Newhan may soon be a Met

[Vic Sage]

According to Newsday...

The New York Mets are apparently close to signing free-agent outfielder David Newhan. The 33-year-old, lefty-hitting Newhan, formerly with the Baltimore Orioles, gives the Mets another outfield option and further organizational depth if they decide to trade Lastings Milledge for a pitcher.

[Willets Point]

Who-han?

[Frayed Knot]

Newhan has been a Joe McEwing-ish type of utility player who's kicked around a couple of teams for several years now.
He's been a big favorite of many in the press, in part on account of his physical averageness and partly because he's the son of one of their own. His father is a long-time sports writer out on the west coast.

I don't particularly see a whole lot of role for him here, although an invite couldn't hurt.

[Guest sharpie]

He made a midseason splash in '04 with the Orioles and then was a bust in '05.

[Frayed Knot]

Kinda like Joe McQ from '01 to '02

[Guest Edgy DC]

McWho-ing?

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

As I recall it, Newhan gave it his customary 110% while ripping the O's for demoting him last season.

I don't see these no-talent guys having a place in Omarland.

[nymr83]

the stats are pretty sad, i suppose we need some filler at AAA?

[smg58]

I could justify a minor league deal for the sake of depth, but we're going to need a righty OF to spell Green against some lefties at the very least, so I can't really see him beating out both Milledge and Johnson for that bench spot. Assuming he can even outperform either of them.

[RealityChuck]

Hey, if he's cheap, it doesn't hurt to sign him. If he works out, great. If not, you have an extra outfielder in New Orleans (man, that's hard to remember after 40 years at Tidewater/Norfolk).

[Guest vtmet]

His stats say lame for a middle infielder utility type of guy, yet he's an OFer utility guy...don't see what purpose he would have...

[Guest cleonjones11]

I waiting for Newhan with great anticipation..Where;s Joe Orsulak?

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Newhan is a done deal, sez Marty Noble.

Not that it's a big deal but I don't get it.

If anything, this further cements Valentin to an everyday job at 2B and threatens Johnson , Milledge and evryone else who might step in for a faltering OFer.

It also proves me wrong about Omar (again).

[Guest patona314]

if omar was going to go this route, bernie seemed like the obvious choice for a multitude of reasons. but i'm w/you, not much sense in this signing unless he's gone by opening day.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Blood is thicker.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Maybe Newhan's signing is part of a masterful plan to get more favorable press coverage, in order to attract new fans, so Wilpon can suck even more money from Johhny Lunchbucket and the unsuspecting public while doing nothing of substance to improve the team and lining his pockets with his new found wealth in the wake of the Mets one good season in since the dawning of the millenium.

Nah. That's not it. I don't know how how some posters can be so cynical all the time, it's a lot of work and quite depressing.

[Guest cleonjones11]

It took Ben Johnson 7 years to make it to the bigs..Nice power in minors..cup of coffee at SD. Looks like a career AAAA hitter...No beter than Victor Diaz I would think

[Diamond Dad]

I like Newhan. A few years ago he came up with Baltimore when their second baseman got hurt and played so well that when the second baseman came back, they put him in the outfield. He's versitile and can hit, although when you get 1 at bat a week, it's hard to show that.

Worth a shot here. No downside.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

There is kind of a big-picture downside, in that he, instead of Valentin, is your LH PH, meaning Valentin gets most of the PT and that the Mets are more or less satisfied with that or are just crossing their fingers. Newhan himself is capable of adequateness but I haven't ever noticed him much.

My worst fear for this season is that one or more of the starters on offense fail or collapse (Green, Alou, Valentin, LoDuca) and that we wind up unloading young pitchers on the fly in trades for them during the year.

[Guest cleonjones11]

Alay Soler is available

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well, the question is how many failures/collpases can this team absorb. They survived two last year. We're kind of going in expecting two this year, which may be realistic or may be pessemistic.

I think that Newhan may make the team, but if a starter is needed, Milledge and/or Johnson would fly out of New Orleans and leapfrog him on the depth chart.

[smg58]

My concern is that if Newhan makes the Opening Day roster, we will have problems with left-handed pitching again. We won't have a right-handed batter to spell Green, and only Damion Easley to spell Valentin. He would have to clearly outplay both Milledge and Johnson in the spring for me to feel comfortable replacing one of them. I think he's fine as depth in case of an injury, but I wouldn't guarantee him a spot.

[Guest vtmet]

Diamond Dad wrote: I like Newhan. A few years ago he came up with Baltimore when their second baseman got hurt and played so well that when the second baseman came back, they put him in the outfield. He's versitile and can hit, although when you get 1 at bat a week, it's hard to show that. Worth a shot here. No downside.

DD,

That isn't Newhan that you are thinking of, it's Brian Roberts...Jerry Hairston, Jr was the regular 2B, but got hurt in '03...Brian Roberts stepped into Hairston's 2B's role, stole 23 bases, hit more consistently than Hairston and played a better defensive 2B than Hairston...and then when Hairston made it back, Hairston played primarily as an OF/DH while Roberts kept 2B...then the following year, Hairston was traded for Sammy Sosa...

Newhan has not played 2B at the MLB level since '01 (2 PO in '01 at 2B) and has only played 28 games at 2B (with 19 of those games coming as a Padre in '99)...

http://www.baseball-reference.com/n/newhada01.shtml