In an SNY interview, Mets new manager Carlos Mendoza gave an update on his ace who will be sidelined through 2024 opening day. When asked about Kodai Senga‘s rehab, Mendoza commented “so far, so good” as he continues his limited activity in the early stages of nursing his shoulder injury. 

While mentioning that the club will learn more once he starts playing catch, he mentioned that “he is moving in the right direction.” 

Missing Senga to start the season without a doubt hampers the Mets’ early season success, but getting him back while preventing further injury is even more valuable to the club.

Kodai Senga. Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Latest Mets News

The New York City Planning Commission unanimously voted to approve NYCFC’s Willets Point stadium. Click here to learn more about the approval and the renderings that NYCFC released. 

Mets radio announcer Howie Rose plans to continue to cut back the amount of games he will be announcing, per Neil Best of Newsday. Rose, who announced 124 games last season, is planning on only announcing 101 games during the 2024 season.

The Mets are reportedly one of three teams that are “in the mix” for DH J.D. Martinez, Jon Heyman announced in a Bleacher Report live stream. 

The Mets game planned for Wednesday against the Houston Astros was cancelled due to weather. The Mets will play the Nationals on Thursday at 6:05 P.M. EST and will be on SNY.

Latest MLB News

Mike Zunino announced that he is retiring from the game of baseball after 11 seasons in the major leagues. The former Guardian, Mariner, and Ray, Zunino finishes his career with 149 home runs and one All-Star game appearance. 

The Washington Nationals signed former Braves outfielder Eddie Rosario, per Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase. The deal is a split contract in which he could reach up to $4 million with incentives. 

Long-time Dodger and former MVP Steve Garvey advanced to the general election for U.S. Senate in California, per The AP.

Andy McCullough of The Athletic produced an article that went in depth on the peculiar world of MLB real estate. 

The Red Sox and Brayan Bello are reportedly deep in talks about a long-term deal that would keep him in Boston beyond 2028, per Alex Speier of Boston Globe. 

Pirates reliever Dauri Moreta is dealing with a ligament injury and it “is going to have him out for an extended period of time.” according to Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk, per Alex Stumpf of MLB.com. 

Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto struggled in his second spring training start, allowing five runs in three innings. 

Latest on MMO

MMO fan Tom Sokol proposed the idea of the Mets going with a 6-man rotation, despite Senga’s absence.

Elliot Teichman previews 2024 non-roster invitee Yolmer Sánchez.

Tylor Megill continues to shine while featuring his new-fashioned splitter.

On This Date in Mets History

2019: The Mets sign outfielder Carlos Gómez 12 years after he made his debut with the club. Gómez hit three home-runs in his short time with the club in the 2019 season.

2010: Omir Santos hits an inside-the-park grand slam in the Mets’ spring training game against the Washington Nationals.

Birthdays: Jeff Kent (56), Mauro Gozzo (58), Galen Cisco (88)

The post Morning Briefing: Kodai Senga ‘Moving in the Right Direction’ appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

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

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

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

Here are my position players:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Right off the bat, 21 players also played for the Mets in 2010, who I covered covered in my previous article. If you wish to learn about what happened to Luis Castillo, Alex Cora, David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Jeff Francoeur, Fernando Tatis, Angel Pagan, Jose Reyes, Nick Evans, Josh Thole, Mike Pelfrey, John Maine, Oliver Perez, Francisco Rodriguez, Bobby Parnell, Pedro Feliciano, Sean Green, Fernando Nieve, Elmer Dessens, Jon Niese, and Tobi Stoner, check out The 2010 Mets: Where Are They Now?

Only one player (who hasn’t already been covered) that played for the Mets in 2009 is still playing for the Mets, Daniel Murphy who is now one of the top hitters in the Mets lineup. Murphy currently ranks second on the team in batting average and third highest with a 2.7 WAR. Not only does Murphy provide a presence in the top of the lineup, but he may give the Mets strong trade bait going forward.

Only two other players from the 2009 are still in the majors albeit with another franchise: J.J. Putz and Darren O’Day.

Putz, who amazingly only played in 29 games with the Mets, played with the Chicago White Sox in 2010, before heading to Arizona where he played for the Diamondbacks in 2011. He still plays for them now. Side-armer Darren O’Day was claimed off waivers by the Rangers in April of 2009 and played in Arlington until 2011. After that season, the Baltimore Orioles claimed him off waivers. He is currently in his second year with them.

Five players from that team are currently in the Minor Leagues with other organizations and include Omir Santos, Jeremy Reed, Fernando Martinez, Argenis Reyes, and Nelson Figueroa.

Omir Santos did the bulk of the catching for the 2009 Mets, and he now sits behind the plate for the Rockies’ Triple A affiliate in Colorado Springs. He also played for the Toledo Mud Hens in the Detroit Tigers system in 2011, before spending some time with the big league team for the Tigers in  2010. He’s also played with the Indians Triple-A team this season.

Jeremy Reed signed with the Blue Jays in January of 2010 and was called up on April 12th. On July 12th he was sent down, released, and signed with the White Sox. He played the rest of the season with their Triple A team, the Charlotte Knights. The Brewers signed him in 2011 and he made the opening day roster. He was sent down to make room for Jonathan Lucroy, which led to him being traded to the Twins, where he finished the year. He is now in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, but is not currently assigned to a team.

Fernando Martinez was claimed off waivers by the Astros in January of 2012 and played in Houston until he was traded to the Yankees this past June, knowing there was a chance that he could be suspended for steroids. He was among those named in the Biogenesis scandal and is currently serving a 50-game suspension.

Argenis Reyes played in the Red Sox system in 2010 and was then traded to the Cleveland Indians where he played the rest of the season. He spent time with the New Jersey Jackals of the Independent Leagues in 2011 before returning to the Indians system. He is currently not playing with an Indians team although he unassigned.

Nelson Figueroa saw time in the Phillies and Astros systems in 2010, and played in the majors with the Astros in 2011. He also played in the Pirates system that year. 2012 saw him spend time with the Yankees and Red Sox minor league systems, and now plays for the Diamondbacks Triple-A affiliate.

One 2009 Met is officially a free agent and that is Casey Fossum who played all of three games for the Amazins that season. Fossum was released at the end of April in 2009 and soon after signed with the Yankees. He played the rest of the year with their Triple A affiliate and then moved onto the Chicago Cubs system. His 2010 season was spent with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan, where he went 2-5 with a 5.72 ERA. Fossum signed with the Mets again in January of 2011 and played nine games, before being released a year later. He eventually signed with the Orioles but was soon released and has not resurfaced ever since.

13 players have retired. They are Gary Sheffield, Ryan Church, Brian Schneider, Cory Sullivan, Carlos Delgado, Ramon Martinez, Emil Brown, Marlon Anderson, Brian Stokes, Ken Takahashi, Lance Broadway, Jon Switzer, and Billy Wagner.

Gary Sheffield couldn’t find a team to play with in 2010, so he retired in the spring of 2011. Ryan Church was traded to the Braves for Jeff Francoeur and finished the year in Atlanta. 2010 was spent in Pittsburgh until the Pirates traded him to the Diamondbacks along with future Met D.J. Carrasco. He was non-tendered after the year and retired.

Brian Schneider played with the Phillies from 2010 to 2012 and retired officially on January 29th this year. Cory Sullivan, who is most remembered for being the last player to hit two triples in one inning, played with the Houston Astros for half of 2010. He played with the Phillies for half of 2011, and retired after failing to make the Dodgers opening day roster in 2012.

After being injured for most of the 2009 season, the Mets released Carlos Delgado when the season was over. The Boston Red Sox signed the future Hall of Famer to a Minor League contract. He went 3-for-13, was released and retired on April 13th 2011. He was most recently the hitting coach for the 2013 Puerto Rican team in the World Baseball Classic. Current Mets pitching coach Ricky Bones was the pitching coach for that team (and if you ask me, Delgado and Bones look extremely like each other).

Not much to say about Ramon Martinez here. The infielder who played only 12 games with the 2009 Mets was released after the season and immediately retired. Emil Brown retired after being released on June 22, 2009.

Super utility man Marlon Anderson was released in April and signed with the Newark Bears of the Independent Leagues. He played the rest of the season there and retired when the season was done. He was last seen in professional baseball as the hitting coach for the Potomac Nationals in 2012.

Brian Stokes was traded to the Angels for Gary Matthews Jr. prior to the the 2010 season and made 16 appearances for the Halos that year. In 2011 he played in the Arizona D-Back’s system, and then moved onto the Camden RIversharks of the Independent League. Ken Takahashi became the third oldest player to make his Major League debut at the age of 40 on May 2nd 2009. He was released by the Mets in October of that year and went back to his homeland of Japan and played with the Hiroshima Carp in 2010. He retired after that year.

Lance “Best Name in Baseball” Broadway has not played in the Majors since his time with the Mets. He spent time with the Blue Jays organization in 2010 and played with their Triple A team, the Las Vegas 51’s. He has since retired and done what I believe no other Met has done in their lifetime. Lance played Agent O’Neil in the 2013 movie, Olympus Has Fallen. We should keep an eye out for other movies that feature Mr. Broadway.

Jon Switzer only got into four games as a New York Met, which led to a 8.10 ERA. He signed with the Astros and played in their Minor League system in 2010. He retired after 2010 and went back to school. He is now a business manager.

Billy Wagner, who is probably the greatest Mets closer of the last 10 years, was traded at the end of the year to the Red Sox for Chris Carter and minor leaguer Eddie Lora. Wagner played two games for Boston and then signed with the Atlanta Braves for the 2010 season. He was injured in the NLDS, but instead of going on the disabled list, he retired. Billy is currently the Head Coach for Miller High School in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Two players are currently in the Independent Leagues. Wilson Valdez played for the Phillies in 2010 and 2011 and was then traded to the Cincinnati Reds before the 2012 season. The Reds traded Valdez to the Giants in December of 2012 but he was released this past March. He signed with the Miami Marlins the next day and was released on May 19th. He is now with the Camden River Sharks. Longtime Mets backup catcher Ramon Castro was traded to the White Sox for Lance Broadway in 2009, but I don’t think it mattered to Ramon, because later in the season he was behind the plate when Mark Buehrle tossed a perfect game. He was released by Chicago after 2011, and did not play baseball in 2012. He signed a Minor League contract with the Dodgers this March but was released after failing to make the roster. He now plays for the Long Island Ducks.

Three players are playing in foreign countries, and they all play in Mexico. They are Anderson Hernandez, Angel Berroa, and Robinson Cancel. Hernandez, who was traded from the Tigers to the Mets back in 2004 for Vance Wilson, was claimed off waivers by the Indians in 2010 but was claimed by the Astros in July. 2011 was spent in Triple A with the Astros franchise. In 2012, Hernandez played with the Pirates Triple A team. This year he has been playing with the Piratas de Campeche, where he is hitting five points south of .300 with 11 home runs.

The 2003 American League Rookie of the Year (I still think Rocco Baldelli should have won) Angel Berroa, who before LaTroy Hawkins and David Aardsma was the last player to play for both the Mets and Yankees, played in the San Francisco Giants organization in 2010. In 2011 he played with the Arizona Diamondbacks Triple A team and the Bridgeport BlueFish of the Independent Leagues. 2012 saw Berroa play with the New Jersey Jackals. He now plays for Leones de Yucantan in Mexico. He is hitting .293 with 12 homers.

Robinson Cancel made his first big league appearance since 1999 in 2008 with the Mets. He spent 2010 with the Long Island Ducks, 2011 with the Astros Triple A team (and a few games in the Majors), 2012 with Monterrey in Mexico, and is still playing in Mexico with Minatilan.

One player is coaching. Andy Green went 1-4 with the Mets in 2009. He spent 2010 in Buffalo playing for the Bisons at the Mets Triple A level. He is now managing the Diamondbacks Double A team, the Mobile Bay Bears. He is managing former Met Nick Evans.

So there are your 2009 New York Mets. What were some of your best and worst memories of that season? Next week we’ll take a look at the 2008 team and the last year of Mets baseball at Shea Stadium.

The post The 2009 Mets: Where Are They Now? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Last week, when I saw those words in my title leading off a paragraph about Kevin Plawecki, the first thing that came to my mind was that the author was obviously frequenting too many of the the wrong sites. Had he come to Metsmerized for the dope on Plawecki, he may have been talking about him for as long as I have.

That said, Nathaniel Stoltz of FanGraphs puts Plawecki on his list of five sleeper catching prospects and had the following to say about him:

Meet the best catching prospect that nobody’s talking about. You’d think he’d come up in prospect discussions more–Plawecki was picked 35th overall last year out of Purdue and has raked at a .322/.397/.485 clip between Low-A (.314/.390/.494) and High-A (.346/.418/.457) this year, but he remains largely unnoticed by non-Mets fans and hardcore prospect aficionados.

Plawecki has the distinction of being the one player on this list who projects as a legitimate above-average defensive catcher in the big leagues. He sets himself apart from most A-ball catchers with very soft hands and good receiving skills. He’s also gunned down 32% of basestealers this season. Defense will not impede his ascent to the majors–if he hits, he’ll find a catching gig. Sure, d’Arnaud is ahead of him in his current system, but two-way catchers don’t just rot on the vine.

And Plawecki is a legitimate two-way catcher, pairing that defensive ability with all-around offensive skills. He’s a big guy who ropes doubles–he has 30 (!) in 88 games–all over the park, and he has the size to be a potential 15-HR guy (he has seven this year). Plawecki makes an impressive amount of contact (11.4% K%), and could be a high-average hitter; he’ll also draw a decent number of walks.

You don’t need me to tell you that a high-contact player who hits a lot of doubles and a fair amount of homers at the catcher position is quite valuable. Plawecki has a lot of skills in place to make that happen already, and he’s just 22. He could be a fast riser on prospect lists over the next couple of months as people take stock and begin to appreciate his accomplishments and skillset.

Kevin Plawecki strikes pose for MMO during his interview with us.

After the Mets 2012 draft, my first reaction was that I loved the Plawecki pick more than I did Cecchini. After dealing with the likes of Josh Thole, Mike Nickeas, Henry Blanco and Omir Santos, I was ecstatic that at last we had a top rated catcher in our system that scouts loved and that would move fast through the system.

In a later analysis after the Dickey trade, Mitch Petanick wrote:

Plawecki is a guy that makes excellent contact. Through his college career, he had a very low strike out rate, and as stated earlier, had a 1:1 K/BB ratio at Brooklyn last season. I have read a couple of scouting reports that have noted his swing was a little long, but his swing is actually very compact, and he gets his hands through the hitting zone very quickly when he keeps them close to his body.

He has a very level swing, which will lead to a ton of line drives, but it does not generate a ton of backspin on the ball when contact is made, which is why he won’t be a big home run threat. However, he does have solid to gap-to-gap power. T

Everyone has been completely enthralled with the addition to Travis d’Arnaud, but Plawecki is a guy that fans should keep an eye on over the next couple of years. With questions of d’Arnaud’s durability arising, Plawecki is definitely a guy that could find himself behind the plate at Citi Field within the next couple of years.

My view of Plawecki has always been high. I was disappointed that the Mets chose to start him in Savannah rather than St. Lucie as most of you will remember. I wanted him to finish this season in Binghamton, start 2014 in Triple-A and have him on the big league roster by the middle of next season. I still feel that way.

I see in Plawecki as a Paul Lo Duca in his prime and I’m not just talking about his bat – his intensity and demeanor should not be underestimated, nor should his defensive skills behind the plate. I’m so confident in his ability that if I felt we could get a 30+ home run hitting outfielder for Travis d’Arnaud, I’d have no problem pulling the trigger and going with the tough as nails Kevin Plawecki as our catcher of the future. And I said as much in a post before this season ever got underway.

The post Meet The Best Catching Prospect That Nobody Talks About 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.

Making The Grade

According to Adam Rubin, Bobby Parnell and/or Sean Green could be in at least a little trouble in making the club. Or at least in a competition. If Jenrry Mejia and/or Hisanori Takahashi sneaks into the bullpen, one or two reliever incumbents could find themselves in the minors … or traded. This is the best part of spring training for me. I love watching these battles unfold and this particular one could be very interesting. I said it back in January that Parnell might not be a lock for the bullpen, and obviously neither was Brian Stokes over whom too much was being made of. I’m not sure Mejia will be the one Parnell and Green should worry about. I still believe that in the end, both Takahashi AND Nelson Figueroa make the team, and that Parnell and Green will be elsewhere come opening day.

Another Texas Rangers Rumor

According to MetsBlog, Matt Pignataro of Seven Train to Shea believes that the Orioles and Rangers are very interested in C Omir Santos. I don’t see it, much like I didn’t see them trading Nelson Cruz to the Mets or anyone else. I do believe the Dodgers have more interest in Omir than they are letting on, and don’t count out the Yankees or Cubs either. In the end, I put the odds of Santos being traded at less than 50%. Unless you’re the Omar led New York Mets, the catching position is something that most teams get sorted out pretty quickly in the offseason, because as the great Casey Stengel once said, “without a catcher you’ll end up having a lot of passed balls”. Or something like that… Plus dedicated Metsmerized readers already know my stance on sources in the Twitter age. I need more than 140 characters to convince me of their veracity.

Who Is Chris Carter?

Well, in short, he’s the guy the Red Sox gave up in exchange for two first round draft picks and the services of Billy Wagner for their stretch run. He is also the guy who homered twice in the 9th inning as the Mets trounced the Marlins 11-2. One was off Seth McClung and the second came off of Chris Schroder. Ummm… who? Alrighty then… One last thing you should know, Carter is also the guy that has a snowball’s chance in hell of making the Mets opening day roster. That’s all you need to know. As for what the Mets think of Chris Carter? The Gary Matthews trade and Mike Jacobs signing tells you all you need to know. Pack plenty of sweaters my friend, it’s still freezing in Buffalo in April.

By the way, check out our newly redesigned Myspace page and add us as a friend. Since March of 2005 when we first began, we have grown to over 20,000 followers!

The post Morning Grind: Another Rumor, Competition Is Good, Carter Not So Much appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Adam Rubin of the Daily News writes that the Mets could deal one of their surplus catchers and that teams are calling the Mets to inquire.

I’m asked a lot how the Mets plan to fit six catchers with major-league experience in their system. Answer: They can’t. Barajas and Blanco clearly will be the big-league catchers, barring injury. Josh Thole is the primary catcher at Triple-A Buffalo. I’m told the Mets probably can fit three catchers with the Bisons, especially since Chris Coste can play other positions while mentoring Thole. That means that Omir Santos or Shawn Riggans could be involved with a trade this spring. We’re not talking a blockbuster, but a team official tells me they’re already getting calls about the excess catching.

Last week, I suggested that the Mets could trade Omir Santos and that the Tigers, Twins and Indians could be interested in a solid backup like Santos. 

Santos, 28, emerged as a solid catcher when Brian Schneider was injured last year. He batted .260 and had some clutch hits. His game-winning homerun off Jonathan Papelbon at Fenway Park was one of the few highlights of the 2009 season.

The post Mets Could Have Trade In Works For Omir Santos appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

So what are the pros and cons of the Rod Barajas signing?  Let’s start with the pros.

Since the Texas Rangers signed him as a free agent prior to the 2004 season, Barajas has become a good source for extra-base hits, especially from the catchers’ position.  He was the #1 catcher for Texas from 2004-2006 and Toronto from 2008-2009 (he had an injury-plagued season for the Phillies in 2007 and only played 48 games for our hated rivals).  In the five seasons Barajas was an everyday player, he hit 77 HR (with a career high of 21 HR in 2005), 112 doubles (consistently hitting between 19 and 26 doubles in each of the five seasons) and collected 279 RBI (with a career high of 71 RBI in 2009).  An average season for Barajas over those five years meant 22 doubles, 15 HR and 56 RBI.  By comparison, the combination of Brian Schneider and Omir Santos hit 25 doubles, 10 HR and collected 64 RBI for the Mets in 2009.  The combined total for those two catchers were nearly identical to the numbers produced by Barajas in an average season.

Defensively, Barajas has been consistently good at throwing out would-be base stealers.  Over his career, he has nailed 34% of those who have attempted to swipe a base against him.  That same percentage was registered by Barajas over each of the past two seasons.  Over those same two seasons, which coincide with Brian Schneider’s two years in New York, Schneider also threw out 34% of opposing base stealers.  Omir Santos nabbed 30% of the would-be base stealers against him in his one big league season.

Now what is there not to like about Barajas?  How about a career .238 batting average and a frighteningly low .284 career OBP?  The numbers were even worse last year (.226 batting average, .258 OBP).  He has never walked more than 26 times in a single season and has only collected 100 hits in a season once (104 hits in 2005).  He also tends to pick up his share of errors.  In the five seasons Barajas has been a #1 catcher, he has commited 38 errors (an average of nearly eight errors per season).  In those same five seasons, Brian Schneider commited half that total (19 errors).  Also, Omir Santos only committed three errors in his one season with the Mets.

Before I end this, I do need to point out that Barajas has fared well against the three teams that finished ahead of the Mets in the NL East last year (Phillies, Marlins, Braves).  In 187 career at-bats against those three teams, Barajas has hit .316, with 18 doubles, 13 HR and 35 RBI.  Considering he will be seeing those teams more than teams in the NL Central and NL West, those numbers cannot be ignored.

So now that you have the pros and cons, what do you think of the signing?  Is this an upgrade over whatever combination of catchers the Mets would have employed?  Do you think Barajas will end up helping the team more with his bat or with his defense?  Will Barajas be the #1 catcher for the entire 2010 season?  The floor is yours, Mets fans!  Talk amongst yourselves!

The post Mets Sign A Rod; Too Bad It’s Barajas appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Riggans had a rough 2009, hitting .143 in seven major league games with Tampa Bay, and posting just a .233/.298/.314 line in three minor league stops. Clearly, his right shoulder tendinitis played a role.

As recently as 2007, he posted strong minor league numbers, but there is little reason to expect Riggans to be much of an upgrade at catcher for the Mets. Still, when the starter is likely Omir Santos, a career minor leaguer, it is understandable that the Mets are bringing in some extra competition.

Riggans will be joining the likes of Henry Blanco, Chris Coste, Omir Santos, and Josh Thole for the split role of catcher for the 2010 season.

At this point with Molina out of the picture, it is mostly a battle between Coste and Santos on who will share time with Blanco. Thole will be spending most, if not all, of 2010 in Buffalo developing and Riggans doesn’t seem impressive enough to get a spot on the 25-man roster.

With Spring Training creeping up on us, Riggans may be the final Mets signing of the offseason.

The post Mets Add Another Catcher appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Mets spent their winter signing Coste and Blanco and let other catchers (most notably Bengie Molina) sign with other teams.  As a result, Santos will now be expected to handle the pitching staff of Johan Santana and The Four Rainouts as well as performing a few Omir-acles of his own at the plate.

Can Santos be counted on to repeat his unexpected 2009 performance this year now that more is being asked of him?  Let’s review a few things from his past to see what we can expect in the future.

In 2008, Omir Santos was called up to the major leagues by the Baltimore Orioles for his first cup of coffee in the big show after being a career minor leaguer since 2001.  His stay in Baltimore was short-lived as he became a Met in 2009.  It was in New York that Santos got his huge break when Brian Schneider got injured, forcing the Mets to call him up for what was supposed to be a short stay.

However, something happened on the way to Citi Field.  On a team full of fragile players and underachievers, Omir blossomed into a pretty decent (and clutch) hitter.

Perhaps the most dramatic home run of the 95 hit by the Mets in 2009 came off the bat of Omir Santos.  On May 23, he hit a two-out, two-run HR in the ninth inning off Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead.  The umpires originally claimed that the ball had not left Fenway Park, bouncing off the top of the Green Monster and staying in the field of play.  That left Santos on second base and Gary Sheffield on third.  However, upon viewing the replay, the call was properly reversed and Santos was credited with a home run.

Because of Santos’ unexpected clutch hitting, the Mets decided to trade Ramon Castro to the Chicago White Sox, allowing Santos to remain on the major league roster.  His final numbers for the 2009 season included a .260 batting average, 7 HR and 40 RBI in only 291 at-bats.  He also added 14 doubles.

Now the question the Mets must ask themselves is whether or not those numbers will translate into a better season in 2010 if Santos gets the 400 at-bats usually reserved for a #1 catcher?  Unfortunately, looking at his minor league stats, the answer might be no.

In 2,229 career at-bats for various minor league teams, Santos could only manage a .258 average, with 32 HR and 260 RBI.  He hit .260 for the Mets after not being able to do that against MINOR LEAGUE PITCHING in eight-plus years.

Can the Mets expect more Omir-acles from Santos in 2010?  Probably not.  He won’t be facing Jonathan Papelbon this season and due to the lack of quality catching depth on the team, it’s unlikely he’ll get sent back to the minors.  If Santos repeats his 7 HR, 40 RBI performance in 400 at-bats, that should be considered a success for him.  But I’m not counting on it.

The Mets would be better off signing a more experienced catcher who could handle a pitching staff that can be, shall we say, a little erratic at times.  (see Maine, J. and Perez, O.)  Given 400 at-bats, any catcher can hit seven home runs and drive in 40 runs.  But with the problems the Mets could have with their starting pitchers, it may be more important to go with a catcher who can help the Mets more with his handling of the pitchers than with his handling of the bat.  If the Mets give that much playing time to Omir Santos, they’d better hope he can handle the Four Rainouts portion of Johan Santana and The Four Rainouts.  If he can’t, the band might not get another gig at Citi Field.

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