The Outfield

[Guest Edgy DC]

http://www.paradiseartists.com/artists/outfield/splash.jpgIt's nice to have Alou relatively healthy and Milledge moving in a producitve direction, and even David Newhan behaivn in a modestly useful way. But that seaosn ending-injury to Ben Johnson shouldn't pass without note. The attrition in our outfield this season has been remarkable, in part because it's continued further down in our system, with even the likes of Corey Coles and Fernando Martinez going down for extended stretches.

It shouldn't be too much to ask for five healthy outfielders (who hit like outfielders) to run through a division race with, but right now the Mets are shorthanded down to A-Ball, and are faking it occasionally with infielders at other levels just like in Flushing.

NY Mets (4): Moises Alou, Shawn Green, Lastings Milledge, David Newhan.
New Orleans Zephyrs (3): Chip Ambres, Jesus Feliciano, Ricky Ledee
Binghamton Mets (3): Jamar Hill, Miguel Negron, Caleb Stewart
St. Lucie Mets (4): Ender Chavez, Ambiorix Concepcion, Sean Henry, Ignacio Medrano

It looks like it's going to be tough to fatten up the roster for September with quailfied help. And, yeah, you bet I'm scouting Carl Everett if I'm Omar Minaya.

[DocTee]

I'd rather have Shannon Stewart.

[metirish]

Some slim pickings there in the system,probably can expect Miniya to pick up some bloke soon.

[Guest Edgy DC]

With any luck we'll win this thing and he can start in center and lead off the day after we clinch.

1) Some Bloke, cf
2) Yer Man, 2b
3) That Eejit, 1b
4) Himself, rf
5) The Old Git, lf
6) Ugly Cocknose, 3b
7) Feckin' Bogger, c
8) Stupid ****, ss
9) Tom Glavine, sp

[Willets Point]

Just as long as the Mets don't get Stupid ****'s brother Doss. He sucks.

[metirish]

Edgy DC wrote: With any luck we'll win this thing and he can start in center and lead off the day after we clinch. 1) Some Bloke, cf 2) Yer Man, 2b 3) That Eejit, 1b 4) Himself, rf 5) The Old Git, lf 6) Ugly Cocknose, 3b 7) Feckin' Bogger, c 8) Stupid ****, ss 9) Tom Glavine, sp

What about yer bollox ya bollox.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I think I heard the ESPN announcers say on Sunday night that Willie hopes to get Beltran back on Wednesday. Has anyone heard anything to that effect from a more reliable source?


Last year's postseason outfield: Beltran, Green, Chavez, Floyd (with very limited availability) and Michael Tucker.

Should the Mets make the playoffs this year, they could probably do better than that: Beltran, Alou, Green, Milledge, Chavez. (Maybe Gomez instead of Chavez? And, unfortunately, it's possible that Alou will go into October in a condition as poor as Floyd's was last year.)

[seawolf17]

What on earth happened to Ambiorix Concepcion? He just kinda vanished, and now he's in high-A? I thought he was a future Timo at one point, but maybe that's just because he progressed that way in my computer baseball game. (He's now the starting CF and #2 hitter for the first-place Baltimore Orioles in that world, though.)

[Guest OlerudOwned]

What if we promote Ender Chavez from A-ball, give him Endy's uniform, and cross our fingers?


Ender


Endy

[Frayed Knot]

]What on earth happened to Ambiorix Concepcion?

He got some short-term buzz as a result of his "toolsey" athleticism and a good year at Brooklyn (MVP of the NY-Penn League, IIRC) to the point where the Mets felt the need to add him to the 40-man roster for fear of getting him snatched in the Rule 5 draft.

But he was also old for that league and, once promoted to full-season leagues, was never able to repeat that brief stint of dominance. He's since been taken off the 40 and probably has a ceiling of being a bit player in the majors at best.

[Centerfield]

Frayed Knot and I have been sitting here with our gloves oiled just waiting for the call.

[Benjamin Grimm]

No offense, but I think I'd prefer Michael Tucker.

[Farmer Ted]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgfSzuFD8rw

[Guest Edgy DC]

Tucker didn't give us much in the way of defense either.

[Elster88]

Yancy Street Gang wrote: I think I heard the ESPN announcers say on Sunday night that Willie hopes to get Beltran back on Wednesday. Has anyone heard anything to that effect from a more reliable source?

According to Keef, Beltran's offa the DL on Thursday. I'm sure you're as surprised as I am to learn the ESPN announcers are probably wrong. Which is to say not surprised at all.

[Frayed Knot]

That [u:2fdc04cf15]he's eligible[/u:2fdc04cf15] to come off the DL Thursday or that [u:2fdc04cf15]he's going to[/u:2fdc04cf15]?

I suspect he meant the former since I doubt anything's been decided yet.
ESPN radio was reporting today (I forget who they were quoting) that Beltran is saying that his ab muscles are "still tight" and that he was NOT likely to be ready at the first elibible day.

[Elster88]

Frayed Knot wrote: That he's eligible to come off the DL Thursday or that he's going to? I suspect he meant the former since I doubt anything's been decided yet. ESPN radio was reporting today (I forget who they were quoting) that Beltran is saying that his ab muscles are "still tight" and that he was NOT likely to be ready at the first elibible day.

Eligible.

[Frayed Knot]

Which, unfortunately, doesn't tell us anything new.

[Elster88]

Frayed Knot wrote: Which, unfortunately, doesn't tell us anything new.

It tells us that the ESPN announcers don't know shit.

Which also is nothing new. But I'd hate for anyone who heard them to get false hopes.

[Elster88]

http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070807&content_id=2135695&vkey=news_nym&fext=.jsp&c_id=nym

Notes: Beltran eyeing return
08/07/2007 8:40 PM ET
By Anthony DiComo / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- The Mets' Carlos Beltran is inching closer to a return to center field.
Beltran worked out Tuesday for the first time since straining his left oblique, and he could be ready to come off the disabled list by week's end. He ran, played catch and hit for the first time since the injury, and -- for the most part -- felt normal.

"Running and playing catch was fine," Beltran said. "But we weren't going crazy out there. It's the first day since I got hurt that I'm capable of doing work."

The problem was hitting. Beltran said he felt about 75 percent swinging from the left side, but only 50 percent from the right side after a session of soft toss. He'll take batting practice for the first time Wednesday, and plans on taking hacks from both sides of the plate.

He's also eager to rejoin the team as soon as he can -- even if that means joining at less than 100 percent.

"I don't think anyone here feels 100 percent," Beltran said. "The way I feel today, I feel like I've gained confidence for [Wednesday] to go out again and do a little bit more."

Beltran didn't make the recent road trip to Milwaukee and Chicago, staying home to heal. And while it has helped to heal him physically, it may have also managed to fracture his psyche. He couldn't be there when Tom Glavine won his 300th game, and he couldn't be there as the Mets played some of their best ball of the season.

Beltran couldn't, in fact, do much of anything.

"Sitting home without doing anything, I get crazy," Beltran said. "I get bored. The last few days I've had a bat in my room. I've been swinging at home, trying to get a feel for something, trying to feel better. Watching those games, watching Glavine get to 300, it would have been a great experience for me."

Pedro primed: Months of eager anticipation have come and gone. Now, there's only one last step standing between Pedro Martinez and a Mets uniform.

And that step begins Wednesday.

Martinez will make his long-awaited first rehab start with the St. Lucie Mets on Wednesday night against Class A Lakeland. The game will mark the first time Martinez has played a game that counts in 11 months, and -- barring setbacks -- should keep him on schedule to return to the Majors by month's end.

Castillo quenched: Luis Castillo was feeling markedly better after leaving Sunday's game early due to heat exhaustion, and was back in the lineup Tuesday, playing second and batting in his customary two-hole.

Castillo hasn't just been overheating physically -- he has been sizzling at the plate, as well, racking up six hits over the past two games and stealing two bases Sunday. So it was no surprise that the Mets were eager to have him back.

"It was just a temporary thing," said manager Willie Randolph. "He just got a little exhausted with the heat and everything. He had some fluids the last couple of days, and should be good as new."

Last hurrah: Glavine will have one last chance to savor his 300th win -- this time in front of the Shea faithful -- before Sunday's matinee against the Marlins.

The Mets will honor Glavine with a pregame ceremony, including a video tribute and presentations from teammates.

Down on the farm: Top prospect Phil Humber struggled for Triple-A New Orleans in a 6-4 loss to Fresno on Monday, walking four and allowing five runs in four innings. He's now walked eight in two starts since the non-waiver trade deadline, posting a 6.75 ERA.

This date in Mets history -- Aug. 8: A two-run single by Donn Clendenon was the critical hit in a three-run rally in the ninth inning that carried the Mets to a 4-1 victory against the Braves in Atlanta in the first game of a doubleheader on this date in 1969. A single by Felipe Alou off Ron Taylor in the 10th inning drove in Clete Boyer with the decisive run in the Braves' 1-0 victory in the second game.

Jon Matlack allowed two singles and two walks in a complete-game performance in the Mets' 1-0 victory against the Dodgers in Los Angeles on this date in 1973. Jerry Koosman pitched a four-hitter against the Dodgers the following night and lost, 1-0. On this date in 1988, 10 days after Bobby Ojeda had shut out the Pirates, 1-0, at Shea Stadium, Rick Reed pitched eight scoreless innings in his big league debut in what became a 1-0 Pirates victory against Ojeda at Three Rivers Stadium.

Coming up: A pair of the game's top veteran right-handers square off in the second of three games between the Mets and Braves at Shea, starting at 7:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Orlando Hernandez (7-4, 3.00 ERA) starts for the Mets, who have won the last five games El Duque's pitched, opposite Atlanta's John Smoltz (10-6, 3.04 ERA).

[Gwreck]

We acquired AAA outfielder Chad Hermansen from the Marlins for a PTBNL.

Link here.

[Frayed Knot]

Probably more to replace Ben Johnson than any attempt to have him play in New York.



Willie on Beltran (not literally):
Swinging better from the left side, still questionable from the right.
Will check him out tomorrow which is the first day eligible to play.

Sounded to me like he's not going to play Thursday - especially since holding off til Friday night gives him an extra day and a half as Thursday is another "Nooner".

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well, I was counting on Johnson to be available in September anyhow. Maybe Hermanson will be that man. I'd hate to go a whole year Chadless.

They might do well to activate him just to have his bat ready to pinch-hit.

His page is already sponsored by a Mets site: http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/hermach01.shtml

[DocTee]

Cool-- I just sent the guy who runs that site an invitation to stop on by the 'pool.

[Elster88]

Heard on the radio that Fernando is out for the year. I thought that was already decided but apparently now it's official.

[Guest Edgy DC]

He was on the Gulf Coast roster, so I thought he was re-habbing with them.

[Elster88]

Endy played seven innings in PSL, went 1 for 3 (double).

[Elster88]

What the f to do when Chavez comes back? He's the odd man out to me.

Unless you want to come at me and try and say he's better than Greenie.

[nymr83]

he can replace Anderson, there'd still be Gotay to backup the middle infield and Conine to backup 1st and 3rd in an emergency.

[Guest Mendoza Line]

]Unless you want to come at me and try and say he's better than Greenie.

OK, I'll take the bait.

Over the past two seasons, they have roughly the same OPS+. Oddly enough, the OBP and slugging percentages are almost identical when you look at them separately, too - would have figured that Green would have a much higher slugging percentage. They both hit well enough to be fourth outfielders, and not well enough to start.

Endy has the rep of being a much better fielder. I haven't seen any evidence to believe that he isn't, and the usual suspect fielding stats (range factor, assists, fielding percentage) are all in Endy's favor.

Endy plays all three outfield positions and plays them well. Green is strictly a corner outfielder.

Green's a fine citizen and he's had some nice moments as a Met, but at this stage of their respective careers, I'd take Endy as long as his hamstring is back at 100%.