SB Nation - Nick Evans

Non-Tendered Players Of Note

Sam Page — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 11:00:29 -0000

More photos » by Gregory Smith - AP

Kelly Johnson--Since Mike Fontenot got a contract, Kelly Johnson is my new guy. He's got all the makings of a good bench-guy: left-handed and defensively versatile. As a secondbaseman, Johnson has the bat for the position, but a suspect glove, basically what you might expect from the Daniel Murphy 2B project that never was, and not my dream replacement for Castillo. Still, given his nice combination of discipline and power, "platooning" him with Castillo and using him to spell Francoeur versus the occasional righty would be effective. If the Mets sign KJ, I predict he takes Castillo's job no latter than June.

Matt Capps--Capps will never live up to the closer billing he inherited in Pittsburgh, but he has consistently posted xFIPs ~4.00 since making it to the majors. An inconsistent fastball lead to Capps getting tagged for a lot of homers last year, but I guarantee, with a more liberal budget, the Pirates held onto this guy. The Mets have some holes to fill in their pen, and they could do (and probably will do) a lot worse than Capps.

Jack Cust--I'm torn. If a team gets Jack Cust to accept a bench role, there won't be a better lefty pinch-hitter in the majors. That said, Cust will probably look for a DH job elsewhere, and the last-in-UZR Mets might want to look for another type of fourth "outfielder."

Ryan Garko--Mets fans are already clamoring for Ryan Garko as the perfect platoon-mate for Daniel Murphy. He has a .885 OPSvL and a reasonable 1.17 platoon ratio, so the ability to hit lefties is real. Garko, however, has no other attractive talents. He can't field, play anything but first, hit righties, or run. Keeping him on the bench just to relieve Murphy against lefties isn't a very productive use of a roster spot, especially since Manuel will end up pinch-hitting him against righties too often. If anyone wants to convince me Garko is more deserving of a roster spot than Nick Evans, who hits lefties nearly as well, with the added ability to play outfield and emergency catcher, good luck.

As an aside, I'm still perturbed at how easily Mets fans accept this Daniel Murphy-platoon garbage as a good plan at firstbase. What if the Bears are who we thought they were, and Daniel Murphy reprises his role as the worst offensive firstbaseman in the league? What if Ike Davis isn't the super-star of the future? As fans, we often don't realize just how possible these outcomes are. Here's a novel idea I threw out earlier: go get a real firstbaseman. Anyone? No? All I'm saying is, if the Phillies acquire Roy Halladay, I think the only reasonable--no, patriotic--thing to do is trade the farm for Adrian Gonzalez.

Garret Atkins--Although a incentive-laden deal would be tempting, I still have trouble finding where Atkins would fit on the bench. He's basically Ryan Garko with more upside, but also considerably larger and more likely downside.

Ryan Langerhans--The Mariners replaced Endy Chavez with Ryan Langerhans and the Mariners are smart, so let's do that too. Good BB% and decent power make for a league-average hitter with tremendous defensive ability.

Request any I skipped, and I might add them.

The Race To "In The Best Shape Of His Life"

James Kannengieser — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:00:17 -0000

One of the great clichés of spring training is the declaration that Player X is "in the best shape of his life." Usually a sportswriter conveys the message but it's not uncommon for the player to deliver it himself. We're far away from pitchers and catchers but this hot stove season is exasperating. A poll to determine who people think will be the first Met declared "in the best shape of his life" (or some variant) is more attractive to me right now then fretting over a rumor by some random dude who Tweeted that the Mets want to sign Johnny Damon. Here are some candidates, followed by the poll. Feel free to add other suggestions/justifications:

Oliver Perez - He has to be the favorite in this race. After about as disastrous a 2009 as possible, and reports that he let himself go during the World Baseball Classic, Ollie is spending the offseason in Arizona at the Athletes Performance Institute. For $12 million a year, he better be in the best shape of this life by March 2010 if he has any pride in what he does.

Francisco Rodriguez - I have no way of confirming this, but it appeared that Frankie put on a few pounds this past season, at least compared to his Angels days. More importantly, and verifiably, his peripherals slipped across the board. Strange, factoring his switch from the tougher AL to the NL. His velocity didn't slip though, and in fact slightly increased from 2008. A fit Frankie would be pumped up and ready to earn that vesting option from hell.

Daniel Murphy - Discussion of Murphy's work ethic became banal awhile ago. He would contend for this crown in any year, if only because people seem to love writing about his killer drive for success. He also has something to prove next season, especially if the Mets don't sign a free agent first baseman.

Jose Reyes - Jose might be this year's version of Luis Castillo. He suffered an injury and seemed to draw the ire of the fans, for various reasons. A report of Jose being in the best shape of his life might be disconcerting - it implies that he trained like an animal. I'd rather hear reports that he was cautious and didn't train too hard or too early. He has million dollar legs and they need to be taken care of. However, given his intensity and love for the game it wouldn't be surprising to see him first to earn the "best shape" moniker.

Jeff Francoeur - Just because.

Dark Horse: Nick Evans - Nasty Nick couldn't do anything to grab Jerry Manuel's attention in late 2009 so he needs to make a splash this spring. His plan should be to become so ripped that no one, not even Professor Jerry, will be able to ignore his flawlessly toned pectorals, biceps and quads. Piazza-esque batting practice displays in Port St. Lucie will follow. Free weights and 50 Gram Slams are on the path to glory for young Nick.

Poll

Who will be first to be declared "in the best shape of his life"?

Oliver Perez

338 votes

Francisco Rodriguez

25 votes

Daniel Murphy

24 votes

Jose Reyes

99 votes

Jeff Francoeur

39 votes

Nick Evans

13 votes

Other

13 votes

551 votes | Poll has closed

Arizona Fall League: Slugfest Highlights Tuesday's Roundup

raygu — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:15:09 -0000

There were 39 runs and 39 hits in the game between the Javalinas and Saguaros on Tuesday afternoon with Mariners outfield prospect Dustin Ackley leading the way with 4 hits, 3 runs scored and 3 RBI.

Ackley was the Mariners first round pick in the June 2009 first year player draft and has a bright future with the Mariners. Here is what John Sickels from SB Nation's Minor League Ball site had to say about Ackley back in April, prior to the June draft:

Dustin Ackley, 1B-OF, North Carolina
Ackley is a pure hitter with developing power. Although playing first base this year, scouts say he has enough athleticism to play the outfield, perhaps even center field. He's hitting .395/.505/.716 for North Carolina, excellent numbers in context. His strike zone judgment is very good (34 walks, 20 strikeouts in 162 at-bats). He could go just about anywhere in the first round after Strasburg, depending on his bonus demands.

And here is what he had to say about him after seeing him in the AFL last week after the jump:

ackley

I liked Ackley’s bat a lot….everything he hit was hit very hard, even foul balls were hard. I think he’ll be a strong batting average/high OBP hitter, but perhaps with just 15 homer power.

Now let's get to the boxscores:

Dustin Ackley-4-6, 3 RS, 3 RBI (.323)

Jordin Danks-3-6, 2 RS, 2 2B, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K (.322)

Jonathan Lucroy-2-6, 2 RS, 2B, 3 K (.315)

Carlos Triunfel-2-5, 2 2B, 5 RBI (.233)

Lance Zawadzki-2-5, RS, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K (.305)

Chris Heisey-2-4, 2 rs, (.297)

Yonder Alonso-0-3, 2 RS, RBI, 2 BB, 2 K (.260)

Carlos Rivero-3-6, 2 RS, 4 RBI (.337)

Dirk Hogan-1-3, 2 RS, HR, 5 RBI (.208)

Ike Davis-2-5, 3 K (.333)

Nick Evans-1-4, 2 RS, HR, 2 RBI (.188)

Mike Moustakas-1-5, 2 RS, HR, 2 RBI (.268)

Starlin Castro-2-4, RS, 2 SB (9) (.387)

Ian Kennedy-5 Inn, 5 H, 1 ER, 5 K (4.25)

Andrew Cashner-3 Inn, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 K (4.58)

Jemile Weeks-1-3, 2 BB (.250)

Josh Bell-1-5, 2B (.321)

Grant Desme-1-4 (.330)

Brandon Crawford-2-4, RS, 3b, 2 RBI (..299)

Jose Tabata-3-5, RBI, SB (4) (.355)

Domonic Brown-0-5, 3 K 9.239)

Thomas Neal-1-4 (.275)

Brandon Allen-0-3, RS, BB, K (.155)

Willin Rosario-4-4, RS, RBI (.294)

Sam's 2010 Offseason Plan

Sam Page — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:00:30 -0000

Take this post for what it is, subject to change and wishful thinking. I intended this plan to be realistic in the sense that all the trades and signings are possible, but not realistic in that I think it's what the Mets will actually do--that's another post for another time. So without further ado:

The Major Moves:

Sign Matt Holliday to a 6/$110 Million contract, starting salary $17MM--Maybe he will only sign for five years, but I think at age 36 he would still be at least an adequate outfielder given his skillset. I already made most of the case for Holliday here, but especially in a year where the Mets have a protected first round pick, he seems like a perfect fit. Jason Bay will be a DH in a few years, given how precipitously his fielding has declined. He's an acceptable backup plan, only if he'll take significantly fewer years, which he probably won't. The way Mets fans deified non-entities like Xavier Nady makes me think a they'll go crazy having a legitimately great corner-outfielder for the first time in a long time
Trade Bobby Parnell and Wilmer Flores to the Rays for Carlos Peña--I don't understand why Mets fans think it is smart or even efficient to resign firstbase to being played by someone like Daniel Murphy, if we sign Matt Holliday. It's not like the Mets were just middle-of-the-pack offensively last year, they were bottom of the barrel. With the largest payroll in the National League, why not try and fill all the team's holes with at least players who are average or better at their position? The Rays are motivated to sell Peña, being in his walk-year and making $10.5MM. They have a few a infielders on their bench, who could start on most teams (Aybar, Rodriguez), so they'll be most interested in a cheap set-up caliber reliever. Parnell fits that description easily--he's still making league minimum and posted a 3.80 tRA in the bullpen his rookie season. Wilmer Flores makes up the difference in value; he's the kind of super-athletic shortstop prospect the Rays love to hoard. For the Mets, Pena solves the "not enough homers" problem; he tied Mark Teixeira for the AL homerun crown, despite missing nearly all of September with a fractured hand. He has elite plate-discipline and the batting average will probably rebound a bit. If healthy, Peña is also an above-average defender and could easily be worth 4 WAR over a full season.
Sign Rich Harden to a 1-year/$10 million contract with incentives and a mutual option for a second season--See the above link on Matt Holliday for why I also don't want John Lackey. The best way to not get locked into bad contracts is to not give them. A one year deal to Rich Harden is the type of gamble a team with the Mets payroll should take. He's injury prone, having pitched just 140 innings the last two seasons, but in just 140 innings he can be worth 4+ WAR. He was just 1.8 WAR this season according to fangraphs, but that was due to bad luck with homers, which is reflected by his xFIPs being extremely consistent from year-to-year. Any argument to sign Lackey instead of Harden proves how overrated past durability is with pitchers. Coupling Harden with a good above-replacement contingency plan(s) likely costs less than Lackey, is incredibly more valuable than Lackey, will likely provide more innings than Lackey, and doesn't carry the huge risk of giving an injury prone pitcher in his 30s a multi-year contract.
Trade Jeff Francoeur to the Cubs for Mike Fontenot.--The Cubs will eventually dump Milton Bradley, and will look to replace him with an "RBI-guy" in rightfield. RBI's are Jeff Francoeur's specialty. Mike Fontenot magically amassed 3 WAR in under 250 plate appearances in 2007. In 2008, the Cubs gave him more responsibility then leaned toward trading him when his batting average sunk. As mentioned in that article, they still view him as trade bait. With such high BABIPs in past seasons, his batting average will likely rebound. I'd bet his true skill is somewhere in between .296 wOBA player of last year, or the .395 wOBA player of the year before, maybe the league average hitter of 2006. Even if he is only an average hitter, though, his fantastic defense (9.6 UZR/150) will make him more valuable than Castillo. Having a good defensive secondbaseman will be even more important with the young groundball pitchers Pelfrey and Niese in the rotation next year.

The Minor Moves:

Sign Carl Pavano 1 year/$6 million dollar contract--Pavano will likely half to accept another short-term commitment, because of his surface numbers and lingering injury concerns, but he actually pitched quite well last season. His 4.00 FIP reflects all-around good peripherals, consistent with his career numbers. Citi Field might help suppress his high HR/FB%, and a move to the National League can only help his strikeouts. At 3.7 WAR last season, he would have easily been the most valuable pitcher on the Mets. He'll likely be the best value on the market, and would solidify a rotation with a lot injury risk.
Sign Kiko Calero 2 years/$5 million dollar contract--Calero quietly posted a 2.38 tRA this season. Here's a pretty good summary on his attractiveness as a free agent, if 2.38 didn't convince you. He would be a definite upgrade over Parnell. I see him signing with the team that offers a multi-year deal.
Sign Adam Everett 1 year/$1 million--Here, I want a player that can step in and start, without dragging the whole team down with his poor play, if Jose's injuries become complicated. His defense isn't what it used to be but it's still great.
Sign Greg Zaun 1 year/$800,000--I waffled on this, but Omir Santos needs to go back to the minors. He's a minor league player who can't hit anything but fastballs, and pitchers will make the adjustment eventually. Zaun provides plate discipline and defense that is negligibly worse than Santos' and somewhat better than Bengie Molina's. Thole may be an adventure in the field, but if it gets too bad, Zaun has the bat to be a starter, without costing Molina-money.
Sign Endy Chavez 1 year/$1.5 million--Our hero. He's like Adam Everett for the outfield! He'll be coming off surgery, so it probably would not even cost this much to sign him. Even if he's lost a step, he's eons better than Francoeur in the field, so much better suited for a bench role.
Sign Shawn Hill 1 year/$400K--He was recently released by the Padres, but he's got a 4.11 career FIP. He's injury prone, but keeping both him and Maine around is a pretty good insurance plan for an already filled-out rotation.
Sign Mike Sweeney 1 year/$600K--Sweeney got his PhD in fixing fractured, mutli-cultural clubhouses from the 2009 Mariners (not that those things are necessarily related, or exactly describe the Mets). Anyone who liked Francoeur for his attitude will love Sweeney. His skills as a right-handed platoon bat are redundant with Nick Evans also around, but he'd be brought in just as much for his intangibles than abilities.
Sign Kelvim Escobar to a 1 year contract with incentives/max value $2.5 million--The former Angels ace is on the recovery path and would add dimension to the pitching staff as a cheap, worthwhile gamble in the bullpen.
Trade Luis Castillo to the Royals for virtually nothing--I'd bet they'd take him. Getting rid of Castillo is a priority, as I think he is a huge risk to totally bust in 2010. His continuing diminished range caps his value at ~1.5 WAR, and indicates his knees really aren't getting any better. He compensated for the lack of speed last year by taking an absurd amount of pitches and hitting a career-high percentage of line drives. There's no reason to expect him to repeat either of those feats in 2010. Sell high.

Overall thoughts:

On the hitting side, the lineup has patience, power, speed, and contact skills without any obvious holes. Never watching that squad would I think, "here's Santos-Cora-Valdez, 1-2-3." The bench re-emphasizes defense, something severely lacking from last year's backups, and features all players good enough to start on some team, but who aren't expecting starting jobs. Of the 26 players listed, 8 could be considered rotation candidates, which gives flexibility on who makes the opening-day roster and in case of an injury, no Pat Misches or Livan Hernadezes have to start. There's no obviously crappy reliever who fits in under the guise of "long man" but has no other usefulness or upside. Most importantly, this roster allows the AAA class of prospects (Davis, Martinez, Mejia, and Holt) to stay in AAA as depth options or emergency trade candidates, in case Harden, Pavano, Maine, and Hill all blow out their elbows. I could see 95 wins, and with good health, the upside for much more. Now go wild with your own proposals.

Stephenom! Washington Nationals' Stephen Strasburg Hits Triple Digits In Arizona.

Ed Chigliak — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:15:33 -0000

Strasburg LIVE in Surprise, Arizona...

At the end of a long strip mall, palm tree and box car lined stretch of Arizona asphalt, tucked away behind shopping centers, restaurants and car washes galore is the only lush green grass to be seen for miles around, on the field at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona. Stephen Strasburg made his fourth AFL start there Monday afternoon in front of 400-500 fans, scouts and even one MLB team President, or as one local fan described it to me, "More people than I've ever seen at one of these games." "Why are there so many people here?" a nearby fan asked as he overheard our conversation, "That's why," the local gentlemen said, pointing to the triple-digit speed readings flashing on the scoreboard, "People still get excited about seeing someone throw over 100 mph."

(cont.)...

Four of Stephen Strasburg's first 6 pitches hit triple digits, and in the first inning, Strasburg, who was ahead 3-0 before even taking the mound, topped out at 101 mph as he struck out leadoff batter, gave up a one-out single and then got a DP grounder to bring a scoreless first frame to a close. The crowd watched, oohed and aahed as Strasburg delivered one buzzing fastball after another, most of which were in the high '90's with a few dropping as low as 92.

Strasburg's heater hit a hundred twice in the second inning, once for strike three and a swinging K from Mets' IF/OF Nick Evans, who's already played 80 major league games, and again as he walked Rangers' catcher Taylor Teagarden, who has 76 MLB games under his belt. Another swinging K from the Kansas City Royals' top-rated prospect, (according to Baseball America), Mike Moustakas, was followed by a two-out single, and then a weak groundout as Strasburg retired the final batter of his second scoreless frame.

The Nationals' '09 No. 1 overall pick hit 100 just once in the third as he retired the Rafters' batters in order, but all but one of his fastballs came in at 98 or 99, and he remained in the high 90's as he retired three of the four batters he faced in the fourth with only Teagarden's two-out single disrupting Strasburg's flow. A leadoff double in the fifth by Yankees' first base prospect Brandon Laird was the only extra base hit Strasburg allowed, and he might have been held to a long single if Desert Dogs' left fielder Corey Brown hadn't made an ill-advised dive at the liner. Two groundouts later Laird scored the only run Strasburg surrendered, and he was still in the high-90's as his outing came to a close.

• Strasburg's Line: (W, 3-1), 5.28 ERA, 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K's, 68 pitches, 43 strikes, 9 groundouts, 0 flyouts, 19 batters faced.

After Strasburg, the Nationals' pitching prospects filed out one after another, since, as I mentioned in the opening paragraph, Washington's team President, Stan Kasten, was in attendance to see how the Nationals' prospects were progressing. Brad Wilk...I mean, Josh Wilkie, threw a scoreless sixth, and Jeff Mandel pitched the eighth, surrendering a run on two hits after giving up a leadoff triple that scored on an RBI groundout, and then the Nationals' closer of the future Drew Storen, Washington's second 1st Round pick, pitched a 1-2-3 ninth which saw the former Stanford Cardinal closer dial his fastball up as high as 97 mph and mix in some brutal 83-89 mph benders and sliders as he retired the Rafters in order to end Strasburg's third win.

• Final Score - Desert Dogs 10, Rafters 2. - MLB.com GameDay (w/ Pitch FX!!)

Desert Dogs now 12-6.

(ed. note - "I'll be reporting LIVE from Phoenix Municipal Stadium for the next two days, but rather than set up a GameThread, I'll just put the comments in this post since all the Nationals' pitchers threw today and it'll be just the fielders (if they play) in the lineup tomorrow.")

Let's Split Up, Gang!

Sam Page — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 10:15:25 -0000

Would you want this player playing firstbase for the Mets next year?

versus Righties: .286/.373/.523

versus Lefties: .276/.335/.486

That's a .896 OPS versus righties and .821 versus lefties.

What about this guy at right in 2010?

versus Righties: .254/.315/.452

versus Lefties: .333/.348/.486

.767/.834 OPS. Not an ideal line, but much better than what they usually get in the corners. Could I sell you that line with the promise of good defense?

Most of you know from the title that these two hypothetical players are, in fact, four players. The firstbaseman is Adam LaRoche's 2009 line versus right-handers and Nick Evans' Major League Equivalent 2008 AA stats v. left. Jeff Francoeur's 2009 vL and Ike Davis' 2009 AA MLE's vR compose the rightfield line.

The Mets, somewhat strapped for cash and with many holes to fill, have plenty of incentive to platoon some players in 2010.The cost would be at most one cheap free agent, possibly starting the service time clock of Ike Davis, and Jeff Francoeur's arbitration settlement, which for better or worse, I'm guessing the Mets will entertain. This approach also allows the team to capitalize on the talents of its "fringe" guys.

First, Nick Evans begs to be an everyday player against lefties, whether in the outfield, at firstbase, or both. During his short major-league tenure, Evans has hit an underwhelming .242/.292/.386. Amazingly, however, he has hit a fantastic .316/.380/.469 against lefties, who he has appropriately faced more often. The split is just as dramatic in his minor league numbers. I translated his 2008 AA numbers because they were the last time he got regular work at one level, making the translation easier. That season he posted a 1.107 OPS vL in 104 plate appearances. Nick's free-swinging ways will likely prevent him from ever being an everyday firstbaseman, an assessment the Mets seem to agree with to the point of rarely even playing him in this lost season. There are three left-handed firstbaseman in particular who figure to be available this offseason: Adam LaRoche, Carlos Delgado, and Russell Branyan, who have historically large platoon splits and could be signed within the Mets budget.

Young Isaac Davis is another left-handed firstbaseman many will consider for next year's job, who too has a problem against same-handed pitchers. His lofty prospect status, and perceived improvement against lefties in Bingo (.780 OPS with an alarmingly high-BABIP) make him a less likely platoon-mate. Most people, myself included, would rather he become a more well-rounded player, but a win-now situation could force him into a part time role, learning lefties in mostly pinch-hit scenarios. The Francoeur/Davis platoon idea stems from their opposite platoon splits and their physical and defensive similarities. Each is 6'-4" with tons of raw athleticism, both have arms strong enough to pitch. Davis is working on his RF defense right now with team USA and Jeff Francoeur loves the USA.

Also a quick note on Jeff Francoeur's defense: hold your judgment. Zone ratings like UZR really hate his tenure with the Mets and I suspect that is a combination of uncharacteristically poor play and Citi Field's strange dimensions throwing the stats off. As anecdotal support for this claim check out his THT fielding stats, indicating he's made fewer plays in his zone but out-of-zone plays at a higher rate.

Earlier, I threw around the idea of a Nick Evans/Ike Davis platoon, but considering the fairly attractive options for left-handed firstbasemen, this idea makes more sense. Assuming Francoeur resigns and the Mets bring in at least a stop-gap option for leftfield (Coco Crisp?), Davis and Fernando Martinez could fight in AAA to eventually displace Francoeur or reduce him to a part-time role. This proposal also assumes the death of the Daniel Murphy at firstbase at experiment, as frankly, his bat will not play there, and his style of hitting is more suited for super-sub role than a platoon.

Cranky Friday Hodgepodge

James Kannengieser — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:00:36 -0000

None of the following items warranted a full post so I put them together. Here goes:

1. Brian Stokes entered the game Wednesday vs. the Rockies in the 8th inning with the score tied 2-2. He proceeded to give up 3 runs and Francisco Rodriguez came in to mop things up. Anything seem backwards here? The team's best reliever, Frankie, was only brought into a game after another reliever imploded. Why not bring him in to start the inning? The Mets' offense stinks, so keeping the game scoreless at that juncture was quite important. Frankie was obviously available to pitch and should have been brought in to a high leverage spot. Seems pretty simple.

2. Cory Sullivan has been not-terrible for the Mets this season but let's get real - he has no future with the big club except as an emergency injury fill-in. He's a 30 year-old below average hitter only capable of playing non-premium corner outfield positions. There is no intelligent reason to continue depriving Nick Evans of major league playing time in favor of Sullivan. Evans has displayed potential to be a decent major league hitter, especially against left-handed pitching. As BlueAndOrange.net noted recently, he has spent some more time in the outfield this season. Even if his future with the Mets is as a bench player, he could provide some decent value as a masher of lefthanded pitching in lieu of paying the Julio Francos of the world $1-$2 million. Play Evans in September.

3. I'm late to this party, but Dave Cameron at Fangraphs wrote that he couldn't care less about who wins the individual postseason awards, specifically the AL MVP. Some AA readers agreed but I don't. In a vacuum, I agree that the Cy Young and MVP voting don't really mean much. But when reading every offseason that BBWAA Hall of Fame voters base their choices on previous Cy Young and MVP voting, I start to care. The Hall of Fame is important, much moreso than postseason awards. For the foreseeable future, the BBWAA will be voting on both accolades. So when I read Sean McAdam's rationalization for exluding Bert Blyleven from his Hall of Fame ballot, I am annoyed:

For a guy who pitched 22 seasons, he received Cy Young votes in four years. Put another way, only once every five years, Blyleven was considered one of his league's 10 best pitchers. Sorry, but that doesn't exactly scream "all-time great" to me.

Why should past buffoonery by voters preclude a player from induction into the Hall of Fame? In 20 years when Joe Mauer is Hall eligible, and hasn't won any MVPs despite deserving like 7 (meanwhile Mark Teixeira and Ryan Howard have 4 apiece), how fair will Jon Heyman's Mauer-less ballot be ("he didn't win any MVPs, hence wasn't dominant")? Why not judge players by their on-field accomplishments rather than the subjective opinions of men who didn't have a clue 30 years ago? I understand some of the backlash against the FJM type snark in the Internet baseball community. Sometimes enough is enough. However, this doesn't mean faulty reasoning and poorly constructed arguments, especially by voting members of the BBWAA, should be given a free pass by people who know better.

4. Back to the Mets. Matt at Metsblog ran a piece this week about Jose Reyes. The key words:

is he [Reyes] ‘that player,’ you know, the guy who shows signs of greatness, who i believe is a super star, but who then drifts in to struggle, then back to greatness, then back to struggle, all interspersed with the occasional injury, talk of immaturity and a magazine cover…["snip", credit Rob Neyer]…in other words, i know jose can be great… my question is, will he be great… or, like olney says, will he end up being the team’s great white whale…

Before I comment any further, some Reyes facts/opinions:

Reyes is 26 years old.
At worst, Reyes is one of the top 5 most valuable shortstops in baseball. At best, he is only behind King Hanley Ramirez in terms of awesomeness.
He is almost certainly the best shortstop in Mets history.
Yeah, he dances. This pisses off Phillies fans and announcers, who have bestowed upon themselves the job of determining what constitutes acceptable celebration.

Let's get one thing straight. Jose Reyes is a superstar, 2009 injury or not. He is one of the top 25 most valuable position players in baseball and is signed through next season at a major discount. In case anyone has forgotten, there are only 30 teams in baseball, meaning Reyes is good enough to be the best player on at least 1 team (nevermind that David Wright and Carlos Beltran also fit this criteria, but stay tuned for item #5). Jose Reyes is great. You do not trade him for Matt Cain. Yet for some reason, I can already sense the offseason "let's trade Reyes" calls from Mets bloggers and fans. Nonsense. His value is actually pretty low because of injury, as commenters noted on this thread, and even so it would be almost impossible to receive equal value in return for our homegrown shortstop. I was happy to see Matt follow up to his original Reyes post, providing some clarification:

To be honest, the bitter tone in my post from yesterday, here, was probably the result of me being frustrated with this overall season, while missing Jose’s energy and attitude on the field… frankly, the Mets don’t feel the same and are far less entertaining without him.

There's a difference between wanting to see better performance from Reyes and labeling him a disappointment. Heck, I want to see more from Albert Pujols, I think he's even better than his numbers dictate. At the same time, I don't think I'll ever say that Pujols or a 5-6 WAR Mets shortstop is a disappointment or not a superstar. To paraphrase a smart Mets fan, let's not crap on our laudable players, while lauding our crap players.

5. Jayson "Worth The Wait: Tales of the 2008 Phillies" Stark's Mets Ether made the rounds yesterday, resulting in a concise and effective FanShot by johnmac7512. The money quote from Stark's piece:

What do the Mets need? We heard terms like "gamers" and "blue-collar players" over and over. To be a truly great team, said one scout, "you need grinders, not stars. And the Mets have been All-Stars and no grinders."

What, Daniel Murphy isn't blue collar enough? Boy, I would do anything to become one of the infamous "anonymous scouts". It would be fun to throw a wrench into the standard drivel being spouted by these "credible" sources. To quote Matt Damon as Colin Sullivan in The Departed, "Qui gives a sh*t" if a guy is a "gamer", as long as he is a valuable player. Marty Noble's latest ~~comedy act~~ mailbag also touched on this no-longer-infuriating-because-I-am-so-used-to-it nonsense:

My sense of the division race then was that the Phillies had several players -- Shane Victorino, Werth, Rollins and Raul Ibanez -- who enjoyed every moment on the field and didn't want to leave it until they had buried their opponent. And they had dominating talent in Howard and Utley.

I didn't see those characteristics in comparable quantities with the Mets. I thought too many Mets players were too easily satisfied and that not enough of the players with dominating talent delivered in critical situations. The 2009 Mets, more than Mets teams of the three previous seasons, were fundamentally flawed and tended to make grand mistakes.

Define "grand mistake." How about foolishly raising your arms to signify ground-rule double as an opposing team's hitter legs out an inside-the-park home run? Or dropping a routine pop-up then throwing the ball away, allowing the batter to make it all the way home? What about failing to cover 2nd base after an opposing player draws a walk, allowing him to sprint to 2nd? Yep, these are all flawed accomplishments of the ~~New York Mets~~ Philadelphia Phillies in 2009! (and these 3 plays are just off the top of my head) All teams make boneheaded mistakes. There are no "perfect" players (sorry Steve Phillips). Yes, it seems the Mets' mistakes this season came at unopportune times and maybe Ryan Church should have touched 3rd base, but these things don't only happen to the team in Flushing. Stuff happens.

I worry about stories like this because of the negative impact they have on the legacies of David Wright, Jose Reyes, and Carlos Beltran. These are 3 potential Hall of Fame players, yet I can see New York sportswriters and fans unfairly remembering them as chokers. As players who failed to live up to their ability. And that really sucks. Short of bringing fake blood capsules onto the field and exploding them on their faces after crashing into the outfield wall or diving into the stands, I don't know what else the core trio can do to truly become "grinders." I've been inspired to write an alternate reality short story, where the 2007 collapse didn't happen, the Mets won a World Series, and Wright, Reyes, and Beltran are paraded around New York City like conquering heroes. Stay tuned for that, at some point.

6. Josh Thole means business. It's been said. Now let's not say it again and just observe the development of the organization's top catching prospect.

7. Hey Brian Bruney - maybe you should learn how to throw a strike before you run your mouth.

8. First and last time I'll post this. Follow me on Twitter, if you want to read more cantankerous ramblings about the Mets and pop culture.

White Flag Applesauce - Santana out for season, Wagner to Boston, DH to Mets, Livan to DC, Putz done

Joe Budd — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:17:08 -0000

I can't say I'm actually unhappy with Santana being put on the DL. At this point, why are we wasting him and putting him out there to suffer an even worse injury? But, seriously, this needed to be examined significantly earlier. There is absolutely no reason that he should have been pitching in pain for all this time. And, finally, the Wagner reunion tour was certainly fun while it lasted.

Meet the Mets

What a busy, crappy, bittersweet day in Metsland. I get to choose between two big stories, so I'm going with the Mets best pitcher one. Johan Santana will undergo elbow surgery, miss the rest of the season, but will likely be back by Spring Training 2010. This course of events brought a lot of internet second-guessing as to the Mets injury management system. Rob Neyer. Ken Rosenthal. Umpbump. The system really makes sense, however, when you see the Mets' decision making flow chart.

While the verdict of the Johan Santana contract at the time was resounding applause, Fangraphs reminds us that the deal is looking awfully shaky from here on out.

In the second major news story of the day, the Mets, who would not have offered arbitration, sent Billy Wagner to Boston after the reliever waived his no-trade clause. The Mets will receive two players to be named later with one of those names being circulated now: Chris Carter, a 27 year old triple-A DH.

Wallace Matthews did not appreciate Wagner at all. Dave Cameron says the Red Sox got the best of both worlds.

JJ Putz, thought to be close to a return, is out for the season.

For some reason, David Wright is looking to return from the DL on Monday.

With all this free roster space now Nick Evans doesn't have to wait until September to be in the big leagues again.

Blueandorange.net has a great look back at this trying season. I completely forgot about the Darren O'Day debacle. Ugh.

Matthew Artus spends some time he will never get back looking for the act that has cursed the Mets.

Around the NL East

Mr. National Livan Hernandez has returned to Washington. The Nationals celebrated the coup by beating the Cubs 15-6.

Brad Lidge blew his ninth save of the year as the Pirates shocked the Phillies.

The Phillies weren't the only contenders losing to crappy teams: The Braves fell to David Eckstein in the 12th inning before 4,000 fans.

Atlanta welcomed back Martin Prado and Garret Anderson.

Around MLB

Zack Greinke set a Royals team record with 15 strikeouts yesterday against the Indians.

BtB gives a tutorial on how to make your own pitch f/x database.

The Rockies are now just two games behind the Dodgers after beating LA in the 10th.

Triple Play Applesauce - Wagner to BoSox possible, Brooklyn no-hitter, Minaya back to Mets for 2010

Joe Budd — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 12:17:58 -0000

At this point, I'm starting to take a certain pride in how awful this season has been. I can say to future generations of Met fans, "you think you've got it bad now, I remember when the Mets ended a game by... hitting into an unassisted triple play... dropping a popup..." It's like showing off my scars. They build character.

Meet the Mets

The Boston Red Sox have claimed Billy Wagner off waivers and the Mets appear to be in the process of working out a deal. Problem is, there are some roadblocks. One is Wagner himself, who would want to close immediately. Secondly, the Boston bullpen sounds less than thrilled about the addition.

Fred Wilpon assures Met fans that chaos will continue for at least another year.

The Mets got a no-hitter from Brandon Moore at Brooklyn.

Ted Berg asks why we're all jumping to conclusions that Gary Sheffield's latest spat was hit fault?

Sunday's game opened with an inside the park home run and ended with an unassisted triple play. What can we possibly expect this afternoon? My guess is a no-hitter by Cliff Lee with a cycle by Shane Victorino.

A plea for peace from Phillies Nation.

The Mets have interest in Japanese teenage pitcher Yusei Kikuchi.

Reese Havens hit his 12th home run of the year while scoring four runs in St. Lucie's 9-4 win over Sarasota.

Josh Thole, Nick Evans, and Eddie Kunz will be a part of any September call-ups for the Mets.

FanGraphs takes a look at Billy Wagner's return.

Around the NL East

The Nationals, led by Craig Stammen, pounded the Brewers 8-3, snapping their 5-game losing streak.

Atlanta pulled ahead of Florida in the division with the help of Brian McCann's 5 RBI.

The Braves got more good news with Tim Hudson's encouraging rehab performance.

Marlin first baseman Nick Johnson is likely out for the Met series as he continues to struggle with running. No decision yet on the DL.

In random statistics, the Marlins are quickly approaching their 1,000th batter hit by pitch.

Philadelphia put Greg Dobbs on the disabled list and called up slappy Miguel Cairo.

Around MLB

Fire Jim Bowden argues that Adam Dunn is as bad defensively as his fielding metrics say.

Armando Benitez is going to Houston, or at least Houston's triple-A farm team.

John Smoltz struck out 9 over 5 innings in his Cardinal debut. Seven of those nine strikeouts were consecutive.

The Tribune Company is finally getting rid of the Cubs. For $845 million to the Ricketts family.

Ozzie Guillen is unsure whether Jake Peavy is returning this year. Chicago may have rolled snake eyes on that deal.

Reds pitcher Aaron Harang is out for the remainder of the season after an emergency appendectomy.

The Rockies have signed Jason Giambi.

San Diego just can't get enough grission. They have re-signed David Eckstein for an additional year.

1969 wasn't just the Miracle Mets, it was Ball Four and the Seattle Pilots' only year. Now there's a film about the Pilots.

8 Run Applesauce - Braves answer with own 8 spot, Wagner on waivers, Putz returning, K-Rod's ridiculous option, Nats make GM choice

Joe Budd — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:34:41 -0000

So much for the one player that I was looking forward to watching this season. Can the September callups happen yet so that at least Nick Evans can get some TV time?

Meet the Mets

Can you imagine what this team would be like if it had a bullpen of Billy Wagner, JJ Putz, and Francisco Rodriguez? How awesome would that be? Man, I yearn for those offseason days long ago when I dreamt of that. So innocent. If it does happen, it would probably be quick because the Mets put Wagner on waivers.

Francisco Rodriguez's fourth year option is performance based and it's ridiculous. He very easily could earn $17.5 million in his fourth year.

Nick Evans is playing himself into a September callup and Josh Thole made a start at first base.

Go to a Mets game for as little as $3.

The Mets' 3 nominees for the Hank Aaron award (the best offensive player award): David Wright, Angel Pagan, and Luis Castillo. Enough said.

Around the NL East

Cliff Lee is making me feel like a schlub for getting stuck with Johan Santana for $20 million.

The Nationals flaunt internet rumors and make Mike Rizzo their full time GM. The team celebrated by losing 5-4 to the Colorado Rockies.

The Marlins notched 10 hits again, but this time lost to the Houston Astros 6-3. Florida is now 5.5 games behind Philadelphia.

Rehabbing Atlanta starter Tim Hudson may face off against Jake Peavy down in triple-A.

Around MLB

Newly acquired John Smoltz will most likely make his Cardinal debut this weekend.

The Dodgers lost to Albert Pujols last night, dropping their NL West lead down to 3.5 games.

Seattle made a move to acquire demoted Brewer infielder Bill Hall.

Dave Cameron says that Joe Mauer could be having the greatest season ever for a catcher.