I was ecstatic when the Mets signed Bay last offseason. I always thought that when he played for the Pirates that he would be a great fit for the Mets. Obviously, he didn’t produce in his first year like the organization and the fans expected him to. Then he got injured which ended his season prematurely. In my mind, Bay has a clean slate heading into the season, so let’s see how he makes use of it.

He was able to start his offseason training one month earlier this year once he recovered from the concussion. He said it was a long road in getting back to normal but feels his patience will pay off.

“The month of August I literally did nothing,” said Bay. “I had a headache non-stop for a month and a half.”

He thinks it was his first concussion, but with a concussion, it’s tough to tell. Much medical research has been geared towards concussions over the last few years.

Bay isn’t worried the next time he is tracking a ball close to the wall.

“It’s an instinct thing,” said Bay. “You play a certain way. It’s not something like a hamstring where you can guard it or strengthen it. It’s just one of those things that happens.”

Bay seems very eager to get back on the field and prove to not only the organization and the fans but more importantly to himself that 2010 was a fluke.

“I’m definitely looking forward to redemption,” said Bay. “It was a lost year for me production wise. With the injury at the end of the year, I’m looking forward to getting back out there and starting fresh again.”

He noted that last year he went into stretches where he was trying too hard to make things happen. Rather, he claimed that he should have stuck to what he had done his whole career to fight out of the tough slumps.

“It’s kind of like digging a hole,” said Bay. “The harder and further you try and you dig the deeper the hole gets. You get to a point where you’re trying anything you can. You’re not even really worrying about trying to hit the ball. You’re trying to do all these others things to try to make it happen.”

In dealing with the New York media, Bay said that it comes with the territory.

“Some people are better suited for some markets and some aren’t,” said Bay. “Most people are professional. You can’t listen to everybody, and you can’t please everybody. The quicker you realize that I think the easier it is to understand it.”

Bay was used to a large media market having played for the Red Sox before signing with the Mets.

“Going from Pittsburgh to Boston was an eye-opener, big time,” said Bay.

A healthy, productive Jason Bay is exactly the presence the Mets need for the middle of their order. Unlike Beltran, Bay does factor into the long-term plans, so he needs to show that he can be the player he once was.

“I’m looking forward to going out there and putting it behind me,” said Bay.

The post Highlights From The Jason Bay Interview appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Surprisingly, he actually came over and talked to the bloggers. He even was joking around with us for a bit. Hopefully, Beltran can overcome the last few seasons and breakout this year because he really seems like he is trying hard to regain his image.

He said his knee is feeling much better, though it is not yet 100 percent. He is still working out and rehabbing and decided to refrain from playing any form of winter ball. Beltran is doing things he wasn’t capable of doing last year including heavier lifting in order to gear up for the season.

“My plan is to show up to spring training ready to go,” said Beltran.

Naturally, our discussion focused on the possibility of a position change. With Angel Pagan making a bid to be the starting centerfielder, Beltran may have to make the move to right.

“So far from what I have heard, I am the centerfielder of the New York Mets,” said Beltran. “I haven’t heard anything different.”

Beltran did say that he has talked with members of the organization and said he is willing to do what’s best for the team. He has never been a selfish ballplayer.

“If it’s best for the team for me to do something else, something different, I have no problem with that,” said Beltran. “I am an employee of the organization.”

It’s nice to hear Beltran say that now, but I’m curious what he will be saying if the change actually happens. A healthy Beltran could be serviceable in center, but Pagan showed last year that he can cover much more ground which will be important in the cavernous gaps of Citi Field.

“I would love to play centerfield because that’s where I feel comfortable, that’s what I’ve done my whole career,” said Beltran. “At the same time, if you can find a different guy who does a better job than what I do, that’s fine with me.”

Pagan did a fine job last year, so it will be up to the Mets brass to make this decision.

Coming off his injury year, Beltran said he has been training differently this offseason as opposed to previous offseasons.

“I’ve been doing a lot of rehab exercises, a lot of pool,” said Beltran. “I feel good, I feel strong.”

Steve Keane of the Kranepool Society then asked Beltran about his speed and if he might try to bring that aspect back to his game. Here’s where we all had a few laughs.

“Well, I don’t know if you can run like when you were 22,” said Beltran. “As a player, you get older every year.”

Beltran said he has talked with both Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins about the upcoming year. He was very familiar with Collins from his time rehabbing in Port St. Lucie.

“I do believe that the organization is putting a group of coaches that they feel have the expertise and the knowledge to help the younger guys and to help us win ballgames,” said Beltran.

I hope Beltran can enjoy much success this year. He is an important part of this team, and though he may not be here long-term, he will have to produce if the team has any shot of competing.

The post Highlights From The Carlos Beltran Interview appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Naturally, the conversation began with the Cliff Lee signing with the Philadelphia Phillies.

“Their whole staff, especially their starters, is pretty amazing,” said Davis. “It’s just going make one more game that much tougher.”

Davis was not too worried about the fact that Lee is left-handed and looks forward to the challenge of facing him this year.

“I’ve had more success against lefties anyway. He’s a great pitcher, and we’re going to have to beat him somehow.”

Davis spent some time talking about the new coaching staff. He met Terry Collins several times last year in the minors and became familiar with Collins’ strategy. Davis likes the way Collins talks about baseball and said Collins wants to win and has a good idea about what he wants to do. Davis is eager to play for Collins, but he is still unsure what effect Collins’ fiery attitude will have on the Mets clubhouse.

Davis is very excited that Ken Oberkfell will be joining the coaching staff. Oberkfell managed Davis at AAA Buffalo, albeit for a very short time.

“He’s a great guy, and I think he brings the looseness and the old school mentality of baseball that we need,” said Davis.

Davis is also familiar with new Mets hitting coach Dave Hudgens. They met during Davis’ time at Arizona State University. Hudgens also played at ASU and, according to Davis, will bring the knowledge and experience that the Mets need.

Davis’ goal over this season is to avoid long stretches of slumping. There were times last year when Davis couldn’t seem to break his poor habits.

“I don’t want to hit .260 the rest of my career,” said Davis. “You’re going to have bad months; you’re going to have great months. It’s just making it more consistent. I’m not going to make excuses, I just played bad. I didn’t make the adjustments quick enough, and I didn’t hit well.”

It’s nice to see that Davis is so critical of himself because that will lead him to put in the time to improve. I hope that he is not overly critical to the point where he wears himself out in the weight room or in the cage and that it affects his performance.

Heading into 2011, Davis has a more defined role: He will be our main man at first base. Last year, there was some skepticism about what the Mets would do with Davis, and he ultimately wound up in AAA to start the season.

Davis said he will not prepare any differently knowing that he has a set role with the team.

“I think I have a better thought process of how to prepare for the big leagues now because I’ve played in it,” said Davis. “Last year, I had no idea. I just went out and played.”

We concluded with a brief conversation about second base. Davis has already played with numerous second basemen, and that trend should continue this year.

“Every person you play with has a different character as far how vocal they are,” said Davis. “I like the more vocal guys because you feel like a team when you’re out there. Nothing’s getting through this side.”

Davis has enjoyed his time off but is definitely ready to get back in the swing of things (no pun intended).

“It will be fun to get to spring training and see where all the pieces fall and see what we look like,” said Davis.

The post Highlights From The Ike Davis Interview appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Wright played Santa for the second time, with the last time being back in 2006.

It’s hard to believe, but Wright will now be playing for his fourth different manager heading into his eighth season for the Mets.

“The good and the bad thing about New York is that we expect winning now,” said Wright. “When that doesn’t happen unfortunately for some very good people, change happens. If you’ve played here, if you’ve coached here, if you’ve lived here, or if you’ve attended baseball games here, you understand that this is a ‘what have you done for me lately?’ town, and they expect winning products each and every year.”

Wright discussed the new regime and said that he is excited for the start of the season. He stressed that Sandy Alderson focuses on discipline, and discipline is underrated in the game of baseball.  After playing for three rather low key managers in Art Howe, Willie Randolph and Jerry Manuel, Wright welcomes a fiery presence in the clubhouse.

“With Sandy’s vision and Terry’s incredible passion that he brings, I’m looking forward to getting spring training started,” said Wright. “Terry seems very energetic and ready to go, and I think that’s a good thing because players need a kick in the butt. I think Terry won’t be afraid to do that.”

It’s obvious that Wright will miss Howard Johnson as the team’s hitting coach. They developed a personal relationship, and Wright was very thankful for his services and wishes HoJo well.

“He knows my swing just as well as I do,” said Wright.

We then talked about the Cliff Lee signing and how it affects the Mets. Wright brought up some good points that we as Mets fans must take some stock in moving forward.

“I still think we have good players,” said Wright. “Just because we didn’t add any of those big names, there are still players to be had out there for lower price tags.

“Once you get on the field it’s a different story,” said Wright. “You go out there and compete and that’s the beautiful thing about baseball. You don’t win games on paper. The highest payrolls don’t necessarily translate to wins on the field.”

From there, the conversation turned to the Mets current starting pitching and how they can fill the huge void left by Johan Santana. Wright identified the need for starting pitching and said that guys will have to step up and fill in when needed. He cautioned that it won’t be just one guy, like Mike Pelfrey, taking Santana’s place.

“I don’t think it’s fair to put that weight on Pelfrey’s shoulders,” said Wright. “Realistically, Pelfrey pitches once every fifth day. It’s going to have to be more of a combined effort by the pitching staff to pick up that load.”

As previously mentioned, Wright is entering his eighth season with the Mets. He has amassed some impressive statistics and is closing in on some Mets records. Still, he is more focused on winning than on his individual play.

“I’m very pessimistic when it comes to judging my play,” said Wright. “Instead of worrying about the hits that I got, I’m more upset at the hits I didn’t get.”

Wright is eager to get off to great start this season to try to turn the struggling Mets around. As a fan, it was nice to hear Wright say that he is not content with how the team has played and wants to get back on the winning track. It won’t be easy, especially this year, but the team has the pieces to accomplish its goals over the new few years.

“As of now, it’s unfinished business,” said Wright. “I haven’t won anything. We have a division title and really that’s it. And that’s not enough. That doesn’t make me happy one bit.”

The post Highlights From The David Wright Interview appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

“Certainly I was shocked, but I know better than to be shocked in our business,” said Collins. “They obviously are going to be a formidable opponent.”

What Collins should have said is that they will be an “even more” formidable opponent. Some fans have said that the Lee signing is the final nail in the coffin for the Mets. But after hearing more of Collins’ plan, there may be a light at the end of the tunnel.

“That’s fun part about our game,” said Collins. “You get to go out and compete against the best every night. When you play the Philadelphia Phillies, you better be ready all five nights. We’ve got some preparation to do.

“We’ve got to make sure our guys understand that we have to be ready 162 times to compete no matter who’s out there,” said Collins. “That’s the message that’s going to be said, and it starts the first day of spring training.”

Collins claimed that there’s really nothing the Mets can do about the Lee signing except to be fully prepared for Philadelphia when the two teams meet. He also said that the Mets need to capitalize on any Philly mistakes.

Collins later joked, “I just told Sandy, ‘Look at the bright side: Our right hand lineup is pretty stinking good.’”

Though the new “Philtastic Four” will be compared to the four aces of the 1969 Baltimore Orioles, Collins saw more similarity with the Braves of the early 1990s.

“When I was in Pittsburgh and we went in to play Atlanta and they ran Smoltz, Avery, Maddux and Glavine at you, they were pretty good,” said Collins.

Collins understands that the Phillies will present a challenge this year, but he cautioned against focusing solely on them.

“When they leave town or we leave Philadelphia, we’ve got someone else we have to play,” said Collins. “Hey, you have to beat the teams you’re supposed to beat. We need to win as many games as we can to make sure that in September and October we’re competing.”

It was nice to hear Collins say the word “October.” This shows there is a great deal of optimism heading into the season.

Speaking of optimism, Collins mentioned Dillon Gee in the same sentence as Mike Pelfrey, Jon Niese and R.A. Dickey which could be a sign that Gee will be given every opportunity to win the fourth or fifth spot in the rotation.

“I always felt that you have to have seven starters when you leave spring training because of injuries and things that happen where you have to have someone who can step in,” said Collins. “We have some holes we have to fill yet.”

According to Collins, Oliver Perez is currently one of those seven simply based on the Mets personnel as of now. That obviously could change as we approach spring training.

Finally, Collins is content with having Jenrry Mejia start at AAA, but he fully expects Mejia to contribute to the big league club at some point during the season. He spoke of the tremendous job the Mets minor league staff did with Ike Davis in the early part of 2010 to allow him to produce at the big league level.

Collins seems very excited to kick off his tenure as Mets manager. His tenacity might be exactly what this team needs.

“They have to believe they can win,” said Collins.

The post Highlights From The Terry Collins Interview appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

“A little bit surprised it was the Phillies,” said Alderson. “We knew there was a third club involved. It makes our division a little tougher on paper, but I’m looking forward to the National League East being great completion.”

The four Philadelphia aces remind me of the three aces from the 1969 Baltimore Orioles. Though I wasn’t even alive, the lore surrounding Jim Palmer, Dave McNally and Mike Cuellar and is legendary. However, the Mets defeated those three, and there’s no reason these Mets can’t beat the current Philly four.

“I think it affects how we plan long-term,” said Alderson. “In the short-term, there are at least two other clubs out there looking for starting pitching today that weren’t there yesterday.”

It’s interesting to see if the Mets make a move soon to acquire a starter. Though it appears Alderson has no sense of urgency, names like Chris Young, Brandon Webb and Jeff Francis may begin to fall. At least one of those would be a nice fit for the Mets.

Alderson claimed that the Lee signing doesn’t have any real impact on where the Mets are heading as a team. Frankly, Lee was never in the Mets plans. However, I, as well as many other Mets fans, would have much rather seen Lee in pinstripes than back in Philly.

“We’re going to continue to do everything we can to make sure we have a solid team,” said Alderson. “The fact that they appear to be a little better on paper isn’t going to change our approach for 2011.”

Naturally, this offseason has been marred by the Mets lack of financial resources. But Alderson affirmed that the Mets do not have an absolute cap on what they are going to spend. They will however be smart with their finances in order to avoid financial constraints in the future, something Omar Minaya wasn’t too keen at.

The conversation shifted from Lee to the Mets current pitching staff.

“In our case, I wouldn’t necessarily identify our 1,2,3,4,5,” said Alderson. “We need candidates and numbers, and that’s what we’re looking for. You need to put yourself in a position to get lucky. I think that’s what happened with R.A. Dickey last year to some extent. You have to be willing to take a few chances.”

This is why I think the Mets will roll the dice on a Chris Young or Jeff Francis, and maybe even a Brandon Webb or Ben Sheets. Depth will be important, and as Dickey showed us last season, sometimes you can catch lightning in a bottle.

Alderson and his staff place much stock in statistical analysis when comparing players. They look beyond the major stats, especially for pitchers.

“Instead of looking at ERA, you might look at ground ball percentage, strikeout ratios, walks per innings pitched, all those interior numbers that give you some sense that there is a possibility for improvement,” said Alderson.

Finally, Alderson explained that Oliver Perez will have to earn his spot on this team. Like he said, depth will be important heading into the season. But can Oliver Perez be considered depth or dead weight?

Alderson appears eager for the start of the season and hopefully will make a move or two to further strengthen this Mets ballclub, so they at least have a shot at the wild card.

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