me do it.

MMO: In that same New York Times piece, two names that stuck out to me in terms of your development were Mike Roarke and Johnny Podres. Can you talk about what each of them meant for you?

Ojeda: I met the Pod in fall ball in 1978 with the Red Sox. He was awesome and a legend. He was this big, old boiler and was chain-smoking like a maniac. I loved the guy. He was just no-nonsense and would give it to you straight. He taught me my changeup and curve.

That was instrumental in me moving forward because I had just come off a 1-6 [season] in Elmira, and then I went down after the season to Sarasota. I learned the changeup and learned the curve, came back the following year, and then I was 15-7 with a 2.43 [ERA], and that was largely because of Johnny Podres.

Mike Roarke, I had him in the big leagues. Mike was the kindest gentleman you ever met. The kindest guys are usually the toughest ones, and Mike was a tough guy. But he was so kind.

My father pretty much taught me everything, but Mike Roarke taught me the professional angle of pitching. I learned immensely the difference between the minor leagues, college and professional [level], when it’s a job.  Mike was instrumental in that.

He was one of the finest gentlemen I ever met and very knowledgeable in the game.

MMO: Did you already have a changeup and curveball in your arsenal and Podres tinkered with your grips, or did he introduce those pitches to you?

Ojeda: Good question, he messed with my grip a little bit. My father did not let me throw a curveball until I was seventeen. My father was ahead of his time, I don’t know how he did it.

He was a big man at six-four, pitched in the army and knew the dangers of pitching because his shoulder blew out and that pretty much ended his career.

He did not allow me to throw a curveball, so I had no idea how to throw a curve. The Pod got a hold of me, and I think I just turned 20 when I went down, and he showed me the grip of the curve and a different grip on the changeup.

I had messed around with a changeup in high school and junior college, but I didn’t need it because I threw really hard. I was a one-trick pony.

MMO: What were your initial reactions on getting traded to the Mets in November 1985?

Ojeda: I was thrilled because Boston, at the time, was a train wreck. Ownership was in turmoil; the organization was turning over from veterans to bringing up younger guys, and there was a lot of animosity in that locker room. That’s one of the most important things that I did as a coach is that you don’t have to love everybody, but there was a lot of animosity and a lot of anger that the old guys were getting pushed out and the young guys were coming in.

To get out of that environment with kind of a bunch of stale, old, crusty guys and come over to New York, well, I sat there for two weeks in spring training and didn’t say anything, I just watched these guys. I felt like I was in a room full of puppies!

At that time, I was a five-year veteran, so I’d been around a little bit. I was a little jaded because I was around all these grumpy, old dudes. I just embraced it. I embraced their youthful exuberance and sort of their blind excitedness of what’s possible. When you’re young, you’re invincible, and I was like, Yeah, this is what I’m talking about.

Did everybody love each other? No. But there was a common goal, and that was to win every day starting at 7:05. And that was so refreshing to come into, especially as a veteran.

MMO: Did you have any idea of how special this ’86 club could be when you arrived?

Ojeda: Not a clue. I’m in my own world, and especially back in the day, I paid attention to what I was doing and what was happening in the American League; I could care less what was going on in the other league. I had my hands full doing my job, so I did not know one thing about the Mets.

I probably did a little reading once I was traded over, but you don’t really know exactly what it is until you get there. You’re reading stories that are interpreted from people who do their best to project a picture. But once I got in that locker room and sat there, honest to goodness, for two weeks and didn’t say a word and was just looking around and taking it in, I was like, Okay, I get it now. These guys are fired up.

Davey [Johnson] certainly sent the message out that we’re winning it all this year. That goal of winning it all was so important; that’s the only time I ever felt that. The only time in my entire career that I ever felt that.

It wasn’t like we were going to win the first ten or have the best pitching staff, the best defense, hit the most triples; none of that nonsense. You know what boys? We’re going to win the most games, and we’re going to win the World Series. Not our division; not this or that. We’re going to win the World Series. Anything short of that is a bust, and I think that helped propel our mentality.

That’s why we were like we were. They say we had a little panache, if you will, and we did and that’s because you have to. But you also have to have the horses, and this ball club was pretty good in ’85, and we just took it over the top in ’86.

MMO: Was there any pressure on not only joining a new team, but a new league when you came to New York?

Ojeda: No. I always put pressure on myself but I didn’t add to it.

I didn’t get to start the year in the rotation, I started in the bullpen. Early in the season, they scheduled a lot of off days, and Davey said, “You’re a starter, and you’re starting for me. We need you and that left side, especially going against St. Louis. But I have to start you in the bullpen.” I told him that was fine, and it’s not about me; it’s about my team, my new team.

I actually started four or five less games than everybody else, but I wasn’t complaining. I was just glad to be in the big leagues, glad to be with an exciting team and winning ballgames like we were eating potato chips; it was nuts!

MMO: What are your memories from your Game 2 start in the NLCS against the Houston Astros?

Ojeda: The season doesn’t start until the playoffs. I know it’s cliché, but it’s true. As you’re playing a season, early in the season there’s a degree of pressure; the middle of the season there’s a degree of pressure; and the end of season until you clinch the playoffs there’s a degree of pressure. You take a nice breath after you clinch, but then it starts all over. Then, all of a sudden, it’s intense.

If you go to the playoffs, the season does not start until you’ve reached the playoffs. That’s the goal and mindset you need to have. I don’t care how good of an April or August or September we had; until you get to the postseason, it becomes real.

When I started that game, it’s a sense of all or nothing. There’s no tomorrow. Each individual game is in and of itself a standalone. I’m not thinking about tomorrow; I’m not thinking about yesterday; I’m not thinking about last week; I’m thinking about today.

The pressure in your head and the pressure of the game is vital to have that attitude that it’s just a game, a huge game, but it’s one game. It’s one out at a time. I know these are clichés, but they’re very, very true and that’s what I drew on when I got to go through it.

MMO: So, you would use those mantras to help keep your mental game in check?

Ojeda: Yes, absolutely. You have to put yourself in a mental place where you can function. And that’s individual.

I was one of those people that liked to play for keeps when we used to pitch quarters and play marbles and all these old people games. We were doing it for fun, but I wanted to win. As soon as the bell rang, okay, this is for keeps. I tended to embrace that.

I always did embrace pressure; I embraced it and liked it. I used the pressure to help me rather than defeat me. But you have to manage it, and you have to manage it to where you can function. It’s not something that happens by accident, and there are people who, no question, fold under pressure.

You’re either a pressure folder or a pressure player. You do it 100 times, and you will be a folder each one of those times, and if you’re a pressure player, you’re going to come through in the time in large part.

There are existential reasons why failure and success happen, but there are people who are chokers and who do not like pressure. And that’s life. I’m not slamming them, that’s just life.

Pitching is individualistic, too, because I’m the guy on the bump; I’m in charge of everything. I promise you there are guys who will pitch a beautiful game and will lose 1-0, 2-1, 2-0. They’ll pitch a beautiful game and afterwards talk about how it was tough luck and know they threw a great game. There are guys who embrace that.

I wanted to be the guy and thrived on being the guy who wins 1-0; who wins 2-1. And it does not feel the same. I promise you, when you’re on the mound, it is not the same because people get exposed when they get a lead. There are guys, you can check with stats, who get a lead, and they’ll give it right back and then settle in. They’re comfortable being good enough to lose. Those are the guys you have to weed out to be a championship club.

MMO: You then started Game 6 of the NLCS, and after giving up three runs in the first inning, you buckled down and threw four scoreless innings after. Even though you guys had a 3-2 lead in the series, it seemed like that game was treated as a must-win, given that Mike Scott was looming for a Game 7. What stands out to you about that game and start?

Ojeda: That was the game where I just had three shots in my elbow two days before. No one knew. Dr. Parkes did it for me; I flew down to Washington and got the shots and flew back. He was awesome.

When I was warming up for that game, I felt like I had sandbags in my elbow. I just could not get loose.

I remember the great Mel Stottlemyre was looking at me like, wow, this really doesn’t look good. He didn’t want to say that, so he said, “How are you feeling? You feeling okay?” I told him, ‘No, I’m good, Mel. [I] just have a little trouble getting loose, but I’m good. I’ll be all right.’ [Laughs.]

I went out there for the first inning and was like, Oh, my god, how the hell am I going to get through this thing?

Fortunately, I got through that first inning and things loosened up, and I was able to give them a few more innings to help us get that win. That was all shot related because it helped with the pain, but it clogged up the elbow a little bit.

MMO: Was there pain pitching in your two World Series starts?

Ojeda: You couldn’t focus on it. The pain was still there, and like I said, I’m not the lone ranger. But I had an injury, and I chose to go forward with it. When you make that decision, you can’t start crying about it; you have to roll with it.

That game in Houston was the most uncomfortable game I had thrown. Game six was pretty uncomfortable as well, but at that point, once we got to the World Series, there are no more shots, no more anything. I just loaded up on pills and was going to do the best I could. I didn’t want to quit on my teammates.

I was still effective even with the injury, but I didn’t want to give up on my teammates, and I said let’s just go with this thing. If it ends your career, so what? I got to the World Series because inside me was a 12-year-old little boy who dreamed about this day. I wasn’t going to miss it.

MMO: Following your playing career, you took some time off before returning as a minor league pitching coach in the organization, and then took some more time before signing on as a commentator for SNY in 2009. What prompted you to come back to the game in a broadcasting capacity?

Ojeda: Very simply, they asked me. I know the Wilpons draw emotion from the fans, which is fine. But they treated me fantastic. They really did. I can’t speak for anyone else, but they treated me great. They actually came to me and said, “We want you back in the organization.”

I coached for those three years, and I told myself I was going to take a break. And then I went back to Shea Stadium for Shea Goodbye, as a matter of fact, and they told me they liked to have me back. They asked me what I’d like to do, would I want to coach again, do this, that or the other. I said, ‘I’m thankful you’re having me back because I do love the Mets and I do love baseball. So whatever you think.’

The great Curt Gowdy Jr. called me up and said, “Look, I’m not giving up this job. You have to audition.” I auditioned for Curt, and they liked what they saw, and then I rolled into that. But I never, ever had any ambitions to do television work because it wasn’t my thing or ambition or goal.

I loved every second of it. They were great to me. They let me be honest, and I always tried to be fair. It wasn’t just getting the microphone and talk smack. I didn’t want to do that because I grew up with that as a player. I’d be like, that ain’t cool, I wish that guy would say that to my face. They get on TV, and all of a sudden they’re talking all of this smack, so I said no.

I always did it like I was talking to a guy when I was doing a show. I’m looking at the camera, and if I’m saying something about a particular guy, I’m saying it to his face, because that helps govern what you say. All of a sudden, you’re not such a big shot when you’re talking to the guy.

I was on the backside of that, where I’m watching an interview on TV or listening on the radio, and I’m thinking, boy, this guy sounds like a different guy when he’s in the locker room. I didn’t want to be that guy, and that helped me do my job, which I loved doing.

MMO: I loved the work you did on SNY. I think many Met fans respected you for your frank and honest analysis, and the fact that you always came prepared during good times and bad.

Ojeda: Thank you very much, that is a great compliment. I didn’t want to phone it in for you guys because I’m a Met fan myself. I just wanted to be honest. And the one thing with you guys is you’re so well-informed. I’m not going to sit there on television and tell you 1+1=7, where you guys will say, wait, 1+1=2. What’s this guy talking about?

I wanted to come at you honestly and show that I did my research, did my homework, and I didn’t just throw out numbers. I used to be with the guys at the studio, and they were such a huge help, and we’d spend hours researching making sure that something I was going to say was true, honest and backed up by numbers.

I was very emotional, and still am, because I have feelings and it matters to me, but it’s based in truth and reality that someone can check. I may have gotten a little hot because it’s an emotional game and I’m an emotional person, but it was always honest, and I loved doing it. I wouldn’t mind doing it again.

MMO: I was going to ask you if you had any desire to get back in the game in a broadcasting/coaching/front office advisory role?

Ojeda: Yes. I had to take a breather because that’s the way I am. So, I’ve taken a breather and recharged my batteries. I’ve never liked doing anything half-way. If I’m going to be a baseball player, I’m going to be a baseball player. If I’m going to be a coach, I’m going to be a coach. If I’m going to be on TV and be an analyst, I’m going to give it my all.

I’m at a point now where I feel great. So, to come back in one of those capacities would be great for two reasons. One, I love baseball, I always have, and most of us do. And two, I really enjoy the Mets, and I enjoy the Met fan.

What’s amazing to me is the Mets are the organization, the players come and go, that’s just life. The players come and go, but you stay a Met fan. As a Met fan, I can’t be traded to the Dodgers; I’m a Met fan, that’s it, that’s my team!

I have that affiliation, and to do any of those above things with another organization is not that appealing, and I probably wouldn’t do it. But to do it for the Mets. Like I said, we don’t have the luxury of being traded; our feelings and allegiance are sort of locked in. And that’s what I admire about Met fans.

The vast majority of Met fans are true and blue and do not give up on their team. Sure, they take a lot of stuff for not winning much in the recent years, but they never quit on you. And that’s the way I feel. I don’t quit on myself, Met fans don’t quit on their team, and we’re in it together. It’s a great feeling to have that connection, and it can’t be broken.

MMO: What was it like coming back for Old Timers’ Day this year?

Ojeda: Fantastic! I have been around the ballpark a lot as a player, coach and on TV, but they treated 65 guys as if we were going in the lineup that night. It was incredible.

They just made us feel so welcome, I can’t say enough about the new ownership. It’s coming from the top down too; I will tell you that right now. That’s coming from the top. He (Steve Cohen) set a tone and a precedent, and it was evident like I have never seen since I last put on the uniform as a player there.

Like I said, they treated me great for years, and I have no axe to grind. I’ve been very, very fortunate with the organization. But everybody who was in that uniform and had some gray hair and a little limp, and even some of these younger guys who aren’t that far removed from playing, were made to feel so warmly welcome. It’s like, you are part of this, it’s like the cliché of a family, I’m not going to go that far but we were made to feel incredibly welcome.

It was so refreshing, and that breath of fresh air that breathed life into that stadium and the stadium even felt alive, it was beautiful. There was a beautiful moment that I thoroughly enjoyed, and I know a lot of my teammates and guys I just met loved it.

They all walked out of there feeling ten feet tall. It was amazingly done for these old guys. It was awesome.

Follow Bobby Ojeda on Twitter, @BobOjeda19

The post MMO Exclusive: ’86 Champ, Bobby Ojeda appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

People have been asking us all winter what we’ve been doing to pass the time during the MLB lockout. I’ll tell you what we do here at MMO — we come up with ideas that not only help us stay busy, but will help you all stay busy, too.

Talking about the best teams and/or players in New York Mets history is always a good debate to have — especially during the cold winter months — but what if we created our own teams with players from different eras? That’d be fun, right? Well, we thought it was, and we think you’ll agree. We’ve created eight different Mets teams, all of which consist of a catcher, first baseman, second baseman, shortstop, third baseman, three outfielders, two starting pitchers, one relief pitcher, and a manager. We took the top eight at each position (as well as the top 24 for outfielders and top 16 for starting pitchers) with the goal of splitting them up across eight teams and making them as evenly matched as possible.

We used four players twice, given their multi-positionality: Edgardo Alfonzo (2B/3B), Jeff McNeil (2B/OF), John Milner (1B/OF) and Dave Magadan (1B/3B).

What we’ll be doing over the next eight days is introducing each of the squads and taking a look at their perceived strengths and weaknesses. Once that’s complete, the fun will start with some good ol’ fashioned Twitter polls so you can decide which ones would be victorious if they faced one another. We’ll open up the voting on February 8th, so mark your calendars accordingly.

The Squad: Team 1

OK, I’ll stop stalling and introduce the first of MMO’s Great 8 Mets teams. Check them out below.

Catcher: Jerry Grote

First Base: John Olerud

Second Base: Jeff Kent

Shortstop: Asdrúbal Cabrera

Third Base: Bobby Bonilla

Outfielders: Carlos Beltrán, Art Shamsky, Brandon Nimmo

Starting Pitchers: Tom Seaver, Bob Ojeda

Relief Pitcher: Roger McDowell

Manager: Jerry Manuel

Not a bad way to kick this off.

Strengths

Phew, where do we begin? I suppose a good place to start is the fact that this squad has two of the franchise’s best players at their respective positions in Beltrán and Seaver. If someone had to pick any hurler in history to build a team around while in their prime, you have to believe Seaver would be a popular answer, right? Yea, I think so, too. For The Franchise’s case, it’s also helpful to have Grote behind the dish calling the game for him, too.

I’d be remiss to not mention that in Olerud and Nimmo, this team also has the two best players in franchise history regarding on-base percentage. Having these dudes on base so often would be beneficial for others to drive them home, like Kent, Bonilla (during his first tenure in New York, people), and Beltrán.

Once the runs come pouring in, it’s good to have someone dependable like McDowell ready to close the door. During his four full seasons with the Mets, he posted an ERA below 3.00 twice, and missed doing it a third time by a slim margin (3.02 ERA in 1986). He racked up at least 85 innings in each of these four seasons, going over 100 frames twice. He probably wouldn’t have to toe the slab nearly that often with Seaver and Ojeda taking the ball to start, but it’s good to know there’s a reliever capable of doing so if necessary.

Weaknesses

There are a lot of things to like about this team, but what are some potential weaknesses? One thing that jumps out to me is some holes on defense. While having Kent and Olerud on the right side of the infield is solid, as well as Beltrán out in center, having Bonilla and Cabrera on the left side of second base probably isn’t optimal.

Another area that could be a problem — when compared to the other seven teams — is Jerry Manuel. Sure, he’s ninth all-time in franchise history with 204 wins over two-plus years as manager, but he never put together a full winning season while in charge. The bulk of his success came in 2008 after taking over for Willie Randolph, steering the Mets to a 55-38 record the rest of the way. He followed that with a 70-92 record in 2009 and a 79-83 mark in 2010 before getting the axe. Manuel was obviously a victim of his situation a little — I wouldn’t have wanted to manage that 2009 club — but when looking at the other managers in this competition, I’d rather have someone else steering the ship.

So what do you think, Mets fans? How is this club looking? What are the potential strengths and weaknesses? We’ll be rolling out Team No. 2 on Tuesday.

The post MMO’s Great Eight Mets Teams: Team 1 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Often we take a look at cards featuring Mets stars and marvel at the action shown on the card.  At times we are satisfied to determine the game and play of the action showed on the card front.  In this article we’re going to do things a little differently as we review together this 1992 Upper Deck (card #689 from the set) that features Chris Gwynn sliding into third, which is manned by Gregg Jefferies.

First, let’s get our Sherlock Holmes deerstalker hat off the wall and avoid shaking our head in dismay at the action in progress so we don’t dislodge the hat from on top of our head.

What we see in the card is a day game at Shea Stadium from the 1991 season between the visiting Dodgers and the Mets.  Note the ramp to the train in the background, which allowed a nice view of game action to those who left the game before it finished to turn around and watch from afar.  Checking the Mets’ Schedule & Results page for 1991 on Baseballreference.com, we can see that the Dodgers played six games at Shea that season, visiting Shea May 7 and 8, but both were midweek night games.

The Dodgers next visited Shea July 18-21, but the games on the 18th and 19th were both night games and can therefore be eliminated.  A check of the box score from July 20th shows that although Gwynn and Jefferies both played in that game, Gwynn never reached base and Jefferies played second, so that game can be eliminated.

By process of elimination, we can conclude that the Sunday day game of July 21st is the game from which the action shot was taken.

Reviewing the play by play provided by baseballreference.com, we can see that in the top of the second, after a single by Lenny Harris, which scored former Met Darryl Strawberry, Gwynn was on second and Harris first when left hand-hitting catcher Mike Scioscia grounded weakly unassisted to third off of Dwight Gooden for the first out of the inning.  This is the play seen in the card shown here.

Let’s take a closer look at the card, and note sadly:

1. Jefferies has his left foot on the front of the bag, and is throwing to second in a side-arm motion, while falling away from his throw.
2. The Mets second baseman, who the box score shows was Keith Miller, is no where near the bag at second despite a right hander at the plate and a ball hit weakly to third has already been fielded and the third baseman is ready to throw the ball.
3. In the distance, is the Mets right fielder who has his arms at his side and is not moving.  The right fielder that day was Hubie Brooks.

Proper technique by Jefferies would be to shield his foot on the backside of the bag.  Any little league coach would have taught him to throw overhand while stepping towards his target.  Properly positioned for the double play, and assuming every ball is fair and therefore covering second at the moment a ball is hit to the left side of the infield, Miller should already be at second (or at least in the picture) to force the base runner Lenny Harris, who is not even seen in this picture.

Further, right fielder Hubie Brooks, rather than standing still and catching some rays on the 98 degree sunny day, should be lined up behind second to back up the play in case of an overthrow.   Bad fundies as Mets announcer Keith Hernandez would say.

As a result of these bad fundies, the Mets did not turn the double play.  Unable to complete the double play at second, after the next batter (Alfredo Griffin) walked, the subsequent fly ball by former Mets pitch Bobby Ojeda was only the second, rather than the third, out of the inning and Harris tagged up and scored.

The Mets did come back on the day, scoring 2 in the bottom of the second and 6 in the third to chase Ojeda and win the game 9 – 4, putting the Mets 15 games above .500 and 4 games behind the Pirates.  However the remainder of the 1991 season was not good to the Mets, nor their fans, as the team finished 7 games under .500 at 77 – 84 and in fifth place.  Manager Bud Harrelson did not finish the season with the team.

Our close analysis of this card hints at the defensive problems the Mets experienced that season.  While Gregg Jefferies was bad with the glove at second, costing the Mets 84 runs defensively between 1987 and 1991 at second based on his Total Zone Fielding Runs (or above average errors and below average range for traditional stat users) at third he was worse, with 11 errors in 51 games in 1991 alone.  His error total exceeded his double play total, which was only 5.

One can see from the footwork and throwing motion captured on this card why that total was so low.  For those who like dWAR, his fielding WAR (dWAR) was negative .7  Translated to runs, his bad fielding theoretically allowed 7 additional runs to score.  This card captured one of them.  That’s a lot of bad fielding to tolerate for a bat that had a .711 OPS that season, a mere 1% better than league average.

Keith Miller, who hit .280 that season, also had a negative defensive WAR in 1991 of -.7.  His .972 fielding percentage was below league average and his range factor per game of 4.62 ball per game was far below the the league average for a second baseman, which was 5.12.  So he reached fewer balls than the average National League second baseman, and and when he did reach them, he booted more of them.

Hubie Brooks, at 34 years old, also had a negative dWAR that season (.7) as he registered 5 errors in right despite reaching far fewer balls (1.72 per game vs 2.05) than league average.  All three Mets pictured on the card had a -.7 dWAR in 1991, meaning just these three fielders allowed 21 additional runs to be scored against the Mets in 1991.

As we hang our deerstalker hat back on the wall, lets remember that some commentors complain that rather than  use defensive WAR measures, or dWAR, they prefer to use their eyes.  As shown by this card, many times what the eyes see and what defensive WAR measures, are the same thing.

LGM

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Well, it looks like those ’86 Mets have another (simulated) championship to add to their resume.

MLB.com‘s Anthony DiComo reported yesterday that the 1986 squad beat the (116 game-winner) 2001 Seattle Mariners 4-3 in a best-of-seven final series to be crowned ‘Dream Backet 2’ champions (I wonder if they allow fans in this virtual world).

You can find full game-by-game breakdowns in the link above, but we should note (unlike the real ’01 Mariners who choked in the ALCS against the Yankees) that the virtual squad put up a much better fight.

After losing a close first-game 3-2, the Mets would rally to win the next three contests — taking a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Instead of shutting the door in game five, the Mets fell flat and were out scored by Seattle 15-1 combined in games five and six.

Enter game seven — and thanks to Bobby Ojeda’s eight-innings of shutout ball and key offensive contributions from Gary Carter and Mookie Wilson — the Mariners miracle comeback fell just short losing 3-0.

Even in a simulation consisting of the GREATEST 64-teams of all-time, the 1986 Mets proved once again why they are considered by many to be the best team all-time.

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According to the New York Post, SNY has fired Mets’ analyst Nelson Figueroa. Sources told the Post that Figueroa showed up to his job on Thursday in “a state not fit to work,” and was let go on Friday morning.

The Post reports that the 45-year-old former pitcher allegedly demanded to appear on “Baseball Night in New York” Thursday, but he was no permitted to go on air.

Figueroa joined SNY as analyst in 2015, replacing Bob Ojeda on the Mets’ pregame and postgame shows. But Figueroa’s role diminished this season, as Todd Zeile took over as the network’s top analyst.

Figueroa pitched two seasons with the Mets in 2008 and 2009 as a starter and reliever.  He posted a 6-11 record with a 4.28 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 4.29 FIP. For his career, he pitched nine years and had a 4.55 ERA and a 20-35 record.

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Perhaps not as intense as the Mets and Nationals rivalry looks to be in coming years, but the Miami Marlins have played hard fought games against New York all season and like the Mets, they’re a squad that is centered around young talent and a low payroll.  The fish kept finding ways to get hits en route to taking 2 out of 3 games in this series, below are the usual takeaways in this edition of 3 and 3.

3 Up

1. Wilmer Flores was incredible this series.  Apparently no one told the 23 year old Venezuelan that hitting for power in Citi Field is impossible because he made it a top priority the last three days.  Wilmer’s slugging percentage against Miami this week was 1.273, hitting 2 doubles and 2 home runs to go with 8 RBI’s.  Overall, he registered a .545/.583/1.856 slash line for the series.  It appears Flores has developed a repeatable approach at the plate.  He’s getting the barrel on the ball consistently and has an idea of what pitchers are trying to do to him.  6 of Wilmer’s 8 RBI’s came Tuesday night and the SNY crew flashed a very interesting statistic.  In Mets franchise history, only four players have had two separate 6 RBI nights in a single season.  Along with Flores, that list includes Carlos Delgado, Mike Piazza and Robin Ventura.
2. Lucas Duda regressed towards the end of August, but he has bounced back gradually, adjusting different parts of his offensive approach to remain productive.  It’s easy to dismiss Lucas when he isn’t hitting home runs, but he is much more of an all around hitter than he’s been given credit for.  In this series, Lucas went 4 for 9 (.444), but also drew 4 walks to give him a .615 on base percentage.  This as a major plus because the league caught up to Duda and he’s seeing mostly breaking balls, a common treatment in the majors for emerging sluggers.  Any elite power hitter goes through periods where the home runs slow down, so it’s imperative that Lucas finds a way to contribute when the quality of pitches diminishes.  A perfect example was last night’s game where he managed to punch in two runs with a slap single off a pitch that landed on the upper outside portion of the plate.  Would it have been more fun to see him crank a 3 run shot over the Shea Bridge?  Of course, but I’m firmly content having a 25-30 HR first baseman who also drives in runs with singles and doubles.  Additionally, as his power and average have dipped, his OBP has skyrocketed.  In the month of September, he’s getting on base at a .439 clip.  Eventually, this will come down, but with it, his home runs will go up as opposing pitchers will have to throw their fastball for strikes.  When they do, there will be misses over the plate, the Hulk will be unleashed and moonshots will resume.  One other thing, Duda is hitting .308 against left-handed pitching this month and getting on base at a .400 clip against them.
3. Have to give the final “Up” nod to Jacob deGrom, his performance on Monday night was spectacular.  He made the first 8 Marlins batters look completely lost at the plate, striking them out one after the next in dominate fashion.  Ironically, the first hit came off of the opposing pitcher, Jarred Cosart, but deGrom got back to work and cruised up to the 7^th inning nicely after that.  The outfield was playing oddly deep in that inning and the Marlins took advantage with a series of hits that landed in front Matt den Dekker and Juan Lagares, allowing them to briefly take a 3-2 lead.  The Mets offense would come back with go ahead runs in the bottom of the frame, but the bullpen could not hold on to keep Jacob’s W in line.  Another hard luck loss for the Rookie of the Year frontrunner, but not before tying the major league record for number of consecutive batters struck out to start a game.  Congrats sir.

3 Down

1. This isn’t an indictment of Juan Lagares, but the centerfielder may be out for the rest of the season after spraining his right elbow in the 4th inning of Tuesday night’s game throwing to second base.  This is a major downer, obviously there’s only 9 games left in the season, but Juan has hands down been my favorite player to watch this year.  He was also hitting .317 in the month of September, working hard to end his first full campaign on a high note.  First priority is to get healthy for next season though, so if Tuesday marked the end to Lagares’ season, tip of the hat to this young lad.  If he doesn’t win a gold glove award, I’m going to explode.
2. Travis d’Arnaud has got to improve his footwork behind the plate.  Bobby Ojeda did an excellent job breaking down TDA’s mechanical flaws during last night’s pre-game segment with a side by side comparison to backup catcher Anthony Recker.  Travis comes up flat and doesn’t sets his throwing arm back far enough before firing to second, forcing him to add an extra hitch in his release.  This adds another second for the runner and more pressure to d’Arnaud’s timing resulting in rushed misfires over the second basemen’s head.  One second seems harmless, but it’s the difference between locking up runners and sailing the ball into center field.  However, like Ojeda, I believe d’Arnaud will improve in the offseason.  Also, his catching abilities are much more valuable than he gets credit for.  There were several pitches in this series that were clearly out of the strike zone before Travis snapped them back in with the flick of his wrist.  This ability, along with his game calling, are two very underappreciated aspects of his game.
3. Last down goes to the farewell tour that stopped by Queens on Tuesday night.  Bud Selig’s vote of confidence for Fred and Jeff Wilpon is infuriating at this point.  Look, I understand that blindly spending money in free agency this offseason will not cure this Met’s post-season woes.  However, Selig is avoiding the bigger picture.  Financial prowess doesn’t just pertain to offseason acquisitions.  It deals with retaining talent that is set for a raise in the offseason.  It deals with acquiring talent midseason in the midst of a playoff hunt, when other players undoubtedly go down or underperform.  It deals with justifying the price the Mets charge their fans to go see a game.  This isn’t Oakland, it isn’t Kansas City, it’s New York.  No one is fooled by the numbers, the product, or the slick sales pitch.  The Mets are going to miss the offseason for an 8^th straight year and despite having the pieces to build a dominant contender going into next season, it looks like the organization is instead banking on a miracle.  I’ll write later on about other options this team can exercise in the offseason, but regardless, the approach for next year should have been described as “we’ll spend when the right opportunity presents itself”, not “we’re still broke, but it’s all good”.

Lets.Go.Mets.

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What a game for Wilmer Flores who continues to crush it at the plate as the Mets trounced the Miami Marlins by a score of 9-1 tonight at Citi Field.

Flores blasted a pair of homers and drove a double to the wall in a huge 3-for-4 night with three runs scored and six RBIs. Wow, imagine if Terry Collins didn’t have him sitting on the bench for so many weeks? This was the second time Flores had a six-RBI game this season, the last time a Met did that was Carlos Delgado in 2008.

Flores is now 8-for-15 with two doubles, one triple, three homers and 10 RBIs in his past four games.

Kudos to Bobby Ojeda for saying that everybody was wrong about Flores’ defense saying, “this kid is solid.” I have no idea what all the detractors (AKA baseball people) were looking at, how could they be so off base about him?

I’m so glad I was on Flores from the start, I’d hate to be one of those people having to do a complete 180. 🙂 God I love this game…

And lets not forget the job Bartolo Colon did on the mound. Was he dominating? Absolutely not. But somehow the big guy managed to limit the Marlins to one run despite allowing 12 hits. Only two Mets have given up one or fewer runs on 12 or more hits in a start: Bobby Jones and Jason Isringhausen. Colon walked none and struck out 7 tonight in 7.2 innings of work.

Lucas Duda and Ruben Tejada had a pair of hits each, and Curtis Granderson had a three hit game although for the life of me I don’t know he did it.

The one negative tonight was seeing Juan Lagares leave the game with a hyper-extended elbow after a nice play and nailing the runner on second. Hopefully it’s not very serious.

Hey, I love it when the Mets win a laugher – yes even in a meaningless September.

The Mets will try to take the series when the Marlins send Henderson Alvarez to the mound to face Dillon Gee for the Mets in the deciding rubber game.

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The Mets continued their West Coast road trip and stopped by Los Angeles for a 3 game set against the N.L. West leading Dodgers. NY dropped 2 of 3, but unlike previous series, there were great individual takeaways for players looking to lock up their positions for 2015 and beyond. Conversely, the veterans were showed up by their younger counterparts. Below is a recap of 3 stocks that went up and 3 that went down over the weekend.

3 Up

1. The Hulk, The Dude, The Big Lebowski. Lucas Duda has a lot of nicknames, but he’s collecting even more home runs this season. The 1st baseman hit .417 in the series with a whopping 1.166 slugging percentage. He reached his career high in single season home run totals with 26 (and counting), as well as having a career best 5 RBI game on Sunday. Duda was also a key part in the Mets triple play from Sunday, gunning down the over aggressive Yasiel Puig at home plate after finishing off a double play ball from second basemen Daniel Murphy. Among all 1st basemen in MLB, Lucas is 3rd in WAR with a score of 3.8. Among all MLB players, he is 2nd in slugging percentage against right handed pitching this season, pounding righties at a .580 clip. Lucas is doing an excellent job and has emerged as one of the premier sluggers in all of baseball.

2. Juan Lagares bounced back from a recent slump to turn in an excellent series. While not as slug happy as Duda, he hit at a .455 clip, including a home run, which helped him generate an OPS of .871. The offensive numbers are very respectable for arguably the top center fielder in the game. Lagares is 1st in MLB in DWAR among all qualified outfielders, by a long shot, with a score of 3.5. The next closest OF is Atlanta’s right fielder Jason Heyward with a DWAR mark of 3.1. At his position alone, Juan is second among all center fielders in the game for overall WAR (4.9- also leads the Mets), tied with Pirates all-star Andrew McCutchen and trailing only Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout (6.0). That’s some great company for a guy who doesn’t even have 400 at bats in the majors this season. Lagares brings enough value with his glove that if he hits .275 for his career, he would be more than productive to lock up long term. There’s more power to come once his plate discipline improves, as he gains more patience and slightly better pitch recognition, he could be expected to put out 10-15 home runs with great gap-to-gap doubles power at Citi Field. Quick thought, if David Wright is injured and out, put Juan in the 2 hole. On the year, Juan has a triple slash line of .333/.385/.968 as the #2 hitter.

3. Travis d’Arnaud had a solid series, hitting .308 with a solo home run, contributing his one and only RBI for the series. His overall performance is important because it reinforces the potential that’s been realized since returning from his demotion to AAA Las Vegas in June. In 47 games since his return on June 24th, Travis has the following numbers: Batting Average (.263), SLG (.486), OPS (.794), 2B (10), HR (9). Over the course of a 162 game season, this projects d’Arnaud at 34 doubles, 31 home runs and 79 RBI’s. Compared to last season’s total among all catchers in MLB, that puts him 5th in doubles, 1st in home runs and 2nd in RBI’s- tied with Yadier Molina. Travis is tied for 1st in MLB for HR’s among catchers in the month of August with 5.

3 Down

1. David Wright finally broke down and left Sunday’s game with what the team described as muscle spasms in the right side of his neck. Terry Collins insisted that The Captain was not injured prior to yesterday’s start, but he needs to be shut down for the remainder of the year if he goes to the disabled list for any reason. The team is keeping him day-to-day at the moment, but his sore left shoulder along with other nagging injuries are undoubtedly contributing to his poor performance dating back to June and it’s not getting better in the short term, nor helping in the long term. MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo noted that Wright has gone his last 62 plate appearances without an extra base hit, batting 0.95 in his last 6 games. I hope the Mets realize that although he’s not as outspoken as the Matt Harvey types, Wright is also a warrior and will not always do what’s best for his body by playing through injuries. That’s admirable when the playoffs are on the line, but get healthy, we need the old David for 2015.

2. As if Wright’s injury wasn’t enough of a blow to the offense, Daniel Murphy is also listed as day-to-day after leaving the ninth inning with a cramp in his right calf. Within a span of two hours, the Mets lost 2 of their 3 veteran position players and Murphy’s status is even less predictable as this is his first time experiencing an injury of this nature. When asked about his return, he said, “I really can’t tell you how it’s going to feel until we get to Tuesday”.

3. This rubbed me the wrong way, so I’m taking liberties with the 3rd down and calling out Terry Collins for comparing Lucas Duda to Ike Davis after the former churned out a 2 home run performance in a 11-3 victory over the Dodgers. In the post-game interview, Collins stated that he had seen another Mets basemen have the type of second half that Lucas is having in former incumbent Ike Davis. Why make that comparison? Davis is a forgotten topic for most fans, mainly due to Lucas Duda’s incredible performance as the starting first base since June 1st (Terry- that’s more than 1 half) . His production from that date over the course of a full season would put Duda at 42 home runs and 115 RBI. Also, his glove has improved vastly (minus a boneheaded foul ball botch near the 1st base line this series, like Keith Hernandez always says Dude…TWO HANDS!). I thought Bobby Ojeda responded perfectly in his SNY post game recap saying, “The manager would do well to stop using that comparison and just let Lucas Duda shine on his own”. Agreed.

Lets.Go.Mets.

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Wheeler’s debut should help SNY’s sagging ratings according to Neil Best of Newsday who writes:

SNY is on pace for the lowest Mets ratings in its eight-season history, stuck with a team out of contention earlier than any other in that span, and suddenly has been gifted with a marquee attraction.

“I think this team, fan base, organization, and maybe a little bit the announcers, need a jolt of excitement, and he provides that,” Ron Darling said of Wheeler.

Darling and fellow analyst Bobby Ojeda also weighed in on Terry Collins’ decision to go with a six-man rotation, with both agreeing that “going with a six-man rotation after adding Wheeler would be disastrous.”

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see that revenue and fan interest is severely down across every level of the Mets business ranging from attendance, merchandising, and of course viewership.

Fans have become disenfranchised, disillusioned and many have crossed the line and are simply outraged. I haven’t seen this kind of sentiment toward the team since M. Donald Grant was in charge, and we all know how that wound up.

That they really can’t see that Shaun Marcum isn’t part of the equation is somewhat perplexing. The front office has become gun shy and indecisive along with their manager Collins. Somehow, in their minds, a pitcher who had zero value when they signed him three weeks before spring training, can become some sort of a chip to trade. Teams weren’t interested in Marcum when all it took was an incentive laden contract to sign him, and yet now they expect teams to pony up prospects for him? Illogical on all levels.

As for SNY viewership and ratings, it’s become a non-stop barrage of Cholula Hot Sauce spots, Acorn Stair Lifts, and what have you.

It’s a constant barrage of noise and distractions… Right in the middle of one game last week, they ran a chat on MetsBlog for a half hour with Bobby Ojeda who was supposed to be analyzing the game.

Kevin Burkhardt’s in-game interviews are becoming more frequent and twice as long, many of them interrupting the play on the field.

There’s a sponsor for everything that could happen in a game. They got it all covered… That drag bunt was brought to you by… That throw to the plate was sponsored by… That walk-off homerun by Freddie Freeman was presented by…

I wonder what percentage of a Mets game is the actual Mets game?

The post Ojeda Says Six-Man Rotation Would Be Disastrous, SNY Ratings On Life Support appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

As I expected, the Mets have demoted Josh Edgin to Double-A Binghamton to clear a roster spot for Shaun Marcum.

I even speculated that he should go to Binghamton which is where he ends up.

We’ll see him again, I’m sure…

Updated on 4/26

I got an interesting email from Kevin (K Maxx) this morning who asked, “if Terry Collins is so concerned about Josh Edging being overworked, why does he keep overworking him?”

I did a quick check and was shocked to see that Edgin made 75 appearances last season between the Mets and the minors. That would have placed him tenth in the NL.

The 75 appearances was the largest workload of his pro career and more than a 50% increase from his previous high of 49 appearances.

So far this season, Edgin has appeared in 10 of the first 20 games and is on pace for 81 appearances.

K Maxx may have a point.

Original Post 4/24

What happened to the Josh Edgin who came up and immediately became one of the more reliable and dominant relievers out of our bullpen last year?

As if his his 10.80 ERA and 1.97 WHIP in 10 appearances wasn’t bad enough, I took a quick glance at his splits and it really showed me how bad things really have gotten for Edgin since last season.

• Versus LH Batters – 368

• Versus RH Batters – .333

Those batting averages against are just plain awful to look at and clearly a sign that something is amiss. He no longer exudes the confidence he once did and his entire demeanor on the mound has done a complete 180. This is not the same intimidating and effective force we saw in 2012. It’s as if he was replicated by one of those giant seapods from Invasion of the Body Snatchers?

Good God, what’s happened to Josh Edgin?

Edgin burst onto the scene sporting a fastball with that had great late life and came in at 93-95 mph. The velocity and the movement are just not there anymore. His slider, which was so effective last season, is now “big and sloppy and flat”, according to Bobby Ojeda.

Terry Collins had a lot to say about Edgin after the game, and to say he’s very concerned is an understatement.

“One of the things I’m a little concerned about is that last year Josh Edgin made a lot of appearances. He also warmed up in the bullpen a lot of times and then didn’t come into the game. That also puts a lot of stress on your arm. Edgin pitched a lot last season and I’m afraid his arm isn’t responding well. I’m a little concerned that’s what we’re facing right now with Edgin.”

“I’ve had pitchers in the past where after their first full season the arm doesn’t respond well. I think that’s what’s happening. We’re going to talk to him and work with him tomorrow and try to see how we can get him back to what he was.”

You’ve lost that lovin’ feeling.

Collins was visibly frustrated while talking about Edgin and it sounded to me like his patience may be running out on his young southpaw.

“Command is everything when you’re in the major leagues,” Collins said. “Right now Edgin needs to do what got him here if he wants to stay here.”

When the Mets announced that they were calling up Robert Carson, you may remember I thought Edgin was as good as gone. Instead the Mets decided to part with Greg Burke. That was surprising to me. Now I see no other solution than to send Edgin to Triple-A Vegas or even Double-A Binghamton to recharge his batteries and get some of that confidence he once had back.

Edgin has lost his edge

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