SB Nation - Jose Reyes

Some 3 AM Jose Reyes Appreciation

James Kannengieser — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 08:00:43 -0000

It's a sad state of affairs when the ranking of the top Mets moments of 2009 goes something like this:

1. Omir Santos's 9th inning home run off Jonathan Papelbon to beat the Red Sox
2. David Wright's 9th inning home run off Ryan Madson to beat the Phillies
3. Jose Reyes's WFAN interview
4. That time Jeremy Reed hit a single

I'll take any victories with this Mets organization, no matter how small, and the Reyes interview was one of them. Something about the interview made me giddy, a rare feeling. Maybe it was the confidence Reyes projected in answering Mike Francesa's questions. Maybe it was the baseball intelligence he demonstrated by discussing the importance of drawing walks (you listening, new face of the franchise?) and how his numbers stack up vs. other shortstops. Maybe it was just nice to be distracted from work for an hour in my cubicle. It was pleasing to see so many other fans share these sentiments and support the longest tenured Met who is still just 26(!) years old. It's a really cheesy thing to say, but life as a Mets fan is better when Jose Reyes is around.

Jose is not my favorite Met - that title belongs to Carlos Beltran. But there is no Met I root harder for than Jose, if that makes sense. There's something satisfying about watching a born and bred Met play like a superstar, as he did from 2006-2008. Jose hinted that he is very aware of how the fans view him and I almost wish he wasn't. It's this foolishly negative perception that may have driven him too hard to try to come back this season from injury. Hopefully on Opening Day 2010 he will be regaled with a standing ovation to kick off what is ideally another All-Star caliber season. If there's any reason to buy tickets next season, it's Jose Reyes.

MLB Trade Rumors: Jason Bay to the Mets?

raygu — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:00:28 -0000

by Rob Carr - AP

3 months ago: Boston Red Sox's Jason Bay, right, is congratulated by third base coach DeMarlo Hale (35) after hitting a solo home run against the Baltimore Orioles during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 18, 2009, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Rob Carr)

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SI.com's Jon Heyman reported, via Twitter, yesterday that the Mets are not going to get into the bidding for Matt Holliday, but did make a bid for slugger Jason Bay:

#mets didnt want to get into protracted talks with holliday. also believe bay, as pull hitter with loft, fits citi field OK about 5 hours ago from web
#mets offered #bay 4 years for about $65 million, give or take. they'd probably have to bump it to 5 yrs to get him.

It was also reported that the Mets made an offer to catcher Bengie Molina. The Mets apparently want to sign one of the three biggest free agents in this year's free agent class.

Should the Mets sign both Bay and Molina, they would have a pretty solid lineup:

Jason Bay

Bengie Molina

Jeff Franceour

Daniel Murphy

Bay has never hit at the new Citifield, but as a Pirate, he went 5-15-.303-.382-.576-.957 at the old Shea Stadium. Bay's career home/road splits are a picture of consistency as he has hit .282-.387-.507-.893 at home (PNC Park and Fenway Park) and .278-.366-.532-.898 on the road in his career.

Bay's 2009 season was very productive even though his BA was a low .267. He went 36-119-.267-.384-.537-.921. Bay's BB% (15%), K% (30.5%) and ISO% (.269) were all at or close to career highs for him. Bay benefitted from a 49.1% FB% and a 19.7% HR/FB% in 2009.

Shouild Bay sign with the Mets, I do not see him hitting 30 HRs in 2010, but can see a solid 25-100 season from him assuming the Mets don't experience the numbers of injuries that plagued the team in 2009.

I was trading emails with Fake Teams reader DB11 today, and we agreed that Bay's NL-only league (UBA) auction value could be in the $30-$35 range in 2010 should he sign with the Mets.

Poll

Can Jason Bay hit 30 HRs in 2010 playing his home games at Citifield?

Interview with Derek Carty from The Hardball Times-Part 4

raygu — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:00:19 -0000

Here is the last part of the 4 part interview with Derek Carty from The Hardball Times. Derek provides some insight into his top 5 rankings and some early sleepers for 2010:

Fake Teams: Are there any statistics that you use to evaluate hitters or pitchers that aren't mainstream yet?

Derek Carty: Absolutely. As I've talked about a little bit already, there are some that aren't even super well-known in the sabermetric community because, well, I invented them myself and they aren't really readily available yet. I absolutely love CAPS, David Gassko's LIPS ERA is great, and True Home Runs for hitters is a favorite of mine as well. Chris Dutton and Peter Bendix's xBABIP is great too. And of course, things like BABIP and HR/FB and LOB% aren't really mainstream, but they are pretty well-known in the sabermetric community and are certainly important to look at.

More after the jump:

Fake Teams: Do you prefer auction leagues or straight draft leagues? Mixed or NL/AL-only leagues?

Derek Carty: Auction, without a doubt. It gives everyone a chance at every player and, I feel, allows you to be more creative with how you construct your team and with how you plan your strategy. I used to be a 100% in favor of mixed leagues over AL/NL-only (in theory), although LABR has swayed my opinion a bit (it was the first AL/NL-only league I ever played in). Still, I would have to lean towards something like a 14 or 15-team mixed league, given my druthers. I just feel that one or two big injuries to an AL or NL-only team can derail any hope of a championship, in some instances, and we really are in the infantile stages of trying to predict injuries, so it's not as if some of us can even gain much of a competitive advantage in the area. I was actually quite lucky in LABR this year when it came to the health of my players, which has surely colored my opinion of this league setup a bit. Aside from losing Ramon Hernandez for most of the year and Raul Ibanez, Rich Harden, and Carlos Ruiz for a few weeks, my team stayed pretty healthy. In other leagues, I wasn't as lucky. In the FSIC, for instance, Jose Reyes killed us (although we did manage to finish in second despite a Reyes/Garrett Atkins combo for our first two picks). I think a 15-team mixed league is a pretty good depth and minimizes the amount of luck involved.

Fake Teams: An early look at 2010-who is your top 5 players in NL-only leagues? AL-only leagues? Mixed?

Derek Carty: This'll have to be very early since I haven't completed my projections yet or really tried to make any 2010 predictions, but here's how I'm currently feeling (completely subjectively and without seeing some of the more in-depth numbers I like to look at).
NL: 1) Albert Pujols, 2) Hanley Ramirez, 3) Chase Utley, 4) Ryan Braun, 5) Matt Kemp
AL: 1) A-Rod, 2) Mark Teixeira, 3) Miguel Cabrera, 4)Evan Longoria, 5) Joe Mauer
Mixed: 1) Albert Pujols, 2) Hanley Ramirez, 3) Chase Utley, 4) A-Rod, 5) Ryan Braun

Fake Teams: If you have done this analysis, who are a few sleepers for 2010?

Derek Carty: I haven't really done this analysis yet, so I'll probably have some very different names when asked in a month or two. For now, let's go with Ian Stewart, Julio Borbon, Eric Young Jr., Dallas McPherson (consider him the next Russell Branyan if he finds playing time), Koji Uehara (potential Baltimore closer, though he could succeed as a SP as well), Brett Andersen, and Jorge de la Rosa. And, of course, whether someone is truly a sleeper or a value pick is entirely dependent on context. He'll only derive value if you take him in a round later than where you believe he truly belongs.

Fake Teams thanks Derek for taking the time to answer these questions for our readers.

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

The Real Problem With The Alex Cora Deal

Sam Page — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:00:26 -0000

by Kathy Willens - AP

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Well we all knew this was coming; the writing was on the wall, and it read: "ELMER WUZ HERE." Out of resignation for the inevitable, I recounted the positives of Alex Cora--in short, plate discipline and the chance of non-embarrassing fielding. Many people will abuse his UZR/150 stats and refuse to recognize the role injury played in slowing his bat down, which is too bad--there are enough reasons to hate this signing, while giving Alex Cora his meager dues. Basically, he's a decent enough utility middle infielder, who should only start in emergencies, but worth a major league spot on the depth chart. Yes, that player should make league minimum or only slightly more. And while Cora could feasibly be worth $2M next year, he is basically all downside. Still, I said I wouldn't complain if the Mets signed him for $2M. But I didn't say anything about bonuses and vesting options.

Contract incentives are useful in three situations: 1. rewarding a franchise player, 2. enticing a highly sought-after free agent, or 3. mitigating against the risk of an injured player breaking down. Number 1 obviously doesn't apply and no one can possible convince me number 2 is true. Situation #3 works when you have a player like Rich Harden, whose value increases greatly with every 20 innings he gives you. If last season taught us anything, it's that the more we see Alex Cora, the more screwed we are. As an everyday starter last season, Cora was totally exposed, and his performance steadily got worse. The fact that the Mets could even foresee a situation where Alex Cora gets 80-110 starts, proves they are totally incapable of planning for the very real scenario of Jose Reyes' getting injured, and would be perfectly content to forfeit the season.

A 2 million dollar vesting option? Why do the Mets want to be committed to 35-year-old Alex Cora at any price, much less 2-mil? If Alex Cora starts 80+ games in 2010, it means one of two things: 1. Jose Reyes was injured for a prolonged period and the Mets were too incompetent to replace him, or 2. the Mets were too incompetent to sell high on Luis Castillo and he imploded. In either case, prior to 2011, a massive restructuring of the middle infield depth chart would be required, in which Jose Reyes could no longer be considered a starter, or a new secondbaseman would have to be signed. 35-year-old Alex Cora, with a guaranteed roster spot and $2MM salary, would be massive dead weight, and his contract would likely force the Mets to either release him and eat the money or give him partial playing time. Next offseason could be a heck of a mess for the new GM.

The defenders of this deal have harped on two tellingly stupid points: he's a great clubhouse guy and he won't prevent the Mets from signing other free agents. The second statement can easily be refuted by: yes he will! No, Alex Cora will probably not stop the Mets from signing Matt Holliday if they really want him, but if that's your conception of free agency and the Mets budget, then you're worse than Minaya. Three million is three million; or seven comparable players on league minimum; Omar Vizquel and Adam Everett; a handful of intriguing minor league free agents, like Ruben Gotay, a utility infielder better than Alex Cora; or every draft pick the Mets failed to sign last year.

His benefit to the clubhouse is all fine and good, and believe me, I'm the biggest sucker in the world for players who seem to have fun and energize his teammates. No one honestly believes that stuff is the real difference between a good team and a bad, though, do they? The one and only time I watched Mets Weekly (no SNY in TN), I remember the host prodding Cora with a painfully obvious line of questions about his role in the clubhouse, his relationship with Dustin Pedroia, etc.. It seemed as if she hoped Cora would rip the microphone out her hand, make some absurd statements confirming his importance to the team, and in one fell swoop assuage the collective fears of Mets fans whose subconsciouses were bothered by the nagging "maybe he's just bad." Instead, Cora made the truthful reply about how the self-assured Pedroia didn't really want to hear his crap at first, though they eventually formed a bond. Then, maybe a little conscious of what the host's questions insinuated about his skill, frankly said (and I'm not sure this is the exact quote), "I'm not here to make friends. I'm here to win ballgames." Another winning statement from a winning player! No one saw the irony.

But don't fret, compared to this negotiating gem, I think the worst is yet to come. Alex Cora is a decent enough bench piece caught in the crossfire of a team's continued violation of its fanbase's trust. I'm still waiting for the word on whether the Dessens money is guaranteed; I've got a wicked rant ready for that one.

MLB Trade Rumors: Juan Pierre to be Traded??

raygu — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:30:10 -0000

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

2 months ago: Los Angeles Dodgers' Juan Pierre dives into third for a triple during the first inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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In Sunday's article by Dylan Hernancez of the LA Times, Hernandez mentions the following when discussing some of the Dodger's offseason plans:

The Dodgers are expected to explore the possibility of dealing fourth outfielder Juan Pierre for an overpaid back-of-the-rotation pitcher in a trade that would essentially amount to a swap of bad contracts. Pierre is owed $18.5 million over the next two seasons.

This is not news as the Dodgers have been trying to deal Pierre since last offseason, but his contract prevented teams from trading for him. But Pierre put together a pretty good season in 2009, especially when he filled in for Manny Ramirez during his suspension. There was one school of thought that the Dodgers were a better team when Pierre was in the lineup.

Pierre was fourth in the NL in stolen bases in 2009, stealing 30 bases in 42 attempts. In 380 ABs, Pierre went 0-31-30-.308-.365-.392-.757. His OBP, OPS, BB% and BB/K% was his highest since his 2004 season with the Marlins.

More after the jump:

The first name that popped into my mind was the Braves Derek Lowe. I am not sure Lowe is considered a back of the rotation starter, but he does have a bad contract paying him $15 million over the next 3 seasons. Lowe went 15-10 with a 4.67 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP in 2009. Lowe was hurt by an increase in his BB% from 1.92 in 2008 to 2.91 in 2009. His K/BB% fell from 3.27 in 2008 to 1.76 in 2009. Lowe's BABIP also increased from .287 in 2008 to .330 in 2009, well above his career BABIP of 0.299.

Another pitcher I thought of was the Mets Oliver Perez who has two years and $24 million left on his contract. If the Mets decide they want to field a team that plays to the size of its ballpark, they could look to Pierre to play LF. Or, if they decide that Carlos Beltran's knees can't take centerfield anymore, they could put Pierre in center, moving Beltran to LF. Pierre could bat leadoff with Jose Reyes batting second in the lineup, should he be healthy in 2010.

The Weekend Linkfest!

NoahJ — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:00:47 -0000

Some things to read while being a real man or while putting up your holiday decorations.

I would like to preface this by kind of letting everyone know what is going on. As KL posted friday, Morineko, FtJ and I will be your new weekend editors. What that means is we will be hanging around and posting a weekend news post to keep things alive on the weekends. KL asked us to "make it our own" and do what we'd like with the post. I, personally, will probably be following the same basic format as the Frosty Mugs, though I can't speak on whether the other two will be doing anything radically different. Hopefully we can get it so it is nearly as active on Saturday and Sunday as it is Monday-Friday. If there is anything you would like somewhat different, at least from me, feel free to voice whatever is on your mind.

And if you are arriving late today, be sure to check out Jordan's and Jeff's excellent-as-always posts below this one. Both posts relate to the JJ Hardy/Carlos Gomez trade, about which I have an abundance of articles, so let's get right into the bulletpoints for that:

The Bucky Channel likes the trade. However, they also think Gomez should lead off, which is probably a bad idea.
Wisconsin's Sports Tap also is a fan of the trade, and gives a pretty good look at what this means for the Brewers.
Carlos Gomez says that he'll hit in Milwaukee with a full time job
The Official Site has an article about Alcides Escobar, along with Hardy's thoughts on the player Escobar is and will be.
Casa De Machado says their good-bye to JJ and also thinks that Corey Hart will be traded with Jody Gerut taking over in right field.
Milwaukee's Own Brew Crew Fans likes the trade and likens Carlos Gomez to another player with what seems to be a similar skillset, Michael Bourn
Miller Park Drunk has a big roundup of what various places are saying about the trade.

Tom H also sees the Bourn comparison. I have also seen/heard comparisons to Jose Reyes in various places as well.

There are other links, but there is nothing really to differ them from the rest. Most people either like the trade or are at least OK with it. I only saw a couple places where the author hated the trade.

In other news, it sounds like Mark Mulder will probably be a Brewer sooner than later. We;ve been hearing that for a while, but I haven't heard of any displeasure about the Brewers taking that risk. As long as there is no big guaranteed contract, I don't really know how you could be upset with that.

Baseball Daily Digest has a very good article up about new Brewers pitching coach Rick Peterson, his time in Oakland, and his work with their "big three". It's definitely worth a read.

The Arizona Fall League's Rising Stars game was yesterday, and the only Brewer, Mark Rogers, didn't get a chance to pitch in the game. Here is the gameday with the boxscore.

Roguejim has a fanpost about pertinent off season dates. Circling the Bases has an even more complete list full of offseason dates.

Circling the Bases also says that the Phillies will be in the market for a third basemen to replace Pedro Feliz. Would they have any pitching the Brewers could get for McGehee or Gamel?

Several different sites have been ranking the New York Yankees World Series winners. I will link to the Hardball Times version because they have links to several others if you are interested.

Other than all that, I just have a few quick, interesting links:

If you don't like ESPN, Brewed Sports gives you another reason to dislike the World Leader.

BizofBaseball makes the case against implementing a salary cap in baseball.

In Cuba, there was a case where the Umpires using instant replay might still have led to the wrong decision.

And I don't know what the holiday was, but the city of New York had some sort of parade. Something to do with the Yankees I think? I don't know, Jay-Z was there, so I am guessing it must have been important.

That's about it. Unless of course you want to sign Seth McClung up for some anger management classes.

It's bad enough being a Mets fan in '09, but it could be worse

Eli Greenspan — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 15:18:36 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

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For the second year in a row, the Phillies are in the World Series, and it doesn't help that their crosstown rivals posted the best record in the majors and are one game away from the World Series.

The Mets were the biggest disappointment of the 2009 season, finishing in 4th place with a 70-92 record. Could you imagine anything worse?

How about this: ESPN.com's Keith Law confirmed an old rumor that the Blue Jays turned down an offer that would have sent 19-year old prospect David Wright to the Blue Jays for outfielder Jose Cruz Jr. (Law worked for the Blue Jays before switching to journalism) Cruz was coming off a great 2001 season, hitting a career high 34 home runs, but had regressed coming into a contract year.

The Mets were willing to take the half-season rental, but the Blue Jays didn't feel the return was enough.

Before the start of the 2002 season, then-Mets GM Steve Phillips traded a package of young players that included Matt Lawton and Alex Escobar to the Indians for All-Star Roberto Alomar. The eight-player blockbuster was one of the biggest deals of the offseason, but only few people know how close the Indians were to landing All-Star shortstop Jose Reyes as well.

The Indians did not have much information on the young shortstop at the time and were content with taking outfielder Alex Escobar instead.

Both Wright and Reyes had down years in 2009, but have played major roles in the Mets' success in prior years. How would this team look without those two on the left side of the infield?

MLB Trade Rumors: Juan Pierre for Luis Castillo?

raygu — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:00:21 -0000

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

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I was talking with a colleague today, a Mets fan, and we got to talking about the Dodgers offseason needs and the Mets offseason needs. He stated that he hopes the Mets can sign Orlando Hudson this offseason, which is possible. But the Mets have Luis Castillo signed through 2010 thanks to the genius that is Omar Minaya.

My colleague then stated that the only way the Dodgers would take on Castillo is to dump a bad contract. Bingo!! Juan Pierre came to mind, and the Mets need a left fielder, and possibly someone to hit at the top of their lineup who possesses a skill the Mets are lacking....speed. I say that because we don't know what the Mets will have with Jose Reyes once he returns from surgery.

I can see the Dodgers making this trade, especially with the recent news that their owner, Frank McCourt, is going through a nasty divorce. McCourt may look to dump some bad contracts. Plus, Castillo possesses a skill that Joe Torre and Don Mattingley love....the ability to take some pitches and draw a walk.

Does this deal help both teams?

Poll

Should the Mets deal Luis Castillo for Juan Pierre?

No, the Mets need a power hitter like Matt Holliday to play LF.

62 votes

Yes, they need a leadoff hitter who can steal some bases with Reyes so injury prone.

68 votes

130 votes | Poll has closed

Productive Base Stealing And The Mets

James Kannengieser — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:03:31 -0000

In the recent Athletics Nation interview with A's GM Billy Beane, interviewer Tyler Bleszinski asked about an often divisive topic in the realm of baseball discussion, the stolen base:

Blez: Do you think that the stolen base has become a bit of an unvalued commodity in baseball considering how few there are now, especially in the American League, compared to years past?

Beane: What I think I've noticed more than anything is that a lot of the teams that are running have sophisticated coaching staffs and sophisticated ways to apply the running game, and I might not be accurate and this is just my impression, but those teams seem to be successful more often. The percentage at which they are stealing bases just seems to be higher.

Blez: The Rays are a good example from last year.

Beane: The Red Sox, who historically haven't been a running team the last few years, specifically with (Jacoby) Ellsbury at the top of their lineup. Yet they also seem to steal at a very high rate too. I think everyone is just trying to take advantage by making a percentage play as well. That's why the success rate seems higher. It just seems very much a part of the strategy as opposed to just indiscriminate running for the sake of doing it.

Emphasis mine. It was Michael Lewis's book Moneyball, centered on Beane and his front office, that led to the creation of a stolen base straw man by the anti-saber and anti-Beane crowd to tear down. The argument is usually along these lines:

Sabermetric people only care about walks and home runs - they can't understand that stealing bases is a major part of manufacturing runs, a skill all winning teams possess.

Beane never said that stolen bases themselves are bad or undesirable. Rather, as he stated in the interview with Blez, poor stolen base percentages and running for the sake of running are not recipes for success. Just because 9 out of 10 announcers say that getting caught stealing is acceptable since it displays aggressiveness doesn't mean it's true. A caught stealing costs a team a precious commodity: an out. An illustrative example is the Angels this season. They finished 3rd in the league in stolen bases, which looks nice on the surface. But their success rate was just 70%, and according to Baseball Prospectus's EqSBR stat the they were 6.98 runs below average due to the stolen base, worst in the American League. A success rate of at least ~73% is required to improve a team's chances of scoring runs.

This takes us to the Mets. During the Omar Minaya era (2005-present) the Mets have been one of the best baserunning teams in the game, especially when it comes to stealing bases. Here are their stolen bases, stolen base % and EqSBR, as well as their league rank, since 2005:

Year	SB	Rank	SB%	Rank	EqSBR	Rank
2005	153	1	79%	2	5.19	1
2006	146	1	81%	1	2.32	2
2007	200	1	81%	3	7.79	2
2008	138	2	79%	2	4.49	2
2009	122	1	73%	5	2.81	1

This is about as good as it gets. Large quantities of stolen bases combined with high success rates. Anecdotally, the Mets have made some memorable base stealing gaffes. Jose Reyes getting thrown out at 3rd with 2 outs in a September 2007 game comes to mind immediately. But as we all know, the Mets are not the only team that makes such mistakes and their are no "perfect" players who are never caught stealing. Who deserves credit for the great base stealing numbers? The players, mostly. It's hard to laud to a coaching staff that has experienced so much turnover in such a brief period. Carlos Beltran's 86% success rate as a Met is crazy. David Wright is at a commendable 79% success rate. Reyes's 80% rate is especially outstanding, considering he is always among the leaders in stolen bases.

Unfortunately, stolen base success is not enough to make up for a lack of good hitting, evidenced by the 2009 Mets. A team of Juan Pierres might steal a ton of bases but won't score many runs. The Mets offense from 2006-2008 boasted a potent all-around attack: OBP, SLG, and valuable baserunning. It's fair to imagine that the OBP and baserunning portions of the offense will have continued success in 2010, given the (expected) returning players' skill sets. Let's hope the SLG portion picks up the slack.

Lastly, it's worth noting another outstanding team as far as stealing bases: the Philadelphia Phillies. It is possible for a team to kill its opponents with both speed and power. The 2 are not mutually exclusive and the latter is certainly more important.