The 18-year wait for a division title ended on a Monday night at Shea Stadium, but it was a certainty for months. The Mets took over the NL East lead on April 6th and never gave it back, maintaining a healthy margin all summer long. Their superior play was rewarded with a postseason clinching earlier than any other team and occurred after a 4-0 win over the Florida Marlins. José Valentín...
Steve Trachsel might not have been the hardest-throwing pitcher or one with the best stuff on a staff, but the sixteen-year right-hander made up for it with his ability to take the ball every fifth day and provide consistency. From 1996 through the 2004 season, Trachsel made 290 starts, which was tied with Brad Radke for the fourth-most in baseball. Trachsel’s 1,775 1/3 innings pitched was...
The 18-year wait for a division crown ended on a Monday night at Shea Stadium, but had been a certainty for months. The Mets took over the NL East lead for good on April 6 and maintained a significant margin in the NL East all summer long. Their superior play was rewarded with a postseason clinching earlier than any other team in the majors — which occurred after a 4-0 win over the Florida...
Yes I know Opening Day is about three months away yet I found myself daydreaming during the Curtis Granderson introductory press conference yesterday. Who/what could I be daydreaming about you may ask? Was it Jennifer Love Hewitt ? No. Was it Jessica Alba in a string bikini ? Nope . Could it be about the ’71 Dodge Demon 340 that I lusted over since I was 13 ? Nuh-uh. Then what could it be...
Since we’ve already covered the 10 best and worst offenses since 1980, and the 10 best pitching staffs since 1980, it’s only fitting that we take a look at the 10 worst pitching staffs since 1980. While the mid-to-late 80s and into the early 90s were the renaissance of Mets pitching, all of the bottom 10 performances have been after 1992. Ten Most Runs Allowed Since 1980 1) 1996 – 779 runs –...
There has been much talk and speculation recently about the possible demotion of Ike Davis to the minors. Such discussion is certainly warranted considering Davis’ performance over the first 40 games of the season. The Mets’ struggling first baseman is hitting .156 with four homers and nine RBI. His on-base percentage is an unhealthy .238 and his .259 slugging percentage is lower...
How many of you are sitting at home tonight, wondering and asking yourselves how long it will be until we finally see Zack Wheeler wearing that uniform and hurling 98 mph fastballs from the mound at Citi Field? The question is not an easy one to answer and in fact it’s a perfect paradox by virtue of the logical arguments one can make for either side. It’s a conundrum, that much is...
Las Vegas 4, Albuquerque 3 Last night I was at Cashman Field to witness the ace of the Las Vegas 51s and prized prospect Zack Wheeler on the mound. In many ways Wheeler lived up to the hype and pitched as expected. However, what I did NOT expect was the competitive spirit he displayed. His poise is more expected of a crafty veteran than a kid three weeks shy of turning 23. Wheeler pitched well,...
You can learn a lot about a baseball team from its locker room. The clubhouse is where relationships form, character is revealed and leaders speak out (or not). For the major league rookie, clubhouse real estate is valuable — sometimes priceless. Imagine being the rookie who spent eight months out of the year next to Sandy Koufax? Roberto Clemente? Lou Gehrig? Tom Seaver? These were model...
I mentioned in my introduction post that the Mets might want to consider moving Mike Pelfrey to the bullpen. Now I am saying that it is time that they do something. It’s become increasingly difficult to rely on him in the starting rotation. One thing the Mets may want to try is to move him to the bullpen. Give him the long-relief role, that way he can still eat innings for the Mets. In...
I was ready to accept the fact that Omar Minaya made a really horrible decision when he re-signed Oliver Perez last year to a 3-year deal worth $36 million. I was a Perez fan back in the 2006 playoffs, especially when he did a commendable job starting Game 7 of the NLCS. Of course, since then Ollie has battled injuries and inconsistency, mostly the latter. And he was really pretty bad last...
Do you ever wonder what guys like Johan Santana think after suffering through two straight non-playoff years? Last year the Mets collapsed in September for the second straight year, and the Twins were a one-game playoff away from reaching the postseason. This year the Twins are battling the Tigers for the AL Central crown while the Mets have been out of the race since July. I know Johan likes...
