One of the most obvious areas of need for the New York Mets this offseason is catcher. It wasn’t the worst part of the roster in 2018, but there are still a number of question marks that surround the position as we head into the winter.

Of the options currently on the Mets’ roster, Kevin Plawecki seems to be the most secure. That’s not said with a lot of confidence, but he has at least done more for his immediate future than Travis d’Arnaud.

Following a mostly lackluster 2017, d’Arnaud kept his yearly tradition alive of suffering an injury that kept him on the sidelines for a significant period of time. This one limited his 2018 season to just 16 plate appearances due to Tommy John surgery. After earning nearly $3.5 million, he certainly appears to be a non-tender candidate at the moment.

The Obvious Top Targets

One doesn’t have to look hard to see which available catchers will grab most of the attention once a World Series champion is crowned. Yasmani Grandal hasn’t had the kind of postseason he was hoping for thus far, but is coming off a strong regular-season campaign (125 wRC+, 24 home runs, .225 ISO, and 3.6 fWAR in 518 plate appearances) and will likely be looking for a multi-year guarantee prior to entering his age-30 season.

Wilson Ramos is a year older but should also command a similar amount of attention now that he has a full year under his belt following the unfortunate ACL injury. His production returned to his 2016 levels, too — he slashed .306/.358/.487 in 411 plate appearances, which helped lead to a 131 wRC+ and 2.4 fWAR for the Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies.

With regard to the trade market, it’s likely going to be another winter full of rumors swirling around J.T. Realmuto, while Francisco Cervelli would be an intriguing win-now acquisition if the Pittsburgh Pirates want to unload him with one year and $11.5 million left on his current contract.

How The Market Could Work Against The Mets

Not even considering how New York would approach this particular position of need, it looks like there will be a bit of competition among other teams who also have a hole at catcher, along with aspirations of contending in 2019.

As Jeff Todd of MLB Trade Rumors recently noted, teams like the Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, and Washington Nationals could all be hanging out at the top of the catcher market, with a likely willingness to pay. There’s also the Rays, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Oakland Athletics who fall in that same boat, and while they ultimately not pay top price, there could be a scenario where they stretch if the situation makes sense.

That doesn’t take other teams that either made the playoffs or contended for a trip to October this past year into consideration, like the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers, Phillies, and even the Fall Classic-bound Boston Red Sox. Todd notes that these squads may not need an every-day player, but may investigate those options anyway.

What About The Bargain Bin?

Let’s be honest — even if there wasn’t a ton of anticipated competition in the offseason catcher market, the Mets still may end up looking for a cheaper option due to other limitations (read: the Wilpons). There aren’t going to be any perfect options closer to the bottom of the barrel, but there are three in particular that stick out.

One is 35-year-old Kurt Suzuki, whose bat has found new life over the past two seasons with Atlanta. He was part of a productive catching tandem with Tyler Flowers, slashing .276/.341/.485 with 31 home runs, 100 RBI, and a 116 wRC+ through 697 plate appearances since the start of 2017. Of the cheaper options that will be available, there’s a chance he’ll earn the biggest guarantee based of his recent offensive production.

That’d be a welcome addition for the Mets, as they just watched their group of backstops slash a collective .202/.289/353, which was good for a 79 wRC+.

On the other side of the coin, Martin Maldonado doesn’t have much to provide at the plate — he hasn’t posted a single-season wRC+ higher than 78 since 2014 — but his value mostly comes from what he does behind the plate. Grandal led qualified backstops with regard to Baseball Prospectus’ pitch-framing statistics, but Maldonado found himself in the top 20 in this category after leading the league in 2017.

Since New York is built upon its pitching staff, it’d be a huge benefit to have a catcher with Maldonado’s pitch-framing abilities, along with his knack for throwing runners out (he caught more than 40.0% of would-be base stealers in 2018).

Finally, there’s someone who had a solid reputation, but has fallen off in recent years: Jonathan Lucroy. His offense was horrific (70 wRC+ and .084 ISO in 454 plate appearances) and his pitch framing ranked 106th out of 117 qualified catchers in 2018, so it’s not as if his market will be bustling with suitors. Still, he also caught about 30.0% of base stealers this past year and did a good job of handling a very cobbled together starting staff.

Oakland’s rotation posted a collective 3.84 ERA through 299.2 second-half innings despite getting the majority of this production from guys like Edwin Jackson, Brett Anderson, and Trevor Cahill. The Mets, as we all know, have dealt with a few injuries here or there over the years (sarcasm intended) and it would be great to have a veteran catcher that can help get the most out of the pitchers who are active.

Looking Ahead

There’s still plenty for the Mets to figure out before deciding how they’re going to improve this roster over the next few months. A fresh voice and a new perspective could bring the kind of moves we’re hoping for, but it’s hard to gauge exactly how that’ll happen if Jeff Wilpon continues to be too involved in day-to-day baseball matters (or any matters at all).

Hanging out at the top of the catcher’s market makes a ton of sense based on how this team is built. However, it’s hard to believe that’s what they’ll actually do when looking at recent history. This is definitely a “hope for the best, but prepare for the worst” kind of scenario.

So, let’s just hope for the best that there will be a different outcome this time around.

The post What If The Mets Go Bargain Hunting For a Catcher? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Tonight, the Mets will head to the nation’s capital to face the Washington Nationals. Jacob deGrom will take on the A.J. Cole at 7:10 p.m.

Yesterday, the Mets lost 3-2. Rafael Montero was solid but ran out of fumes later on. Yoenis Cespedes homered in the loss but Michael Conforto left with a serious injury.

Latest Mets News

Conforto tore his posterior capsule in yesterday’s game in addition to dislocation. Surgery is an option for the young outfielder. On the strong chance his season is over, he ends it hitting .279/.384/.555 with a 145 wRC+. He’s just 24 years old. His wRC+ ranks 17th for an all Mets single season and his slugging percentage ranks tenth.

Jeurys Familia will return tomorrow.

Matt Harvey will rehab again on Saturday with Port St. Lucie. Zack Wheeler has been shut down.

Seth Lugo could start on Sunday if his bullpen goes well.

Latest NL East News

Byron Kerr of MASN has the latest on Max Scherzer.

Joe Frisario of MLB.com has the Marlins players’ weekend news.

David O’Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes about Jim Johnson‘s struggles.

Matt Breen of Philly.com has the latest on J.P. Crawford.

Latest on MMO

Mike Mayer writes about the future of Brandon Nimmo.

This Day in Mets History

1985: Dwight Gooden becomes the youngest Mets ever to win 20 games.

Birthdays: Pedro Feliciano turns 41, Gary Matthews turns 43, Shawn Fitzmaurice turns 75

The post Morning Briefing: Another Dark Day in Mets Land appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

This Bud’s For You…

Barring injury, 2014 will be the 10th consecutive Opening Day start for David Wright, tying Tom Seaver with 10 consecutive Opening Days (1968-1977 + 1 additional start in 1983) and one short of Bud Harrelson‘s 11 consecutive openers (1967-1977).

While we know the names and histories of the players who played in multiple Opening Days, there were plenty of One Start Wonders who only started one Opening Day as a New York Met.  Since 1980, there have been 55 players who have started one Opening Day.  Some were pretty obsure.  Some are surprising.  There were some players who started just one game at one position, but started other openers at a different position.

Since 1980 (34 seasons), what positions saw the most one-time wonders?

First Base – 5
Second Base – 7
Shortstop – 4
Third Base – 1
Left Field – 3
Center Field – 9
Right Field – 10
Catcher – 6
Pitcher – 10

But who are the most Obscure of the Obscure Mets Opening Day Starters since 1980?  Of the 46 non-pitchers, these 10 players have played the fewest games in a Mets uniform:

10 – Karim Garcia – Karim was the Opening Day Right Fielder in 2004, his only season with the Mets . In 62 games with the team, he hit .234 with 7 HR and 22 RBI.  He was traded to the Baltimore Orioles on July 19th, 2004 for relief pitcher Mike DeJean. Karim played parts of 10 seasons in the Majors with the Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Tigers, Orioles, Indians, Yankees, and Mets.  He appered in 488 MLB games from 1994-2004 and hit .241 with 66 HR and 212 RBI.

9 – Mike Marshall – Mike was the OD First Baseman in 1990, his only season in New York.  In 53 games as a Met, he hit .239 with 6 HR and 27 RBI.  He was traded to the Boston Red Sox on July 27th, 1990 for Paul Williams, Ed Perozo, and Greg Hansell.  Mike played 11 MLB seasons (1981-1991) with the Dodgers, Mets, Red Sox, and Angels, appearing in 1035 games and hit .270 with 148 HR and 530 RBI.

7 (tie) – Mike Howard – Mike was the OD Right Fielder in 1983, the same year that Darryl Strawberry was called up.  Mike went 1 for 3 on Opening Day, collecting an RBI Single off Steve Carlton in the bottom of the 7th, driving in Dave Kingman.  His hit on Opening Day off the Hall of Famer was the final hit in the final at bat in the final game of his MLB career.  In 48 MLB games (1981-1983), all with the Mets, he hit .182 with 1 HR and 7 RBI.

7 (tie) – Tony Fernandez – Tony was the Opening Day Shortstop of the 1993 team.  The 5 time All-Star and 4 time Gold Glove winner played in only 48 games for the Mets before being traded to the eventual World Series Champion Blue Jays on July 11, 1993 for Darrin Jackson.  With the Mets, Tony hit .225 with 1 HR and 14 RBI.  In 17 MLB seasons (1983-1995, 1997-1999, 2001) with the Blue Jays, Padres, Mets, and Brewers, he hit .288 with 94 HR, 844 RBI, and 2276 base hits in 2158 career games.

6 – Gary Matthews – Gary was the Opening Day Center Fielder in 2010.  Gary appeared in 38 games with the Mets (36 in 2010), hitting .190 with 0 HR and 1 RBI.  2010 was his second stint with the team, after also appearing in 2 games in 2002.  After being released by the Mets, he signed with the Reds on June 24th, but never returned to the Majors.  Gary played 12 seasons in the bigs (1999-2010) with the Padres, Cubs, Pirates, Mets, Orioles, Rangers, and Angels, playing in 1281 MLB games, batting .257 with 108 HR and 484 RBI.

5 – Mike Jacobs – Mike was the OD First Baseman in 2010 prior to Ike Davis being called up, his second stint with the Mets.  Mike played in 37 career games with the Mets and in 2010 he appeared in just 7 games, hitting .208 with 1 HR and 2 RBI.  In 7 MLB seasons (2005-2010, 2012) with the Mets, Marlins, Royals, and Diamondbacks, he played in 569 games, batting .253 with 100 HR and 312 RBI.

4 – Ricky Gutierrez – Ricky was the 2004 OD Second Baseman who appeared in 24 games with the Mets.  In 2004, he hit .175 with 0 HR and 5 RBI before being released by the Mets on May 25th.  Ricky played 12 seasons in the bigs (1993-2004) with the Padres, Astros, Cubs, Indians, Mets, and Red Sox.  He played in 1119 games, hitting .266 with 38 HR and 357 RBI to go with 967 big league hits.

3 – Collin Cowgill – Collin was the 2013 Opening Day Center Fielder who played 23 games in his Mets career, all in 2013.  He hit .180 with 2 HR and 8 RBI as a Met.  After being designated for assignment on June 25th, he was traded to the Angels for Kyle Johnson.  In 3 MLB seasons (2011-2013) with the Diamondbacks, A’s, Mets, and Angels, Collin has played in 147 games, batting .236 with 6 HR and 34 RBI.

2 – Tim Spehr – Tim was the Mets OD Catcher in 1998, the same season Mike Piazza arrived and was the starter that followed Todd Hundley‘s 6 OD starts behind the plate from 1992-1997.  1998 was Tim’s only season with the team, appearing in 21 games and hitting .137 with 0 HR and 3 RBI.  Tim played 8 seasons in the majors (1991, 1993-1999) with the Royals, Expos, Braves, and Mets.  He played in 363 MLB games, batting .198 with 19 HR and 72 RBI.

And the most Obscure Mets Opening Day Starting Position Player since 1980 is…

1 – Brad Emaus – Brad was the Mets 2011 Opening Day Second Baseman who was acquired in the Rule 5 Draft from the Toronto Blue Jays prior to the season.  He won the starting job in Spring Training, but was designated for assignment on April 19th.  He was returned to the Blue Jays on April 21st and traded to the Rockies the following day.  In 2011, Brad appeared in 14 games with the Mets, batting .162 with 0 HR and 1 RBI.  His 14 games with the Mets were his only 14 in the Majors.

The post The Most Obscure Mets Opening Day Starters Since 1980 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

We had posts that wanted him as the leftfielder so that we could go after a starting pitcher over the winter rather than targeting Jason Bay or Matt Holliday.

I myself, saw Pagan as a great fourth outfielder and wanted the Mets to sign Jason Bay.

January came and with it the news that centerfielder Carlos Beltran had surgery on his knee and that he would miss the start of the season. Jason Bay was in the house so despite the big loss, we’d muddle our way through this mess with Angel Pagan in centerfield, and just in case we signed Gary Matthews Jr. as a backup plan.

My oh my how things have changed.

Can you believe that with Beltran getting healthier and news of his return in about 20 days, the airwaves and blogosphere are abuzz because Angel Pagan could lose playing time to Carlos Beltran who is arguably the team’s best overall player?

Angel Pagan has made great strides in the last two months, both in the minds of Mets management as well as the fanbase. After his four hit game last night, Pagan improved his batting average to .304 to lead the team. Additionally, Pagan ranks second on the team with 14 stolen bases and 41 runs scored, and third with 35 RBI’s. He has been a big presence at the top of the order and leadoff hitter Jose Reyes, can thank Pagan for all the fastballs he is seeing lately.

Nobody thought much of the trade that saw GM Omar Minaya reacquire Angel Pagan from the Cubs for Corey Coles and Ryan Meyers in January of 2008. It turned out to be another one of those under the radar moves that Omar has always been known for.

Last week I came across one popular Mets blog that hacked Omar to shreds for signing Gary Matthews Jr. among others. It ripped Omar for frequently targeting former players who played for him while he was with the Mets or Nationals organizations. Ironically, the same piece sang the praises of Angel Pagan which was a real head scratcher. I guess their only intent was discredit Omar for everything and give him credit for nothing. Real objective blogging at its best…

Too many fans unfairly rip Omar Minaya for signing low risk/high reward veterans like Mike Jacobs, Frank Catalanotto and Gary Matthews, yet they fail to give him credit for acting fast in axing them.

Jacobs’ second term with the Mets lasted less than a month, Catalanotto six weeks, and Matthews who was being paid considerably more lasted just over two months. Their replacements? Omar Minaya’s first round draft pick Ike Davis, followed by Chris “The Animal” Carter who Minaya attained in the Billy Wagner trade, and Jesus Feliciano, another Minaya find who has been tearing the cover off the ball at Buffalo two years running.

It’s no secret that Minaya was going to have a short leash this season with enigmas like Oliver Perez and John Maine, and so he did, replacing one with Jon Niese and the other with knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. Hisanori Takahashi was recruited from the bullpen and assumed the fifth spot in the rotation that had been Niese’s when the season started. The results speak for themselves or you could just look at the standings to see the real impact.

I’ve disagreed with Omar Minaya many times in the past, and even this past offseason I wished he had signed Lackey, Pineiro, Marquis or Sheets. Thank God he didn’t because obviously he knew what he was doing and the majority of us did not. Those of us who scoffed at the then insignificant signings of R.A. Dickey and Hisanori Takahashi, now duck for cover. Any yet another post I read recently mocked him for signing Clint Everts… Really?

I don’t know how the Mets will ultimately deal with the return of Carlos Beltran and the impact it will have on Angel Pagan. I’m not going to start throwing ideas at you because a lot can happen in the next three weeks. But one thing I’m not worried about is how Minaya will handle the situation when the time comes. He will do what is best for the team as he has always done. The fact is that no matter what he decides, it will spawn a hundred blogs criticizing and attacking him and his decision.

I’ve yet to read one post that calls this Pagan/Beltran situation what it truly is and that is a great problem to have. A great problem the other 29 MLB teams would love to have… A great problem architected in whole by Omar Minaya.

The post Angel Pagan Or Carlos Beltran: A Great Problem To Have appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Matthews Jr., or GMJ for short, came over from the Los Angeles Angels for Brian Stokes, shortly after Carlos Beltran hit the DL.

GMJ has an unremarkable .190/.266/.241 line in 65 plate appearances, following a good Spring Training.

Omir Santos has been horrific since moving to the minors after the signing of Rod Barajas forced him out.

Santos holds an .074/.167/.111 line in eight games since being demoted from AAA Buffalo.

BTW: I know you’re wondering how Brian Stokes is doing in Anaheim. Let’s say that the trade has no winners. Stokes has a 7.31 ERA and 2.50 WHIP in 16 IP.

Adam Rubin writes that the Mets chose Santos over Jesus Feliciano because backup Henry Blanco is banged up. He writes that Feliciano will be called up as soon as Henry Blanco is alright.

The post Mets DFA Gary Matthews Jr., Recall Omir Santos appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

One month into the 2010 season, Mets fans are still hopeful.  That’s saying a lot considering this past winter of discontent. The team has played hard, not always with positive results.  The team is 3 – 6 in one run games, having lost four of these games in the last inning.  On a positive note, the Mets had a streak of eight wins in a row and ten out of eleven games.  But other than that stretch they have lost every series.

Omar Minaya’s off season moves and non-moves, combined with players coming back from injuries and down years have had a very positive affect on the team thus far.  Does Omar deserve an A.  Of course not.  But he deserves some credit.  He has rebuilt and resurrected this team under very tight restrictions that included about $20 million of payroll cuts.  Please don’t bore me with more comments about Alex Cora’s and Gary Matthew’s $2 million each.  They were mistakes, but every GM makes mistakes.  And these weren’t big mistakes that can’t be overcome.

Here’s my brief analysis of the Mets roster.

• Jose  Reyes has returned.  His offense has not been great but he is showing positive signs the last few days.  His defense is a marked improvement over the Mets shortstops last year.  If and when Carlos Beltran returns to the lineup, Jose can move back to the leadoff spot.
• David Wright is back.  Mets fans can breathe a sigh of relief that David’s power outage is a thing of the past.  He already has 7 home runs and 21 RBI.  Last year David hit only 10 home runs and the team totaled 95.  He still strikes out too much but his power and production can make up for this deficiency.
• Jon Niese and  Fernando Nieve have become important pieces of the pitching staff.  Both are coming off serious leg injuries.  And there effectiveness this year was by no means a given.
• Mike Pelfrey, John Maine, and Oliver Perez are all in the starting rotation.  Omar’s gamble that these three were as good as those on the free agent market is paying off so far.  Pelfrey has been great until the hard luck Philly outing.  Maine is showing more confidence and zip on his fastball.  Ollie is painful to watch but he is showing more consistency.  I had stated over the winter that if two out of three of these pitchers had good years, the Mets would be greatly improved.  Remember how horrible all three were during spring training?  In my opinion the jury is still out on all three, but through their first five starts, I think two out of three is likely.  Is three out of three a possibility?
• Catchers Rod Barajas and Henry Blanco have been by far the Mets best signings of the winter.  Barajas has 7 home runs this year, and barring injury will easily surpass last year’s total of 19.  I am in the camp that believes that if he can hit 25 home runs, it does make up for his low OBP.  If this happens, I say who cares if he hits equal to last years BA of .226 and OBP of .258.  If he hits 25 home runs out of the 8th spot in the lineup, he is an viable offensive threat and a valuable asset.  Although Barajas has not thrown out any runners stealing, there have only been six attempts against him.  Henry Blanco has thrown out all five runners that have attempted to steal.  The catching core, when combining offensive and defensive play is the Mets best in years.
• 1st base was a position that got so much attention this winter.  The Daniel Murphy/Mike Jacobs competition fizzled when Murphy got hurt just before the season started.  Jacobs started out so poorly that he couldn’t hold the job.  Enter rookie Ike Davis.  He’s played admirably for a rookie but is yet to hit for power.  Hopefully that will come, even this year.  Otherwise, 1st base, at least offensively,is going to be a dud statistically this year.  So many are high on him, but this his rookie year, might not be the breakout year Mets fans are hoping for.
• Jeff Francoeur has become a team leader.  His smile, hustle and grit are contagious.  Still he must hit, and with power to really have an impact.  His fielding has been great.  He already has four outfield assists and a +2 UZR rating.
• Jason Bay has been a huge disappointment.  He must breakout of his slump, otherwise the cleanup spot in the lineup will have a huge void which will be impossible to overcome.  His strikeouts are rally killers.  He is on a pace to strikeout 200 times this season, up from a career high of 162 last year.  Fickle Mets fans will begin booing him soon if he doesn’t step up.
• Bullpen additions of Takahashi, Igarashi, and Mejia have paid dividends although Igarashi is currently injured.  Jenrry Mejia has recently been given opportunities in key situations and succeeded.  He will stay with the team only if he continues to succeed.
• The bench appears to be weak.  None of Fernando Tatis, Gary Matthews Jr.,and Frank Catalanotto have hit a lick thus far.  Look for changes in the near future.
• Carlos Beltran is on the mend and on his way back (yeah right).  But if he does make it back, playoff hopes improve significantly.  All Mets fans can do is continue to hope.
• Jerry Manuel despite all the criticisms has done an admirable job.  The players like him.  The team is two games over .500.  He has earned another month under the hot lights.
• Last is the curious case of Nelson Figueroa.  To Alex (Golden Boy) 68, I admit defeat.  He’s no great loss.  And thankfully he has not proven me right, now that he is a Philly.

Remember, April is a month to experiment and evaluate talent.  By Memorial Day, experimentation should be ending and the roster should become more permanent.  Mike Jacobs was a failed experiment.  So likely will Gary Matthews Jr..  Still patience is a virtue which unfortunately most Mets fans do not possess.  The thing to remember is that the opening day roster need not resemble the roster at the All Star break.

It should be noted that many of the above evaluations are positive.  And that gives me hope.  However, it is my opinion that in order to be a true playoff contender, at least a couple of the above weaknesses must turn positive.  Otherwise, I don’t believe the Mets can win consistently and will hover at .500 or a little above all season.   Maybe this season will be like 2005 when the Mets started turning it around.  And then they made the big push to an outstanding 2006.

The post After 28 Games Mets Fans Remain Hopeful appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

He believes it might be a while before GMJ gets another start after an 0-for-4 night on Sunday that extended his struggles to 3-for-33 since opening day, and 3-for-34 after a pinch-hit groundout on Monday.

It looks like Jerry Manuel could be growing weary of his lack of production. He alluded to the possibility that if something isn’t working that maybe we should try something different when asked to comment about Matthews’ prolonged slump.

However, Andy Martino of the Daily News, paints a different picture and writes that the Mets have no immediate plans to shake up the roster, according to several people familiar with the team’s thinking.

Matthews, who was acquired in the offseason from the Angels for reliever Brian Stokes, is now batting .135 this season.

The Mets are responsible for $2 million of his $11.4 million salary in 2010, and that might be why the Mets will allow Matthews more time to improve. Big mistake in my opinion.

Obviously, Matthews is no longer serviceable even in a reduced bench role. The Angels knew that and were willing to eat some very significant cash so they can fill his roster spot with someone who could help the team.

If Fernando Martinez could stay healthy for more than a minute straight, I’d say to bring him up and immediately upgrade the bench, but F-Mart always seems to spend to much time ailing including missing five of his last seven games with back spasms.

How great does that Andruw Jones (.288/.405/.697) signing for $400 thousand dollars look now? Now there was someone we should have rolled the dice on, although it’s easy to say that now.

What do we do with Matthews Jr now, any suggestions?

The post Gary Matthews Jr. – When Is Enough, Enough? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Chris Carter rounds the bases after blasting a walk-off homerun on Sunday.

Yesterday afternoon while scanning the channels on my TV, I surprisingly stumbled upon the SNY broadcast of yesterday’s Bisons’ game against the Louisville Bats. I had no idea that SNY even broadcasted these games, but was so glad to take in a minor league game and watch prospects like Dillon Gee and Jason Pridie.

It was a great game that saw the Bisons come from behind and send the game into extra innings tied at 4-4. The contest ended dramatically when rightfielder Chris Carter hit a two-run, walk-off homer in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Bisons a 6-4 victory and launch them into first place in their division. It’s the first time the Bisons have been in first place since July 16, 2007 and capped an amazing turnaround from their dismal 2009 season. Carter’s reward was being greeted by his overjoyed teammates with a shaving cream pie to the face for his mighty clout, and mighty it was.

For Carter it was the 4th homerun of the season and 13th extra-base hit. He is now batting a robust .329 with a .987 OPS and he has become the fiery leader of the Bisons’ clubhouse according to the Buffalo News. Carter has also shown a tremendous eye at the plate striking out only 8 times while walking 6 times in 85 at-bats. The 27-year old is second on the team in RBI’s with 17 and 51 total bases.

After watching the likes of Gary Matthews Jr (.139), Fernando Tatis (.214) and Frank Catalanotto (.143) all continue their abysmal performances in last nights 11-5 beat-down by the Phillies, I can’t help but wonder if Chris Carter would be a major upgrade over any of them.

Carter would certainly give the Mets a solid lefthanded bat off the bench with some significant pop, and he seems to have a flair for the dramatic.

He has played mostly right and left field and a little first base this season and though he won’t win a gold glove anytime soon, he can field his position and won’t hurt you defensively. He has not registered an error this season.

I know that the Mets have some serious questions regarding the rotation right now, and the focus needs to be there for the time being, but maybe they should take a glance at this kid Chris Carter who came so close to making the team out of spring training. Despite having one of the best offensive springs on the Mets, he was trumped by the versatility and likability of Frank Catalanotto, the continuing blind loyalty to Fernando Tatis, and the justification of paying $2 MM and trading a reliever for Gary Matthews Jr.

It’s obvious the Mets made a bad choice in leaving Carter behind, but they could easily wipe out that mistake with a phone call to the Bisons and the price of a plane ticket from Buffalo to Cincinnati where the Mets are set to begin a three game series tonight.

Chris Carter deserves his shot in the Majors, and the Mets have absolutely nothing to lose by giving it to him. The bench seems sorely lacking, and experiments like GMJ and Cat have failed to provide any positive impact thus far. Rather than wait until it’s too late to make any difference, promote Carter now and you just might be getting yourself a difference maker on the bench.

The post The Case For Promoting Chris Carter To The Mets appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Now, I wouldn’t wish him to be sent into space in such a fine automobile without my logic and reasoning.

First – Watching him waste plate appearances is atrocious. Gary Matthews Jr. looks like he has absolutely no idea what is coming, from either side of the plate he hits from. He is clueless. 

Second – It is understandable that we should carry a back up outfielder, but why would we carry a fairly light-hitting, and according to UZR, a well below average outfielder at all of the OF spots? His at-bats even in a pinch hitting role would be much more productive if given to Met refugee Nick Evans, the man we essentially traded 2 draft picks for (by not offering Billy Wagner arbitration) Chris Carter, or even minor league masher Mike Hessman.

Third – Gary Matthews Jr. has no business starting, on any team.

Which brings me to the stuff that proves I am not some sort of wall-climbing, home-run-robbing hater – facts and numbers. GMJ is batting .200 with 11 K’s in 25 AB’s. He has walked 4 times, but you subtract the 2 walks from the 7-6 loss to the Marlins aka “Walkfest 2010” and your left with 2 walks. Take off those two walks from his .310 OBP which is already fairly atrocious, and your left with a .241 OBP. Did i mention he hit leadoff in the first game of the season? Someone who has almost managed to strike out in nearly half his plate appearances was batting leadoff and has received playing time over Angel Pagan? Mike Jacobs struck out 7 times in 24 at bats just to give you an idea of the ineptitude GMJ possesses. He is slugging .273 on the season – and is being outmuscled by heavy-hitter Luis Castillo and his .286 slugging percentage.

Gary Matthews Jr. – you may be a phenomenal clubhouse presence, and a great mentor, and tons and tons of other factors that cannot be measured in values less then 2.5 million dollars (sorry Cora, i’ll leave you alone for that diving catch into the stands..after this last stab) but you have no business receiving at bats outside of batting practice. I would rather watch Mike Pelfrey and John Maine have a home run derby in Citi Field then to witness you leech at-bats.

Mike Jacobs was just DFA’d for the same level of ineptitude – so when Beltran is ready I would appreciate it if the Mets brass banish GMJ to the 7th layer of hell also known as Buffalo.

The post Why Gary Matthews Jr. Should Be Released Now appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Jeff Francoeur has now extended his hitting streak to 10 games and according to our old friend Adam Rubin, Frenchy is just four shy of matching Wright’s franchise record to start a season, which was set last year. Additionally, Francoeur ranks second in the National League in batting at .457. There’s a lot of bloggers, journalists, analysts and beat reporters with egg on their faces right now thanks to Francoeur’s huge second half last season and his MVP caliber start to this season.

Did you know that David Wright enjoys rainy days, sunsets and long walks on the beach? Apparently he enjoys short walks too and he now leads the National League in walks with 14. Woo hoo? I’m not complaining, in fact I should be thrilled because I’m told that walks are really, really, really good. Maybe I’d feel a whole lot better if he had more than six runs.

Wreaking

Rubin also informs us that Jason Bay is currently in the longest homer-less drought of his career. Bay has not homered in 21 straight games, and last went deep on September 21st, 2009 against Kansas City left-hander Lenny DiNardo. So far this season, Bay has just 2 RBIs. But fret not all you stat-heads, he has an outstanding .364 OBP which should give you all a warm and fuzzy feeling. Seriously though, what do you expect when you have Mike Jacobs or Fernando Tatis batting behind you? Jerry Manuel, I’m looking at you! 

Can we please end the Gary Matthews Jr. and Mike Jacobs experiments? I was all for giving these guys a shot, but it’s now abundantly clear that Gary Matthews is finished with his inglorious career, and that Mike Jacobs is what he is; an all or nothing hitter who can’t field his position. They are both batting .190 and they are clearly wreaking!

Freaking Out

The number three spot should be for run producers, and David Wright keeps looking more and more like a table-setter. Bat him second and lets see Jeff Francoeur get some at-bats with runners on base for a change, instead of burying him at the bottom of the batting order sandwiched in between Mike Jacobs and Gary Matthews. I’m gonna puke… Can you imagine how many more runs Wright would have if Francoeur were batting between him and Bay? A lot more than six! Can you imagine how many more wins we would have? A lot more than three! OMG I’m freaking out!!

Last night, someone reminded me that Felipe Lopez signed for less than what we paid Alex Cora… OMG, I’m really freaking out!

The post Streaking, Wreaking and Freaking Out appeared first on Metsmerized Online.