Undercover Angel

[Guest Edgy DC]

What is your opinion about this Pagan fellow? Trouble staying healthy, but the sort of line drive hitter that can really exploit the CitiField power alleys. Piles up triples, but has done doltish things on the base paths. Has a lot of skills, but none so impressive as to suggest he can stay in the lineup when he's not at his best.

Signing Bay kicks Pagan to the bench once more, fightiing with Carter and F-Bomb and Evans for playing time. He's a good outfielder but no defensive specialist. But Jeromy Reed has sure shown how outfielders on the roster primarily as def-reps can be a load. It's debateable whether he's enough of an improvement over Jason Bay to use him that capacity. They probably wouldn't.

(By the way, congratulations to the Mets on this one. Angel may have had a couple of long-term injuries, but the two cats he was traded for --- Corey Coles and Ryan Meyers --- have zero major league at-bats between them and neither played in 2009.)

So, what do you do with Angel now? Trade high? Or save him for the inevitable crack in our lineup?

[Benjamin Grimm]

I voted "modest."

If he sticks around, and I suspect he will, I think we'll be glad to have him as a fourth outfielder.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Assuming he is-- and, by and large, will be-- exactly what he is at present, he'll make a great 4th OF, and a satisfactory-at-best anything else.

"Modest." (Although I could see him leaving in trade for midseason reinforcements.)

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

I like him. But I think he'll be part of a trade with Cincy or Kansas City for a pitcher.

[Guest attgig]

keep him around in case Francouer flops again. at worst, we may have a righty/lefty platoon with these two in right (pagan's lefty splits have him better, though he seems to show more power from the right)

[smg58]

Tough to say. Pagan should probably start in right against righthanded pitching; whether he will or not remains an open question. And we will need a defensive sub in left regardless. I'd be open to dealing him if somebody offers a starting outfielder's price for him, but if not, I think he has more than enough value as a fourth outfielder to justify keeping him around.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Tough to say. Pagan should probably start in right against righthanded pitching; whether he will or not remains an open question.[/quote:1aq57w3u]
Oh, I'm pretty sure he won't. Not unless/until we see Frenchy killing us non-stop seven or eight weeks into the seaoson.

Francoeur may have sucked in his last few films, but he passed his audition for this one.

[Guest Swan Swan H]

He's going to Chicago for Zambrano.

[Ceetar]

I like Pagan. I think he's an excellent 4th outfield, I think he'll find some playing time, and it really strengthens the bench, something that was perhaps the worst part of the team last year.

[Guest Edgy DC]

It's as much that the bench was over-stretched and as injured as the starters. He himself was a prime example.

I don't want him (or anybody) traded but after last year's performance, he may be worth more to another team willing to give him more PT than the Mets are.

[Ceetar]

Tatis _may_ have been okay as a bench guy, as may have Sheffield, but they were never used like that, even when everyone else was healthy.

Reed was always on the bench, never got a chance to start, and Santos may have been a slight downgrade from Castro, but as backup catchers go, whatever.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Tatis _may_ have been okay as a bench guy, as may have Sheffield, but they were never used like that, even when everyone else was healthy.

Please to explain?

[Guest attgig]

he may be worth more to another team willing to give him more PT than the Mets are.[/quote:62q8coyd]


who's out there that would take on Pagan as a starter? All I've heard were the royals, but what are we going to get from them that'll really help us? I just don't see a good trading partner that will get us what we need. meanwhile, he's still cheap and probably the best 4th outfield option the mets have.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I dunno who will want him. I only said mebbe.

what are we going to get from them that'll really help us?

Dunno again! (Especially with that "really" in there). Maybe Brian Bannister?

Again, I'm for keeping him.

[Guest attgig]

Dunno again! Maybe Brian Bannister?[/quote:21jru683]

oddly, the name crossed my head as well as I was typing it, but figured it's best to just let him go.

[Guest Edgy DC]

You know, you wouldn't say that about Backpack Girl. You don't let go. You stalk. You make late night phone calls. You friend on Facebook under alias accounts. But you don't. let. go.

[bmfc1]

Excellent song. Big hit in 1977 by Allan O'Day:

Oh, Angel Pagan. I hope that he's used as a throw-in as part of a deal for a SP. He has positives but his cement head outweighs them.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Number 212 on the FaFiF 500.

[G-Fafif]

Number 212 on the FaFiF 500.[/quote:2sleuv81]

The elevation of former Angel Darren O'Day in the spring of 2009 moved "Undercover Angel" by Alan O'Day onto my annual Met playlist. Then Darren disappeared from view.

Same thing happened in 2008 when the now forgotten (by me) Raul Casanova gave Levert some unforeseen exposure in my ears.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Is Tatis under contract for next year? Is he coming back?

[Benjamin Grimm]

Is Tatis under contract for next year? Is he coming back?[/quote:3rva8jl3]

He's currently a free agent. I don't know if the Mets are considering bringing him back. I haven't heard anything either way.

[Ceetar]

Tatis _may_ have been okay as a bench guy, as may have Sheffield, but they were never used like that, even when everyone else was healthy.

Please to explain?

[Benjamin Grimm]

You know, I don't even remember... Coming out of spring training in 2009, who was supposed to be the Mets regular left fielder?

[Ceetar]

You know, I don't even remember... Coming out of spring training in 2009, who was supposed to be the Mets regular left fielder?[/quote:2h05sr7o]


Marlon Anderson.


I'm not sure Manuel knew who he wanted in LF at that point. (or in RF) says a lot.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Maybe it was Daniel Murphy?

[Guest attgig]

it was murph. he had that error in the duel between josh johnson and johan santana that cost us the game.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Maybe it was Daniel Murphy?

[batmagadanleadoff]

Pagan .... really strengthens the bench, something that was perhaps the worst part of the team last year.

[batmagadanleadoff]

he may be worth more to another team willing to give him more PT than the Mets are.[/quote:l4bdzrs2]


who's out there that would take on Pagan as a starter? All I've heard were the royals, but what are we going to get from them that'll really help us?[/quote:l4bdzrs2]

We could get the big number 5 from their Hall of Fame and use it to replace our big #42 in the you know where.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Same with Sheffield, who played LF with a "Wait until the ball starts rolling and then pick it up" approach. If he got lucky and hit a pitch hard, he could hit it hard, and he did have a hot week or two, but mostly was a squibb single guy and relied on his former 'presense' to get a lot of walks.[/quote:3q6t4avl]

I had no problem with Sheff's ability last year. Durability was another issue, but it was no secret that he was 40 years old; compared to most other 2009 Mets as it turned out, Sheff was relatively healthy. Don't forget that Sheff replaced Marlon Anderson last year and joined the Mets as the last outfielder on the depth chart. Initially, it was not anticipated that Sheff would get over 300 plate appearances, but all plans went to hell and pretty quickly.

Offensively, Sheff was one of the best 2009 Mets, rate-wise. As one example, he hit as many HR's as David Wright did, in about half the number of plate appearances. Sheff is still pretty good at hitting major league pitching.